Cell phones vs landlines

[Abigail Crabby]

I only have a cell phone -

There are times when I think a land line would come in handy - enhanced 911 yanno.

But I pay enough for my cell phone that the added expense is just that, an added expense.

I like having the convenience of keeping in touch out of the house. Never fails when I go to the store I have a need to call home and say -Ohhh this is on sale, should I get some -

I'm just all about the technology - I heard a rumor that Time Warners Digital phone just might have the ability to text soon.

I'd prolly get a land line then - cuz I usually prefer texting over talking most days....

[*Anya*]

I fought getting a cell phone. It felt so intrusive to me. Everywhere I went, people took phone calls, talking loudly about the most personal issues that I did not want to hear! It still bugs me.

Two years ago I got an IPhone and it was love at first sight.

I still have a landline because of the "bundling". I could not get Verizon FIOS for my TV and computer without including the landline.

I love the ability to text short and sweet messages.

[Rockinonahigh]

I have a majic jack system set up that I can call anywhere in the usa and canada with unlimited minits at anytime.With the system set up my son can play games world wide plus some other stuff i never will understand.I know I should have a cell but when I did a barely used it,I prolly will end up getting one sooner or later but I hate to pay for something I hardly use.

[Greyson]

By the way, cell phone numbers are now fair game for marketing calls. You can however have your cell number blocked from unwanted solicitation. You must call from your cell or visit the link provided by the Federal government.

In order to block your landline, that is a different number and transaction. I check this information out before posting and to the best of my knowledge it is legitimate.

________________________________________________





REMEMBER: Cell Phone Numbers Go Public this month.
REMINDER..... all cell phone numbers are being released to telemarketing companies and you will start to receive sales calls.

.... YOU WILL BE CHARGED FOR THESE CALLS

To prevent this, call the following number from your cell phone: 888-382-1222.
It is the National DO NOT CALL list It will only take a minute of your time.. It blocks your number for five (5) years.
You must call from the cell phone number you want to have blocked. You cannot call from a different phone number. It takes about 20 seconds.


https://www.donotcall.gov/default.aspx

[*Anya*]

Thank you Greyson!! Much appreciated

[Novelafemme]

I would love to not have a cell phone (I think). My sister and her husband, who both live in NYC, have never had cells and still have one of those old school answering machines at home. They feel the disconnect keeps them grounded. I tend to agree.

My mother in law lives with us and she prefers having a landline, so we do. She is also a HUGE football fan and in order for her to have access to some football package through our cable company, she needs that landline.

I am learning more and more about football whether I want to or not.

I miss the days of rotary phones, getting yanked off my feet by the phone cord when I walk farther than its length, and hiding in the closet twirling the cord while I try to have those "private" talks. I think I just dated myself.

[laruss]

I gave up my landline about a year ago and really could have given it up much sooner. I kept it for the long distance only, then I found Skype, so I no longer needed the landline.

I love my cell, it goes everywhere with me and I have everything on it, all 4 email accounts, facebook, internet, and it is one of the best point and shoot cameras I have owned. I am huge into texting, a quick and easy way to contact people. I rarely used it as a phone until more recently.

I also always keep it close, including when I am in the shower. I have even talked and texted while in the shower. Yes, I am hooked on the cell.

And I am still a diehard Blackberry fan, I like having a real keyboard. I hate touch screens. My new Blackberry has both, and I almost always use the keyboard instead of the screen.

[girl_dee]

i need a landline for 911, knowing i won't have to fumble with my cell if i need to call 911 is worth it to me.

Here at the farm our internet is through a phone line so that's reason two.

[Parker]

Originally Posted by claybaby

Like Parker, mine stays close by me...everywhere. Esp. when I am in shower...And I usually do NOT answer it when I am eating, doing something I don't want to interrupt....NO, not that....lol...like watching one of my shows, etc. or if I just don't feel up to talking.
With the institution of phone etiquette and manners, a cell can be a pleasant experience!
I turn the ringer off at night so as not to be disturbed. None of my loved ones are remotely close by, so what can I do at Oh Dark Thirty anyway. I am prone to check it when I wake to go to BR anyway.
TEXTING is the Bomb diggety!!

I dont answer when I am with other people, in my car, etc - also, if I dont recognize the number, I let it go to VM. I also turn the ringer off when I am sleeping - a lot of people ask me when a good time to call is and I can honestly say anytime because if I am sleeping or whatever, the ringer is off.

I also love texting - I actually prefer it to talking on the phone. lol


I was thinking about the landline I had because I a lot of people say they have one in case of a SHTF event - but the landline I had wasnt even really a landline, it was a part of my cable bundle, so if the power went out, there went my "landline." I guess I havent had an actual landline phone in something like 20yrs! Having one in case of a SHTF event is a good idea - I just cant afford the added expense right now.

---

Also, just an FYI about cell phones and telemarketers - the info about cell phone numbers becoming public is a hoax - it was an internet rumor started many years ago. If you check it out on snopes.com, you can see how it all started and that it is false.

In fact, the Do Not Call Registry website says this:

Can I register my cell phone on the National Do Not Call Registry?

Yes, you may place your personal cell phone number on the National Do Not Call Registry. The registry has accepted cell phone numbers since it opened for registrations in June 2003. There is no deadline to register a home or cell phone number on the Registry.

You may have received an email telling you that your cell phone is about to be assaulted by telemarketing calls as a result of a new cell phone number database; however, that is not the case. FCC regulations prohibit telemarketers from using automated dialers to call cell phone numbers. Automated dialers are standard in the industry, so most telemarketers don’t call consumers on their cell phones without their consent.

