Anyone else living without a cell phone??

[petek]

Just wondering who else out there is managing just fine without a cell phone attached to their hip 24/7. I gave up my work issued phone when I retired 10 years ago and have zero interest in getting another. Truth be told I find the whole thing unsettling if not disturbing seeing people including friends incapable of going anywhere, eve to walk the dog around the block, without taking their phone . The excuses given being laughable if they were' actually serious. I'm also getting fed up with the rudeness displayed by them when you're in the midst of a convo and they're always taking their eyes away to glance at their phone and don't seem to realize it. Worse when they actually have to reply to some inane text . Is it just me? Not to mention that I still have to deal with it at home,the other half is just as bad and thinks I should get one just in case I'm in an accident or something.

 

[liamy1]

Don't live...

Without one myself, and although I have a Smartphone; I don't use it that often - I am not one of these who has to live their life through social media which I suppose is unusual for my age (28).

However, I worked for a mobile (cell) phone company for over 10 years, and one of my colleagues NEVER had a phone in all the time they have been available. Was amusing to most people, not least because of the staff discount he was not using (Unlimited calls, sms and data for £20 ($25) and that price INCLUDED the phone as well).

 

[liamy1]

Sorry,,,,

Only answered part of your question.

Yes I do think we have become incredibly rude, unsociable (ironically) and actually a lot more angry toward each other thanks to smartphones/changes in Technology.

As mentioned in my other post, I used to deal with mobile customers when I was a CEA (CSR) and when people were without their phones, you would honestly think they were dying.

One part of the job would be dealing with debt accounts, so naturally these customers phones had been restricted due to non payment - they would go off the wall angry. Would get all sorts "but I am pregnant" "I have family in hospital etc".

Used to have to explain (as gently as possible) that people had babies before mobile phones were invented, and the phone would always be good for ringing emergency services.

And could safely say, some people would put their mobile bill before a lot of other bill payments.

 

[DADoES]

 
I wish ...

 

[goatfarmer]

I have a cell phone, but it's an 8YO flip phone. No texting, no media, no internet, etc. Just for making and taking calls.

 

[lordkenmore]

I, too, have "only" a flip phone, and I have prepaid service that gives me a low price for service time, although a rather high price per minute. (That is, a month of no use is dirt cheap, but actually making a call is expensive per minute.) It's good enough to carry with me in case of an emergency.

I have to admit I am not a fan of phones in general. For years, my primary contact system has been by e-mail. Until recently, my cell phone--even with expensive minutes--was my only phone, and I could get away with it because I seldom used phone service. (I've had to place more calls the last six months, so I've turned to using phone service via Google.) During the time I've had this cell phone, it's been mostly set "Silent" with calls going straight to voice mail. I drive people crazy, sometimes, because I am not easily available by phone.

As for smart phones, there are times I have thought it would be nice having Internet connection. It can be potentially helpful for searching info. Is a Goodwill item priced reasonably? Etc. But...there is the small matter of paying for the phone and service...and would it be useful enough to really justify the cost?

I did come close to buying a clearance smart phone at Target. It was only $15, and worked with a prepaid plan that didn't seem too horrible. But I was feeling really poor at the time, and that phone ran Windows, which is precisely why, I think, it was only $15. Get rid of it, because no one wants a phone with Windows!

 

[warmsecondrinse]

Not an option for me. A good chunk of my income is from freelance work obtained through e-mail.

 

Not counting people/businesses in my address book, 99% of the calls I receive are spam. Therefore my voice mail isn't even turned on. 

 

I use my phone for texts, e-mails, GPS navigation, and of course Grindr & Scruff.

 

Most of the time my phone is set to 'silent' or 'vibrate' as I'm rarely able to take or make calls.

 

I don't find a quick look at the phone to be rude, but if attention is diverted for more than a second or two an explanation is in order. Otherwise, the behaviour is rude.

 

Jim 

 

[tomturbomatic]

Thanks for the reminder to charge mine. I usually remember to charge it every couple of months. It is an ancient Kyocera and everything lights up blue, but nothing flips; it's just flat. I have it for emergencies. I can't remember the last time I used it and it is always off so I don't get calls.

