I just sent this article about managers who wear cell phone holsters…
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I thought it was pretty funny but received back some not so nice responses including many people who feel they serve a great functional purpose other than to make them look like idiots.
Just wondering what the general consensus is here on The Straight Dope.
Reminds me of my undergrad days, when a significant number of engineering students would wear their slide rules* on their belts. I always supposed it to be a mark of pride and/or distinction, since I couldn’t imagine a situation that would require instant access to a slide rule.
For my part, I keep my BlackBerry in a holster — actually more of a sleeve, since it doesn’t have a clip — for protection; but as far as storage is concerned, it stays in my pocket.
*This was before the Bowmar Brain, let alone TI scientific calculators.
Sleeves are fine in my book as long as they sit in your pocket. Holsters are a whole different ball of wax.
Mine’s in a gel sleeve, in my pocket, on my desk or in the console in the car.
I can understand one pretty functional reason for the holster, is that when you slide the Blackberry into the holster, it locks the keyboard automatically, saving the trouble of doing that manually.
I agree that belt holders for cell phones look a little silly, but I think this is one case where it’s justified. Your alternative is to put it in your pocket, but that has problems. If you put it in your shirt pocket it drags your shirt down. If you put it in your pants pocket it bangs against anything else you have in there and it’s difficult to get out if you’re sitting down. And the BlackBerry is especially bulky. So for people who need to stay connected, I think the holster is acceptable.
I kept my cell phone on my belt. It’s a useful and efficient place for it.
Now that I have a Blackberry, I’m not using a holster, though. The new design is slimmer than my old Palm Treo, and I like the fact that the Blackberry case automatically turns the phone on when you pull it from the case, and turns it off when you put it back.*
But it’s winter, and I have a shirt pocket available. Once I start wearing polo shirts in the summer, I may go back to a holster.
*A magnet in the case.
I’m not a manager, and sure don’t have it for status, but I use a belt holster. Where else are you going to put it?
Pants pocket? No. Too big and hard to get to.
Shirt? Not all my shirts have pockets.
Coat? I have lots of different types of coats. None of them are ‘dress’ coats. So it could be in any number of pockets.
If I leave it on my belt (or my desk at work) I always know where it is. It does not get lost, it’s easy to reach and hear, and it’s well protected.
But I believe that is the point of this article right? People that typically have the “I’m a manager” attitude are susceptible to using cell phone holsters and thus several of you have no problem with it. For those of you who aren’t managers, you will soon be one because you don’t consider the fact that you might look like an idiot…you only consider the “efficiencies” involved in wearing a holster. Am I right?
No.
On those occasions when I DO use a holster, I’m pretty un-concerned with anyone thinking it looks like I’m an idiot or not. Plenty of people I know that aren’t managers, and probably never will be wear the holster because it’s convenient.
I’m with Reality Chuck,once I’m not wearing clothes with convenient pockets, I often bring the holster out. Summer is baggy cargo shorts, which is ok for pockets. Winter, if I’m not at work, a hoodie front pocket works just dandy.
This. Being “Field Service,” the belt holster thingy keeps it close to hand for convenience, and yet mostly out of the way when it’s not needed, and easy to remove when we need to get it completely “out of the way.” The combination of cell phone, e-mail, and portable (if limited) data device is pretty good for our application.
Huh.
It would be an enormous pain in the ass to keep my phone in my pocket. Jacket pocket might be okay, but that’s not useful when I’m in the office, because I’m running all over the place and don’t want to be lumbered down with a jacket.
Pants pocket? Is that a serious suggestion? Apart from the annoyance and discomfort of having a largish object in your pocket, th additional wear, etc… Depending on the pants, you’ve got different forms of inconvenience. Most pants pockets are barely functional - I’d only put very small objects in there for short periods of time. Some deep pockets can be awkward to get things out of without standing up, and most shallow pockets will eject their contents while sitting down.
You make your first point (“quick draw capability”) as if it were trivial or ridiculous. Yeah, I need to be able to pick up my phone promptly during the day, wherever I am. This doesn’t make any assertion about my importance - it’s others’ time that it important. Even if it’s a call coming through switchboard - I’ve stood by those girls, and they don’t have a ten seconds to spare while I fumble around for my phone.
Sure, having a device strapped to your belt looks a bit dorky, but there’s a trade-off between looking like a dork and having your phone at hand.
Personally, I think the motives you ascribe to people who wear their phones on their belts are silly. To look important? Seriously?
Not a manager, never was, never will be. I almost always wear jeans or athletic/sweat pants( I coach). What pockets I may have either contain keys, pens and other sundry items or are not really suited to keeping a phone. The easiest way to carry my phone is in a holster. I’m sure not trying to look important.
I look around my oiffice and it simply isn’t true.
I use a holster for my Crackberry, but I’m IT so I have to look like a dork.
Besides, how could anyone stand to have a phone or similar device in his or her pocket?
The only other options would be to wear a shoulder holster like Gareth from the Office, right?
Not everyone puts “looking cool” as high on the priority list as you do. That’s diversity for you.
C’mon…if you want to avoid looking like a doofus, then you need to keep it in your fanny pack.
I wear my cell phone in a belt holster because that’s the most practical place for a cell phone, and I can imagine few fates worse than becoming a manager. Where am I supposed to put it? In a pocket, I might not be able to get it out before my voicemail picks up, and what’s the point of carrying a phone at all if you can’t answer it? Besides, my pockets are already full, between keys, handkerchief, Swiss army knife, calculator, Post-it notes, wallet, and pens.
I can think of a way to look like even more of a “doosh”.
Keeping the Blackberry in your pocket so people can ask if that’s a Blackberry or if you’re just happy to see them?
I’d be one of them. I’m no manager, my pockets are full of other stuff (wallet, keys, pens, etc.), and I frankly don’t care about how a cellphone holster makes me look.
So maybe to some, I look like a douche. Whoopee. But, as you can tell, I do care about spelling. 