Chris L

I knew how to use mine when I had one. However what I didn't like was the fact that it was just one more thing to worry about. I was always making sure I had it when I went out (which is a problem because I have a tendency to misplace things occasionally), I always had people calling me about this that or the other when I didn't want a call.

As far as being a life-saver on a ride goes, terrain makes reception impossible in many of the places I ride regardless of coverage (despite Telstra's spanky advertising). Then there was the cost of having the thing in the first place - even if I made no calls.

In the end I decided that the hassle of keeping track of the thing simply wasn't worth the amount of use I was getting out of it (which was minimal anyway). I haven't regretted getting rid of it for one minute.

khuon

It's a feature of the phone. Most Nokias now have profiles. A profile allows you to set up how the phone behaves so that you can switch between profiles depending on the conditions and situations you find yourself in. For instance, I have a profile called Meeting which sets the phone to only beep once at its lowest volume upon a ring and never beep upon an SMS message and will only accept calls (based on caller-ID) of those people who are tagged as part of a specific caller-group (I use Business and VIP for this profile). Another profile I have is Cycling which will specify vibe-mode, loud ring (since I'm outdoors), short-ring, never beep for SMS and only accept calls from the VIP caller-group although sometimes I add my Business caller-group to that profile if I happen to be playing hooky from work and expecting an important call from someone in particular (read: CEO or my boss).

JasBike

i think cellphones are the work of the devil, but once i start driving i'm going to have one.

Mtn Mike

I'm also confused about people who say they dislike cell phones.

I ditched my landline several years ago because it was more trouble than it was worth. I use my cell phone exclusively, but not really any differently than I used my landline. I have the option of TURNING THE CELL PHONE OFF, when I want; I do turn it off while at work, during most bike rides except commuting, visits to businesses (such as the barber shop), and other time when I don't want to be bothered.

I see nothing wrong with talking on the phone while driving or biking; I believe I'm a better driver than most out there, even with the handicap of talking on the phone (but thats another issue).

The cell phone is just another piece of technology that some learn to incorporate into their lives,(like the internet ), while others hate with a passion (not sure why).

Since this blackout bussiness, I've been thinking about going old-school and getting a HAM license. No reliance on cell towers or power infrastructure. Now THATS communication.

Richard D

Nokia 3410 - I finally got one earlier this year when my wife needed one for work. I hardly use it but I admit it's occasionally useful.

foehn

DnvrFox,

Sorry, I guess I hit on your red button, no?

As I said in my original post:

A cellphone is a tool, as you and others have rightfully pointed out. You most certainly have the most incentive to operate a cellphone!

I guess what I resent the most is all the rude idiots who inflict their cellphones upon others. Parents who conduct business calls during most of their children's sporting events or performances. The twits that eyeball me on my bike and then proceed nearly hit me while driving and talking on their cellphones. Ninnies that cannot seem to figure our ANY way to switch off a cell phone during a meeting or conversation with a person who is right in front of them.

I just cannot believe that ALL the people being rude with their cell phones NEED those cellphones for medical reasons or life and death situations.

Of course it could be just that I have osmotically absorbed the "cheap" gene that my husband has and am jealous that I didn't fork out money to buy into some sort of cellphone stock when I could-have, should have.

Guess I ranted and didn't backpedal enough!

Chris L

You know what really bugs me about these things? Idiots who think that the rest of the world needs to hear the conversation they are having. Newsflash - we don't! We can clearly see that you are "walking down the street" (not something I'd find particularly interesting of I were on the other end, but I guess it takes all kinds). There is no need to yell into the damn things, people.

I may have mentioned this previously - the only difference b/w cell phone users and the certifiably insane is the assumption that somebody on the other end is listening to them.

Juha

What also strikes me as interesting is the amount of people who consider themselves capable of judging whether someone else needs a cell phone or not. We all make our own choices, perhaps we should leave it at that.

--J

DnvrFox

Today, I had to wait in line to straighten out a matter with my car registration. There were twenty folks in front of me, and 3 clerks. I figured it would be a while, and I was correct.

