Smartphone during law school/career? Forum

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Mattalones

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Re: Smartphone during law school/career?

Post by Mattalones » Wed Apr 21, 2010 5:38 pm

f0bolous wrote:
Mattalones wrote: Someone LOVES [strike]Blackberries[/strike] status quo! ... It's cute :lol:
i'm actually using an iphone currently, but for the corporate environment, there is no benefit of using an iphone...just as there is no added benefit of using a mac.
FTFY

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Re: Smartphone during law school/career?

Post by kalvano » Thu Apr 22, 2010 12:34 am

FuManChusco wrote:If you want to stick with verizon, moto droid all day. BETTER than the iPhone. iPhone doesn't even have flash or multi tasking,


Multi-tasking will be here this summer, and it will be the best out of all the phones on the market.
FuManChusco wrote:never mind their extremely limited market and applications.
LOL. What the hell are you smoking?

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kalvano

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Re: Smartphone during law school/career?

Post by kalvano » Thu Apr 22, 2010 12:35 am

f0bolous wrote:i'm actually using an iphone currently, but for the corporate environment, there is no benefit of using an iphone...just as there is no added benefit of using a mac.

This is correct. While the iPhone has improved their business aspects, most companies remain dominated by the Blackberry, which really is a better business phone.

The iPhone is more a consumer product that can be used by businesses.

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23fulltimecowboys

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Re: Smartphone during law school/career?

Post by 23fulltimecowboys » Mon Jun 21, 2010 12:48 pm

Only sort of hijacking: is a smartphone actually necessary in LS? I've seen the posts that "we'll" be given them during 1L summer (although I still plan to go into public interest, where this wouldn't apply), but what about actually during law school? My girlfriend in all likelihood has to get one within the week for residency, so I may be down for a joint plan if a smartphone actually provides significant marginal benefit to joe law student over a phone phone, but... does it? As you may be able to tell, I've gotten by just fine with a dumbphone throughout college and working for a few years afterwards. Thanks

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danidancer

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Re: Smartphone during law school/career?

Post by danidancer » Mon Jun 21, 2010 12:55 pm

23fulltimecowboys wrote:Only sort of hijacking: is a smartphone actually necessary in LS? I've seen the posts that "we'll" be given them during 1L summer (although I still plan to go into public interest, where this wouldn't apply), but what about actually during law school? My girlfriend in all likelihood has to get one within the week for residency, so I may be down for a joint plan if a smartphone actually provides significant marginal benefit to joe law student over a phone phone, but... does it? As you may be able to tell, I've gotten by just fine with a dumbphone throughout college and working for a few years afterwards. Thanks
In terms of needing it to be productive in law school, no, not necessary at all. But I still love my iphone - it's changed my life for the better. It's great to be able to check email on the go, and the maps app is great if you're lost or just trying to find the nearest whatever. I just use my phone instead of a GPS in my car, something that's been invaluable for me on several recent trips. And since it doubles as an ipod, it's also a great time waster when waiting for appointments/commuting/etc.

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stayway

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Re: Smartphone during law school/career?

Post by stayway » Mon Jun 21, 2010 1:06 pm

Droid X as a back up to the corporate blackberry.

end of discussion.

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23fulltimecowboys

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Re: Smartphone during law school/career?

Post by 23fulltimecowboys » Mon Jun 21, 2010 2:31 pm

Thanks! Anyone else think it's essential/not at all for LS? Seems like I'll be making the decision mostly on whether or not I want to pay a bunch of money to enter the 21st century.

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T14_Scholly

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Re: Smartphone during law school/career?

Post by T14_Scholly » Mon Jun 21, 2010 2:34 pm

23fulltimecowboys wrote:Thanks! Anyone else think it's essential/not at all for LS? Seems like I'll be making the decision mostly on whether or not I want to pay a bunch of money to enter the 21st century.
Why would a smartphone be essential for law school? You know what they can do.

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T14_Scholly

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Re: Smartphone during law school/career?

