Mobile Phones & You?

[bhsup]

You're right, if I wanted to go cable or satellite. However, with DSL I do need a landline.

 

[the mormegil]

About 5 years ago, I remember saying how it was crazy that every person in some families had a mobile phone, 3 years later my whole family had one each

I don't really use mine much, but yeah a lot of people seem to text non-stop unless they have something they really need to do.

 

[Neonanocyborgasm]

In England mobile phones are everywhere. Everybody has them including my 70 year old Grandparents. I've also seen children with them who look barely old enough to talk let alone be trusted with a phone.

On TV, especially the music channels, there is a constant stream of advertisements selling the latest ringtone or mobile game. It's a massive industry, which anyone who knows of the "Crazy Frog" will no doubt be aware.

In my university days I would sit, along with everyone else, on the train tapping away at my mobile. It seems in England at least that people fill every spare minute with either talking on or, more likely, texting on their phone.

On my last trip to the US I saw a sharp contrast. I don't recall seeing a 'cell' the whole time I was in Chicago. Certainly not to the extent that they are visible here.

Is the mobile craze a purely English / European Craze* or do you think my experience of cell / mobile use in the US is not the norm?

*I hear the Italians are mobile crazy too

It's not as big a deal in the US as in Europe. We have all the same services as the European mobile companies offer, but people use them sparingly. I'm not sure why. It's certainly not the expense, because plans come pretty cheap here. Mine gives me 50 free text messages a month, and I didn't even request text messaging in my plan!

EDIT: I think I realize why cell phones aren't as widely used (but widely owned) in the US as in Europe. There's a big push to limit cell phone use in public due to rudeness. In movie theaters, there's even an opening footage called "Inconsiderate Cell Phone Man" who talks on his cell phone in the rudest and loudest way while in public. Answering your cell phone while talking to someone else, or in certain public venues, is considered extremely tacky now. There's even a school of thought that says that if your date answers the cell phone while you're out, you should end the date right there, because that call was probably from her other man.

 

[Rambuchan]

Nanocyborgasm: We have all that in England and still there's the difference. I think it comes down to infrastructure and other communication options. (And the fact we're a roudy bunch of barbarians.)

 

[LLXerxes]

I don't have a cell phone. I don't really need one. I don't understand the obsession with cell phones.

Neither do I. Or atleast for somebody my age, what would they need a cell phone for?
My dad has one, but purely for safety purposes: Phone line knocked out, vacation, in the car (hands off set, of course)...

 

[Turner]

We bought my kids one. It's a prepaid plan, and they use it when they go over to friends houses' or when we're out and about we can split up and each have a raprod. They're 13 and 11, btw.

 

[Captain Carnage]

I have one and admit they're useful for certain things.

The thing that makes me mad is how some people go crazy over their mobile phones. For example, the person is in the toilet or shower or somewhere and their phone is somewhere else. The phone starts ringing and the person shouts "SOMEONE GET MY PHONE PLEASE!!!!!!!!! AAAAAAAH!"

 

[Till]

I have a prepaid one. It's main use is to serve as an alarm in the morning. The secondary use is to store all the phone numbers of my friends.
And about once or twice in a month, i actually use it to call somebody...

 

[ComradeDavo]

I have a pay as you go mobile. I rarely have credit though. Mostly use it to recieve calls. Is rather useful when youa re out and about, better than finding a phone box, and especially at festivals and similar you can just call your friend(s) and fin wher ethey are straight away.

 

[Kan' Sharuminar]

I have a pay as you go phone. I only use it to text folk, and even then that's rare nowadays, though I did use it a lot in my old work to relieve the boredom.. Mobiles are handy if you get lost or held-up, but it's most common feature is to wake me up at 7am.

And heaven forbid if I actually use it to call somebody.

 

[ComradeDavo]

Ah yes, my mobile's alarm is also rather effective!

 

[Kan' Sharuminar]

Ah yes, my mobile's alarm is also rather effective!

What's more handy about my current one is that it has a snooze feature, so each time I think I'm turning the noise off in disgust it comes back ten minutes later.

Persistant little thing

 

[ChrTh]

I have a pre-pay phone that I keep in my car for emergencies. I used it more when I was going to school at night ("I need to stop at the Food Lion, do you need anything?"), but now rarely.

I don't have a landline either, I use Vonage. Best part of Vonage is that moved over to the other side of the region, but I kept my old number. Throws everybody off.

 

[Shaihulud]

I got my first handphone 2 years ago and only at the insistence of friends. I used pre-paid and seldom use it to call anyone. A $20 card will last me for more than 3 months, cheap form of insurance if i need it to call someone from everywhere.

 

[Mathilda]

They're 13 and 11, btw.

We set the age limit at 8 and that seems rather conservative here.

 

[Knight-Dragon]

In England mobile phones are everywhere. Everybody has them including my 70 year old Grandparents. I've also seen children with them who look barely old enough to talk let alone be trusted with a phone.

On TV, especially the music channels, there is a constant stream of advertisements selling the latest ringtone or mobile game. It's a massive industry, which anyone who knows of the "Crazy Frog" will no doubt be aware.

In my university days I would sit, along with everyone else, on the train tapping away at my mobile. It seems in England at least that people fill every spare minute with either talking on or, more likely, texting on their phone.

On my last trip to the US I saw a sharp contrast. I don't recall seeing a 'cell' the whole time I was in Chicago. Certainly not to the extent that they are visible here.

Is the mobile craze a purely English / European Craze* or do you think my experience of cell / mobile use in the US is not the norm?

*I hear the Italians are mobile crazy too

It's also the craze in Asia. And China already has the largest no of hp subscribers in the world.

I have seen people with 2 or even 3 handphones (to separate out personal from work calls I guess).

As usual, the Americans choose to be the odd ones out.

 

[IglooDame]

You're right, if I wanted to go cable or satellite. However, with DSL I do need a landline.

Or on the flip side, you could be like me and get a (Vonage VoIP) landline via your cablemodem service.

 

[ChrTh]

I'm not sure why people think there isn't a craze in America. I know plenty of people that use cell phones, and the same commercials happen here. I just think Americans are more judicious in their use.

 

[Mathilda]

I'm not sure why people think there isn't a craze in America.

How many people do you personally know that don't have one?

 

[Truronian]

Personally, I cannot think of one person under 70 (EDIT: and over 10) that I know who does not own a mobile phone. Even some of the over 70s have them.

We are gonna be in a lot of trouble if mobiles have adverse effects.