It's still a great idea to register your cell with the DNC registry to avoid those who dont use an automatic dialer - I recommend it to my friends all the time - just dont panic thinking you're about to get bombarded with telemarketing calls.

I registered my cell and I still get the occasional call on my cell from a telemarketer so I just google the number to try to get company info and then go to the Do Not Call Registry to file a complaint with the FCC.

[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.

[dark_crystal]

When did you get your cell phone?

I've had one for over twenty years.

My first "car" phone had a curly cord and a receiver and there was no such thing as a rate plan. You paid by the minute and they were 25 cents each!

Then I had the brick phone!

(I feel like I'm dating myself but I am not as old as that sounds! I just had really paranoid parents!)

[willow]

I have both landline and mobile phones because I want them, use them and have decided I need to have both. If I find myself more than 6 feet from my mobile I will suffer symptoms of withdrawal! That said, I have no problem ignoring either one and often do.

When out and about my mobile is almost always on silent. It will be on silent if I am,

1. driving (NOTHING is that important)
2. on a date (that's a given)
3. in the supermarket checkout (how annoying is it when the customer in front is on half speed because they are chatting?)
4. enjoying a meal, DVD, evening in, with friends
5. anywhere I happen to find myself part of a group of people listening to another person speak (when someone in the group answers their phone and doesn't even leave the room. Acceptable behaviour? Really!?)
6. attending an appointment

Anyone who matters knows not to leave a voicemail because I never listen to them. So, any voicemails won't be from anyone I'd want to talk to. Delete.

Texting is best for me. If I can (read want to) I'll answer right away or the text will act like a visual voicemail and I'll get back to you

If I have network coverage then I want access, NEED access but if I'm somewhere with no coverage it won't bother me at all. I need my phones because they are there.

[yotlyolqualli]

I have both a landline and a cell.

At one point I had a landline and 2 cells lol

I had my own cell phone, one on my (ex)g/f's plan and of course the landline.

I no longer have the ATT phone and have my cell and landline through Verizon.

Regardless, those who know me, know damned well that if I do NOT answer the phone (and I usually DONT) then leave a message. I will get back to you when it's convenient for me. Even though I don't answer my phone very often, I do check VM, especially given the health situations of my family, as of late.

There is absolutely no one in my life, even when I was partnered, that needed 24 hr access to me and I refuse to allow anyone to HAVE that. As I said, I check text and VM often.

If I am out walking, shopping, enjoying the outdoors, or having a friendly chat with a neighbor, OR if I am home reading, sewing, cooking, cleaning, ironing, on the computer or watching a movie... I will NOT answer the phone, or text. It's just how I am. If I wanted to allow people to have constant contact with me, I wouldn't be living alone lol

I don't like to talk on the phone. I prefer texting, unless, of course, it's going to be a long conversation, than talking is best.

In short, I have both. Both serve a needed purpose, and both are needed equally and treated equally.

[Kätzchen]

I had to give up my landline two years ago, this coming November.
I have a cell phone with a very limited plan.
(I do not text, I spend little time using it)

I will be returning to a landline in November.

Or, ~>> Smoke Signals!

[Rockinonahigh]

One of my problems with cell phones is that when people have them its like they dont care if the world hears even the most private of conversations.Or when in groups often I find them playing games while half assed being part of a convo,My really big peve is when im playing pool and the person im in the game with is on the cell when not at the table,then more times then not I wait till they get done or put the thing on hold then take a shot at the game.Cell phones are good as well as nice to have but I feel are takeing away the art of communication.

[Corkey]

We have a landline, we have cell phones, we have the cells for emergencies while out or if the power goes out. We don't have games or apps or any other feature than a phone. We don't use them as the first source of communication. There's nothing worse than to look in the rear view mirror and see an idiot on a cell while driving. One or the other but not at the same time.

[Greyson]

Originally Posted by flutter

I have both landline and mobile phones because I want them, use them and have decided I need to have both. If I find myself more than 6 feet from my mobile I will suffer symptoms of withdrawal! That said, I have no problem ignoring either one and often do.

When out and about my mobile is almost always on silent. It will be on silent if I am,

1. driving (NOTHING is that important)
2. on a date (that's a given)
3. in the supermarket checkout (how annoying is it when the customer in front is on half speed because they are chatting?)
4. enjoying a meal, DVD, evening in, with friends
5. anywhere I happen to find myself part of a group of people listening to another person speak (when someone in the group answers their phone and doesn't even leave the room. Acceptable behaviour? Really!?)
6. attending an appointment

Anyone who matters knows not to leave a voicemail because I never listen to them. So, any voicemails won't be from anyone I'd want to talk to. Delete.

Texting is best for me. If I can (read want to) I'll answer right away or the text will act like a visual voicemail and I'll get back to you

If I have network coverage then I want access, NEED access but if I'm somewhere with no coverage it won't bother me at all. I need my phones because they are there.

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.

[Kelt]

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.

If I may, I have friends in England that use the term mobile instead of cell. I don't know if it applies here, but it is colloquial in some areas.

[Angeltoes]

Originally Posted by Kelt

If I may, I have friends in England that use the term mobile instead of cell. I don't know if it applies here, but it is colloquial in some areas.

My German friends call it a mobile as well.

[Corkey]

Back in the day when they first came out with the large bulky phone attached to a briefcase.... it was known as a mobile phone.
often I will see cell phones referred to as mobile phones, especially on forms asking for ones cell #.