<p>I'm getting a new cell phone for college, which will last me for the next two years, and I'm wondering whether or not I should get a smartphone. I'm in senior year of HS, haven't texted at all in HS, and never saw the need for a smartphone. But in college, I plan on working on a lot of publications, so would a smartphone be necessary?</p>
<p>No. I know there will be a flood of replies to the contrary. what can a smartphone offer that a regular one can’t? games? (I never had a smartphone). sounds like a distraction to me. All you young people are so obsessed with connectivity and instant gratification.</p>
<p>You don’t need a smart phone. I do recommend that you consider getting a phone with a keyboard or touchscreen keyboard and add an unlimited texting feature onto your account. Even though you don’t text much right now, there is a very good chance that you will begin texting when you get to college. Also, most colleges send out texts if there is an emergency situation happening on campus.</p>
<p>I, personally, have never found a need for a smart phone. My campus is one big wifi bubble, so I can get on the internet with any wireless device (of which I have several) at all times. All those smart phone plans cost too much money to be of any worth to me. Smart phones don’t give me anything I don’t already have, so I wouldn’t get one.</p>
<p>Maybe you might find the situation different. I’m not sure how much a smart phone would help with publications though. I only use my cell for texts and calls (mostly the former).</p>
<p>EDIT: ^I agree with nysmile. My cell phone does indeed have a keyboard, and it is much better than one without. Unlimited texting is also a must for me. Since everyone in college has classes at different times a day and are always in different places, texting is the primary way we communicate when not face to face.</p>
<p>You don’t need one for college. A keyboard would be nice though and texting will be a must IMO. I personally have a Blackberry (birthday gift) with unlimited texting. I opted to stay away from the data plan, so I don’t use apps. Although some deem it worthless to have without a data plan, I am fine because I only need talk and text.</p>
<p>I use my smartphone for almost everything. I’ve put my schedule and other appointments on google calendar, and it can sync with my phone. I use my phone for an alarm in the morning. It also functions as a handy way to check email when I’m on the go or need to look up something on the internet. I can read class assignments, check class websites, and read pdfs. It also has google maps and gps, which is really handy if your friends are driving somewhere and they need directions. There are also other productivity apps, like evernote and dropbox that you can add to your phone, not to mention games when you’re on the bus or waiting in lines.</p>
<p>You don’t NEED a smartphone, but it definitely helps me stay organized.</p>
<p>I, too, use my smart phone for everything. I work at a photography company and my boss will send out a shoot and the first few to respond get to work- so that’s how I earn money. If I didn’t have it, I wouldn’t be able to check my email very often. It also has GPS which is very nice since I never work in the same place- plus it was cheaper and more convenient than buying a portable GPS for my car. </p>
<p>Additionally, I work three jobs and juggle a lot of other things so my phone has a nifty calendar synced to my laptop calendar that reminds me when I have places to be.</p>
<p>Necessary? Absolutely not. Helpful? It can be- if you’re in a situation where email is critical or you’re always on the go.</p>
<p>I agree with romanigypsyeyes. I used to have a lovely smartphone which I loved. The email function was hugely helpful since I’m in a sorority and they sent out info about events I needed right away. Google Maps helped me find my way around (which will always be helpful for finding parties, etc). Facebook was also really helpful, and games helped pass the time in boring classes 
I accidentally broke my smartphone when I was drunk and I really miss it. </p>
<p>If you don’t text now, prepare to do so in college if you plan on having a social life. Texting is used from everything to getting people to go to dinner with you to finding parties and making plans for the night. You will be very disconnected if you cannot text and people will have problems reaching you.</p>
<p>yeah i’ll probably get texting, but i still don’t know if a smartphone is worth it if i can just check email on a laptop.</p>
<p>I don’t text much either but it’s good to have in case somebody ends up texting you or, like someone said, the school’s emergency system. If you’re not sure how much you’ll use it at first, do something like 250/month or 500 or their lowest option. You can upgrade later.</p>
<p>A smartphone is a great idea though. It’s not just for games or wasting time of Facebook. Email is huge in college, at least here. You won’t have your laptop open and connected to the internet all the time so having that phone with email is great. Often professors/TAs/clubs email me within an hour of an event for a change or something…and if I don’t have my phone on me, I completely miss it. </p>
<p>I don’t know what service you use but AT&T has tiered data plans now. So if you just want to go email and discourage unnecessary downloading/Facebooking, go for the lower plan. Or there are some non-main services that use the same cell towers and have those unlimited plans for a fraction of the price.</p>
<p>My daughter has a regular phone for calling-- and unlimited texts (I agree that is a must). She has an iPod Touch, though, which is great. The whole campus is WiFi, so there is no need for a fancy data plan. She can get emails and use it like a computer any time. She actually said yesterday that she didn’t want a smartphone any more. She likes her little clam shell phone.</p>
<p>I would really like a smart phone because I run multiple student organizations and it would be a lot more convenient if I could handle emails throughout the day instead of coming home to 50 of them in the evening, and it would be easier to update people about changes for events and whatnot with enough advanced notice for it to matter if I had a smart phone. But otherwise, I don’t think it’s necessary. </p>
<p>I just got my first qwerty phone and I don’t think I like the keyboard. It has a touch screen keypad on the outside I could use instead but I can’t figure out how to set up T9 on that keypad, so I’ve been using the qwerty and I am significantly slower and less accurate on it. I hope I get used to it. >:(</p>