Cell phones vs landlines

[tazz]

i'm an iPhone person... it's on me 24/7. i use my iPhone for everything.

i also prefer texting, messaging, or webcam instead of phone chatting.

landlines used to frustrate me.

[Corkey]

Originally Posted by tazz

i'm an iPhone person... it's on me 24/7. i use my iPhone for everything.

i also prefer texting, messaging, or webcam instead of phone chatting.

landlines used to frustrate me.

Having grown up tethered to the wall, I feel your frustration.

[SugarFemme]

OMG this totally cracked me up. I have often told my sister that we now have electronic monitoring devices with us 24/7 for the parental unit to track us down. Flipping Global GPS I call it LOL.

Originally Posted by Blade

I live further out in BFE than Kenna does and there is. I have to have a land line for internet purposes. I do not have a phone plugged into the landline.

I've always had just a basic cell phone, this time I got a droid I hate it for texting I invent all kinds of new words. I carry it with me all the time. It is a double edged sword. For one if anyone knows u carry it all the time they expect you to always answer it...and Mom thinks all her needs are immediate, no matter how trivial the reason she thinks she needs me at the time. They are like a tracking device.

[StrongButch]

I use home phone Only 2 people have my cell 1 is my Mom I often leave it turned off for months only have one for when im traveling

[Scuba]

I haven't had a land-line for about 6 years. I have two phones (I have a side business), an iPhone and an Android. In my line of work it is important that I work with technology I am expected to support.

Personally, I hate talking on the phone or texting or anything with a phone really. I like face to face but I guess you can't have that without a way to make those face to face plans It's a double-edged sword in my little world....

[willow]

Originally Posted by Greyson

Please know I am not trying to challenge you or your post. I have not heard anyone refer to a cell phone as a "mobile" for a few years now. Do you think this could be a regional thing in language usage? I do remember when the cells first came out. They were referred to as mobile phones.

I have both a land line and a cell. The land line is part of a bundle package and I use it for outgoing calls only. I like the privacy and clarity of the land line but IMO, cell phones and other new technology usage is inevitable.

It is still 'mobile' in the UK

edit: I replied before reading what Kelt had to say.

[suebee]

Had a cell for X number of years. Got rid of the cell - didn't use it that much and it was just an added expense. FREEDOM, WONDERFUL FREEDOM! lol Liked feeling disconnected when I was out of the house. Just last week we both got cells. Number one reason is the same as many have already stated: My folks are aging and need to be able to contact one of us.

The second reason is so my wife and I can stay in touch. Not easy to decide on a cell plan, since we're constantly in different countries - living right on the U.S./Canada border, but we just make sure we're bouncing off a Canadian tower, and we can keep our costs down. Canadian cell phone plans aren't nearly as inexpensive as U.S. ones, so we'll have the landline for awhile yet. But I prefer it anyway. VERY few people have my cell number. It's for MY convenience.

And - yes, I remember 25cents/minute! lol I had the first flip phone: the Startac. Oh, but didn't I feel cool when I whipped THAT baby out! lol I think I'll go off now and reminise about getting up to change the channel.

[Miss Scarlett]

i got rid of my landline 10 years ago when i replaced my DSL with Roadrunner. i didn't have any problems withh cell service until i replaced my beloved enV with an Alias2... that phone gave me fits for 2 years with dropped calls and terrible reception. Last year i got my iPhone and, knock on wood, i haven't had any trouble at all. i love this phone and now use it for my internet as well. There are a couple of drawbacks but they're easily worked around.

[homoe]

I would NEVER be without a landline! The cell phones are always dropping out and half the time your asking someone to repeat something blah blah blah! GIVE me a landline any day over a cell phone!

[TruTexan]

I have an Iphone and I love it. I hated having a landline, all those damn calls early in the morning or all day long from solicitors and they spoof the number they are calling you from. I got tired of it and shut the damned thing off. The ONLY reason I have a landline now is to connect to the internet, but I don't have a phone hooked up to it. NEVER AGAIN will I use a landline. Nuh uh.

[diamondrose]

In my life, cell phone is more suitable. I rely on my phone a lot at work. Working long hours, I am able to take care of a lot of things via phone. I also have a landline simply because of the bundle, but I never use it.

[Angeltoes]

I haven't had a landline in many years but you're all right, the sound quality is way better. I may get one soon, but who knows how often I'll use it. I'm out and about a lot.

[Rockinonahigh]

I have a cell phone but it took me getting it free to even think of having one, I have to admit it has come in handy a time or two but I still could have done just as well without it, I am also glad it is a very basic one or it would be bits and pieces from hitting the floor. One reason I don't like cell phones is when I talk to someone I am with I hate it when they have to keep looking at the thing or when I am at the pool hall how can you carry on any kind of interaction with a group when all I see is them playing a game or texting or running up ebey. I have forbid them at the dinner table when I am home or out with family for a meal or just out having some family time, to have a normal conversation or just enjoy things with out electronics is a pain in the ass.

[MsTinkerbelly]

We have a landline that came along with our Internet/tv bundle, but there is no phone hooked up to it! We also have a landline that is dedicated to my wife's work station, and is only turned on from 10am-7pm.

