# Are You A Cell Phone Nut Case? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 9, 2009, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-cell-phone-nut-case/516922 "2009-11-09T18:17:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-cell-phone-nut-case/516922/1 "2009-11-09T18:17:19Z")
Well, are you? Do you own a cell phone to make, umm, telephone calls? Or are you the type that requires the Swiss Army-type of cell phone that does everything short of washing your underwear for you and clipping your toenails? ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-cell-phone-nut-case/516922/2 "2009-11-09T18:33:31Z")
When I went to get a hands-free device for my phone (since it’s against the law to drive w/o one now in CA), they gave me a little cord with the fuzzy earpiece for free. My phone was so old, they didn’t sell that item anymore but had a few in stock in back they hadn’t thrown away yet. ---
**Author:** ![Walkabout](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/46a35a/32.png) [@Walkabout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walkabout)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-cell-phone-nut-case/516922/3 "2009-11-09T18:38:17Z")
I have an iPhone and I absolutely love it, so I guess that qualifies me for option #1. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-cell-phone-nut-case/516922/4 "2009-11-09T18:45:32Z")
I had a hard time finding a phone that did a decent job of being a phone. I don’t want a camera, I don’t want a keyboard, I don’t want fax, joysticks or 5.1 channel surround sound. I just want something to make and receive calls on. ---
**Author:** ![Stuffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f17d59/32.png) [@Stuffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stuffy)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-cell-phone-nut-case/516922/5 "2009-11-09T19:00:35Z")
> [@gotpasswords](#): > > I had a hard time finding a phone that did a decent job of being a phone. > > I don’t want a camera, I don’t want a keyboard, I don’t want fax, joysticks or 5.1 channel surround sound. I just want something to make and receive calls on. Ditto. ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-cell-phone-nut-case/516922/6 "2009-11-09T19:04:09Z")
I voted with the “I make/receive calls” crowd, but I will admit to texting a few times per week. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-cell-phone-nut-case/516922/7 "2009-11-09T19:05:10Z")
Sprint called me a couple months ago, wanting to [del] rope me in to a new service agreement with a bunch of crap I neither use nor want[/del] offer me a FREE UPGRADE to their latest and greatest widget. Told them all I do on the cell phone is make/receive calls, and once in a blue moon, send or receive a text message. No web surfing, stir fry, or enriching uranium capability is needed. The phone I have is just fine for my purposes. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-cell-phone-nut-case/516922/8 "2009-11-09T19:11:47Z")
I have a gee-wiz phone. Love it. But I actually use it more as a PDA, organizor, GPS, camera etc. than a phone. About the only time I take calls on it are when I’m out of town. But for the other stuff, it’s just great. ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-cell-phone-nut-case/516922/9 "2009-11-09T19:12:30Z")
I would gladly have the newest whiz-bang cell phone (I just upgraded mine to a reasonably swiss-army-like model for about $150), but I’m not willing to pay for the cell phone plans that most of the newer models require. I’ve got my $30/mo plan from Sprint, and I’m keeping it as long as I possibly can. However cool the iPhone is (and it is), it’s not worth the extra $1200 it would cost over my current phone for the two years I’d have to pay the plan. ---
**Author:** ![pepperlandgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@pepperlandgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pepperlandgirl)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-cell-phone-nut-case/516922/10 "2009-11-09T19:15:08Z")
Why does this question come up so often around here? I know that I’ve answered an almost identical OP twice or three times since I got my iPhone a year ago. And it’s usually after people have checked in announcing they have a cell phone to make and receive calls and that’s _it_ (and of course the OP has to be properly derogatory towards people with smart phones). It’s bizarre. It’s like people around here are fiercely proud of avoiding the latest “trends” in cellular phones, as though that is genuinely something to be proud of and not some little quirk that pretty much nobody cares about. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-cell-phone-nut-case/516922/11 "2009-11-09T19:17:32Z")
> [@pepperlandgirl](#): > > Why does this question come up so often around here? I know that I’ve answered an almost identical OP twice or three times since I got my iPhone a year ago. And it’s usually after people have checked in announcing they have a cell phone to make and receive calls and that’s _it_ (and of course the OP has to be properly derogatory towards people with smart phones). It’s bizarre. It’s like people around here are fiercely proud of avoiding the latest “trends” in cellular phones, as though that is genuinely something to be proud of and not some little quirk that pretty much nobody cares about. You just stay off my lawn, missy. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-cell-phone-nut-case/516922/12 "2009-11-09T19:19:15Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > I have a gee-wiz phone. Love it. But I actually use it more as a PDA, organizor, GPS, camera etc. than a phone. About the only time I take calls on it are when I’m out of town. But for the other stuff, it’s just great. This. Pre-iPhone, I had a cell phone, but only because Mr. Athena had to have one for his work, and getting one for me was only $10 extra a month, so why not? For that little amount I could have it in case of emergency or whatever. So I’ve had a cell phone for many years before the iPhone, but I rarely actually carried it with me. Once the iPhone came to my area, the addition of web surfing/email/camera/iPod/etc in addition to phone calls pushed me over the edge, and nowadays I usually carry it with me when I go out. Usually. Any one of those things isn’t worth the hassle of having a cell phone. All of them together plus phone calls makes it worth it. I’d say making calls with it is one of the fewest things I use it for. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-cell-phone-nut-case/516922/13 "2009-11-09T19:25:32Z")
