The Cell Phone...

[ViviTheMage]

Originally posted by: robphelan
i hate carrying a cellphone (but I do so b/c my wife makes me).

I miss being able to go to the grocery store, drive home etc... without the thought in the back of my mind that I could get a call at any second. I liked having the freedom that not being in contact gave me.

what makes you think about it?

i dont think about getting a call....

 

[hellfreeze]

Originally posted by: krunchykrome

Originally posted by: hellfreeze
Smartphones are pretty essential for a college student needing to view PowerPoint files on their phone, email instructors, etc. Add in working and going to school full time and it becomes essential to staying on top of things you need to do and thoughts organized. People have carried PDA's with them for years before cell phones became so popular, so why not give it the ability to be a phone too?

I agree with your overall opinion that smartphones are very useful; although I don't see how any college student would need one. View powerpoints on your phone? Don't students have laptops and campus wifi? I understand the need to email professors, but how often are students really emailing their professors to the point where they need email access in their pockets?

Even now, as a working professional, I still don't need my smartphone. I just have one because I have money to spend and I like gadgets. I like the idea of having access to email and internet everywhere I go, but it's definetly not essential, at least for someone at this stage in my career.

True, college students could go without a smartphone. In my situation, I do have a laptop, but I don't want to carry it around with me every day to work when I could just view the file on my phone. I don't email my teachers constantly, but there has been a few occasions where I was doing my homework at lunch and needed to email my teacher about something.

I also use it to keep track of my grades, balance my checkbook, keep track of my gas mileage, mp3 player, etc. I realize I can do all of these things without a phone, but the geek in me feels it's essential :beer:

 

[DisgruntledVirus]

I have a smartphone, and I also feel naked without it. I have left it at work a few times, and it was the most liberating night I had for a long time. Just being at home, nobody can reach me (no home phone) just out of touch. It was great. Although I was paranoid I was going to miss some important call or something for a while.

I always have it on me, but if I answer is another story entirely. I like being ABLE to be reached if need be, but if I choose to not answer I don't have to.

 

[Jeff7]

I keep my cellphone at home; it's effectively a landline phone, but it's cheaper to use than a landline. With a landline, I'd pay $20/month just for basic local service, and then tack long distance charges on top of that. I hardly use any time each month, so I've got a pay-as-you-go plan through Virgin Mobile. Unfortunately, it requires an injection of $20 every 3 months, which is actually more than I need, so I might have to start shopping for a phone plan without anything like that. Tracfone, maybe?

I don't like being accessible pretty well all the time.

 

[dman]

Originally posted by: Jeff7
I keep my cellphone at home; it's effectively a landline phone, but it's cheaper to use than a landline. With a landline, I'd pay $20/month just for basic local service, and then tack long distance charges on top of that. I hardly use any time each month, so I've got a pay-as-you-go plan through Virgin Mobile. Unfortunately, it requires an injection of $20 every 3 months, which is actually more than I need,

TMobile Pay as you go is pretty good. It's a bit more up front, the phone + a $100 air card, but that gives you 1yr to use 1000 Minutes. Not sure how that compares to your $80/yr in terms of minutes to use, and whether or not you'd use them. I just like that they don't expire for 1yr.

 

[Throckmorton]

People who always harp about the joy of being inaccessible haven't learned about the off button I guess.

 

[OutHouse]

Originally posted by: rh71
Just like the automobile, it's for convenience.

If you want to be out of touch, turn it off or ignore the caller. It's in your complete control. Don't tell me it's not nice to have something that can save you time & effort.

:roll:

a car is not a convenience item.

for many jobs a cell phone is required, like when i am on call and need to get system pages if i have a server or service crash.

we also got a TMobile pay as you go phone for our daughter that is in jr high. she was in track and soccer and some of the matches were at a school 60+ miles away so iit was a guessing game on when the school bus would be back at the school. so we got her one and she called us when the bus passed through our town and we met her at the school.

(our jr & high school is in the middle of farmland with nothing around but corn and sunflower fields for 7 miles radius)

 

[IGBT]

..superfluous technology designed to produce revenue by convincing the population they really need it. No doubt they have genuine emergency utility but their use has become farcical.

 

[lokiju]

I have no house phone, so I use my cell phone in it's place.