Post by T14_Scholly » Mon Jun 21, 2010 2:36 pm

danidancer wrote:
23fulltimecowboys wrote:Only sort of hijacking: is a smartphone actually necessary in LS? I've seen the posts that "we'll" be given them during 1L summer (although I still plan to go into public interest, where this wouldn't apply), but what about actually during law school? My girlfriend in all likelihood has to get one within the week for residency, so I may be down for a joint plan if a smartphone actually provides significant marginal benefit to joe law student over a phone phone, but... does it? As you may be able to tell, I've gotten by just fine with a dumbphone throughout college and working for a few years afterwards. Thanks
In terms of needing it to be productive in law school, no, not necessary at all. But I still love my iphone - it's changed my life for the better. It's great to be able to check email on the go, and the maps app is great if you're lost or just trying to find the nearest whatever. I just use my phone instead of a GPS in my car, something that's been invaluable for me on several recent trips. And since it doubles as an ipod, it's also a great time waster when waiting for appointments/commuting/etc.
First I saw "changed my life for the better," then I saw "check email on the go," "use my phone instead of my GPS," "doubles as iPod," and "waste time while waiting for appointments." Did not compute.

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Dead Ringer

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Re: Smartphone during law school/career?

Post by Dead Ringer » Mon Jun 21, 2010 2:42 pm

Kchuck wrote:I'm going to be 'that guy'.

The Iphone is the absolute best smart phone out on the market. It works incredibly and life is meaningless without it. Done and Done.
So true. I lost mine recently and am waiting for the 4g. I have had to start READING again on bus rides.

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danidancer

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Re: Smartphone during law school/career?

Post by danidancer » Mon Jun 21, 2010 3:10 pm

T14_Scholly wrote:
danidancer wrote:
23fulltimecowboys wrote:Only sort of hijacking: is a smartphone actually necessary in LS? I've seen the posts that "we'll" be given them during 1L summer (although I still plan to go into public interest, where this wouldn't apply), but what about actually during law school? My girlfriend in all likelihood has to get one within the week for residency, so I may be down for a joint plan if a smartphone actually provides significant marginal benefit to joe law student over a phone phone, but... does it? As you may be able to tell, I've gotten by just fine with a dumbphone throughout college and working for a few years afterwards. Thanks
In terms of needing it to be productive in law school, no, not necessary at all. But I still love my iphone - it's changed my life for the better. It's great to be able to check email on the go, and the maps app is great if you're lost or just trying to find the nearest whatever. I just use my phone instead of a GPS in my car, something that's been invaluable for me on several recent trips. And since it doubles as an ipod, it's also a great time waster when waiting for appointments/commuting/etc.
First I saw "changed my life for the better," then I saw "check email on the go," "use my phone instead of my GPS," "doubles as iPod," and "waste time while waiting for appointments." Did not compute.
Cases in point:

Receiving law school acceptances on your phone while out with friends drinking and being able to celebrate and share the news immediately instead of only finding out hours later when you stumble home.

Or, you're in the middle of NYC and really need to use a bathroom, so you pull up the map app and do a search for "starbucks" and it shows you all the Starbucks in the area and your position on the map.

Or, you don't have a GPS in your car and you're driving up to Ithaca to apartment hunt, only you somehow get lost, so you pull out your phone and recalibrate the directions from your current location.

Or, on the same trip, you're in the middle of Ithaca and realize you should probably get gas, so you type gas station into the map app and you get driving directions to the closest one.

Also, the "also works as an ipod" bit is awesome for when you don't want to carry a bag or just want to carry a small bag - you don't have to chose to bring one over the other due to space constraints.

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T14_Scholly

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Re: Smartphone during law school/career?

Post by T14_Scholly » Mon Jun 21, 2010 3:17 pm

And those things changed your life for the better? Sounds like an Apple fanboy to me.

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Tweek

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Re: Smartphone during law school/career?

Post by Tweek » Mon Jun 21, 2010 3:46 pm

I'm also a 0L on the fence trying to decide whether to jump back on the smartphone bandwagon for law school after having given up my trusty work-issued blackberry. Perhaps a more specific question would help move the conversation along: how important is email in law school?

I went to college in '00-'04 and the only time I remember using email "officially" was to correspond with my senior thesis advisor who was in Spain for a semester. A smartphone in college would have been absolute overkill for me. On the other hand, I found that email is essential in the corporate world, and having access to it throughout the day on my bberry gave me the freedom to not be tethered to my computer 24/7.

