I’m particularly interested in hearing from people who don’t.
I personally don’t, but I’m also quite the recluse so it would be pointless. It would be useful for awkward situations, though. Just pull it out, start browsing and you blend right in.
I own one but it’s one of those ones you buy 90 day cards for and I let it lapse most of the year. I generally use it when I travel south in the winter.
I resisted for a long time. Eventually, my old workplace made me buy one, so they could interrupt me at any time and make me come in to work for emergencies. (Overtime! Cha-ching!)
Right around that time, I got stuck on the freeway with a dead car battery, in the middle of a huge rainstorm. The luxury of being able to call for roadside assistance without getting drenched was not lost on me.
Just this spring, I moved up to a smartphone. It has already saved me some hassle, as I was able to search out some roads to see if they were closed due to forest fires. They were. Saved me a lot of backtracking.
I have seen the future and it is convenient.
Got my first and only one three years ago.
Yes. Until recently it was a Motorola Razr flip-phone from 2008, then it broke, and since I have payasyougo from Orange I was able to get their cheapest cellphone ( £5 ) until I can get another flip-phone.
The bad bit about payasyougo is that one must buy £10 of credits every 6 months, and one can forget: particularly as this about covers what I use in a year.
Yes I have a phone that I ‘top up’ when I have to. Only yesterday I was using it to listen to music, photograph a document and checking the GPS for where I wanted to go to. I also made a call because, for the first time in ever, I was locked out of the house as I’d forgotten my key. I asked my sister by text message whether ‘Where I wanted to go to’ was where she was going to. I think that might be the most use I’ve had out of it since I bought it in 2011, I message more online than I do with my phone.
Used to only have a landline and resisted cell phones because of cost.
However, eventually ditched landline (mostly telemarketers anyway) and cell phone costs went down and, well, convenience.
Next time your car breaks down on the freeway and have to flag someone down with a cell phone to get help (yep, happened to me), or you need to call home from some place that doesn’t have a pay phone handy (like, almost everywhere these days) or next time you want to call anyone away from your house, you will be thankful you have a cell phone.
I still think they are too expensive - but they are now at least affordable, depending upon your usage and need to have one. And as mentioned, you can buy one for about $30 and get a prepaid card and just have it with you for emergencies. You don’t even need to give anyone your number.
Yes, although I use it mostly for functions other than phoning (apps such as tide tables, mapping, time recording, diary, note-taking and camera functions) - in reality, I have a mobile computer that I occasionally use as a phone.
As of the moment, I’m the other “no”.
Had one for a year.
Being completely asocial, I have no one to call, and no one wants to talk to me so desperately that I heed to be plugged in.
Got rid of it when the contract expired - turns out, the only thing which feels natural on my hip is a tape measure.
I’ve had a cell phone since about 1996. Several over the years, originally all provided by work. I used to love the Nokia 7110 but now couldn’t get by without my smart phone.
I have an old landline phone; no cellphone.
I have had a cellphone since the mid 90s, although I’m not wedded to the thing and make less than a call per day.
However text messaging is a winner. I will send or receive up to a dozen texts every day with my wife and teenagers plus the occasional friend. This is an extremely useful function to ask a question while at the supermarket (I’m incompetent) and check if the children need picked up - always etc.
However - of my four siblings (we are all in our 50s) only one has a cellphone and she doesn’t know her number. She never replies if I text or ring usually because it is flat or misplaced.
I do find this a bit frustrating while also accepting they just are not comfortable with technology.
I have one, just for emergencies. I’ve used it 3 times.
I just got my first one a month ago. I like it 'cuz I can text people now instead of having to talk to them. I also find the calendar useful.
Never use the phone aspect of it, though.
I never thought I’d be that guy but, yeah, turns out I’m that guy. I use my cell phone for everything and wonder how I ever remained on top of things without one. It is an appendage for me now.
I make and receive a lot of calls, so yeah, I use it as a phone, my primary phone.
It is invaluable for email, which I have configured so my mail is automatically displayed when my phone comes out of sleep and I can swipe through all of my mail accounts to see the latest incoming messages without having to open an app. Very convenient.
I have the Galaxy Note II so I can actually browse the internet without killing my eyes, although I am salivating for the Galaxy Note 3, which has a slightly larger screen.
I review Word, Excel, and PPT docs all the time with my phone, and have edited Word documents in a pinch. Although I wouldn’t want to make edits to documents on a normal basis with my phone, I am very grateful that I can.
I am in love with Google Maps for navigation, which is better and more accurate than any standalone GPS device I have ever owned or used. I hate the new Maps UI, but I’m sure I’ll get over it. Also, geocaching is fun. There. I said it. Nothing to be embarrassed about.
I am not a photographer, so the quality of the video and stills I take with the camera in my phone is good enough for me, and better than many of the standalone cameras I used to lug around. I also take many more photos and videos than I used to and instantly send them to one of my online repositories for access via all of my other computing devices.
My and my wife’s phones run an app that makes our photos available to each other as soon as they are taken, which is very useful for when my wife is out shopping, and I’m thankfully not, and she wants me to see an outfit or other piece of apparel she’s considering. For example, she will call and ask if I like the dress she just tried on, and I simply flip over to the gallery while she’s on the phone and provide my comment. A time and money saver.
I use my phone to record audio from meetings for later review, or transcription, if required.
As far as entertainment is concerned, I’m not a mobile device gamer, so I don’t use my phone for that, but I do watch movies, especially when I’m in bed. Netflix on my phone is great and fills the bill perfectly. I simply place my phone in a cradle on my nightstand, fire-up Netflix, and watch a program or movie until I fall asleep.
My phone is also my alarm clock, which gets me up in the morning.
Can you tell me which tide table app you use, and why you like it?
I’m also looking for a good maritime GPS / plotter app.
Although “no” is the technically correct answer, I didn’t vote, because I’m virtually indistinguishable from someone who does own one. My employer wants me to carry one for emergencies, so they own the phone and pay for the service. But I’m permitted nearly unrestricted use of it, and it gets used for far more personal stuff than business related stuff.
I was an early adopter and haven’t had a landline for a long time. I got my kids each their own when they were each 8 or so.
I have one, but I rarely use it. It’s an old flip phone. I got it because it’s damn near impossible to find a public phone any more. It has served its purpose as an emergency communications device several times, including once when I need an ambulance and a trip to the ER. I have the texting disabled on it, because the only texts I ever received are from spammers. I usually have the ringer off. The phone is very handy when traveling and staying in a hotel, I must admit.
I’m even thinking of getting a smart phone. Or maybe a tablet phone. I carry my nook around with me every time I set foot outside the house, and it’s the first edition nook and needs an upgrade…if I’m gonna get a tablet anyway, why not one with a phone in it?
I own what I call a dumbphone; it acts like a smartphone but it’s really dumb. It makes calls, has different ringtones, can text, and has access to the Internet. The Internet browsing is TERRIBLE and is just about good enough to look up an address, phone #, etc. It’s a TracFone and I pay by the minute. I got it very late compared to my colleagues.
I also have a tablet, which is where I do all of the “fun” things other people do on their smartphones. Smartphones cost too much and the data plans are outrageous.
Yes, it would be impossible for me not to. I haven’t had a landline since 2004.