[OT] Do you own a cell phone?

[LabattBlue]

It may seem like an obvious question, but I recently came across a couple of people who said that they don't own a cell phone and it made me wonder how small of a minority are they.

[That Aud Smell]

work requires that we carry blackberry-type devices, so it's e-mail as well.

 

while i enjoy the conveniences that go with having the device, i frequently wish that i was not plugged in essentially 24/7 (or at least presumed to be).

 

EDIT: your sample will be biased in favor of "yes" -- that is, the people responding are members of an internet message board, and therefore likely more tech-savvy than a random sample of a local population.

[BetweenThePipes00]

I have - so far - fought off the pressure to carry a crackberry ... it's bad enough I am basically on call 24-7 with the cell phone if work really needs me ... and when I am at home the email is always open ... I think my wife would kill me if I was receiving work email even when I was not at home.

[deluca67]

My wife has one but I don't. There is very little I hate more than talking on the phone. Every time I see someone walking around a store using one or when they have one of those gay ear pieces in their ear I get the overwhelming urge to punch them in the back of the head. Actually I would be in favor of making it legal to assault anyone caught using one of those ear pieces in public. It's OK for fast food employees not everyone else.

[MattPie]

I've had one constantly since 2000 or so. Before that, I had one for a couple years, but there was a gap of six months or so between. For a year of so, that was the only phone I had.

[LabattBlue]

EDIT: your sample will be biased in favor of "yes" -- that is, the people responding are members of an internet message board, and therefore likely more tech-savvy than a random sample of a local population.

This is true, but the two people I found out do not have cell phones, do have computers with Internet access. ;)

[carpandean]

My wife has one but I don't. There is very little I hate more than talking on the phone. Every time I see someone walking around a store using one or when they have one of those gay ear pieces in their ear I get the overwhelming urge to punch them in the back of the head. Actually I would be in favor of making it legal to assault anyone caught using one of those ear pieces in public. It's OK for fast food employees not everyone else.

I'm with you on hating to talk on the phone, but I do have a Palm Treo. I also hate those ear pieces, especially when you don't realize that they have one. I was walking from the parking lot into my building last year and this extremely attractive girl was walking toward me, smiling, looking right at me and she said "hi" (one of those long stretched out, really happy to talk to/see you type hi's that can't be properly captured in text). I nearly got out my awkward reply when she started talking again, clearly about something I wasn't involved in. Then, I noticed the ear piece under her hair. Can't say that I wanted to punch her, but I did want to crush the ear piece into the concrete.

[spndnchz]

How does anyone live without one? I'd be cut off from the world without one. No one would know where I was, oh the catastrophe, dogs and cats sleeping together...

[X. Benedict]

I got rid of mine for 6 years and now I have one again.

 

The old one made sure I was at work 24 hours a day. So I didn't miss it.

Now it is strictly personal.

[nfreeman]

I need it for work, although more so for email than for phone. I use the phone function much less than email or for that matter than web-surfing. The handheld web-surfing is great -- I never get agitated waiting in line anymore.

[Claude_Verret]

I have one, but I was only convinced to get one by my wife about three yearsg ago when she was pregnant with our first child. I'm with DeLuca, I usually hate talking on the phone and I only call people when I have a legitimate reason to. I typically use about 5% of our shared plan minutes per month. My biggest pet peeve is drivers talking on their cell phones. Every day on my commute I see all of these a-holes gabbing away on their phones, weaving all over the place, and generally not paying attention to driving their f%$king cars! Hang up and drive!

[frisky]

I've had one since '97. However, I only really use to talk with people and occasionally text. However, I have pretty much the most basic model that doesn't do that much for the reason that I hate shelling out hundreds for the fancy ones because I would crap my pants if I lost it (which I have at Universal Studios), they aren't rugged enough, and get obsolete so freakin fast. So, now all I get is the cheapest one cause if I break it, I can just get a new one for 20-30 bucks. The only thing in it that I would hate losing is the SIM card. My gf on the other had has a 300 dollar one which she almost lost at Fuddruckers (which I found after driving around everywhere asking...oh the tears, crying, and anger...my fault she lost her phone for some estrogen-induced reason).

 

What I want is one of those Asian ones that you can watch satellite TV on and does pretty much everything expect give you sex and wipe your butt after pooping. I'd shell out for one of those.

[darksabre]

i've had a Tracfone since around '02. My parents got me one so i could use it to call home for rides from school, and in case of emergencies. I don't talk on it that much, but I text a lot. No reason for me to shell out for some expensive monthly plan. Could I live without it? Probably. Is it nice to have it? Yeah.

[Two or less]

I have one, as does my brother. My parents are old school immigrates from Poland. I know, chances are slim, but they go to Toronto twice a year to visit their friends who they grew up with in Poland and the couple from Toronto come to Rochester to visit us. Long story short, just 3 months ago, my parents went to visit them for a birthday party and they went for the weekend. On their drive home, the transmission blew. My parents both work hard jobs which doesn't require much english just a skill. They never had a cell phone, because they never needed it and never really wanted one, besides, they don't have many friends here so it's not a need. Anyways, transmission got all screwed up on the QEW. Around 4pm on a Monday as they were returning home. They didn't know what to do. Hour later, someone stopped, offered them a cell. They called my house. Nobody was home. Later they got their car towed and called from the mechanics in Oakville. It wasn't until 8pm they got a hold of my brother who came home from work. Thats when he called their friends in Toronto and they picked them up around 930pm (they live near North York). That week, they both asked for my help and we went to verizon and got them on the family plan.