 

Friday morning, there was another of Metro's daily fuck ups and I was not in my usual car and ahead of the crowd for the escalator to the lower platform so I was in the middle of the rushing crowd. There was a clog on the escalator because some inconsiderate jerk was standing and reading something on his phone instead of walking.  Being older, I am usually careful to watch where I am walking, but not these people. I do not hold doors for them or anything anymore. They are not aware of anything going on around them which can be very dangerous as they themselves can be dangerous.

 

[jmm63]

I took the dog for a walk in a lovely local park the other night, about 15 or so people in the area, some teenagers, some young adults, couple families EVERYONE was on their device... I wanted to scream "You're in a freaking beautiful park, put the phones down and enjoy it"

I have a smartphone and I like it, it comes in handy a lot, but it's always in my pocket. I rarely take it out when with other people unless it's to share some pictures. Can't stand people that live their lives on their phone.

 

[yogitunes]

text, apps, data......I have it all on my phone, and don't use a damn thing....and don't care to!

then you have others pushing this stuff on you, as if you should get this app, or that one, and turn this stuff on......you could give it to me for free, and I could care less.....

actually I hate texting.......I only have to have it because I have a smart phone, and its required, but at the minimum needed for the phone.....

latest problem seems to be telemarketers have now started calling like crazy....

but truthfully, what is it with people and cell/internet/facebook, Twitter, etc.....for some reason they find it necessary to post every single event going on in their lives, from visiting Walmart, to eating at McDonalds, to sitting on the toilet......who the hell cares....not to mention, in that same post, wondering why they can't get stuff done all day......here's a hint, put the damn phone down!...

probably the best news ever.....while a person was notifying the world where they were at....thieves were robbing their house, lucky for them, the thieves watched them on FB to know when they wouldn't be home......good going dumbass!...

 

[wayupnorth]

$9.95 Tracphone and minimal plan. I do not give that number out but take it when I go anywhere as a just in case. It works surprisingly almost this entire state.

 

[ea56]

I've had a Tracfone since 2002. I only turn it on when I'm away from home. The only person that has my number is my husband, I don't give the number out as I really don't want to be receiving a lot of calls on it. I really only have it for emergency and convience purposes. I don't text, maybe have done so half a dozen times or less. I can't see why people have to be so married to their cell phones. I happen to like piece and quiet and don't see the need for constant connectivity.

I think this maybe inherited. When I was a kid and my family was able to buy a vacation cabin my father, who was an attorney specifically looked for a cabin with no telephone service. See he believed that a vacation was just that, a time to be completely away from work or a means to be contacted by work. When his mother had a serious heart attack the family called the Highway Patrol to have them go to our cabin and let my dad know he needed to go back to town. I don't think we'll ever see times like that again.
Eddie

 

[launderess]

Very difficult to live without some sort these days.

Have an Android phone but only have a text and call plan, no data so cannot send emails and so forth. It is enough for our needs.

Really only got and use a cell phone for emergencies even mainly then when out driving or away from home. Saves no end of time when running late to be able and telephone or text to let someone know. That and say when going to collect someone by car can ring them up and say "am downstairs" or just turning your corner. Far easier than having to park, get out and knock them up...

Cannot abide how the world has become; persons tethered to their phones as if it is a permanent part of their bodies. Everywhere you go driving, walking, biking, etc... persons are there with heads bent over busy texting. That or having loud conversations about totally useless (or worse intimate personal) matters.

Walking down NYC streets today is like an obstacle course. Every other person is totally distracted with their phones and will walk right into you unless *YOU* move or say something. They look up startled and either say "sorry" (rarely) or flip you off because *YOU* got in their way (often).

The worse insult is you can't get away from these people. Buses, trains, restaurants, movies, hospitals, airplanes, everywhere you go persons are chattering away on their phones. The entire concept of quiet spaces is all quite gone.

 

[blackstone]

On the other hand.....

I have an iPhone on my belt, and I can't imagine being without it. Not that I am constantly using it, but I do use it many times during the day, mostly for internet, but also for phone calls and texts. I'm 61, so I'm not a teenager. I'm just old enough to realize how amazing these devices are, and how fortunate we are to have them in the palms of our hands.

Sure, having a phone for emergencies is a no-brainer. But they are also great for having when you are trying to sell on Craigslist. To receive a call or a text from a customer is much more immediate than waiting to check your email. Giving directions to my house is a snap--just copy and paste a paragraph from notes saved on the phone. And for those people who couldn't find their way out of a paper bag, they can call me multiple times until they find my house.

