Cell Phones

[guywithashovel]

I find the constant texting that some people do rather perplexing. Several of my co-workers like to text, and they text quite a bit. They openly admit to texting while driving, which is dumb, not only because it's dangerous, but because it's silly to think that you can't drive from point A to point B (within your own city) without sending messages to friends.

I just got a phone with a keyboard, and I actually kind of like it. It's the first phone I've had that I could easily use the web on. I could use the web on my previous phone, but not very easily. I do like using the web, but the $65 per month that it's going to cost me is taking a while to warm up to. Oh well, it's not that bad. Plus, it allows me to read the news while I'm out and about, something I could do before but actually like doing.

[muses_nightmare]

Theres no real reason to have a land line and a cell unless either there are multiple people in the home or you don't get cell service at your home. Paying for two things is usually cheaper then paying for one thing.

Unlimited long distance is cheaper on a landline. At least for me. Plus our phone is bundled with our internet. I also don't have a contract cell phone, I quite enjoy only paying $10/month, rather than racking up a $700 long distance bill as all of my family lives out of town. (and yes, a friend of mine got a $700 cell phone bill because she was using her phone to call long distance) I think in total for Cell and phone I pay like $40 - 50 the same amount as some people's cell phone plans.

I often have to tell people to get off their damn phones on the forecourt. I don't give a toss if you saw it on Top Gear that using phones is harmless, I don't care if you think that the risk is minimal; it's the rule that you DON'T use your fucking phone on the forecourt.

Ack, I hated this. Why can't people just follow the rules put in place for their own safety?

[HYHYBT]

I think the OP was calling their cell phone from the work phone

Thanks, that does make more sense. (Seems to be my day for taking things the wrong way)

You could just silence the phone. I think its dumb when people leave cell phones at home because they don't want to be reached. Works great until your car breaks down and you can't contact anybody.

I tend to do in between: I take the phone with me (when I remember to) but leave it in the car if I'm going to class or to church or something. Unless someone steals my car (I can't be locked out of it anymore) then I'm set. But this one is a bit of a nuisance to silence entirely, because it has buttons on the outside that cannot be turned off and which, if bumped, make it start playing music. So I have to first set it to silent, then separately turn on the keyguard. And I tend to forget to do such things. Normally leaving it in the car gives me a second chance: if I realize I've forgotten to leave it behind, I can still silence it. And if you turn the phone off completely, Caller ID no longer works.

For much the same reason, I keep one soap, one deodorant, one shampoo, one pack of toilet paper, etc in the house of a kind I don't like. If I forget to restock before running out, then I'm not only not *really* out, but have a daily reminder that I need to pick up more.

Texting does have its uses: not only can you use it in places too loud to carry on a conversation, as someone mentioned before, but you can also use them in places where you're supposed to be quiet, or when you're busy and only have time to put in a couple words at a time.

Unlimited long distance is cheaper on a landline. At least for me. Plus our phone is bundled with our internet. I also don't have a contract cell phone, I quite enjoy only paying $10/month, rather than racking up a $700 long distance bill as all of my family lives out of town. (and yes, a friend of mine got a $700 cell phone bill because she was using her phone to call long distance) I think in total for Cell and phone I pay like $40 - 50 the same amount as some people's cell phone plans.

I don't know where you got a $10 landline plan that includes unlimited long distance... mine was 25 without when I dropped it. I had to have the cell phone anyway, and had more than enough minutes that I wasn't saving anything by using the land phone when I was home.

Ack, I hated this. Why can't people just follow the rules put in place for their own safety?

It's annoying, but then, there are so many stupid, supposedly-for-your-safety-but-don't-really-help-anyone-or-are-far-broader-than-anything-approaching-sense-would-allow rules around that you have to EXPECT people to start ignoring the ones that don't have an obviously-legitimate purpose. (I'm specifically NOT arguing either side of whether cell phones cause gas stations to explode or not.)

[Fashion Lad!]

I love texting, I love surfing the internet, playing games, downloading different applications... generally anything on my cell phone that doesn't require actual talking. My feeling on cell phones: I hate how people expect that just because I own a cell phone I'm supposed to be available whenever they call. Maybe I am, maybe I'm not, but I hate it being expected that I am... so I just don't pick up.

[blas87]

I love my free On-Star subscription. If I really need to make a call, I just press the phone button and tell it to dial a certain number, and I talk that way through my speakers.

[Mongo Skruddgemire]

What kind of *cell phone* requires dialing 9 for an outside line? That's just weird.

Clarification:

The phone in question that our operator was trying to dial out on was the hospital's phone system. Our hospital, like so many major businesses that run a PBX Phone System (multiple extensions), requires you to dial the 4-digit extension to get to another phone in the hospital. To let the PBX system know that you want an outside line, you must dial "9".

So if they want to call me at the help desk they just dial "1234" (my extension). To call a local number they have to dial "9" [local area code]-[exchange]-[last 4 digits] or 123-456-7890.

If they want a long distance number then they have to dial 9, 1, 123-456-7890.

