Can you live without your smartphone?

[Hosakawa Tito]

We had an interesting family and friends discussion last night about this topic. Even the Crack-Berry addicts in the group were able to participate in normal mano-a-mano conversation for a time minus their "precious", though I did notice some involuntary facial tics and finger twitching.

I recently allowed the family to talk me into getting us a 4 phone family plan, BlackBerry Bold for AT&T. Personally, I was satisfied with my Tracphone, especially considering the cost difference. However, the family convinced me to upgrade my tools or get left behind like the Neanderthal.

[Louis VI the Fat]

Winners need to be connected at all times - who knows what might come up.


But a truly important man doesn't need a phone around constantly - everybody else must be available to him, not the other way round.

[Gregoshi]

Hosog, Neanderthal not need fancy hip box. If you get in fight with smarty Cell-magnon Man, just wait 'til his hip box beeps him a sports update, then Hosag can smash them over the head when distracted. Too easy.

Sincerely,
Your Friend Grog

[Andres]

I'm only 32 and even I can remember the days when people left their houses without a mobile phone in their pocket and didn't feel like having forgotten something important.

Only 14 or 15 years ago, a mobile phone was a rarity; a gadget; only purchased by idiots who tried to have an air of being important.

I still forget to take my mobile phone with me half of the time. The world never stopped turning because of it

I really don't get this "you have to be reachable whenever or where ever you are". Crazy.

[Centurion1]

Its convenient to be able to check my email and the. Org when I'm at school and stuff

[miotas]

I'm sick of my smartphone, when my plan is up I'm ditching it for a phone that just makes calls.

[pevergreen]

I can live without a phone, its nice to be able to communicate a question quickly to my friend though.

[Lemur]

I've never had a smartphone, which has happily prevented me from getting addicted to one. My entire family owns one (1) cell phone, and its entire purpose is to go in the car for emergencies.

[drone]

My cellphone generally stays in my car, turned off. I can't really be bothered to carry it around, and I see all the time how annoying, oblivious, and downright rude people can be with their smartphones. Some people are completely controlled by their phone, it's pretty pathetic really.

[Andres]

One of my pet peeves: children and teenagers with a mobile phone.

How on Earth has it come to this? Why do 10 year olds need a mobile phone? One of my colleagues has a son who is in elementary school. She gave him a cell phone when he was 11, because children were making fun of him, as he was the only one in his class without a mobile phone. 11! And they all have a mobile phone already, very busy sms'ing, as if it's all for free. Sheer idiocy. Ridiculous. I absolutely hate it. I hope I'll find a school for my yet unborn child where mobile phones are strictly forbidden.

My mother in law is a teacher in secondary school. Pupils are constantly busy with that mobile phone when she's teaching. Punishing them doesn't help. They behave like addicts; they'd rather starve to death than be seperated from their cell phone for more than a day. And they're all addicted to the internet as well.

Is this me getting old?

[Rhyfelwyr]

I never even use a mobile. They keep taking my number off me because you lose it if you don't use it in 6 months.

[Zradha Pahlavan]

I don't need a phone to be smart for me.

[A Nerd]

I prefer emails to cell phones. The only reason I have a cell phone is to call AAA in case I should break down on the highway.

[Hosakawa Tito]

One of my pet peeves: children and teenagers with a mobile phone.

How on Earth has it come to this? Why do 10 year olds need a mobile phone? One of my colleagues has a son who is in elementary school. She gave him a cell phone when he was 11, because children were making fun of him, as he was the only one in his class without a mobile phone. 11! And they all have a mobile phone already, very busy sms'ing, as if it's all for free. Sheer idiocy. Ridiculous. I absolutely hate it. I hope I'll find a school for my yet unborn child where mobile phones are strictly forbidden.

My mother in law is a teacher in secondary school. Pupils are constantly busy with that mobile phone when she's teaching. Punishing them doesn't help. They behave like addicts; they'd rather starve to death than be seperated from their cell phone for more than a day. And they're all addicted to the internet as well.

Is this me getting old?

Where were all y'all when I needed ya last night? I can just imagine a Neanderthal clan discussing a similar, for the time, newfangled "atlatl contraption" them new kids down the block are using.

I feel the same as the "who needs it" crowd, and that's my gut reaction. However, I also realize that sometimes, my gut can be totally wrong. Let's face it, communication in the business/professional/personal world is evolving to this, with or without us. The biggest downside, as Andres has described, is more about self-control than the technology itself. And since I'm all about self-control and the teachable moment, my teenage charges have a few caveats attached to their CrackBerrys.

