We own one as a family, but it is an emergency tool only. It is never turned on, unless we are in the act of calling someone or we are away from home overnight or longer.

She carries it back and forth to work because of a long commute in a winter wonderland and where a car breakdown could show just how secluded our area is (you could break down and not see a passerby to flag down).

I take it only when I am doing pulpit supply in bad weather.

The only people who have the number are the two of us and parents/siblings. They know it is never on. If we are going away from home, we let them know so that they can reach us in case of a family emergency and we turn the phone on.

Due to being pestered by my children about my yearly drives to Delaware without a cell phone, I reluctantly purchased a "pay as you go" model last fall, just before said trip. Didn't take it with me because I didn't realize I'd have to set up roaming charges ahead of time, threw it in a drawer and have ignored it since. Have purchased minutes for it a couple of times, only to give them to my perpetually-broke son.

I have figured out how to text from my computer to a phone, thus easing communication with the new 'I only pay attention to texts' crowd.

Don't do  rural travelling so I have no need of cell phone. But all my kids and grandkids have cells and it is comforting that I know I can get someone at any time.

I also like the idea that parents can text the kids and know what is happening.

I got my first cell phone 10 years ago, when I was pregnant with my first child.

I felt more secure knowing help was just a phone call away if I needed it.                The phone was also handy through the six months of breastfeeding. The babysitter could call me anytime to say the baby needs feeding now, and in turn if I was stuck in traffic I could call to say to give baby emergency formula this time.

After my second child was weaned, my 5-year contract on my phone ran out. I went to renew it, and they told me my phone was obsolete, and I would have to buy a new phone before they could renew my contract. (The phone was just a phone: no texting, no camera, no internet access.) I was so outraged at having to throw a five year old phone in a landfill, that I said no thanks, and I told myself I would see how long I could live without a cell phone. And that was 7 years ago.

My husband has a cell phone, and I borrow his whenever I drive myself alone at night. That's the only time I find I want  a phone - if I'm alone on the road.

And I don't feel I'm missing out on anything.

I have a state-of-the-art laptop, and I love it. it's so handy to take back and forth between work and home, and travel with it. That's my internet access.

My parents, especially my mom complained about cell phones when people first started to carry them around.  "They are only for people who think they're important".  Then they got me one shortly after I started driving.  Now we all have them.  I know one set of grandparents have one (my parents purchased it for them) and I think the others do as well.  My husband has two cells, one for work and one he pays for, but the work one is long distance for me to call.

I travel to see my parents at least twice a year, it helps when meeting up with people (you can't find them in the park, the restaurant wait will be too long) and at work we share one phone between many people.

I use my phone quite a bit, but for my age I'm behind the times.  I do not have a smart phone, have no data plan, and I'm not a texter (I get charged per text incoming or outgoing).  I'll consider upgrading when I get a job.  I also do not hear my phone most of the time when I'm at home, and I do get a little annoyed that people won't just call my landline.  I think most people don't think to try a second number, as they don't have landlines anymore.

I have a cell phone and it is mostly used to keep in touch with musicson and musicdaughter. My phone is very simple it looks like the communicator from star trek only black.

I mean the original flip communicator from the original star trek.

Being proud you don’t have/use a cell phone is not much different than saying, “I prefer to crawl everywhere because that is the first form of transportation I ever had, sure, I can walk, but crawling is where it’s at.

Why should you carry a cell phone?

You can immediately report an accident, or fire, or crime.

You can take a picture of your grandkids.

You can check the weather order dinner or find the nearest rest room.

Your kid can text you that he is safely off the mountain, or that he is having trouble and may have to spend the night.

You can take a picture of something and it will try to find it on ebay.

You can let it listen to a song on the radio, and it will tell you who it is.

It can tell you whose birthday it is and it stores appointments and contact information.

It can store your grocery list.

You can tell your kids to peel some potatoes (text) during a meeting.

You can listen to books, podcasts, sermons, the bible, music.

