Could you survive without a smart phone?

This was a question I've been asked by a few people since I started sharing the news of this experiment, which will actually form part of someone's course project.  Consequently, if I fail, that individual has my full apologies!

Weirdly enough, last night I came across this article, courtesy of Esquire Magazine, about a guy who went a year without a phone at all, and hasn't looked back (so far).  It's interesting, if quite deep, and I'm fairly certain I couldn't go completely cold turkey, if only because of my heck of a commute to Leicester every day.

I've had various smart phones for about six years now: I've gone through Nokia Smart phones (yes, really), a Blackberry Bold (pre-riot-fame), and more Samsungs than you can shake a stick at.  The longest I've kept one (and keep in mind that most of the previous have been bought out of my own pocket in between upgrades), is my current one - a Samsung Galaxy SII - probably the best of them, and without a doubt the most indestructible.

I've never considered getting an iPhone, incidentally.  The battery life just seems absolutely shocking, and frankly the customisation options are awful.

So what's the deal?
Starting from Monday, 24th February (don't ask why I chose that date, it's a random one, I know), I can use a phone.  However, said phone handset cannot feature:

• A touch screen
• A camera
• Internet access

A quick search of Carphone Warehouse reveals that I have a choice of five handsets matching this criteria.  That is five out of 74 phones overall.  Clearly then, my choice is limited.  I've narrowed this down to a Nokia, full details of which I'll pop on here on Monday when the experiment begins.

Those are the only rules, at this precise moment in time.  However, common sense must prevail.  I can use as many texts as I want (unlimited as per contract), and I can use as many minutes as my contract permits, and I can still use the internet on my laptop at home.

How am I currently feeling about it?

Optimistic.  I currently use the internet on my phone a LOT, mostly through boredom, and to avoid having to talk to people when I really don't want to, so I'm fairly sure that if I had another distraction I could cope reasonably well.  However - there are certain apps that I'm fairly addicted to: Twitter, Facebook, the Natwest app and Instagram, and I think that these are what I'll miss the most.  Being able to get updates of the latest happenings is, I think, part of our 24 hour news culture - we need to know what's happening right now, and as soon as it's happening.

I think it will also be difficult in as much as I will also have to share the laptop with two other people so won't have the instant easy access I currently enjoy.

On the plus side, I'm hoping it'll save me money through not exceeding my data allowances, and also give me much more time to do more reading, more of the things I love, and also give me opportunities to have the time to try new things.