Aspies and smartphones

Post Reply New Topic

Whether its worth it? Very person to person.
Personally:
-Text to speech/written communicaton: I lose speech when stressed. I have the ability to type and have it speak. This includes, pre-written phrases, because I sometimes don't lose the ability to speak, but don't remember ideas well enough without prompting, so have prompts, and also has somewhere for me to write and use that for communication because its easier to communicate in writing
-Easy to reference notes, both for taking and for referencing. Been great for doctors appointments. Much more convenient than carrying paper
-Always have mental fidget toys on you (between internet and games)
-Always have a connection to IRC
-Internet EVERYWHERE for referencing random things and being on my forums
-Easier to text with, texting instead of verbal communication again
-I can know when things like buses are going to show up instead of being convinced they showed up and passed me by (I have issues with public transit being late... this is one thing that's helped is now I can check and it gives me a number of minutes until it should get there. Of course it lies but it at least tells me if its passed by or not yet)
-Various executive functioning tools, including use of the calendar.


Is it worth it? For me absolutely worth the increase in cost. For you it might not be.

As for what phone to get, I'd not say there's only one choice. I'd say that there's a lot of ones that aren't worth it though. I'd also say that a serious choice you'd need to ask going in is if you want Android of iOS. Both have advantages and disadvantages. Android varies more widely in how its presented, but all of it has certain disadvantages still and certain advantages still.

Personally, I have a Galaxy S4, and its a great phone for me. My sister has an iPhone 5 and its a great phone for her. Both of us, if we had each other's phones, they'd be bad matches for us.

Soooooo because I have a general hatred of Apple and the corporate branding cult they seem to have founded (I appreciate that their computers are very very elegantly designed but you can get a pc with better specs at a fraction of the cost. Plus windows is just more configurable at least for n00bs)

I went for the Samsung Galaxy S3 Soooooooo excited. Cant wait to download tonnes of gaming apps audiobooks and get spotify on android. My executive functioning being somewhat poor I constantly dropped my dumbphone - because these phones are more rugged it withstood that admirably. How can I avoid the same thing happening to the smartphone

I'll make do with my Motorola L6.
I rarely go out so don't need a smartphone.

You can get ruggedized cases for smartphones . I have a seido obex on my s4, they make one for the s3 too. Otterbox is a company to look at the cases of. I don't remember if lifeproof has made one for the s3 as well as the s4. The ones I'm thinking of actually add waterproofing too .

Generally there are a variety of cases for that though. Otterbox and lifeproof are the biggest two names. But look.at reviews and such. I got the first that meet my needs that came out and I like it and find it works great, but you have choices.

Sigh theyre all too expensive dammit. Im not spending 17 on a new case with all the other things ive had to buy. The ones on Amazon all look dubious to me and I cant test them out myself. A simple string that I could attach to the phone and then to my wrist would solve the issue

I constantly lose my phone. I hate talking on phones, maybe I accidentally do it on purpose.

Also, I am unable to do more then basic research on the phone, just not willing to deal with a screen that small.

But I do have an iPad and a mifi, which means I can have internet access on the iPad where ever I go. BUT i recently bought an Macbook air and it's almost as light as my iPad so now I take it with me everywhere I go and use that instead. I'm not an apple fanatic, I just really like their products a lot!

I don't like smart phones. What's the point when you have regular cell phones and computers?

I'm kind of the same. I still haven't made the transition from my flip-phone. I can understand the convenience it brings, and I acknowledge that it's a very handy tool, but for myself I just don't see the emergency to purchase one yet.

Because of the ultra-low frequency at which I make phone calls, owning a prepaid dumbphone is actually more cost-efficient for me than taking a smartphone with a provider subscription.

Also something of a minor peeve, but I find smartphones a bit less appealing in the way of design and ergonomics. They don't slide in my pocket as easily as my flip-phone.