You can use it as a calculator or a clock or an alarm clock or countdown timer to let you know when to flip the meat or start the veggies.

You can check your email.

You can carry on business while floating in the middle of Kalamalka Lake.

You can even use it like a telephone that is wired to your house.

My wife and I were out the other day and we needed to know the dimensions of something and she quipped, “what’s the matter, doesn’t your phone have a tape measure?” And she is right, and that got me thinking, if my phone holder had a tape measure and a Swiss army knife – there would be nothing I could not achieve!!!

Saul_now_Paul,

Being proud of having gadgets one does not use or need because "that is where it's at" is also ridiculous.

If someone needs that or even wants it, great.

Big screen TV's are great, for some people. 3D might be great for some people. Our living room puts our eyes 6 1/2 feet from the TV screen. Seriously, how big does it need to be?

We have a cell phone for what we think we need it for or want it for. Emergencies. If the car breaks down or gets stuck in the snow.

On a Sunday morning at 8 am, I am lucky if I see one car on the roads on a 45 minute drive. If I need to call about an accident, I am in it. Crime? Around here I would be calling and saying my neighbour is burning trash. We have no kids.

I have all the gadgets I need to calculate, take pictures, listen to music, wake up, check email... without wanting to do it at all times everywhere. I have no desire for more "stuff" no matter what tricks it does. What "stuff" we buy replaces "stuff" that no longer works.

Would it be great to have my wife say, "while you are at the store, we need milk'? Yes. It would happen once a year. The bill would come monthly. I would ahve to carry it every day all day, just in case. Never mind, we will get milk tomorrow

I own a cell phone. (we call them mobiles in Oz).

It's mainly for emergencies. I take it in the car with me in case the car breaks down (I'm no mechanic!)

I take it with me when I'm meeting someone - in case they or I am running late....

But mostly, it's switched off - and that's the way I prefer it.

If I had my way I would limit their use in public for lengthy conversations. There is nothing worse than being stuck in public transport hearing LOUD boring conversations about picking up some eggs on the way home.......

Remember the days when you could simply gaze at the scenery and reflect on the day's activities? Or else share an unexpected mutually satisfying conversation with the stranger who happened to sit next to you?

I feel much safer with a cell phone because I know I have a way to contact others in an emergency.  I have a prepaid phone and I put $100 on it every year, which is more than enough for my calling habits.  My husband is on a contract for $25/month but he barely uses it, so as soon as his contract is up he'll be switching to prepaid, too.  I think we'll both continue this way until our daughter is around 12 and our whole cell phone world will change...lol  (We have another 7 years to go)

This guy's phone even stopped a bullet for him!!!

He will never leave home without it.

I've had ICE in my phone for a long time.  I didn't think about updating it though, until my husband learned about ICE.  When he brought it up, I figured I needed to switch it so my out of town parents weren't the first one the list.

I am posting this from my cell. New phones are like having a computer in your pocket.

I don't own a cell phone and honestly I don't want one. I don't want to be connected 24/7 - I like being unreachable for a chunk of my day!

Statements from Saul_now_Paul - responses from me.

You can immediately report an accident, or fire, or crime. Honestly, this about the only reason I would want to have one. That said, the last time I witnessed an accident, it was right outside my home - so I used my landline to report it.

You can take a picture of your grandkids. I have a camera already.

You can check the weather order dinner or find the nearest rest room. I can check the weather by using my computer or listening to the radio, order dinner by walking into the restaurant - and use the washroom while my dinner is being prepared.

Your kid can text you that he is safely off the mountain, or that he is having trouble and may have to spend the night. I have no kids, but if I did, they could phone me on my landline and tell me the same things.

You can take a picture of something and it will try to find it on ebay. Again - I already have a camera and I never use ebay.

You can let it listen to a song on the radio, and it will tell you who it is. If the song is that fantastic, I will remember it next time I am online and look it up then.

It can tell you whose birthday it is and it stores appointments and contact information. So does my daily planner.