But I really am not big on talking for more than 5 mins at a time in general.

My monthly mins used tends to be around 50 on average.

 

[MyThirdEye]

my cell phone drives me nuts. i often leave it at home unless i go out of town.

 

[rasczak]

I hate cell phones. I wanted to disconnect our plan months ago (we have a landline) but my wife wouldn't let it go. I barely get any calls on the stupid thing. We get more phone calls from our landline than our cell phones, but she want's them on in case of an "emergency"

Stupid cell phones. I HATE THEM.

 

[j511180]

It's not that important for me, but it's nice to have for entertaining myself during those idle times of sloth. Plus, I'm not that important and nobody likes me, so I don't get many calls, so it's not an annoyance either.

 

[SunnyD]

Originally posted by: alkemyst

Originally posted by: SunnyD
I'm trying to understand how people ever survived back before cell phones were wide spread.

Don't people ever feel the need to be ... out of touch sometimes?

Hey Sparky,

you know there is a power switch on a cell phone right?

Hey Snarky...

I can't go around turning off everyone elses' phones now can I? The other half of it is that cell phones are friggin' inescapable. Everywhere you turn, someone is on one. Nothing I hate more than having a conversation interrupted by a cell phone.

Again, I ask why they are so necessary as to be ubiquitous.

 

[UncleWai]

SMS, greatest invention ever.

 

[rh71]

Originally posted by: Citrix

Originally posted by: rh71
Just like the automobile, it's for convenience.

If you want to be out of touch, turn it off or ignore the caller. It's in your complete control. Don't tell me it's not nice to have something that can save you time & effort.

:roll:

a car is not a convenience item.

ask many people in the city about that.

for many jobs a cell phone is required,

just the same for people who live far away and have no other mode of transportation, the car is required. So cellphone = car = same level of requirement/convenience.

 

[rivan]

I don't own a cell phone.

Had one, didn't like it. Ditched it and haven't looked back.

 

[sdifox]

I didn't get a cell phone til about 4 years ago...now I am virtually leashed at all times

 

[Colt45]

I've got one, but no one calls me anyways.

 

[Baked]

<--- never owned a cell phone or pager. Still uses rotary phone at home.

 

[jersiq]

I love them. All the people that have them with my company pay my salary.
I think parents should buy them for their toddlers.

 

[Vehemence]

I've owned exactly one (1) cell phone, the one I still have today. It's about 5 years old, was cheap and featureless at the time I bought it. I think that, checking my call timers on it, my total talk time has been like 10 hours in 5 years.

No use for cell phones or texting or any of that. The only thing I wish it had was a camera so I could be a perv.

 

[Aikouka]

I'd feel fairly naked without mine as it also serves as my land line. Hell, I browse AT forums on it sometimes too (don't usually post from it though ). In the case of internet outage, I can also use Internet sharing with bluetooth to connect between my PC and the phone so I don't lose touch . Also, you understand how handy they are when you have that one friend without a cell phone and they're always the one that's a pain in the ass to get a hold of when you're trying to do something.

 

[Throckmorton]

What is the reason to not have a cell phone when you can buy one for $30, and get prepaid minutes at $100 per 1000 minutes, and have them effectively last forever just by adding $10 once a year? http://www.t-mobile.com/shop/p...lt.aspx?plancategory=4

 

[shortylickens]

Originally posted by: Lola
I agree... there is some time I don't want to be so easily accessible, but when I do not have my phone with me, I get a bit paranoid.

Having a cell phone is somewhat of a false sense of security for me.

At least you're honest about it.
Most females (especially blondes ) try to rationalize it with a dozen stupid reasons.

I dont even mind people having them so much. Its when they drive with them I get pissed off.
But most states dont even have laws against cell phone use while in a car, and most people dont even obey the traffic laws we already have, so its pointless for me to get upset.

 

[imported_Imp]

It's good for a false sense of security alright. I originally justified getting one so that job interviewers could reach me immediately, so I wouldn't be stood up and so I could give a sit-rep when necessary. All are unnecessary: if the interviewer really wanted me, they'd go through all channels and re-call at home or e-mail me; if my friends weren't asshats, they wouldn't stand me up; people need to learn to chill out and trust that I didn't get arrested.