apricissimus 

I have this co-worker whose cell phone is constantly ringing while at work (it's usually her (grown) kids calling her, who seem to be completely helpless without her). She answers her phone even when in the middle of conversations about work! She's answered her phone in the middle of department meetings!

There was one time she came into my cubicle to ask me a work related question. While I was in the middle of answering it, her phone rings. She actually took the call and chatted with her son while standing right in my cube! I was literally speechless.

Another peeve of mine is when people carry on conversations with other folks while you're on the phone with them. If you choose to answer your phone, you should commit to talking with me. It's so aggravating when you're interrupted in the middle of saying something by the person on the other end of the line starting to talk to someone else. (I suppose this isn't limited to cell phones, but I think I notice it more often with cell phones.)

I don't have a land line. I only have a cell phone. It doesn't make sense to have both, and the convenience of the cell phone is worth it, I suppose. But I find that I hardly use it. I'd love to do away with having a phone altogether, but I know I'm going to need it for when my mother calls once a month or other such occasions. Is that worth the $55/mo. I pay for it? I don't know...

Didn't we get by just fine before cell phones? What happened?

bikinggrrrl

wow. you guys do get off on tangents sometimes, eh? I was about to submit my own complaint about mis-used cell phones when I went back to the OP's question.

Funny stories though.

dingster1

I ditched my landline a while back. Me, my son and my mother in Va have cells but we hardly ever use them unless its my mother calling.When I do its usually a text msg. I take one on rides because I'm always alone and I'm female.

AlmostTrick

I see so many people who appear to be absolute slaves to their cell phones. They can't stop fiddlin' with 'em and can't go anywhere without 'em. Seems like way more of a nuisance than a convenience if you ask me. That's why I've never had one and still don't want one. Nope, not even if it was free.

Yes, we all got along fine before cell phones were considered mandatory accessories, and some of us still do!

Machka 

You're new here. BF is one big tangent. Never expect anyone to adhere to your original question/comments.

Velo Dog

I carry one because my wife wants me to, but I could easily do without it. No one outside my immediate family has the number, not even my employer (that gets tougher to dodge every year), so I don't get many calls. My pay-as-you-go plan costs $18-$20 a month.

thompsonpost

Wow, you hit every nail on every head. I have chosen to just end the conversation by walking away when whomever I may be having a conversation with takes a call without regard to my existence what-so-ever. I have found they usually don't remember we were talking. If I get a call during a conversation, most times, I send it to voice mail. I NEVER let my phone alienate others, even if they don't care. When I DO get a call and I am around other people, I excuse myself to someplace private as not to invade other peoples space, when it is appropriate. I hate listening to other people on their phones, and know I'm not the only one who feels that way about phone calls. I really find cells, even my own, way rude in a lot of cases. I always leave it in the car (if I'm driving) and if I'm riding, I turn it off, when I go into a business where I know I won't need it for any reason. I never take it into a cafe or eatery/restaurant, ever, or turn it off if I am riding. I have found, although, that the camera is more useful as a note pad when I am looking at "Musician/drummer needed" ads, etc.

I/we got rid of our land line 3 years ago and went to an internet phone with Skype. 'Runs $110 a year, but I think I'm going to be dropping it when the next renewal comes up in November.

My wife and I use our cells more for "Get milk on the way home" type texts, and I use it as my business phone. Otherwise, I probably wouldn't have one.

Bottom line, I find my phone invaluable to my business and to my communications with my wife.

Machka 

Great idea!! I think Universities should do that too in the classroom.

PaulRivers

You know, every time there's a cell phone thread it always attracts of bunch of comments from people who hate cell phones. You would think everyone hates them and doesn't have them, but quite the opposite is true.

I don't know where all these people go, but I have never been interrupted in a movie by someone else's cell phone. Seriously - I can't recollect a single time.

It's seemed to me like older people have the most trouble using them because they grew up in the "OMG we have to answer the landline now now now when it rings" era of landlines - when my dad was a kid they didn't even have answering machines. You HAD to answer the phone or the call would be lost forever. And so they have the emotional response built in that if the phone rings, you HAVE to answer it.

And man I hated that. I'd go over to my dads place for dinner, and if 3 people would call he would *have* to answer it. I could spend more time sitting there while he was on the phone than I would spend talking to him if people he hadn't heard from in a long time called. You can't be *rude*, right? He would even tell me similar stories where he (as a consultant) would go into a client's location and you couldn't go more than 2 minutes without their phone ringing and them *having* to answer it. Even though you physically got in your car and drove to their office, the phone call was always more important than the person sitting there.

But with people around my age or younger, people have grown accustomed to caller id, voicemail, and the "always available" aspect of cell phones has actually had the opposite effect of availability. Since they don't have to worry they'll "miss that important call" and because no one actually wants to be available 24-7, they're forced to confront the fact that they're not always available and very comfortable simply not answering the phone if they're doing something else. Back in the day, it was "if you miss the call, you'll never know who called" now it's "I know who called, I can call them back later".

I actually find cell phones a vast improvement in courtesy and annoyance. Not perfect, but I no longer have to come up with some reason why we should go out to avoid being interrupted by someone's home phone line ringing.

clancy98

there is always a group of proud luddites announcing that they dont DO that cell phone crap. or that twitter crap. Oh, and don't mention TV, because then they're all "Oh I dont really watch TV, even though I have 3 of them." Ironically this is an internet forum.

its like - f*** that pneumatic tire bs, I roll wagon wheels.

apparently congratulations are in order?