I have an iPhone. I calculate roof angles, listen to music, surf the Dope, keep track of appointments, read email, watch cartoons, read faxes (why, yes, I have a fax thingie\*), test games, play games, look at pictures, check bus schedules, text with people, take notes, calculate tips and currency conversions, identify music, look up things in a Japanese/English dictionary, check the weather, find the nearest Tim Hortons, and oh yes make and receive phone calls. 🙂 I suspect I wouldn’t get nearly as much use out of it if I drove everywhere rather than taking the bus, streetcar, subway, or train. This may point up a significant divide in usage patters… dom the one who mostly use it as a phone tend to drive rather than use public transit, and thus have lass sitting-around time during day-to-day travel? [sub]\*The faxes are forwarded to me as emails with PDF attachments. Saved my butt more than once.[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-cell-phone-nut-case/516922/14 "2009-11-09T19:26:20Z")
I voted yes, but I bought an iPhone 3G just before the new round of iPhones came out. I’d like to upgrade to a 3GS 32 Gb, but I have approximately 14 more months before I’m eligible for an upgrade and can get one cheaply. I’m pretty happy with what I have, though. I just wish there was a flash for the camera. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-cell-phone-nut-case/516922/15 "2009-11-09T19:28:49Z")
I’m a cell phone nut case in that I almost never care that my phone is a phone–I mostly want it for surfing the net and playing games (and I’ve been making a fair bit of use of my iPhone 3gs’s GPS to help me figure out where I am and where I’m going). Sometimes I make phone calls on it. Not often. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-cell-phone-nut-case/516922/16 "2009-11-09T19:55:22Z")
> [@gotpasswords](#): > > I had a hard time finding a phone that did a decent job of being a phone. > > I don’t want a camera, I don’t want a keyboard, I don’t want fax, joysticks or 5.1 channel surround sound. I just want something to make and receive calls on. Me too. My husband says I need a Jitterbug, which is apparently a phone for elderly technophobes. He, on the other hand, has the latest and greatest phone-call-makin-gadget. In fact, he called me while I was posting this because he got a new phone today and he’s playing with it. ---
**Author:** ![MacTech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MacTech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacTech)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-cell-phone-nut-case/516922/17 "2009-11-09T19:58:47Z")
I’m somewhere in-between the options, yes I do have an iPhone, but I use it far more as a web-device on wi-fi, to me, it’s more a pocket computer that just _happens_ to have a phone in it, the phone part of my iPhone is actually it’s _least_ used feature in fact, if I’m in a Wi-Fi zone and I need to make a call, I’ll open up Skype and call from within that app instead of burning up my cell minutes ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-cell-phone-nut-case/516922/18 "2009-11-09T20:26:23Z")
> [@iamthewalrus\_3](#): > > I would gladly have the newest whiz-bang cell phone (I just upgraded mine to a reasonably swiss-army-like model for about $150), but I’m not willing to pay for the cell phone plans that most of the newer models require. I’ve got my $30/mo plan from Sprint, and I’m keeping it as long as I possibly can. However cool the iPhone is (and it is), it’s not worth the extra $1200 it would cost over my current phone for the two years I’d have to pay the plan. This is absolutely me. I want it, I just don’t want to pay for it. ---
**Author:** ![stpauler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@stpauler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stpauler)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-cell-phone-nut-case/516922/19 "2009-11-09T20:37:33Z")
I’ve got an iPhone and I go through about 100 minutes a month on it. However, I use the web functionality about 5000 minutes a month. If I could get an iPhone with 3G service and the bare bones phone service, it would be perfect for me. ---
**Author:** ![Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tastes_of_chocolate/32/3232_2.png) [@Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tastes_of_Chocolate)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-cell-phone-nut-case/516922/20 "2009-11-09T21:39:38Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > I suspect I wouldn’t get nearly as much use out of it if I drove everywhere rather than taking the bus, streetcar, subway, or train. Back when my drive to work was long, I used to think the same thing. If I could have found a way to take a bus to work, I would have shelled out the extra money for a bells-and-whistles phone, and happily played with it while commuting. But since I was stuck behind the wheel, it wasn’t worth $500/year for the data plan. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-cell-phone-nut-case/516922.md?page=2)