Also, the Colorado no-fault insurance laws changed markedly in July, and my insurance was to be renewed in October.

So, right in front of God and the world, I used the 30 minute wait to call my insurance company on my cell phone, discuss the new law and how it affected me and the current policy, and made the appropriate chages to my insurance policy right there in public on my cell phone.

I am quite busy. My time is pretty valuable to me. I knew that at some time or other I would have to spend a fair amount of time on the phone discussing and updating the policy. Why not use "down time" - waiting in a queue - to good advantage, rather than sit there wasting my time. I would rather do it then - so it gives me more time for biking!!

I think cell phones can be a great time saver. I spoke in a quiet voice, and nothing I said was personal. No one seemed disturbed.

WorldIRC

My dad is 35% deaf in his left ear and that's the ear he uses his cell phone on. He always yells! It is so annoying.

dexmax

well, i want to get a celphone with a camera built in. My mom has one, a Nokia 7250, and I want one..

I don't need it for groceries, as khuon pointed out, but I need them on my rides..

A digital Camera is to bulky to carry, and I would like to take pictures on my rides.. The picture quality on these phones are not that good but it can take pics, and are small enough to fit into my small saddle bag along with my other stuff..

khuon

I once had the idea of purchasing a cheap digital camera (Pencam) to take along with me while mountain biking. The idea was that a lower-end camera would be good enough for taking pictures to be posted on webpages and the fact that it was small and cheap meant that a crash would not ruin a $500 camera. However, I quickly discovered that the biggest drawback was picture quality. The lower resolution (1MP) wasn't the issue... it was the lack of flash which prevented the camera from operating adequately in low light and action-oriented conditions. Quite a few time, I simply was unable to take a shot because of lighting conditions. Most camera-phones don't have a flash and so that may limit the usefulness of the camera feature more than anything else.

BTW, I now carry a Minolta DiMageX which is one of the slimest and most compact digital camera available. It's also fairly rugged and is well suited for cycling. I'm able to operate the camera one-handed while riding and have also been able to shoot over my shoulders. It's easy to quickly whipe out of my jersey pocket, take a shot and then restow all with one hand. I've had more trouble extracting and eating an energy bar than I have using my camera. The X model is no longer made but the line has diversified into the Xi (successor to the X with more fatures and better resolution), Xt (more compact version of the Xi) and X20 (rewarmed over X with the same resolution but better features).

WorldIRC

Here's an update:

I just added an unlocked T68i to my wonderful collection. I love the power of GSM.

The Rob

We recently purchased a Kyocera 'Party Animal' (stoopid name!) for use with Virgin Mobile. Strictly utilitarian, we carry it on our commute and when out in the car. No plan, just download minutes as we need them. Of course coverage is limited; you get what you pay for, but we knew that going in. If we're out in the wilds of eastern Oregon or in the Cascades, the cell phone becomes a $60 paperweight.

khuon

There has to be some kind of funny comment one could make out of this.

The Rob

As in "Can a virgin be a 'party animal'?"

trmcgeehan

My darling 18 year old daughter had a great Nokia cell phone, until last month when the bill came in at $250 for the month. That's when I wrenched it out of her tight little fist, and it now resides in my office safe.

DnvrFox

You can buy a "plan" with lots and lots of minutes, free toll, and unlimited on weekends, for about $40 per month.

I have America Choice 300 with Verizon

Basic charge for 300 minutes = $35.00
Call Waiting - free
3 way calling - free
call forwarding - free
voice mail with paging - free
Unlimited nights and weekends - free
Service Charges, etc. 0.90

WorldIRC

In Canada, the licensing fee (service fee) is $6.95 a month. Providers can't do anything about it. It's regulated by the CRTC (Canadian Radio and Television Commission) which is essentially the Canadian FCC. However, the plans themselves are the same prices as the US plans but in CDN dollars.

Trouble

Verizon wireless has been my carrier for about 7 years.