It can store your grocery list. So does my brain - and so does a notepad!

You can tell your kids to peel some potatoes (text) during a meeting. Honestly, I find texting at work - particularly during a meeting - to be extremely rude.

You can listen to books, podcasts, sermons, the bible, music. I can also do this on my computer.

You can use it as a calculator or a clock or an alarm clock or countdown timer to let you know when to flip the meat or start the veggies. I already have gadgets that do this.

You can check your email. Again - I can do this on my computer.

You can carry on business while floating in the middle of Kalamalka Lake. Why would I want to do this while floating in the middle of a lake???

You can even use it like a telephone that is wired to your house. Isn't that what phones are really for??? LOL

I listen to folks lament not having time, that time for themselves, their loved ones...undisturbed time... I am not prepared to become them.

We have three cell phones. One my wife uses for work. Mine, which no one except my family knows the number and I use it to respond to my pager. And we have one bulletproof basic one for my daughter to use to call home when she is at work. We have had cell phones since 1991.

I definitely have one. I don't acxtually pay for it though it's on my dad's business plan still and is the only thing my parents pay for for me. I use it mostly for texts, it's rare that I will actually pick it up and call someone on it but that's the same for land lines, I just hate talking on the phone.

I like being able to contact people when I need it whether it be for an emergancy or just to text. I can sent messages to my overseas friends, friends at school and friends at home cheaper than making a long distance call and a lot quicker.

This is one of the main reasons that I don't have one of those new phones.  I find that I already waste way too much time on the computer; why would I want one with me all the time?  Being connected all the time isn't necessarily the best way to live. 

When I decided that I would like to have a cell phone, I asked for the most basic.  When my 'minutes' ran out in a few weeks and I knew I had only used it for a couple of short local calls, I went back to the dealer.  He checked and found that I had accidently turned on a feature that I didn't even know was there (I think it was a computer connection) and run it until I ran out of time.  I got him to disable it.  Now I carry my phone with me for emergencies.  My husband, daughter and granddaughter have my number, no one else.  It rings maybe one a month, or less.  I use it two or three times a month - usually to let my husband know I'm running late and he should start dinner, or to arrange a meeting place.  

My daughter uses hers a lot more because she is running around, arranging kids schedules, etc.  Granddaughter uses hers to keep in touch with her mom (and also to keep in touch with friends).  

My son, who is single and almost never home, uses a cell phone as his only phone.  

But as far as I know, no one in my family uses even half the features that SnP mentioned.  

Yes, we have three on a Rjrz family plan. We initially got the first one because I had my own small business in Hamilton, ON, and wanted to keep in contact with my wife who was often away at the wholesaler. The other two got added on later as it was proposed to us that we ought to get a family plan. The 3-year contract ends next year and when it does we are out. We will go with a pay-as-you-go or tab system instead. And not from Rjrz!!!

Gotta agree with SNP.  Saying you don't have one, don't use one, is just a  version of people who used to not want a colour TV or any TV or a push button phone.  or a car with power steering.

We all have them in our family and lately it is the easiest way for our kids to contact us.  They send photos, quick BBM's to say Hi. 

I take pics, videos,.

I know many people ( friends of kidsand nieces) who don't have land lines anymore. 

My phone is connected to my car so I can use it on the road through the steering wheel.

I can get my emails when I am out so even if I am waiting for an important reply and I can still get on with my day

Whoa - I don't have a cell phone (not strictly true as there should be one somewhere around the house or car!).  I don't have tv either.  This doesn't then mean that I'm anti 'modern' things as you seem to imply (unless I'm over reacting).

Some people organise their lives in ways that seem to require a cell phone - others don't.  My kids phone home when on the way to the grocery to ask someone to check to see what they need - then they call again when at the store because they forgot and didn't write it down.  I make a list before I go.  Neither is right or wrong, just different.

I don't like the tone some of you are using.  You make it sound like there is something wrong with people who can't be bothered, can't afford, or have chosen not to have a cell phone.  