So, how about law school? Will I get a lot of emails? Will I get time-sensitive information through email? Will timely responses to emails be expected?

Any insight would be much appreciated.

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Notor

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Re: Smartphone during law school/career?

Post by Notor » Mon Jun 21, 2010 10:51 pm

If you are going to get a smartphone, the important thing to remember is that the primary cost will come from the data plan (about $30 a month) plus whatever your calling/messaging options are. Since most plans are 2 years long, the only cost differential in your possible phone choice would be in the initial purchase cost. Knowing this, I would recommend the HTC Droid Incredible. It's better/faster than the Motorola Droid, is is currently the best Android smartphone on the market. Given that BlackBerry is only really useful if you need to integrate with your corporate work email
(obviously not a problem with 0L's), it makes little to no sense to go with the BlackBerry, especially given their weakness in multimedia/entertainment/lifestyle/marketplace options.

8.0 megapixel camera, Skype, and Google Maps turn-by-turn navigation are all on the Droid Incredible, and it has an HTML web browser. It's the best phone currently on the market, and it is worth the $30 or $50 dollars initially in purchase price to get it over the other Verizon Android offerings as well as the BlackBerrys, which aren't really necessary for students. Only downside is that it lacks a physical keyboard, in which case I would go with the Motorola Droid.

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robin600

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Re: Smartphone during law school/career?

Post by robin600 » Tue Jun 22, 2010 1:21 am

23fulltimecowboys wrote:Only sort of hijacking: is a smartphone actually necessary in LS? I've seen the posts that "we'll" be given them during 1L summer (although I still plan to go into public interest, where this wouldn't apply), but what about actually during law school? My girlfriend in all likelihood has to get one within the week for residency, so I may be down for a joint plan if a smartphone actually provides significant marginal benefit to joe law student over a phone phone, but... does it? As you may be able to tell, I've gotten by just fine with a dumbphone throughout college and working for a few years afterwards. Thanks
Damn schools give you smartphones now? Shit I just bought my new blackberry, shoulda held out.

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superflush

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Re: Smartphone during law school/career?

Post by superflush » Tue Jun 22, 2010 2:04 am

robin600 wrote:Damn schools give you smartphones now? Shit I just bought my new blackberry, shoulda held out.
What? I don't think anyone said that a school will be giving people phones.

23fulltimecowboys wrote:Thanks! Anyone else think it's essential/not at all for LS? Seems like I'll be making the decision mostly on whether or not I want to pay a bunch of money to enter the 21st century.
I wouldn't say its essential, but it is probably about time for you to get one. It will definitely be helpful for email and managing task, etc.
It doesn't have to be too expensive. I pay $60 for my whole plan on T-Mobile, with unlimited data.
Which carrier are you on? Or are you open to any of them?

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robin600

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Re: Smartphone during law school/career?

Post by robin600 » Tue Jun 22, 2010 2:11 am

superflush wrote:
robin600 wrote:Damn schools give you smartphones now? Shit I just bought my new blackberry, shoulda held out.
What? I don't think anyone said that a school will be giving people phones.


23fulltimecowboys wrote:I've seen the posts that "we'll" be given them during 1L summer
Must've misunderstood. They should with how much we pay for tuition!

Anyways, just got my blackberry curve from verizon and I love it. I don't want to have to have my PC on me 24/7.

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Re: Smartphone during law school/career?

Post by b.j. » Tue Jun 22, 2010 7:38 pm

Jrep37 wrote:Yea the evo looks good and all but what good is a ferari(sp?) on a 1/10 of a mile dirt road? (Aka sprint) the 4g network will only be available for like 3 cities And on top of that it'll be buggy and slower than advertised just like all first generation anythings. Did i mention sprint sucks? It's last for a reason. Palm pre couldn't save it And neither will the evo. SN: my girl friend just bought a pre late November. It crapped out her last month. Went to sprint to get a warranty exchange. Guess what they gave her? A refurb! She hadn't even had the phone for 6 months yet. And the "new" phone came with a 30 day warranty. when I had a problem with my iPhone I went to apple and they gave me a brand spanking new one with the remaining warranty from my original phone !
I hate to burst your bubble, but I know several people that work at an Apple store. They've told me that the phones they give you are refurbished. I've had a couple of them myself. I myself wondered why, after determining your phone wasn't up to snuff, would give you a new one with little hassle, but it turns out there was no reason to wonder.