Otherwise we both have low jack, I mean cell phones, that we can answer or not as we see fit.

Who would have thought that someday we would pay $100+ each for personal phone service?

[Gemme]

My bundle was cheaper with a landline but I actually use it fairly regularly as reception in my apartment is basically a black hole that migrates from here to there and, when I find a pocket, I can't move if I'm on my cell. My land line is a handheld so I can go anywhere in the apartment and immediate vicinity outside and the reception's great.

Outside of home, I use my cell, but I'm not one of the umpteen thousands of people who are so sucked into what's going on on their phone that they are completely disengaged from what's going on around them. I use it and then I forget about it until I need to use it again or until someone contacts me.

[C0LLETTE]

Originally Posted by Kobi

Seems more and more people are turning off their landlines and relying totally on their cell phones.

I am partial to my landline. The sound quality is better. I have to be home to use it and I like the privacy this affords me. And, I always know where it is.

I bought a cell to have for an emergency that might arise when I am out of my home, or if the home phone service is out of order for some reason. The sound quality is substandard. I am not fond of texting. I am not fond of being interrupted when I am out doing errands or chores or at appointments.

I rarely have the need to be connected to the hustle and bustle via a device 24/7. Usually, I am trying to find ways to disconnect.

So, I am wondering what type of phone works better for your life?

I share this view and thank Kobi for posting it...saves me the trouble of having to type out all that.

[Cin]

I truly do not understand the lure of the cell phone. I can't work out why I would want to pay at least 5x the price for sub standard phone service. I do get that it isn't about the ability to actually talk to other people that makes cell phones so popular, it's the convenience, the texting and I guess the access, via a tiny little window, to the internet ,while you walk about the world unchained. It is more pracitcal, I suppose, than lugging around a laptop or even a tablet. So while I understand what the attraction is, I just don't get why it's attractive.

In all fairness I really don't have a ton of friends, and of the ones I have I don't have many who I want a constant connection to. And I don't want to have to explain to anyone when and why I have turned off my cell phone. The only person I want a constant connection to and to answer to as to my reasons for not being available to her is my wife. And contrary to popular belief, I don't need a cell phone to do that.

This is not to say that there haven't been times when I wished I had a cell phone, like if my car breaks down or I need to call for help for some reason. Pay phones are relatively non existent. But the once a year need is not worth the price of admission. I do, however, resent how owning a cell phone is becoming almost a necessity rather than a convenience with the disappearance of pay phones.

I also resent how mobile games, which allow google and apple big % cuts in the revenue, are pushing web browser games into obscurity simply because they don't get the cuts from them. That's really the reason although there is a smoke and mirrors thing about adobe's inability to provide security. There is not a financial incentive for them to try for security because mobile games are much more lucrative so nobody wants to continue to support web browser flash games. Because of cell phones and other mobile devices the death of flash player is pretty much a given and the days of web-browser-flash games are numbered. This makes me sad since I really enjoy my web-browser-flash games. If cell phones fell off the face of the earth and took tablets, notebooks and even laptops with them I for one wouldn't cry.

[Kätzchen]

So, last time I posted here, I had a tiny cell phone that no one on earth could use, but I cut services to landline phone and Internet service because I couldn't afford to ship my notebook overseas to have it fixed (reconfigured, fixed). What's left of my Linux notebook still sits on my dining room table.

Since then, a close family friend gave me a smart phone to use.
I pay for a part of the family plan (my usage fees).

I'm closer to 'smoke signals' than I've ever been because I won't pay outrageous fees for internet, land line phone service or even singular mobile / cell phone service.

My mom is pissed off with me that I won't participate in her version of relentless texts, which happens at all hours of the day or night. I finally banned my mom from texting me because I refuse to text (P E R I O D).

I like having this smart phone but my sanity comes first .

[theoddz]

When cell phones first became popular, I vowed that I wouldn't get suckered into that "trap" of constant availability. I was able to effectively shun the cell phone trap until my aging parents, who lived far away from me, began to develop health problems. I finally broke down. I never disconnected my land line, though, and still have one to this day.

In my world, just because a phone rings does not mean that I am required to answer it.....period. I am not Pavlov's dog. I rarely answer my cell phone...ever. This is a carryover from my working days in a busy hospital, in a profession that made it very difficult for me to get interrupted from what I was doing in patient care. This is why I don't usually give my cell number out to anyone. If I do, I always state that, for the most part, I will not answer it. The phone is there for my convenience, not yours. I pay the bill and this is my prerogative. Even with my land line, I don't always answer the phone, even if I'm sitting right next to it. It depends on if I feel like talking. I find it very, very difficult to "visit" on the phone. If you call me and get me on the phone, tell me what you're calling about and get to the point. I don't do "small talk" on the phone. It's just how I am. This is why I have an answering machine (voice mail for the cell phone). It's a quick way to tell me what you need to say and make sure I get your message.

I know, I sound like a "heel", but I'm really not. I'm just an extremely private person. I the past years, I've noticed that there are really quite a few folks who are like me, too.

~Theo~

[Tuff Stuff]

I need both,so I have both...