1. They are paying, on a pro-rated basis, money or labor, to help defray the cost.
2. During family times/meals/school/60 minutes before lights out the dang things are turned off.
3. Overindulgence in tweets, email checks, texting, etc... as determined by me/or the boss will be verboten, and can result in confiscation.

So, Hosag has warily set aside his fire-hardened thrusting spear and adopted, on a trial basis, this new technology.

[Gregoshi]

All these devices are is a distraction from the here and now. Why talk to the person you are with when you could be emailing or texting someone else?

Our whole family has cell phones. We only got the kids phones when they were about 15-16 years old and they started leaving the nest to go out with friends. They are handy to have but I get annoyed if my phone gets too active. My kids, my son in particular, is (a) totally devoted (slave) to his phone - much to my annoyance. My wife has a smartphone from work, so they can slave drive her with work even after hours. Lovely, especially when we go on "holiday".

However, I see no purpose to a smart phone. When I'm out, I don't need to read an email when I'm trying to pay a cashier at the store. I don't need sports scores instantaneously. And I don't want to watch Star Wars or play a game on a puny 2.5" screen.

[Hosakawa Tito]

Fortunately, where I work, cellphones are contraband and a good way to get locked out, fined, and maybe even fired. I don't want to be available 24/7 and am not unless I wanna be. These things can be shut off Greg, that's my point, so those who do choose to be "harassed" or "addicted" by them make that choice. Giving ones friends/colleagues/boss/family your undivided attention while in their presence is common courtesy, along with those around you that don't need to listen in. There's a time & place for using this technology, and even though I may not like or want to use all this stuff....well we'll see how my kids handle themselves and go from there.

[Scienter]

My mother in law is a teacher in secondary school. Pupils are constantly busy with that mobile phone when she's teaching. Punishing them doesn't help. They behave like addicts; they'd rather starve to death than be seperated from their cell phone for more than a day. And they're all addicted to the internet as well.

Is this me getting old?

I'll join you in being old. I can't stand it when I'm in a store and some teenager is trying to both interact with a salesperson and text/talk/tweet/whatever. It's so rude! Seeing people use their smart phones during a movie fills me with near homicidal rage. There's an appropriate time and place to use a smart phone, and what bothers me is that most people don't seem to know that. Don't get me started about people who talk on the phone or text while driving...

Now get off my lawn!

[seireikhaan]

My cell phone can call people, take very poor, blurry pictures, and can sorta text awkwardly. Its pretty much a necessity, as I switch around between uni, home, other home, and none of them utilize a land line. I don't use it much, but its still something I need, if people need to contact me outside of email.

However, as I mentioned, its a far cry from a "smart phone". I personally fail to see any need to surf the web at any possible moment.

[Andres]

I'll join you in being old. I can't stand it when I'm in a store and some teenager is trying to both interact with a salesperson and text/talk/tweet/whatever. It's so rude! Seeing people use their smart phones during a movie fills me with near homicidal rage. There's an appropriate time and place to use a smart phone, and what bothers me is that most people don't seem to know that. Don't get me started about people who talk on the phone or text while driving...

Now get off my lawn!

Argh, people using their phones during a movie should be a criminal offense; they should lock people up for doing that.

But what I hate most is people picking up their phones at a restaurant. I'm there to enjoy the lovely company of my wife, excellent food and wine, not to hear some nitwit talking way too loud, thinking he's important because 'hey, look, it's week-end and I have an IMPORTANT phone call! Please, look at me, I need attention!' I don't care! I don't care about your important phonecalls. They should force you to eat your cell phone! And then burn you at the stake while you're standing on a pile of mobile phones

I hate it when people do that. Is there anything more barbarian than picking up your mobile phone at a restaurant? Is it that difficult to switch that devilish device off for the duration of one (1) dinner?

[Ibn-Khaldun]

Hmm.. I have a phone?

[Hosakawa Tito]

I'll join you in being old. I can't stand it when I'm in a store and some teenager is trying to both interact with a salesperson and text/talk/tweet/whatever. It's so rude! Seeing people use their smart phones during a movie fills me with near homicidal rage. There's an appropriate time and place to use a smart phone, and what bothers me is that most people don't seem to know that. Don't get me started about people who talk on the phone or text while driving...

Now get off my lawn!

Scienter has got it. We need smartphone etiquette training.

My cell phone can call people, take very poor, blurry pictures, and can sorta text awkwardly. Its pretty much a necessity, as I switch around between uni, home, other home, and none of them utilize a land line. I don't use it much, but its still something I need, if people need to contact me outside of email.

However, as I mentioned, its a far cry from a "smart phone". I personally fail to see any need to surf the web at any possible moment.