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superflush

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Re: Smartphone during law school/career?

Post by superflush » Tue Jun 22, 2010 8:50 pm

b.j. wrote:
Jrep37 wrote:...when I had a problem with my iPhone I went to apple and they gave me a brand spanking new one with the remaining warranty from my original phone !
I hate to burst your bubble, but I know several people that work at an Apple store. They've told me that the phones they give you are refurbished. I've had a couple of them myself. I myself wondered why, after determining your phone wasn't up to snuff, would give you a new one with little hassle, but it turns out there was no reason to wonder.
Yes. They will give you a brand new, yet likely somehow refurbished product.
If you want to know more: http://www.tuaw.com/2009/11/01/think-th ... ink-again/

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kalvano

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Re: Smartphone during law school/career?

Post by kalvano » Tue Jun 22, 2010 9:33 pm

Um, my wife had a problem with her iPhone, went to the Apple store, and walked out with a factory-sealed, brand-new phone.

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superflush

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Re: Smartphone during law school/career?

Post by superflush » Tue Jun 22, 2010 11:25 pm

kalvano wrote:Um, my wife had a problem with her iPhone, went to the Apple store, and walked out with a factory-sealed, brand-new phone.
They are sealed and new, but they may have been refurbished with old parts.

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kalvano

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Re: Smartphone during law school/career?

Post by kalvano » Tue Jun 22, 2010 11:31 pm

superflush wrote:
kalvano wrote:Um, my wife had a problem with her iPhone, went to the Apple store, and walked out with a factory-sealed, brand-new phone.
They are sealed and new, but they may have been refurbished with old parts.
Well, it works better than the brand-new one, then.

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Re: Smartphone during law school/career?

Post by 23fulltimecowboys » Wed Jun 23, 2010 1:33 am

superflush wrote:
robin600 wrote:Damn schools give you smartphones now? Shit I just bought my new blackberry, shoulda held out.
What? I don't think anyone said that a school will be giving people phones.

23fulltimecowboys wrote:Thanks! Anyone else think it's essential/not at all for LS? Seems like I'll be making the decision mostly on whether or not I want to pay a bunch of money to enter the 21st century.
I wouldn't say its essential, but it is probably about time for you to get one. It will definitely be helpful for email and managing task, etc.
It doesn't have to be too expensive. I pay $60 for my whole plan on T-Mobile, with unlimited data.
Which carrier are you on? Or are you open to any of them?
Hmm, perhaps you're right. For various reasons my girlfriend just got a Blackberry, and helping her research smartphones and plans made me think about it more. Right now I pay about $45 for my dumbphone with Verizon - I guess the only benefit is that I've forgotten about coverage issues, have it everywhere. But most of the places I live are major cities, so it shouldn't be a problem with a carrier with less coverage like T-Mobile or even ViriginMobile, I suppose. You're happy with T-Mobile?

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superflush

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Re: Smartphone during law school/career?

Post by superflush » Wed Jun 23, 2010 2:53 pm

23fulltimecowboys wrote:Hmm, perhaps you're right. For various reasons my girlfriend just got a Blackberry, and helping her research smartphones and plans made me think about it more. Right now I pay about $45 for my dumbphone with Verizon - I guess the only benefit is that I've forgotten about coverage issues, have it everywhere. But most of the places I live are major cities, so it shouldn't be a problem with a carrier with less coverage like T-Mobile or even ViriginMobile, I suppose. You're happy with T-Mobile?
Overall, I'm happy with T-Mobile. They tend to not have good coverage in the middle of nowhere, and they sometimes don't have coverage inside of buildings. There are also of few metro areas in the country that I would call "3G trouble areas."
But the price is really good. $60 gets my 500mins, Unlimited SMS/MMS, & Unlimited Data.
The unlimited data is pretty key, especially since AT&T is now capping their data plans at 2gb.

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Re: Smartphone during law school/career?

Post by 23fulltimecowboys » Wed Jun 23, 2010 4:07 pm

yeah, we looked at iphones for a bit and the 2gb cap seemed pretty low. thanks for the advice. i'll ask around about coverage since yeah, that's a good deal.

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