Is a fancy Smartphone necessary OTR

They're not an absolutely necessary item. But they're just too handy to not have.

In almost 20 years of driving, I have yet to make it further west than Kansas City. Before I retire, my ultimate dream trip is to buy an old Mack (think Rubber Duck) with no A/C, and run a load across the country, totally old school. No cell phone, satellite radio, A/C. Just me and the truck, and the occasional pay phone.

 

They kinda are. There would be no human race in 100 years if it was only men around.

 

No doubt agree with you there... what on God's earth is such a necessity that one would have to pay $600 for a phone....ughhh. $80 for the one I have and it does everything my stepsons fancy several hundred dollar crAPPLE phone does. Tell him all the time let me know how it tastes when your going hungry or how well it fits on the rim when he needs to replace a tire.or how well it feels on your foot when you need a new pair of shoes..... $600 for a phone..... what a waterhead

 

I was never really a fan of iPhones but they are tough. I dropped my iPhone 5 (work phone) in a bucket of oil yesterday. Wiped it off, blew out the speaker with a blow gun and brake clean. Works 100% fine still.

 

I used a tablet instead of a smart phone, because of the bigger screen for gps. My flip phone is in my pocket and the tablet is within hands reach....the tablet is much faster at recalculating a route if there is a detour or I go off route.

The tablet has the map of the USA roads already downloaded with the software I was using, so it is fast at bringing up routes vs. a phone that uses the cell tower to download a map every time it calls a route.

 

what size tablet do you recommend, and what minimum requirements for fast map navigation

 

Think about this one. One (there are many reasons) of the reasons there are not as many people running CBs is they do their communicating on phones as they drive. Another down side of phones is with everybody having one, the local 911 operators in a lot of cases will NOT forward calls to complain about drunks and other bad driving like they used to. Sure they will tell you they will, but unless you are calling about an actual accident these 911 calls get ignored or put on a very low importance level. I have seen this with my own two blue eyes.

 

I resisted getting a smartfone until my flip fone died a couple years and took the plunge ...I hated it at first but when i finally learned how to use it to its full potential I love it ..never use my laptop anymore either .

 

I had a free android tablet from Verizon I got two years ago. Basic android...don't know any of the specs. I just traded it in for an iPad.

 

There were 50,000 less businesses, streets, restricted routes, bridges, etc all those years too. The world has changed, change with it or fall to the wayside.