Cell phones

[crule81]

I know only 4 people who don't own a cell phone, my 92 year old grandfather, my 88 year old grandmother, my 80 year old uncle, and me. I used to have one but I would barely use it (except the year where it was my only phone) and never kept it on. Most people can't believe I don't have one and think I'm risking life and limb traveling without one. But I really don't miss it. I don't like talking on the phone but if I have to, I can usually just wait until I get home. I feel marketing has made people feel they need cell phones when they really don't (like many other things, of course). So I am wondering how many of you feel as I do.

[int]

I hate hate hate mine, but it's a necessary evil.

[Hypnos]

* It's invaluable in certain situations, like when your car breaks down or you are trying to rendezvous with some at the airport. Also helps us poor INTPs make plans at the absolute last minute!

* It's more cost-effective than a landline+long distance, for the amount I talk.

[Birdsnest]

No, I don't even want one. I had one and was on a 2 year contract, shelling out $35 a month and never ever used it. Finally had to pay 150 to close out early, the only time I used it was when I travelled a long distance to school at night on highways for a few years and on road trips where you might break down. Now I just risk driving without one, and my wallet and I are happy. I don't even want a regular phone, in fact now that I am trying cable internet I have no use for phones. They are such interuptions to my peace and quiet. I do not chit chat, except with my Mom in another state, otherwise, don't use them.

[Groty]

I've had one since, well, they were called Bag Phones, and took up most of the floor in the passenger side of my first car. Parents gave me that when I was sixteen. I've been annoyed by them since then. I ditched the land line when I moved. Now I only use the cell, and I don't leave it on a lot. If I feel like talking, I'll call ya back.

[Strephonade]

Have a cellphone, but I almost never give out the number to anyone I think might call a lot.

They can e-mail or msg me if they need to talk.

[Jezebel]

I have a cell phone but don't get reception where I am now. When I'm in the city or a bigger town I use it frequently, but I mostly just talk to one person on it if that counts. I like cell phones, they're convenient and I make a lot of long distance calls to family.

[jimkopelli]

My antenna broke off recently... but I get better reception now, when I use my finger, than I ever did before. Plus it fits in my pocket better. I'm pretty sure it was designed to break off anyway... evil phone companies. Bah.

[Division56]

I have one.

[PsiKik]

I was in a mild car accident late at night and used it to call for help. I don't know what we would have done without it. One of my primary reasons for keeping one is for getting help if I need it.
Pathetically I have not received any calls for about 2 months now, because I know so few people.

[KentOhio]

I don't want one... I'm still suspicious that they cause brain tumors.

[MacGuffin]

I have one. Basically only use it to make outgoing phone calls, maybe once a week. The battery does not last long (over 3 years old). So I turn it off unless my wife is going to call me on it. Don't have voice mail, so it is basically useless to try and reach me on it.

And I like it that way.

[SensEye]

I only have one because my employer provides it and foots the bill. They don't care if I use if for personal reasons. I never turn it on. I only use it to make outbound calls if I am not near a land line and to check my voice mail. At least half the time I can't even be bothered to carry it around.

[cloakable]

I have one, but do not make voice calls on it, only to send text messages.

[Postblank]

I have one. I only have it because I don't pay for it. It's hardly ever used, due to a multitude of issues. Either I don't remember to bring it with me or I forget to properly charge it. I've been getting better with those, but it really doesn't mean much. It'd be useful in an accident situation, but I've never needed it for that outside from my crappy directional skills.

[nobarcode]

I use mine for the internet mostly.

[greenintp]

Have one. Prepaid Airtime. Rarely use it.

[s]

I have one and I rarely turn it on, I ignore calls on it, I haven't set up the voicemail, and I lose it all the time.

I do like having it for emergencies, such as when I have to speed dial Pop-A-Lock.

[t]

i have one & i use it as my main phone line so i don't have to pay long distance. however, i operate it like a regular phone. if i wouldn't normally use the phone, i don't. i really only use it at my house and in emergencies.

[ohnoaninfp]

I have one. It made things more convienient, except for buying minutes. I dont have to go to a pay phone if I need to talk to someone.

[Boozer]

I have one. I only really use it on weekends, when my freinds harass me to pick them up so we can hang out. I tend to ignore it if I don't feel like talking and call back later (usually). I've gotten everyone used to the fact that I don't always pickup so I don't feel compelled to answer. It does get annoying when the family calls up and asks me to visit more or call more. Why do I have to be the one to call them, they obvously have the number, if they feel like talking call me up. I don't know I just don't like chatting on the phone. When I call someone it's to figure out where/when we are meeting.

[t]

i hate answering phones. i don't know why, but i really despise it. even when it's someone i want to talk to, i usually let my voicemail pick up and then call them back later. it's like it has to be on my time and my decision to talk on the phone to someone.