AlmostTrick

Like me? I can't help it. Watching and hearing everyone in public constantly blabbin' away about the most trivial things really is annoying. People in the market asking someone what they should buy. People with their head in a distant conversation when they should be paying attention to what they are doing. People calling just to say "where you at". People calling to say they'll "be there" in a few minutes. (REALLY! I already knew that!) It's really quite ridiculous if you think about it.

No, back in the day if you missed the call, the caller could try again later. If they didn't, then good. It must not have been that important. Somehow we all managed just fine without 24/7 access to each other. There is no reason why we can't still today if we so choose, and I do. Slaves to technology I tell ya.

PaulRivers

LOL!

Machka 

Yep!!


+1

I always figure that if the call is about something really important, the person will call back.

PaulRivers

Back to the original post, I get a little nervous if I lose/forget to grab my cell phone on a regular day.

I get borderline freaked out if I'm trying to meet someone somewhere new or get picked up at the airport or something and I don't have my phone. I think it's completely rational to be freaked out. Back in the day before cell phones it was always a PITA to try to do this stuff. Nowadays cell phones make it much easier, but other people also assume you have your phone with you so if you don't, you're often dead in the water - they expect to hear from you if you need to be picked up or if you're running late.

I feel kind of panicky, yeah. I know I'm repeating myself, but before cell phones certain things were rather difficult. Like picking someone up from the airport. I remember going to the fair and we'd all have to stay together as a group for fear someone would wander off and we'd never find them (well not "never" with adults, but losing them for the rest of the day puts a real damper on the day). We'd have a certain point we'd agree to meet at at a certain time (like if we weren't together on the hour, we'd meet there) to try to compensate. I remember I refused to try to meet anyone anywhere at a location we hadn't both been to before after trying it several times and missing each other 50% of the time (one time I was going to meet someone at the Perkins in Bloomington - turns out there's 2 perkins in Bloomington and we each went to a different one).

Cell phones have really revolutionized our ability to (relatively) easily and consistently pick people up, meeting them in new places, etc etc where you just need a minute to exchange information about where you are and where they are on the go. If you don't have it, you're suddenly completely cut off.

Booger1

The top 10 reasons I don't have a cell phone:

1:My parrot doesn't know it's me on the phone,so I see no reason to get one.

2:If I miss your funeral,I promise to come by your grave and pay my respects.

3: Haven't found anyone to pay me to carry it yet.

4:I want to be different.

5:It doesn't come in my color yet.

6:I don't have the time to learn how to use it.

7:I've ran out of places to plug in a another charger.

8: None of them take AA batteries.

9: I don't want people tracking me with the GPS features.

10:Last but not least,IT"S NOT THAT IMPORTANT,IT'LL WAIT!!!!

DataJunkie

I would rather have a cell than a home phone. Then I can work wherever I please when not in the office.
Plus, being on call occasionally means I need to sit by a phone or have a cell.
I can not stand text messaging BTW.

Wordbiker

For those of you that don't have a cell and never will: Good on ya.

For those of you that have one and love it: Good on ya.

For those of you that have one and are indifferent: Maybe you should save the dough or go to a prepaid.

For those of you that have one and wish you didn't: Press this button and hold.

AlmostTrick

Is that a button that comes on cell phones? What does it do? I'm serious.

thompsonpost

Jack Cafferty finally joins BF!!!!!

What a day!!!!

Breadpudding

I own an iPhone... nuff said.

Robert Foster

[QUOTE=Booger1;8966769]The top 10 reasons I don't have a cell phone:


5:It doesn't come in my color yet.


Just wondering, it it doesn't come in your color, what color are you?

Wordbiker

That symbol is pretty much universal for Power.

My point was that when I hear people whining about getting annoying calls on their cell...why not just shut it off?

I live in a rural area with very intermittent cell coverage...especially at my house. If my phone can't pick up digital, it goes to analog which sucks the batteries. I shut it off most of the time, then switch it on when I'm ready to see who has called. It tends to piss some folks off that expect me to instantly drop whatever I'm doing to chat with them, but that's why I have a land line and a cell: they both act as answering machines I can check at my convenience.

thompsonpost

That's the most important part of my phone, and my favorite feature. I use it way more than the Menu button.

skijor

My former Business 101 professor made it clear. There was no need to collect phones. He had a simple rule. If your phone interrupted the class once, he'd give you a warning. If it happened a second time, you failed the class. This was a class of nearly 300 students so of course it did happen a few times but the perpetrators were always in such a frantic struggle to locate and shut the damn phone off that it usually ended in a good chuckle

patc

For me the cellphone is the one device I don't mind being dependent on! But I seldom actually use it as a phone, and the phone is set to read my calendar and go to vibrate when at work, and full quiet when in a meeting. But its not just a phone:

- full calender of appointments (2 jobs, 2 community groups, and what little social life I have)
- my address book - including birthdays etc.
- any documents I need to have, from my shopping list to my standard work contracts
- GPS and Google maps, in case I get lost getting to a job/meeting
- access to work and personal email
- MP3 player
- occasional use to watch a TV show/movie
- current weather and forecast, a must for a cyclist
- web access
- access to our public transit schedules, just in case
- ability to check my web server, in case I or a client needs something and I can't get to a computer

And that's just the every day stuff. Heck, the actual 'phone' part could break and I would hardly notice, but I rarely need to drag my laptop around anymore!