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

[Mud Pie]

As far as being "bothered" by phone calls, last time I checked, all cell phones came with the same feature, no matter the price or quality of cell service.

That feature is an ON and OFF button.....



p.s. the phone manufaturers won't tell you this, but the battery lasts an obscene length of time while in OFF mode....

[chieftmc]

Originally Posted by Mud Pie

As far as being "bothered" by phone calls, last time I checked, all cell phones came with the same feature, no matter the price or quality of cell service.

That feature is an ON and OFF button.....



p.s. the phone manufaturers won't tell you this, but the battery lasts an obscene length of time while in OFF mode....

AND there is NO law that says you HAVE to answer it !!!

I carry a cell phone (it's now my main phone). I gave up my landline and saved about $80 a month

IF you have non-satellite Internet broadband, I recommend using the "Magicjack"! It's only $20 a YEAR and it works great !!

Just one man's opinion

[NCC1701]

If I could save $80 per month by going wireless, it would be tempting. But, since I'm paying less than $23 per month for my landline that ain't gonna happen. I'm thinking maybe I should check out this Magicjack gizmo.

An aside, people I know who have cells mostly retain their landline because it stays functional when there is a power outage, while the cells go dead. That's what they say anyway ... I wouldn't know first hand.

NCC1701 ... refusenik

[jimvw57]

Are you confusing a cell phone with a cordless phone?? my CELL phone worked when the power was out, but then so did my good old rotary phone next to my computer desk.

[rfernatt]

I think it depends on if the cell tower is also affected by the outage and how long the power is out (e.g., how long can the UPS/generator keep it running).

[NCC1701]

Originally Posted by jimvw57

Are you confusing a cell phone with a cordless phone??

- No.

[mdfortwoguy]

Originally Posted by jediknight36

Meet any politicians while up there?

I live 7 miles from the White House... no lack of them around here

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

I get about 200 emails a day for work on an average day, of which probably half of which I need to respond to or be in the know about.

It's not about being indispensable as someone put it earlier - it is about being in the know about what is going on... I don't have the option of being disconnected (and am quite happy with that).

[jwight]

Yeah, I remember working...but not fondly.

[Woody14619]

I was an early adopter of cell technology. I got my first cell phone back in '95, when it was pretty new (I had a Motorola "flip" brick). I got it because I was rarely "home", being fresh out of college with work and my social life eating lots of time, and there was a strike going on at the local ma-bell that put a 3-week wait minimum on hooking up a land-line phone at my apartment. Twenty minutes in a cell phone store, and I was out the door with a number and working phone. Since then I've had the same number (yes, heading on 15 years) despite 4 moves and buying my own home, none of which has had land service.

Personally, I like being able to control when and where I'll get calls. I'm not "trapped" at home if I'm expecting an important call, nor am I always reachable. If I want so me-time, I turn my cell off, or set it to "sleep mode" where it only rings for 2 or 3 very important people. And if someone calls that I don't want to talk to, there's a handy "ignore" button that sends them off to talk to my voice mail..

Could I live without it? Sure. Would I want to? Not without a good reason. Overall I pay about the same for my cell bill as I would for land line service, based on my calling habits. So why tie myself to a physical location? Just seems like a common sense thing to me.

I wonder though... is there something you can do on a land line that you can't do on a cell phone? Outside of areas with poor reception, I can't think of a good reason to not have one. (And don't say dial-up. I was using a cell modem with my laptop in '95 to dial up to do IT work on the road.... It's quite possible, as is fax usage.)

[NCC1701]

Originally Posted by Woody14619

I can't think of a good reason to not have one.

I know for a fact that people who literally sleep in the woods, homeless, have cell phones today. Makes sense, seeing how they can't have a landline. Anyone who wants one can easily afford it. I have zero need to have cell, and am very glad of that fact. I could conceivably be persuaded if the monetary savings were substantial enough, but can I really beat < $23/month? Not to mention the fact that everyone I know who owns one is apparently forced to buy a new phone periodically. I've seen some really cool phones, and I am a self confessed gadget freak. But, I strongly identify with the refuseniks in the article. I was glad to read it! I had thought I was the only person left who felt that way. When I am out and about, and see people EVERYWHERE I go chatting on their cells, it makes me feel I am observing some sort of madness. I choose to not succumb, and will resist as long as it is possible. So far, not a problem at all.

I have contemplated buying a pre-paid Trackphone to throw in my glove box for use in emergency. Probably would have done it too ... until I found out the minutes expire. That discovery was kind of a relief, to be honest. I don't want one!

OH, I had to come back and add this, because it is an important part of why I feel the way I do. Cell phones isolate people from the people around them. You see someone chatting merrily away on their cell ... nobody in their immediate presence even exists from their perspective. It's weird. Chatting in the checkout line, calling home to say you'll be there in five minutes, chatting about nothing important at all (gotta use those minutes I guess). I'll grant the legitimate need by a few people ... but the mass hordes are another matter. Madness.

BTW, I DO utilize the cell network! I've got wifi in my car (Autonet Mobile), pretty cool! Have to thank y'all for building it. LOL