[file cabinet]

I use it infrequently.

[EternalCynic]

I've got one, but only so my mother can call 20 times per hour when I'm out, which isnt often anyway. I'd quite like to rid myself of the damn thing.

[Claverhouse]

I've got two ( one being my mother's, but she can barely use it ). I detest them, and think them dangerous, but you need them for work in the most cell-phone/mobile phone obsessed country on earth.

Trouble is I use pay-as-you-go and never bother to buy cards --- people ringing me is one thing, calling people is out --- so they cut off the service every six months. Still, important for emergencies I guess.



Claverhouse :ph34r:

[Niflheimian]

Cell phones are generally annoying, albeit occassionally useful. It bothers me when people have them on their ears constantly, like earrings. Completely overused. Come on you turkies, do we really need to let our friends know what we're doing every second? I don't think so!

[Ponderous]

I have one, provided by work. I use it primarily when traveling for business. At home, I use it to contact my husband. I finally phased out my personal one for this one a couple of months ago, so that I didn't have to carry two devices. However, I didn't bother to tell anyone.... I should probably turn my personal phone on again just to see if there are any messages.

I don't know if folks notice this so much everywhere else, but as I watch people walking into a store, or leaving work and on the way to the car, I often see people on their cells. My present thought is how did these folks make it in the pre-cell phone days? They had this moment of silence to themselves as they were between buildings. How did they ever make it?

[Ponderous]

Forgot to mention that the primary benefit to my cell phone is for surfing the net when I'm waiting somewhere....

(My own phone didn't have this cool feature.)

[BritainOphira]

My mother got me one but my dad thinks it's his for whatever reason but as I never use it or get calls I gave in and let him have it about a year ago. I really only carry it if I'm going out of town and will need a ride once I get back or if I'm meeting someone somewhere that they aren't guarenteed to show up at on time. I think, at last count, I had over 2600 roll-over minutes even with my dad constantly carrying it (he uses it about as much as I do).

I think the last time I actually talked on it was about a month ago when I had to call some elderly woman in Iowa to change my ACT test date...

[indie]

No way. . . keep those damn things away from me!

[SheepDog]

If I weren't married, I wouldn't have one. I don't particularly like telephones, but I HATE talking on a cell phone. The only plus I can see is that it does help keep the relationship a bit smoother, when you're running late, etc. My phone almost never gets used.

Talking on the cell phone is annoying. The cut in/cut out causes people to talk in short, choppy sentences. It's not like communicating, just making verbalizations. I heard someone describe it as monosyllabic, and if you listen to many calls, you'll see that it's generally true.

"Hi. It's me. Where are you? Can you hear me? When will you be home? I'll be late, sorry. Is that ok? What's that? Huh? I can't hear you. Call me back...ok?!?"

[athman]

So I guess this site isn't likely to be sponsored by a telephone company anytime soon.

I use one when I have to for work. One good thing is I haven't bothered to wear a watch for about 5 yrs, I use the clock on my cell phone.

[SheepDog]

Funny, athman, I haven't worn a watch in years, either. I've had to carry a pager or phone for work so long that a watch is just extra baggage.

[Durroch]

I rarely ever even use the telephone, and attempt to never even try to answer it when it does ring, so a cell phone would be a really bad idea. Though at times it would be useful, I can always bum one off of someone else, or else there is always a payphone within a mile... Haha.

[blue_eye]

Yeah I had three, one dropped in a toiet and didn't work after that, the other stopped working, and I lost the last. I haven't gotten a forth, but might in Feburary when I can get a good rate on it. They are expensive and cost money to cancel. But you know for us 'INTPs' who may be with a group of people, than want to run off on their own without telling anyone, cells are great to get back with the group and see where everyone is after you went around seeing everything that they didn't.

[Sackanaka]

I like my Nokia 26-whatever the number was. It's so outdated: no color, no polyphonic tunes, pretty bulky, and scratched up from many drops.
Phones should just be for necessities.. for everything else, there's instant messaging and forums :D

[mgb]

I hate my phone. I had to get it and the three year contract that came with it because I didn't have a phone at all or a fixed address for a little while.

The only thing I like is the polyphonic ring (Don't Fear the Reaper).

[knome]

I went for "no but wants one", but I think that's just the technophile in me pointing out that there's a gadget in existance that I don't have my fingers on yet. There's not really another reason for it.

[Clara]

I went for "no but wants one", but I think that's just the technophile in me pointing out that there's a gadget in existance that I don't have my fingers on yet.
This is why I was so surprised to read so many vehement "No's" and reluctant, reasoning, "Yeses" :) - I don't have one because: A] I don't need one - anyone can reach me by other means; B] There's someone who is annoyed, now, at not having to leave a message some of the time :p (always non-urgent); C] I'd have to care for it, as much as a pet, but without the fun.

