Don't have a cell phone? You're not alone.

[orngandblack]

in addition to my go phone, I got rid of the 50 bucks a month land line and replaced it with 20 bucks a year magicjack.

[BobDiaz]

Both my wife and I have AT&T Prepaid cell phones and purchase $100 prepaid cards which last a year if we don't use up the $100 in minutes. The bad part is that each minute costs 35 cents per minute during prime time (6 AM --> 7 PM, M --> F).

My office is at home so anyone who calls my home number is likely to reach me during the day, BUT everyone always tries to reach me via the cell phone. If I get my car serviced, the car place will NEVER call my home phone, but always calls my cell phone. If the school needs to contact me, they always call the cell phone and never my home phone.

I've reached the point where I lie to places when they ask for the cell number, I just tell the I don't have a cell phone.


Bob Diaz

[TMACK]

[QUOTE=RVGRINGO;284132]I've never had a pager, cell phone, PDA or any other portable communication device and, after 72 years on this planet, see no reason to have one.

Ha! This is great! Another human without an umbilical cord! Please to meet you.

Here in Mexico, we have public phones everywhere and one can carry a phone card, available in any small store, to use in a pinch.

Here is the USA, (at least where I live), public phones, (plentiful in the past), are now just that: in the past. If you are lucky enough to find one, it is inoperative or slimed so much one can't use it.
We DO have lots of cell-phone towers, however. Probably as many as we do Starbucks.

I don't need my ego puffed up by feeling that I am so indispensable to the world that I must be able to be within reach at a moment's notice.

That's rich. I am so not needed, so dispensable, I go out of my way to be unoticed, rogue and off the grid.

[jediknight36]

Originally Posted by mdfortwoguy

I couldn't deal. I went backpacking, hiking and rock climbing on the Appalachian Trail 2 weeks ago for 2 days and left my BlackBerry in the car... it was tolerable because of exhaustion and such, but I don't like to be disconnected in the least.

I don't find it relaxing, personally - but can understand the appeal for some.

Meet any politicians while up there?

I feel disconnected when I dont have the phone, and bothered when I get alot of emails! Se la Vie!

[jwight]

We have a cell phone but don't use it unless we travel. Right now we're on the AT&T Go Phone plan - a bummer since we don't use the phone that much but have to add minutes to keep it active.

In the UK a couple of weeks ago we bought an O2 network SIM card (with 10 pounds worth of air time), popped it in our phone and were up and running with a local phone # in minutes. Still had time left 10 days later and were making calls from the cross channel ferry as it passed the Isle of Wight.

Turns out O2 sells SIM cards for the US as well: O2 Wireless Best Buy Exclusive Once we run the minutes down on our AT&T plan we'll switch over to O2 for occasional use.

[Mud Pie]

Originally Posted by RVGRINGO

I don't need my ego puffed up by feeling that I am so indispensable to the world that I must be able to be within reach at a moment's notice.

Well, I feel I am indispensable and it has nothing to do with ego.

My 76 yr old mother lives alone and one night last year she called my cell phone and said one breathless sentence, "I'm calling 911" and hung up.

I immediately called back (on the cell phone I gave her) and talked to her while she was lying on an ambulance gurney; she was on her way to the hospital, she had congestive heart failure.

She called 911 on her cell since it was on her hip, she couldn't walk to the phone on the wall in the kitchen.

Ego ? Hardly.

People who still think carrying a cell phone has to do with ego is SO 1980's logic.

I always use the "Umbrella Comparison" regarding cell phones.

Hundreds of years ago, the umbrella was invented.

The inventor stood in the town square showing off his invention. Everyone stood around ooh-ing and ahh-ing at the invention.

There was one guy in the back of the crowd yelling, "What's wrong with getting wet ? My dad stood in the rain, my granddad stood in the rain. What, are we too good to stand in the rain ? Am I supposed to carry that thing around just in case it rains ?"


Now, do I need a cell phone ? Of course not. I also don't need the 300 piece Craftsmans socket set in my garage; a pair of Vise Grips could get most jobs done. A cell phone is a tool, just like the socket set. It makes a job easier to do.

What's ironic about the whole issue is the people who poo-poo cell phones are the same people who have internet access on computers and drive smart cars that are controlled by computers. You do realize that cell phones are computerized hand held devices, don't you ? Ironic as to where the line is drawn......

[jwight]

Mud Pie, understand what you are saying and in the situation you describe the cell phone saves the day. However, there are some of us without the emergency component of the equation who simply don't want to be bothered - literally. There are many times I just don't answer the phone because I'm in the middle of doing something else - more important to me than a phone call. It's not a technology thing as I'm as much a gadget geek as anyone else. But I'm not a people geek - just as soon not talk to most of the people I run into, and certainly don't want to be bothered by some anonymous person on the other end of a phone.

[Krootie]

We were seriously considering giving up our land phone to save $ - until Sept 08 when winds of "Ike" pass through our Ohio Valley. It brought down one of our street trees which tore off all the utilities lines, box & etc. from the side of our home.

Nine days without electricity!

And the "disconnected" neighbors (of that telephone pole) weren't too happy about us either. Recharging our cells were inconvenient using some sort of heavy boxed contraption in our van - which took 6 hours for a full charge on one phone.

The only thing I really missed was my fresh brewed coffee - but thankfully had a burner on our gas grill. Christmas 08 included a generator under the tree - great gift from Santa.

We have many outages these days - but the land phone always works. It's a really a dilemma.

[rfernatt]

Like John, I do like my gadgets (netbooks, PDA, etc.). And, I agree that a cell phone is a tool that many find indispensable and rightfully so. It sounds like Mud Pie is one of those people. I also need a cell phone from time to time, but it isn't grafted to my ear. I can't use the $100 a year I put on one to keep it active, but that's just my lifestyle.

For some of us, our peace and quiet time is valuable. People who feel that they have a need to talk, text, IM, etc. all day long to belong, well, I just can't identify with that need. Same goes with most social networking sites - people don't need to know what I just ate for lunch, what color shoes I'm wearing, or what so-and-so said about so-and-so, and I have no particular desire to share that with anyone electronically. My wife and I carpool together, so the only person that really cares to know and I care to share with about those little details, already knows.

And, like Krootie, we have frequent power outages and sketchy cell coverage in the mountains, so I'm not comfortable giving up a landline, but I will cut it back to the bare necessities (voice mail, caller ID, etc.).

[Krootie]

Here's a suggest if someone requires both cell and land. Put a block on your land phone for Long Distance. It cost approximately 60 cents a month - and you won't have those extra charges (even for non-use) and taxes. You'll save about $10 a month- $120 a year. (I did this for ourselves, and also my Mother in a nursing home so the employees don't abuse the utility.)

I feel the need for a cell - as all our family left the area - saves us much $ in long distance calls - IF you call after 9 p.m. and on weekends. It's catch up time then. Otherwise our cell is mostly for emergencies. And we do short text messages so we don't interrupt those at work. No reason to let the sales person sell you the ultimate service either with 1500 text message a month - look over your contract and change it to suit your needs. Seems the land phone is for those pesky telemarketers - even using the Government's Do Not Call service: https://www.donotcall.gov/

Drives me nuts to see people driving and texting these days,too.