Sell Your Smartphone If You Don't Need It!

By Adam Fuller

A lot of times, we buy things that we don't really need. This is true, especially in the case of consumer electronics. Plenty of things like laptops, computers, tablets, and smartphones are always bought for the simple fact that they are new. Other times, people just buy them to be "in" and be cool. They want to brag that they have the latest mp3 players with the biggest memories, or the latest phones with the coolest looking games.

Some consumer electronics are actually quite helpful for our daily lives like a desktop computer. And there are some things that just make you go, "Why did I even buy that?" This usually happens with smartphones. Why even buy the latest smartphone when you have a powerful computer, your own secretary, and still use Post-It notes?

When you think about it, do you really need 500,000 apps to remind you of your mother's birthday? You may think the smartphone is the craze right now, but actually it isn't.

In fact, only one-third of residents in the United States own a smartphone. What about the rest? They seem to be fine without it anyway. They don't need push email or the latest operating systems from Apple and Windows. But how about you? Do you really need it?

Here are some reasons to convince you to sell your smartphone:

1. They're all the same
- You could get the latest iPhone or Motorola Atrix models, but the earlier generations still perform the same functions. If you happen to own one, you're still going to do the same thing if you buy a new one.

2. You're not maximizing its capabilities
- Why bother giving your mother a BlackBerry when she's just a humble housewife? While the thought of giving her the latest smartphones is wonderful, it's just going to be a waste. If you just like to take pictures and send text messages, then go buy a regular mobile phone.

- Likewise, if you're always in front of the computer, you really don't get to use the smartphone's internet capabilities. Especially if you live near where you work (which likely has Internet access), having a smartphone is an impractical idea.

3. It still can't be a computer
- No matter what, an iPhone is still going to be a plain phone. If you're a gaming addict, you can't play the latest Call of Duty to hit the shelves. You're still going to be logging into your email account on the computer, and you're going to be online the whole day.

4. You barely bring it anywhere
- If you're a rich person that loves to travel, then having a smartphone is certainly handy. But if you're like the rest of the population, then a smartphone isn't really needed. If you bring a tablet computer or laptop with you everywhere you go (many people that have tablets also have smartphones), then you won't really use the Internet capabilities of the smartphone. The tablet is a better alternative for surfing.

Also, smartphones can be actually detrimental to your body's health. Owning a smartphone is a serious addiction. CNN reports that people normally check their smartphones at least 34 times a day, not because they really need to. They just check it out of habit. The brain simply commands the hands to reach out to the phone involuntarily.

This is a serious problem, as CNN also reports that it is very distracting. They report that it is hard to go back to work because important tasks are suddenly forgotten. Checking emails suddenly became involuntary.

If you tend to check your email using your smartphone too many times a day, then you need to think about it. Also, if you tend to zone out with your friends just because you need to check up on something, you have a problem.

If you're having these problems, just sell your smartphone and downgrade. But if you can't really live without it, just go buy a cheaper smartphone with basic smartphone features. You could try the BlackBerry Curve 8520. It's one of the cheapest smartphones, but it still has the basic smartphone features.