 

My point is, you'll never know when you'll need it. In todays world, the technology is so amazing, that having a cell, even a pre-paid phone, is cheap and very useful. My parents don't call often from it. Barley use it. Although starting to use it more and more. Like calling to see if i will come for dinner or that kind of stuff, but, since they don't use it much, they pay like $20 extra combined a month for 2 phones.

[Two or less]

And on the subject of phones. Anyone else addicted to texting as i am? I text around 3,200 times a month.

[darksabre]

And on the subject of phones. Anyone else addicted to texting as i am? I text around 3,200 times a month.

 

My friends with Verizon hate me because I'm the only one in the group who isn't "in". But yeah, definitely addicted. Not sure about 3200 a month, but i text 4-5 times a day for various reasons.

[R_Dudley]

I got rid of mine for 6 years and now I have one again.

 

The old one made sure I was at work 24 hours a day. So I didn't miss it.

Now it is strictly personal.

 

Ditto that , but as the kids got a little older I gave in in the last 2 years to the pressure of having one in case something happened(breakdown) when I am driving them in car or in case off school/daycare calling me in middle of day for an issue......

[Stoner]

Despite using a computer for work and loving many aspects of the Internet (this board among them), I am a technophobe from way back. I have a cell phone I find especially useful on walks and hikes because there have been times I wished I had one. You never know when an emergency is going to crop up. I'm also a full-time caretaker for my mum, and it's a nice safety valve for her to be able to reach me anytime. But, man, I hate clipping that thing on my belt. Oh yeah, count me among the Anti-Talkers. And the Clueless Texters. I tried to text my nephew recently, and got nowhere.

[RayFinkle]

And on the subject of phones. Anyone else addicted to texting as i am? I text around 3,200 times a month.

Are you a 16 year old chick or something?

[Guest Sloth]

I've had one since '97. However, I only really use to talk with people and occasionally text. However, I have pretty much the most basic model that doesn't do that much for the reason that I hate shelling out hundreds for the fancy ones because I would crap my pants if I lost it (which I have at Universal Studios), they aren't rugged enough, and get obsolete so freakin fast. So, now all I get is the cheapest

 

I've lost my cell phone before, but I knew where it was and I was not going to get it. I was in a portable taking a leak and the phone slipped out of my jacket pocket and landed in a mess of shiit and piss. :sick: That was a waste of 150 bucks!

[TM8-PL16]

a little side bar here to the cell phone subject...

 

Technology is a great thing! Verizon has this thing called Chaperone. I can locate my daughter any time I want, it will show me on a map within a few hundred feet of her location. I can do it on my phone or on the internet. I also receive text messages telling me things like "Chelsea leaving Home" or "Chelsea arriving at Grand-ma's"... so if she's not allowed to go somewhere or isn't supposed to leave an area, I get a text message and she's busted. BUT this only works when the phone is on, so that is one of the stipulations to her even having a phone, it must be on at all times and if we ever try to locate her and she suddenly turns it off so we can't, we assume she's "up to no good" and she's in trouble. I guess in some states this isn't allowed, but in PA it is so it rocks!

 

This is a HUGE load off my mind, I still worry about her like any parent but not as much as I did before she had it. And just her knowing we have this keeps her thinking and making better choices even if they are small ones.

[shrader]

EDIT: your sample will be biased in favor of "yes" -- that is, the people responding are members of an internet message board, and therefore likely more tech-savvy than a random sample of a local population.

 

I really don't think there's that much of a connection between the two. Cell phones have become so widespread, they've moved beyond just being a tech thing.

 

As for me, I've switched apartments enough over the last few years, so I don't even bother with getting a land line. The cell phone is so much easier and I don't have to deal with getting a new number each time.

[Two or less]

a little side bar here to the cell phone subject...

 

Technology is a great thing! Verizon has this thing called Chaperone. I can locate my daughter any time I want, it will show me on a map within a few hundred feet of her location. I can do it on my phone or on the internet. I also receive text messages telling me things like "Chelsea leaving Home" or "Chelsea arriving at Grand-ma's"... so if she's not allowed to go somewhere or isn't supposed to leave an area, I get a text message and she's busted. BUT this only works when the phone is on, so that is one of the stipulations to her even having a phone, it must be on at all times and if we ever try to locate her and she suddenly turns it off so we can't, we assume she's "up to no good" and she's in trouble. I guess in some states this isn't allowed, but in PA it is so it rocks!

 

This is a HUGE load off my mind, I still worry about her like any parent but not as much as I did before she had it. And just her knowing we have this keeps her thinking and making better choices even if they are small ones.

 

wow thats nuts. But how old is your daughter? Just wondering...

[ROC Sabres]

My wife has one but I don't. There is very little I hate more than talking on the phone. Every time I see someone walking around a store using one or when they have one of those gay ear pieces in their ear I get the overwhelming urge to punch them in the back of the head. Actually I would be in favor of making it legal to assault anyone caught using one of those ear pieces in public. It's OK for fast food employees not everyone else.

Went to go see dark knight a week ago and during the movie i saw probably a dozen blue blinking lights on the sides of peoples head. One guy was sitting about two rows in front of me and i asked him to put it away and he said "I'm waiting for a call". GET THE &^%$ OUT OF THE THEATER THEN A$$!

[Two or less]

Went to go see dark knight a week ago and during the movie i saw probably a dozen blue blinking lights on the sides of peoples head. One guy was sitting about two rows in front of me and i asked him to put it away and he said "I'm waiting for a call". GET THE &^%$ OUT OF THE THEATER THEN A$$!

 

LOL wtf... thats so weird. lol