Believe me - a cell phone is not a necessity of life - neither is a computer, or an automobile, or a credit card, or a big house.  Just because some people find that cell phones are important to their way of life, doesn't mean that they suit everyone. 

In my 70 years, I've called 911 once.   Once a woman fell in the church parking lot and broke her leg.  I stepped inside the church and phoned 911, just as easily as I could have gotten my phone out if I had had one.  Just this past month a car crashed into the maple in my front yard.  By the time I rushed out a neighbour was already rushing back into her house to use her land line.  She called 911 faster than the driver could get out his cell phone and pass it to me, and by then another neighbour was arriving with his cell phone in his hand.  I didn't need one.

I don't need a cell phone to take pictures.  I have my camera (I've recently switched to a digital camera).   I don't need it for GPS - I have one in the car.   The only thing I need it for is to phone my husband on the odd occasion when I am out, and usually then I could find another phone to use, or wait until I got home.  It's convenient but not a necessity, and certainly not something a person should be ashamed of not having and using.

I pack a smartphone (Blackberry Bold) for work and quite like it. Keeps me in touch both work and personal in many ways I hadn't anticipated.

We recently picked up a cheap prepaid phone for home us (our first personal phone). Son will use it as an emergency phone when travelling to/from school and wife may use it sometimes when she's out and about and needs to be accessible.

Mendalla

One of my inlaw's father had an accident in his own house.  He was incapacitated enough that he could not get to his phone.  He was able to smear blood all over the walls and floor in the near vicinity and he died there over a period of about 3 days.

If you asked my inlaw if he would have paid $50/month over his entire life to have his dad have a cell phone that could have prevented his father's gruesome death, I am sure he would.

Cell phones are a technical advancement that improve your ability to handle many situations - not unlike shoes.  Do some of you still avoid shoes?

I'm not sure that's true. There is not a single thing, except to call 911 when you're out of shouting range of a land line, that a cell can do that something else cannot.

My very elderly Mom once spent a very uncomfortable 6 hours or so in a bathtub she couldn't get out of in a hotel, but a cell wouldn't have helped her, unless one is in the habit of bringing it to the bathroom. That's a very sad story about your father-in-law, but sad things happen; one can't avoid every eventuality. For elderly people about whom one is concerned, one of those life-line buzzers is probably actually more helpful. They send an ambulance out automatically if the client can't be reached.

There are disadvantages to cell phones. People with them are documented to work longer hours than they did before the phone. They may be a factor in CCD (colony collapse disorder) in bees. They may present some increased risk of brain cancer. They make people reachable 24/7, which some people, particularly introverts, find quite distressing.

They're a lovely idea in the car (particularly if one is going a distance, which I rarely do), or on the boat for emergencies. Which is why there is one in my desk drawer. (Edited to say that I'd suggest that the best analogy might be that between b&w and colour television. Colour certainly is an improvement, but the product was eminently usable in b&w.)

We have two - one is called solo which means top it up when needed - it is for contact - came in handy this summer when organizing family members to meet at a locaton which was unknown until we got there.

We have an I phone and it is really handy to text and other things when on the road or waiting somewhere.  

Having one or not having one says nothing about us as person, but say something about work and travel - the solo came in handy when we got stuck one winter, after a big snow storm - or when a meeting runs late and a long drive home - or stopping to shop and forgot the list. ( The I phone can carry the list)

I would not now be without one.  Like the other night waiting for friends at the jazz festival and looking for one another, connected.

Yes, SnP, and I'm sure my neighbour would have loved to have a cell phone in her hand the evening she went out on her back step to hang some clothes on the line, slipped and fell and broke her ankle.  As is was she had to shout until a neighbour heard her.   But I don't think most people carry a cell phone around every moment of the day.   My sister fell when she went out the front door to pick up the newspaper.  She should have remembered to put one in the pocket of her housecoat as soon as she got up.  