[Mongo Skruddgemire]

What I don't get are people who only use a cellphone, I don't necessarily think it's wrong, but it's strange to me. I'll always have a landline, plus my cell, it's just cheaper that way. Given I'm on a $10/month pay and talk phone, and I don't generally use my cell to call long distance. When I am travelling, at least to where my cell still works (ie in BC, maybe the rest of canada?) I usually text friends, because it's cheaper. It's $0.15 a text as opposed to $0.50 a minute to call. Even with being charged for incoming texts it's cheaper

Last time I looked up the costs for a land line in the US, it was $50 per month for unlimited local and long-distance service. This doesn't cover the taxes and other nickel and dime crap they tack on which could often tack on another $10 in charges. So roughly $60 per month for the land line.

Or, I can pay $60 a month and get a number that allows me to be reached everywhere there is service and for two lines, one for me and one for my wife. ($50 a month for the family package, $10 for the second line)

I also have the ability to call in a black-out since you can hardly find a phone that doesn't need external power (most of the gorram things are wireless and without the base unit's power supply...no phone).

Also, St. Mary's County Maryland lost most if not all of their land line capability. Shut us down at the hospital this past Saturday for several hours. Any land line was down. Call phones however still worked.

So at least in the US, land lines are dwindling in popularity since Cell Phone coverage is increasing every day, and in some cases are cheaper.

[Kimmik]

*raises hand* I am one of those people that prefers to text rather then talk, especially when I am not feeling good... I sometimes get words wrong when I try to say them so it is much less of a headache if I just text. Not to mention I can text while the baby is asleep in my lap or next to me.. I can also text while sitting in a doctors office, since I dont want to talk and have everyone hear my convo.

I also have a sorta land line.. well no tech it is not a land line.. umm broadband phone... so I have my cell always close by so that if someone calls and getting the phone is out of the question I can either call them back or if it is a friend they normally ring me on my cell.

My hubby is amazed what I can do with my phone. Net, email, text and more, he teases me that I would be lost without my droid.. and sadly he would be right.. but that is why i love it for the directions *sorry I could resist* But since I am homebound my net and my phone are my life lines..

But I will wait to get into line if I am on my phone or I tell the person I am talking to too hold on. I never use it in a public place for private things and I try to keep my ringtones on a mild level

[muses_nightmare]

I don't know where you got a $10 landline plan that includes unlimited long distance... mine was 25 without when I dropped it. I had to have the cell phone anyway, and had more than enough minutes that I wasn't saving anything by using the land phone when I was home.

Oh no the $10/month is my cell phone plan, sorry if that wasn't clear. I'm just saying it makes more sense for me to have a cell and a landline, as I'm on the phone at home much more than when I'm not. If I wanted unlimited long distance I'd have to add another $25 or so to my cell, or I'd have to get a contract. I'm also very used to having a home phone, it seems odd for me not to personally.

[smileyeagle1021]

Yes, the woman who was hired to handle the phone system and routs calls all over the hospital and in need makes the calls to the on-call doctors...didn't know to dial a fuggin "1" to call long distance.

This woman is old enough to remember land line phones. This woman is old enough to have had to consider long distance calling plans on her phone line.

in fairness, not all "landline" phones require you to dial 1 either. Granted, they're really the broadband phones, but most people still call them landlines because hey, if it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck...

I for a while was cell phone only, I just recently got Magic Jack as a 'landline' because the cell reception in my condo sucks and I got tired of having to go outside to make or recieve phone calls (which is one reason why I was such a big fan of texting, my phone can send and recieve texts anywhere in the condo, but my cell phone I have to either be outside or next to a window). And it's not that my neighborhood is bad for cell reception, it's just that my unit is right next to the main cable switch and phone line switch for the building which causes interference (or at least that's the best explanation that I've gotten).

My biggest problem with cell phones is trying to get people to call my home phone first to see if I'm there before calling my cell phone, because if I'm home all I'm going to do is pick up and tell you to call me back on the home phone because my signal sucks... what do they do, they call back 5 minutes later and ask if I've moved to somewhere with better signal... no, fuck you, call my home phone where I can get good signal without dropping everything I'm doing.

[Mongo Skruddgemire]

in fairness, not all "landline" phones require you to dial 1 either. Granted, they're really the broadband phones, but most people still call them landlines because hey, if it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck...

Ten years ago the vast majority of land line phones in the United States required you to dial "1".

Broadband was still not widely available to the general public and the broadband phone services were in their infancy. Vonage, one of the first if not *the* first didn't come out until 2001.

So my point still stands on that account.

Not to mention that this is a woman we hired to be the telephone operator for the hospital night shift. A person who was hired for her resume listed abilities which met the criteria of being the telephone operator. A person who would have been trained on the telephone equipment in out facility (I looked it up, it does mention dialing "1" for LD calls). A person who in spite of all of that...didn't know to dial the "1" to get long distance.

Again, this person is old enough to remember the phones that pre-date the VOIP services. Heck, this person is likely old enough to remember seven digit dialing rules.

[Lace Neil Singer]

I don't have a landline as such; that's where the computer is, and I'd have to pay extra to rent a landline, so it's no go. Especially since I probably wouldn't use it, as I'm used to using my mobile to call everyone.

[AdminAssistant]

I prefer talking to texting, since I'm a very slow texter and it's just a pain in the ass.