My Galaxy S3 arrived today and I understand the fuss

1) I have 24hr access to millions of music tracks wherever I am via spotrify - I can get these offline too
2) I have a virtual personal assistant who helps me organise my life which is something I havent successfully managed to accomplish in 22 years
3) I have a wide range of tools and apps such as timers stopwatches compasses and of course maps in one device
4) I can log things and keep meticulous records as I am wont to do
5) I can play games like chess against people around the world wherever I am
6)I can make detailed media rich notes on the fly and even incorporate these into my blog

All for 15 a month normal cellphones can do some of these things rather poorly and clumsily but you dont have that deep sense of connectedness. I think thats at the heart of it. Smartphones promote a state of permanent flow where your head is in the "cloud" constantly. you're hooked into a neverending stream of data


If I had to pay anymore than 15 a month I wouldnt consider it however. Despite everything I said above smarthphones are still rather gimmicky. About the only trruly necessary innovation would be the maps feature. I'd rather learn how to read an actual map however. The organisational features also probably dimminish ones organisational capacity due to the fact that you no longer have to remember anything. I'd prefer to carry a pen and paper diary around with me

Smartphones are however utterly pointless if you dont go out much. Im a student so I am out and about a fair bit. My smartphone literally saved my life today at orchestral practise. I was sitting around waiting for much of the time and the environment felt hostile. I was able to become totally fixated on my browsing and surfing/figuring out the mechanisms of the phone

Not only do I have a Galaxy S4, I have a 10 inch tablet. I was an early adopter of the first Android phone when it came out because I could see the promise of it making my life easier in so many ways. It syncs to all my other devices and with my calendar, personal assistant, and Evernote, I find myself in better control of aspects of my life that have always escaped me. That was before it was first suggested I was Autistic. So of course when it came time to get an official diagnosis, I'd put together a check list of all the things I thought the doctor would find useful. She did, and it helped keep me on track and focused. I still carry around my journal, because it's just like a security blanket for me, and because I don't like writing long things on the smartphone. But often things that wind up in one, make it to the other and vice-versa.

Is it worth it to me? Oh heck yeah. I take very good care of my smartphone(s) because they take good care of me.

One overlooked benefit of smartphones is the fact that they can emulate any console up to the PSP/DS. I currently have a GBA emulator running Pokemon. There is in fact full fucnitonality in terms of trades and day/night cycles etc. In terms of managing anxiety a game like pokemon has a profound effect on my sense of wellbeing. It is game that provides the user with supreme control. The world is also highly logical governed by strict rules.

Android games themselves arent all that good, but add a DS emulator to your Iphone and suddenly you have a world of joy wherever you are. The fact that you can potentially have 6-7 different consoles in 1 device for 20-30 a month is peerless.

My joy is boundless - ive always missed pokemon but never had the money or inclination to fork out for a console. Now I have full integration with my phone.

Therein lies the second fairly overlooked advantage. Smartphones have introduced a new concept - mobile integration. One can have communication entertainment and organisational systems in the one device which is phenomenally useful for people on the spectrum who have exectuive functioning issues. Its not convenient or advisable to walk around with a diary phone MP3 player etc.

Out of that however comes the inevitable downside when the phone breaks/ is stolen. Within a month I can definately predict that if either of those 2 calamities were to befall my phone i'd be devastated. I already am glued to the thing in social situations due to the fact that its like an invisibility cloak.

I have an uncontracted moto g that I got for 200 bucks. It works perfectly and it already has kit kat. I use it as a browser / iPod / Netflix steamer. It's what I'm using to post this reply. I like it a lot. It's useful for to do lists, and checking email as well. I recommend.

I do not have or want a smart phone.....I like accessing the internet on a computer not some small little touch screen device. Not to mention if I am doing something away from the computer then i don't want to be on the Internet via phone I would rather live that moment of life I guess.

Seems like it would be a waste of money to me....a non-smart phone with an mp3 player and keyboard with letters to text is quite advanced enough for me.

I generally dislike telephones and texting because they are interruptive, and I dislike being a bit anxious and jumpy all day because the dang thing might startle me at any moment.

But... my smartphone had been great in helping me with executive functioning. Having my things like my calendar and grocery lists always in my pocket helpful. For important things like doctor's appointments and such I can have it remind me the day before, then again 2 hours before so that I have time to bath, dress, and so on.

For me it was worth it.

I resisted the temptation