Talking on the phone isn't something I mind - I prefer it to writing; there's no travel time. Then again, I'm not tethered to one.


There's not really another reason for it.Seems we're a pretty pragmatic bunch. :)

[nona]

I have one for when I need it but leave it off most of the time because I don't want to be "reachable". It does function well as a watch and also as a portable phone book so I have numbers at hand when I need them.

I have a virgin mobil "pay as you go" phone a little more expensive by the minute, but if you don't use it much, you could come out cheaper this way. Pluss I just like their marketing phrase "Live without a plan" :)

[hemanthraz]

Thats a nice marketing slogan.

I do have a mobile phone, a motorola c650, just because it lets me play al my java games, while appearing to be busy at work, haha. apart from that i make very few calls, just a few people calling me to find out where i am, what im doing on saturday, stuff like that.And yeah, i stopped wearing a watch too.

[Boneca]

I bought a camera-phone as soon as they came out in Europe. I mostly forget to charge it, and very rarely use it, but...I love gadgets.

I'll go over and hide in the ENTP corner now. :blush:

[cjs55]

I'm glad I don't own a cell phone, although that might change when I'm stranded somewhere.

[crule81]

I must confess that I now have a cell phone. I needed it for work because it is annoying to have to use payphones at court. Also, my (former) roommate had the landline in his name, so I told him he could cancel it. One thing I like about it is that I can keep it easily turned off so that nobody could bother me.

[kuranes]

Mine was recently stolen, as astute readers may remember. I bought it mostly for emergencies. But at the time I also thought I might need it for communicating with the big shots of whom it was recently my job to reach/prospect. Since the best way to reach them is to leave a mysterioso message, and then wait for them to call back, you have to either sit by the landline during biz hours, or have a cell phone. I still have to pay for it on the bill, because of the !@#%@## contract, but I'm looking in to getting a replacement.

I'm usually annoyed by people talking on them as i'm trying to read a book on the commuter train. Like someone said, it would seem that people don't really have to keep updating one another continuously, playing games with hard-to-ignore sound effects etc.

[YardGnome]

I don't own a home phone... All I have is my cellphone.

[2hype]

When I move I'm thinking of not having a landline at all. I don't like phones much, and I rarely answer the landline when it rings. Although it is nice having the answering machine on, so screening calls is easy. My cell phone is only on if I am checking the voicemail, or making an outgoing call. Once in awhile, I'll leave it on if I'm actually in an unusually sociable mood, or if I am expecting a call from someone I want to talk to.

[Phenylethylene]

No, and I would strongly consider getting rid of my land line too if it weren't required for my DSL connection. I loathe talking on the phone most of the time.

[LuridLemur]

I have one because I'm young and unfortunate enough to have parents that want to know where I am every second I'm not at home. I usually "forget" it when I leave.

[Helios]

I have had a cell since the bagphone days too, but never used it ,till recently when I ditched my landline. I got some new Moto, I don't really know what kind. I use it alot, cause that is it, plus it is fun 'cause you can take pic or video anytime anyplace.........hehehe

[s0978]

never liked having one, felt like a leash

do occasionally mooch them when I travel

[Mariel]

i'd love to get rid of it.

[CoHo]

I got rid of my home phone and just have a cell phone, I like it

[One]

i get annoyed with people always calling me

[MasterMerk]

I don't want one.

[Spartan26]

Mine barely works. Certainly not in my apartment. It's the biggest waste of money. I feel forced into having one.

[kafkaesque]

I have one, got rid of my home phone.
Hardly anyone has the number and I never get telemarketing calls on it. (which I got frequently on my land line)

[garak]

* It's invaluable in certain situations, like when your car breaks down or you are trying to rendezvous with some at the airport. Also helps us poor INTPs make plans at the absolute last minute!

* It's more cost-effective than a landline+long distance, for the amount I talk.
Word. I don't use it much, but when I *do* use it, it's often away from home. Very useful at times.

And for anyone who doesn't use theirs much (like me) and is getting raped by some $40+ monthly bill, check out prepaid phones like virgin mobile or t-mobile -- I use virgin and pay $20 maybe every month or so (it varies wildly, so it's hard to average it).

[trendal]

I don't own a cellphone, nor do I want one. I really don't see any reason to have one, as I don't see any need for people to get ahold of me 24/7. I rarely talk on the phone as it is.

I also like to joke with my friends who do have cell phones, though, by saying that cell phones and the cell network will one day "wake up" and take over the planet. Think about it...both individual cell phones and the underlying netowrk technology are getting "smarter" all the time. Essentially we have a distributed network of intelligent agents. The whole thing could wake up one day and become conscious on it's own :ph34r:

I love imagination...

[Bugeater]

I use my cellphone to connect to the internet when I'm bored and there's no computer around. I rarely call anyone.