Yes, accidents happen.  And occasionally a cell phone would come in handy.  But even if you usually have one within reach, you probably don't always.  Mine might lay on the table beside my favourite chair while I'm watching TV.  Would I remember to take it with me when I go to the kitchen to get a glass of water?  

As for being glad to pay $50 a month in the event so that you have a cell phone handy at all times (and if it is necessary for one person, perhaps it is necessary for everybody in the family old enough to be unaccompanied at times).   For some people that might mean cutting back on their groceries (often about the only monthly expense that isn't fixed - you can't cut back on rent, water, etc).  

Yes, in today's world, in this climate, shoes are a necessity.    A cell phone is a convenience or a luxury that some people might chose to forgo.  They aren't weird or irresponsible to do so.  If a sales representative ever tried to make me feel that I was, I would soon be showing him to the door and possibly reporting him (using my land line).

I think a cell phone can be useful but it is not the be all and end all. use it or don't it doesn't matter in the long run. if you like it great if you don't like it great.

I have a cell...a blackberry torch with all the gadgets....what can i say, yes, i like the technology.

I don't carry a camera around, and have used it for spontaneous photos, ..."this is what it looks like on my wya to work", or "interesting flower, want to look that up later"

I use it for reaching out to friends that I'm meeting at a restaurant, i'll be there in x minutes.. (as they have cell phones)

I use it for my sons to text me when I am on the road

i use it for oncall.   Sadly, we must respond to a call within 15min...silly..but...if you are on call, you do take it around the house with you....

My dad texts me when I am at work, or out & about if he wants me to call him.

lots of reasons for having it...many of my european friends no longer have home phones...

I agree Pinga, this is the way modern technology is going.  I'm sure my children and grandchildren get a lot of use from their cell phones.  My son in Korea doesn't have a land line (he didn't during his last year in Canada either).   But some of us don't feel the need for it.  And what I am objecting to is the attitude some people seem to be conveying is that we are dinosaurs headed for extinction, or ostriches with out heads in the sand - that we are too stupid or too stubborn to know what is good for us.   

I do have a cell phone.  Right now I don't see any need to up-grade it, or even to learn all the features it offers.  If and when I do, I'm sure someone (friend, family, or dealer) will show me.  

I know many people with cell phones who keep them in the car, or keep them turned off except when they want to use them.    Its their right to do so, and it doesn't mean that they are weird. 

I've never had a cell phone -- I find the screens to be TOO SMALL.

I wish that cell phone users could be given the option to fiddle around with the software & the hardware of their cell phones.

But with the advent of the 'cloud', I guess everything is going to be hardware soon and no software inherent in the actual device...computers are getting more process philosophical/Buddhist & less supernatural theistic :3

I am cell-phone free and happy that way - if that makes me a dinosaur in some people's eyes, so be it - I really don't care! Perhaps it's because I'm an introvert, perhaps it's because I've realized that having the latest gadget doesn't make me happier, perhaps it's because I've noticed a lot of negative aspects of owning a cell phone - why should it matter to others, who don't even know me in real life, that I choose not to have a cell phone?

As for the comparison between cell phones and shoes - that's just ridiculous! A cell phone cannot prevent me from getting injured or sick - it will only help me call for help. Most people I know who own a cell phone do not keep it within arms' reach all of the time - so even if Saul-now-Paul's inlaw's father did have one, chances are, it would not have been within reach when he got hurt. Most of my friends, when they get home, put it down somewhere - maybe they charge it or maybe they just leave it on a table or a counter until they need it again - and then they go about their business.

BTW - I'm curious about what the laws around driving with cell phones are in other people's areas. In BC, it is illegal to use a cell phone while driving - unless you have a hands free device. Texting is banned completely.

