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Smartphones are taking over the cellphone market. In the first quarter of 2012, 44 percent of the U.S. population had smartphones, according to research by Google and Ipsos MediaCT released in May 2012.
Are smartphone holdouts behind-the-times Luddites, or are there actually good reasons to resist the siren song of technology?
After all, purposely forgoing a smartphone when it's time to get a new phone is a tough sell.
"I think the reasons for not getting a smartphone are getting pretty few and far between," says Scott Stein, a senior editor at CNET.com.
Is now the time to draw the line in the sand and say no to 24/7 connectivity and nearly all of the information in the world literally in your pocket?
Smartphones can wreck havoc on your budget
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There's a significant acquisition cost when buying a smartphone, as they're all varying degrees of pricey. But the bucks don't stop there — data plans are increasingly expensive.
"Data becomes such a huge part of the package that a lot of people might prefer to just pay for a voice plan and say, 'I do not want any part of that data access because it is getting too expensive,'" Stein says.
While talk is cheap, literally — who wants to talk on a phone these days? — data plans get expensive, and they're somewhat redundant.
The average U.S. household has five devices connected to the Internet, according to a survey by Chetan Sharma Consulting, a management consulting firm focused on mobile and voice communications. Some households have more than 15 devices.
One option for consumers: Get a simple phone and a tablet with a cellular package.
"Those often cost less, and you can choose to turn it on and off. That way, you can sort of connect as much as you want, but then your phone is not the thing that is carrying all of that burden," Stein says.
Shipping phones abroad exposes risk
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Some electronics recyclers in the United States and other developed countries cut corners by shipping old electronics to developing countries where they are scavenged for resources and discarded.
According to the 2011 annual report from the United Nations initiative, "Solving the e-waste problem," or StEP, "Such informal recycling often takes place under the most primitive of conditions, with unprotected workers — often children — being exposed to dangerous chemicals and facing extensive health dangers. ... E-waste recycling and disposal practices found in places such as China, India, Nigeria, Bangladesh, Ghana and Pakistan include open burning of plastics, exposure to toxic solders, leakages of acids into rivers and general dumping of waste material."
It's estimated that this is the fate of 50 percent to 80 percent of all "recycled" electronics in the U.S., according to Electronics TakeBack Coalition, a nonprofit organization devoted to the promotion of green design and responsible recycling in the electronics industry.
"It's nearly impossible to get a firm number on the amount of phones shipped overseas from the U.S. This is mainly due to a larger problem of capturing what is in the waste stream," says Casey Harrell, campaigner for Greenpeace International.
In 2011, a bill that would have restricted exporting e-waste to developing countries was introduced in the House and Senate, where it was buried in committees.
Maybe you check email enough
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Sure, the ability to settle an argument or find the lyrics to that song from 1992 on Google from anywhere, anytime is amazing.
It's nearly a superpower that anyone can put in their pocket all the time. The flipside of being connected all the time is that you're connected all the time. Are there any moments that should be Internet-free?
A recent survey found that most people would say no: 58 percent of smartphone users said they don't go an hour without checking their phones, according to the survey conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of Lookout.com, a mobile security company.
The survey also found that 30 percent of smartphone users check their phone while dining with others, and 54 percent check their phone in bed.
While Bankrate didn't find any studies about their interference with marital harmony, anecdotal evidence suggests obsessive smartphone use can be a source of friction among couples.
"Maybe you do not like to always be connected. And that could be valid if you are not working in a field that you have to be. If you cannot get email on your phone, then that is a great way to explain why you cannot be reached," Stein says.
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