I often think back to the years when I was always going on service calls and deliveries with my father. We had to plot our course by looking at a map before leaving the store. Our only phone contact was using one customer's phone before going to the next customer. Sometimes, finding that they are not home, when they said they were going to be home.

I still prefer to read a map before going anywhere, but one of my favorite apps is Google Maps. The fact that you can pinpoint your location on your phone, and can display (and zoom into) any map, literally anywhere in the world, is still amazing to me. Not a fan of GPS. I'd rather find a location using my own sense of direction, with help from the phone.

No, I do not talk on a cellphone while driving a car. That's what voice mail was invented for. I couldn't possibly text while driving, either. Fat fingers don't always hit the right keys, especially without the assistance of reading glasses. Driving does not require reading glasses. Driving requires concentration; I sometimes don't even talk to passengers in the car when behind the wheel.

As for being annoyed by other people staring at their phones, bumping into you, or broadcasting their personal business out loud, I can live with all that. It's the world in which we live. There are all kinds of people, and if they don't want to exchange pleasantries with me as they pass me by, fine. It relieves me of the obligation to be nice to them.

Last week, I was hiking in Acadia National Park. When other hikers passed us going in the opposite direction, they all said "hello" or "nice day", etc. I'm really not accustomed to such chit-chat in regular daily life. I don't live in Mayberry; I live in a medium-size city.

All that being said, I think that the internet is one of the greatest inventions ever. Information and knowledge are more universal than ever before. The smartphone is just a convenient way of being connected with the world.

 

[artcurus]

here's the ugly side that no one is talking about. The "screens", tablets, phones, etc are essentially killing society as we know it. People are losing the ability to be able to properly socialize and relate to each other. They are losing the ability to properly read and interpret things such as body language, and how to react. We are slowly being dumbed down in form of broken English (textspeak)and slowly losing the ability to properly put sentences together.

We have become islands upon ourselves.

What's worse is the "addiction". If the network did go down for an extended time there would be suicides, no question about it.

To much screen time for the under 5 years old set is almost to the level of child abuse. Parents do not see what is happening when their children have to be taught how to play, and have little to no ability to interact with their peers in any reasonable fashion.

 

[sudsmaster]

I hardly make more than a call or two a week on my cell phone. Where I find value in it is with the internet capability. At work I use it to check personal email and web sites that I don't want, ahem, recorded on my work computer. I also listen to streaming music through bluetooth headphones (needed for hearing protection anyway) while doing routine work tasks.

 

Outside of work, however,  I often leave home without it. For short local trips, such as for shopping, it's more of a bother than an aid. For longer trips of course I take it just in case.

 

For home phone I have an internet based phone service (Ooma) attached to the Comcast internet service. It works well enough, but not so good with outgoing faxes. Fortunately faxes are gradually becoming obsolete.

 

 

[mattl]

Well, one thing to remember is that you DO NOT hae to answer a phone if it rings.  Ignore it. I see no reason to deprive myself of all the info available to me instantly by having a smart phone.  Traffic issue - quick look to see how bad it is and reroute if necessary. Storm coming in, again quick look at radar to see how bad it will get.  Have a question - get an instant answer by asking Google or Siri. Need to know where you friend is and why they are late?  Text them. Wat is the latest news?Virtually any new source is readily available. Want to check what's going on at home?  I can see the various temps and what the furnace is set at and if the doors and windows are closed.

 

I guess it all depends on what world you want to live in.  I want the info, I can choose not to answer a call, I guess many folks can't.  I treat my smart phone as a tool, not an appendage.

 

[cuffs054]

What a refreshing topic! I too have a none dollar phone that I use only when driving the non-OnStar vehicle. I do hate having to negotiate around people who are on there phones instead of moving, checking out or eating their meal.

 

[vacerator]

I don't

live with any phone, never have. Not like the younger set. I use it for emergencies, and quick communication. I don't converse on it.
Two guy's were playing Pokémon go in South east San Diego where the cliffs are. They were following the game direction, hopped a fence, and fell to their deaths.
We have so much modern technology today, which is amazing, but some allow it to dumb them down.