I have cell phone, on my parent's 'family plan', they got me as a birthday present. They wanted me to have one. I was using a prepaid phone and the minutes ran out too quickly and cost a fortune. That was about 6 yrs ago that I switched to the group plan. I've had it upgraded, 4 yrs ago, and this one still doesn't have all the new features of the smart phones but it's more than good enough. For awhile, I didn't have a landline, only the cell. I know several people who only have cell phones. I feel safer with it, really. In the professional world, it's also pretty much expected that you have one. If there are transit delays, etc. I  could phone my employer. I would have been in trouble a few times if I didn't have one. There are almost no pay phones anywhere. I have also used the camera feature, which has come in handy when I've wanted to capture a moment and didn't have a camera. I can also check my email with it, which was good when my internet connection was down and needed to check email for work purposes.

It's also recommended for emergencies because often cell phone service is up and running before regular phone service. I would recommend women living in cities, especially, have one. I mentioned in another thread, I was told by a cop, that if you're ever in an emergency or get mugged, especially if you are on the phone with emergency services and  drop the phone (or it gets knocked out of your hand) yell out your name and location right away. I know that's not a nice thing to think about, but it's good to know.

That said, without help from my parents' family plan, I couldn't afford a regular cell phone plan right  now.

Namana and I have been on a 2 cell phone plan for 10 years or more. We carry them when we are away from our land line in the house. We just use them for voice calls. We depend on them to give updates on our schedules and keep things coordinated. Most of our messages are to give updates to our time of arrival.

If we were without cell phones there would often be a big mystery as to what has become of us. So Kay, that is why  Namana and I own cell phones. Otherwise there would be a lot of waiting, worrying and wondering.

I have a cellphone because real-time communication is important to me.  All the more so in a City I am only partly familiar with.  Who do you ask for direction clarifications when you realize you are lost? No cell phone?  Well you're fucked now aren't you...

And I don't buy the argument that it control's your life or makes you a slave to other people's wills.  Just turn it off if that's the case.  Or put it on silent and ignore it.

As-salaamu alaikum

-Omni

The same in saskatchewan, Somegal.

Same in NB - just recently passed.  Now if they would also pass a similar law for pedestrians.  I had one step out in front of me as I made a right hand turn today - walking with his back to me, head tilted over his cell phone, and not a glance over his shoulder.

I have used my cell phone to report drunk drivers twice.

It's also useful to communicate with someone in a crowd to find each other, that way, I can let my teenager run free and have him check in regularly.

I find it still too expensive- I have to keep a land line for cheaper overseas calls and I would rather have just one phone.

We have given up on cable TV, as most of it is boring and the commercials are just annoying, but we still have a TV to rent movies. I can get the news from the Internet.

Have you stopped an evildoer with it yet? :3

There's a new law for distracted drivers here in AB.  I am not a fan.  It is too broad.  If police used discretion all the time I would be ok with it, but some police try to fill quotas or just enjoy abusing their power in general.

What is the law chemgal?

Anything that could be considered distracting you from driving.  No grooming - does brushing one's hair out of the face count, blowing one's nose?  No print material can be read.  Sometimes I like to write out the directions when going to someone's house, that would not be allowed.  Hands free cell use is ok, as is GPS, as long as one is not entering information.  It also covers people on bikes.

It's not in effect yet, it starts in September.

chemgal,

then the people of AB better arm themselves by grokking with fullness the law ASAP :3

(at least it will result in less makeup accidents...)

I wonder how specific a law can get? Should the law specifically state, "while driving a motor vehicle, a person may not touch their own hair with anything other than their own hands?" I think some amount of discretion is a good thing. For example, doing these things while stopped for a red light might warrant a warning, whereas doing them while driving along the highway or in busy traffic might be cause for a serious fine.

somegalfromcan,

Indeed, it seems that laws are a spectrum from respecting their Spirit (so that we can be merciful) and the Letter of the Law (so that fairness can happen).

Here's a link to the gov't of Alberta Miny Trans.

On the news they have specified it doesn't matter if you're stopped at a red light or not.  They have very specifically outlined *any* printed material inside the car, yet billboards are ok, since they are outside the car.  Smoking has been specified as being allowed.  That is something I wish they would ban.  I hate smelling smoke, even if it's 3 cars ahead at a light.