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Still have a landline? How to get rid of it (even if you’re concerned about emergencies!)
Teens today will probably never understand the world of rotary phones. It would be hard to explain that you had to know a phone number by heart and then dial it by spinning a circle back and forth. Thankfully, those phones are nowhere to be seen now. But the humble landline is still in use.
With technology making mobility so much easier, is there a reason to hold on to a landline? Tap or click here for the best smartphone alternatives to Apple and Samsung.
Having a landline used to have one big advantage: when you called 911, they knew exactly where you were. If that is your only fear of ditching the old, corded phone, you needn’t worry. The technology used in smartphones today can pinpoint a fly on a donkey’s nose.
Here’s the backstory
Millennials won’t even think twice about getting a landline, and teenagers won’t be sure if the seemingly archaic technology is still around. It would mostly be the older generation that still has corded telephones in the house.
There are advantages to having a landline, but those can quickly be mitigated through simple technological solutions. Landlines aren’t subject to power outages and generally have a more stable connection.
But when changing to a mobile phone, it would be a good idea to keep a small and inexpensive portable charger on hand.
“Landlines never need recharging. That’s why I recommend keeping a small portable recharger handy. They cost only $20 to $50. And with that, my recommendation is that you’re safe dropping the landline, keeping your smartphone nearby, and pocketing the extra savings,” Kim explained on a recent podcast episode.
Landlines are becoming more expensive
What you save in the convenience of never charging your landline, you can easily lose simply through monthly costs. AARP did some investigating and found that landline costs have steadily been increasing. In some areas, it was more expensive to have a landline than a mobile phone.
“A single basic line from Verizon in New York City, where it is based, can cost $85 a month. Meanwhile, as landline costs have, wireless costs in the same 10-year period have decreased by 20 percent,” AARP wrote in a blog post.
Another expense that most users don’t factor in is when something goes wrong. If a landline gets damaged or the mainline gets cut, it can take weeks or months to complete repairs. This would leave you without any form of communication.
If you are ready to ditch the landline, check out this portable charger from Anker. It is powerful enough to charge an iPhone 12 two and a half times or a Samsung Galaxy S20 one and a half times.
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Tags: Amazon Associates Program, Anker, Apple, Apple iPhone, communication, emergency, landline, millennials, phone, podcasts, portable charger, smart speaker, smartphones, technology, teens, Verizon
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