Personally I don't need that either, but I'm not raising my step-children to be a carbon copy of me. I'll give them a bit of guidance & exposure to this technology, and let them make up their own minds as to it's worth.

Argh, people using their phones during a movie should be a criminal offense; they should lock people up for doing that.

But what I hate most is people picking up their phones at a restaurant. I'm there to enjoy the lovely company of my wife, excellent food and wine, not to hear some nitwit talking way too loud, thinking he's important because 'hey, look, it's week-end and I have an IMPORTANT phone call! Please, look at me, I need attention!' I don't care! I don't care about your important phonecalls. They should force you to eat your cell phone! And then burn you at the stake while you're standing on a pile of mobile phones

I hate it when people do that. Is there anything more barbarian than picking up your mobile phone at a restaurant? Is it that difficult to switch that devilish device off for the duration of one (1) dinner?

Normally I'd endorse Andres for Etiquette Sensai, but ummm....maybe we should give someone else a go?

[Husar]

I have an iPhone, and it's a useful tool. I have 100 free minutes and 40 free SMS a month, I may get close to the minutes but I hardly ever send SMS around.
It's mostly in silent mode anyway, real people always have priority over phonecalls except perhaps if I'm expecting an important call or my boss is calling but neither happens often.
It has actually made some situations easier and more convenient due to the internet flatrate and connectivity, which is the main reason I bought it. I can check the mails, read the news, check webpages, chat etc. all on the move and wherever it has an internet connection, or I cannot, it's my choice, there's no force and I turned a lot of the notification things off.
One of the more useful things is that I can send messages etc. over the internet, there are apps doing that which make SMS useless if the other person has an iPhone, too, like someone I know from Switzerland, I can stroll through a park and send her a picture of the park for free etc. Maybe it's not especially useful per se, but it's pretty nice, like wearing nice shoes that cost 50 bucks more than just useful shoes, or a nice suit that cost a thousand bucks more than just cheap jeans, a shirt and sandals.

[Azathoth]

Reading these reactionary rants fills me with a desire to buy a cellphone and yell into it at every public place in the city.

[Lemur]

I'll join you in being old. I can't stand it when I'm in a store and some teenager is trying to both interact with a salesperson and text/talk/tweet/whatever. It's so rude!

Actually, the worst cell phone violation I ever saw was in a movie theater bathroom. I walked in, wanted to do my business, and there stood a middle-aged dude at the urinal with a phone to his ear. His monologue went something like this:

"What? Huh? Uh-huh. No, I'm pissing. Pissing. I said I'm pissing. Yeah. Uh-huh. She said that? No, pissing. Yeah, I'm pissing. Right now. Uh-huh. Yeah. Really?"

And he just went on and on. Surely there was something wrong with that dude.

[GeneralHankerchief]

My phone is pretty much the same khaan's. It makes calls, can take fuzzy pictures, and can text people. That's all I need.

Plus, I reap the benefit of smartphones without ever actually having to own one. Notably, if I need instantaneous access to whatever information, I'll just ask a member of the ever-growing "owns a smartphone" population to look it up for me.

[Gregoshi]

Plus, I reap the benefit of smartphones without ever actually having to own one. Notably, if I need instantaneous access to whatever information, I'll just ask a member of the ever-growing "owns a smartphone" population to look it up for me.

Then GHog whacks them over head with club. Too easy I say.

[Ser Clegane]

I am a bit old school with regard to these thingies.

I only have a "regular" cell phone from work - which is turned off by default. As long as I am at work or at home people should call me on my fixed line. I only turn it on on rare occasions, either when I need to make a call while on the road or when I know that I need to be available for family or colleagues while traveling.

I also could have a blackberry for work but consciously deceided against it - I know that I might not be able to resist checking my e-mail from time to time and the risk of for some reason decidiing to go through my e-mails during the weekend or during my vacation by far outweighs the doubtful "benefit" of being able to be reached by e-mail in urgent cases.

[Vuk]

lol, I don't even have a cell phone. To be honest, I don't regret it.

[naut]

I really don't get this "you have to be reachable whenever or where ever you are". Crazy.

Same. My friends get angry that I don't answer most of the time. Nothing is so important that you have to phone me and request I speak right there and then. And if it is then leave a message and I'll get right to it. I only tend to answer straight away either if I am not busy and my phone is at hand or even if I am busy and it is my parents or siblings, as the only reason they have to phone me is that it is an emergency or some related issue.

My phone, while not a brick, is old. It texts and calls. That's it. I went through two good phones (washed one, dropped one). And decided, to hell with it, I'll use this old sturdy one, it won't break if I drop it and it doesn't matter if I do break or lose it. Plus it doubles as a decent Yawara.

[Moros]

Andres I agree with you completely!