Advantages of having a smartphone
1. With a smartphone, waiting for things becomes less of a pain because you can keep yourself entertained; for example, you can read the news, play games, listen to music or watch a movie. It can make your commute to the office or those four hours waiting to get seen in A&E just fly by.
2. Complaining about products and services becomes a whole lot easier when you can do it through Twitter and Facebook on your smartphone. Many companies now use social media as a part of their customer service. It makes it quick, easy and you can do it anywhere.
3. Having a smartphone makes it much more convenient to check your email, social media or even you bank account while on the go. Need to look at your bank balance before making a purchase? Not a problem.
4. With a smartphone, you’re no longer going to get in hot water using your company’s computer to chat with your friends whilst you are at work. Instead, you can keep your conversations away from the business’s network, protect your privacy and stay within your employer’s IT usage policy.
5. With so many public Wi-Fi hotspots popping up, smartphones enable you to cut down your reliance on your phone network to get connected. This means you can do more surfing without the need to eat into your data allowance. Do be careful though, not all hotspots are secure.
Disadvantages of having a smartphone
1. Phones can be addictive and spending too much time on them can make you socially isolated from the real world. You should avoid becoming obsessed with constantly checking it. Resist the urge as it can develop into compulsive behaviour.
2. Overuse of smartphones has led to the development of a smartphone etiquette. There are certain social situations where it is just not acceptable to have a phone. For example, it’s not considered polite to interrupt a conversation to check an incoming text, nor do many people feel it’s appropriate to take a phone out when at the dining table. In other words, don’t let your smartphone habits turn you into a rude person.
3. You will lose your smartphone. Several times a day. You’ll leave it in the car, at the office, down the side of the sofa, under the duvet. And when you try to ring it, either the battery will have gone or you’ll have left it on silent. Don’t worry, it turns up – usually.
4. Smartphones are expensive. If you just have to have the latest all singing, all dancing model then you will be paying either a large sum to buy the phone outright or quite a bit for your monthly contract. In addition, there are costs for different services and charges for buying apps. It all adds up. Calls are also more expensive over mobile networks than over home phones.
5. There are security risks with smartphones. You store lots of personal information on mobile phones and many of the apps log you in automatically, giving anyone with your phone access to your online accounts. If your phone does not have an adequate, password protected, screen lock, then all this information is at risk.
In addition, there is also the risk your phone can be hacked or even spied upon.