Mixed Thoughts on Cell Phones

Ed,
I have and frequently use my smart phone. I have had to adapt to using it as it has proven to be an awesome tool both in the work place and in my personal life. I am maybe one of the few avid users that you will not see walking down the street starring at it constantly.I will not become a smart phone zombie. I believe face to face interaction when possible. I might add that I have not had a landline in over 15 years as having 2 numbers was costly for me and inconvenient for those trying to reach me.
Your concerns maybe well founded yet I have experienced more benefits than setbacks due to their use. There are several people in my circle of people that I communicate with that get upset with me if I don't answer a text or an email right away. I simply tell them that if they have something that requires my immediate attention then they should call me or better yet come see me in person when possible.
It has always been difficult for me to gauge a persons attitude, mood from the written word. So I prefer to talk to them either by phone or in person. By doing that I feel I gain a better understanding of what is being discussed.

Interesting things these cell phones! I would not want to be without mine, but I do hate texting....even if it does have a purpose. I was complaining to my wife about an acquaintance always texting me and considering that act communicating. when it wasn't. (IOW I rarely look for texts so I don't see his texts until usually too late for his purpose)

Well, she let me know that texting saves her a lot of time! You see she is over 6 or 7 women in a church organization, and often she needs to "communicate" a thing to all of them. The choice is to call each one separately or text all at once. The way that works is an understanding between each of them that they check for texts several times a day, and they text her back confirmation of message received. So OK, I can see that.....except that the fellow mentioned above doesn't realize (or maybe he does) that being hard of hearing I don't often hear a text coming in, and I forget to check for them (not wanting one in the first place.....being a big klutz with trying to type on those little Iphones).

Sigh....memory and hearing....I need a hearing aid.....so expensive....but if they had a "memory aid," I'd pay whatever they asked!

I remember very well trying to run a construction business without a phone or a radio. So much time was wasted behind the wheel just to get to a phone, or doing things that could happen more easily with a call.....and thanks be to God that CB radio isn't all we mortals have to communicate with!!!

Mine sits on my desk most of the time. If I anticipate needing it, I take it with me. Other than a very few, who use it as a backdoor, I take the position that I got the thing to make calls (like if I'm running late, I can let the Court know, and no one gets their blood pressure up-especially me !) I refuse to let it intrude into my personal life, as well. It is a plain phone. I'm not doing texting, as people expect immediate responses, and maybe I'm not always willing to provide those.

I see the look of horror on students's faces when I announce at the beginning of each semester that my classroom is a "gizmo-free zone". I tell them that I simply don't want to see the things, and will do an Administrative Failure form on anyone I see even peeking at them. There's a time and a place for everything !

I may get the Reactionary of the Day Award for this post !

I guess I have more pointed out the negative of a cell phone in this thread and do agree with others there are positive points to also consider.
A positive for me is being able to have internet and access to my email account to stay in touch with what is happening when on the road. I basically don’t need to carry a bulky lab-top computer anymore. The only thing I still need is an electrical outlet or vehicle attachment accessory to recharge the battery.

To be honest I’m amazed at what cell phones can now do as I recently got into the manual for mine. Originally when I sought a cell phone my requirement was it to be rugged for the outdoors and to work under all weather conditions especially when raining. It was suggested the Galaxy Rugby-LTE would be my optimum choice so I went with that recommendation. What I was not prepared for was all its capabilities.

GWS I know what you mean about using a small keyboard with large fingers and constant corrections. Even using voice dictations there are a lot of words that need to be manually corrected.
The one feature I have enjoyed learning about and utilizing is assigning different ringtones for different callers. With this option I already know who is calling before I even grab my cell phone. This then gives me the option of deciding whether I need to stop what I’m doing to respond or let it wait till later. Wish my land line had this option.

Last winter we had a good snow storm that knocked out power and phone lines for a short while. What I did find comforting that with the cell phone help was not far away if the need arose.


Ed

GWS- I occasionally get a blank look when I lay down the law, and usually add the assertion that unless there's a military officer following behind with nuclear launch codes, no one needs to be that connected for a couple of hours. Woot !

Dan, your point about the impersonal email or texting is my feeling also especially about important communications where you need their personality to come through. Greg, You and I seem to be in the same boat regarding the cell phone a necessary evil. I remember a time when an order for materials would occupy 2-3 hr. to get to a phone and back to the job site. After one particularly severe storm here I used 360 minutes in 2 days even used both (truck mount and hand held) at the same time coordinating some activities glad to have had them.

Greg
I look into the isnipe app but it for igadgets. I use android so Im out.