mymike Loc: Tucson, AZ

I've had BlackBerrys and now 2 I phones. One is work and the other personal. I also have 2 IPads and 2 laptops both Windows based. I use my personal IPhone to read this Forum! Enough said!

berchman Loc: South Central PA

I'm 76 and I bought my first smart phone last month mainly to have a camera with me all the time that would fit in my pocket and do double duty as a cell phone. To avoid those expensive contracts that lock you in for two years, I got an unlocked iPhone 6 plus from Apple and then got a SIM card from Consumer Cellular which has cheap prices and month to month subscriptions. (They're highly rated by Consumer Reports.) Despite buying David Pogue's book on the iPhone and downloading Apple's own free 441 pp book, there are still unanswered questions which required a call to Apple support which answered them. One question addressed transferring my contacts from Microsoft Outlook to the iPhone and coordinating the calendar from Google to the iPhone's calendar.

I'm about to call to find out how to delete photos from the Photo Stream and the Albums since I don't see any trash can icon. As others have pointed out there is almost nothing and no information that you can't get using a smart phone. For example, I plan to use it in Europe for walking tours, translation, local train and bus information, restaurant reviews, and finding a toilet. I checked into the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 but I thought Apple's camera took better pictures and that the camera apps for Apple were superior to those for Android. I'm actually astonished at the quality of the photos and videos. Sure, my Nikon D800 is better, but with lens weighs 6¼ lbs while the iPhone weighs ½ lb with case and screen protector. The pictures easily transfer to Lightroom on my PC and with the app ProCamera I take them in TIFF not JPG to give me more flexibility in post processing. There is even an app which captures in DNG (raw) format.

rehess Loc: South Bend, Indiana, USA

My first smart phone was the 'Droid. I moved to iPhone for the types of reasons I spoke about on another thread, namely that Google is behind Android, and I don't really trust a company whose main business is selling information. The main problem with every Apple product is that they are restrictive. The cord connecting a 'Droid to a computer is standard; a special Apple cord is needed to connect an iPhone to a computer. I could develop programs for 'Droid using Java on anything that supports Java development; I would need a Mac and special Apple tool s to develop for an iPhone. Likewise, I could copy any file I wanted to the 'Droid; moving files to the iPhone is highly restricted. etc etc etc

rehess Loc: South Bend, Indiana, USA

On my iPhone, if you are displaying a picture (i.e., it takes up the entire screen), and you tap on it, on the top of the screen it provides the return button ( < My Photo Stream ), the place of the picture ( 189 of 191 ) and an edit button; on the bottom of the screen it provides a button to do something with the picture ( create a message or email for example ), a right-pointing triangle to start a slide-show, and a trash can.

Wingpilot Loc: Wasilla. Ak

No, there is no way, that i am aware of to hook up an I-Phone to a PC. If you have a Mac computer you can transfer images to the computer via ICloud.

That being said, I have had an IPhone 4S and an IPhone 5. I upgraded from the 4 to the 5 just because I wanted the slightly larger screen and better camera. We recently (my wife and I) switched to the Samsung smart phones. I have the Samsung S5 Active (they say it's waterproof, or at least water resistant) and I like it a lot. I think it has a better screen and display than the IPhone does.

The Samsung, IMO, is not quite as simple to use as the IPhone, but I think it's a better phone in some ways. First of all, you can put a micro SD card in it, up to 128GB. That gives you a lot of s storage space for photos. If you are out in the field, you can use a micro SD card in your camera, using the adapter case to fit the camera. Then you can remove the card, take the micro card out of its carrier and insert it into the Samsung phone for some PP. I have a mobile version of Photoshop Express on my phone.

With the IPhone, the only storage space you have is what comes built into the phone, however, you can get the phone in a 128GB version. But if you don't have a Mac computer, image transfer becomes an issue.

I like the Samsung as both a phone and a mini portable computer. Were I to do it again (as was my intention to begin with) I would stick with the IPhone just because it's a bit easier to use. As for cameras, both phones have good cameras, however the IPhone's camera is an 8MP and the Samsung s5's is a 16MP. Both seem to take good pictures, though. But if you want to transfer photos to your computer, the Samsung is the way to go.

berchman Loc: South Central PA

As I said in my reply, it is very simple to plug an iPhone into a Windows machine and transfer the photos to Lightroom.

rehess Loc: South Bend, Indiana, USA

I did successfully connect my Win8.1 computer to iCloud, but it was awkward.

For me, a better way has been to install the OneDrive (Microsoft's cloud) app on my iPhone, because that works quite well, and OneDrive is an integral part of Win8.1 (in fact, a OneDrive account came with my Win8.1). As long as I have room, I backup my iPhone to OneDrive any time I have new pictures on it, and to my Win8.1 computer, OneDrive is just another drive.

Wingpilot Loc: Wasilla. Ak

Well, I was not aware that that could be done. That has been one of my complaints about the IPhone, was its (apparent) inability to connect it to anything but a Mac.

feathermaster

and don't forget, if you stay with the same service, you can have your current home phone landline, assigned to your smartphone.

venturer9 Loc: Newton, Il.

Gheeesh.. and I thought making one Phone Call a month on my Tracfone way too much...

Mike

Anna Loc: Lexington Park, So. MD

I am in the same situation and it took years to convince me but my granddaughters refuse to look at their email, so grandma had to join the 21st Century and started texting. I still prefer paper books vs eBooks but the phone by the bedside comes in handy for looking up certain items in a book, a region, a foreign word, etc. And waiting in waiting rooms, a phone is handier to read a book on rather than schlepping an 800 page hardcover one through parking garages, up stairs, long hallways, etc. :) You will love yours, guaranteed!

larryzplace Loc: Elk Grove Village Illinois

In a recent survey of young people i think it was 18- 35 or so found that making phone calls came in 6th on the list of what they do with them....
That said i am in my late 60's and use the phone for a variety of things.
1. Gps Very handy and in some large department stores it will even take you to the department you want to visit.
2. Texting. Very handy when a phone call isn't necessary and a quick bit of info is needing to be passed to the recipient..
3. Research.. Was in Fry's the other day picking up a keyboard / mouse to use on my smart tv. Wife pulled out her phone and looked on line and found the keyboard for 1/2 the price... Fry's matched the on line price..
4. Yes taking pictures... I have posted pictures of deer while out bicycling and didn't have my regular camera with.

Just a few of the things it can do... I love mine and wouldn't be without it.

berchman Loc: South Central PA

I see you ride a recumbent tadpole trike. So do I. Where do you carry your smart phone when you're cycling? Do you get off the trike to take a picture?

NIKONUT Loc: San Diego

I use an iPhone 6+ and several i pads. The apps I use most are:
PhotoSync, ProCam,Snapseed. There is a whole world of photo goodies out there and most of them are free. I have the "big ones" on my lap top. The ones you pay big bucks for. If you use wi-fi, there are more apps to transfer between systems.
For my iPhone 6+, I have 128 GB memory and 200 GB storage.

Addyrose

I couldn't live without my iPhone. I use the calendar. I have a lot of music on the and I have purchased a small blue tooth speaker. It's just about the. Only way I listen to music any more. My Bible is on there...can take notes and also let it read the Bible to me. I check put books from the library on it. I make grocery lists or make a note. No need to carry paper or notebooks in my purse any more. When away from home I can check emails. Also have information at my fingertips, not to mention an excellent GPS. I would like to reckons a good case for the phone, expensive but worth every Penny.