# How did we ever get along without cell phones? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [June 20, 2004, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-we-ever-get-along-without-cell-phones/251319 "2004-06-20T17:46:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2015, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-we-ever-get-along-without-cell-phones/251319/61 "2015-01-08T18:40:55Z")
I had a smart phone for a couple of years but I never used the “smart” features besides playing games while waiting at the doctor or the DMV so a year ago I downgraded to an older smart phone and got a plan that doesn’t have internet access or texting. Saved about $60 a month doing so and that is going into my car payment. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2015, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-we-ever-get-along-without-cell-phones/251319/62 "2015-01-08T19:03:36Z")
> [@beechnut79](#): > > Where have you been? This may take a while for a complete answer. There’s 10+ years of explaining to do. ---
**Author:** ![Calatin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/439d5e/32.png) [@Calatin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Calatin)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2015, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-we-ever-get-along-without-cell-phones/251319/63 "2015-01-08T19:09:50Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > This may take a while for a complete answer. There’s 10+ years of explaining to do. If only he had a smartphone with GPS, he couldv’e just been tracked and it’d save him the time of explaining. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2015, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-we-ever-get-along-without-cell-phones/251319/64 "2015-01-10T06:18:35Z")
> [@KJ](#): > > That wouldn’t be necessary. After all, what’s to stop you from coughing up 50¢ to call them from a pay phone? Have you looked for a pay phone recently? > [@](#): > > I really think that as long as you keep the ringer off and you don’t speak where you’re not supposed to, they should absolutely allow them I really can’t think of any valid argument to counter this. What the hell business is it of anyone else what you carry on your person, as long as it’s legal and you don’t interfere with the proceedings in a public place, or bother other people with it. The mere fact that some people can’t accept with equanimity the spectacle of somebody carrying or wearing a mobile phone, or god forbid checking their text messages or playing a game, isn’t enough from my perspective. I do realize that in this particular case the management may be concerned about the cameras that exist in nearly all mobile phones, but spectators could equally well take pictures with ordinary cameras. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2015, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-we-ever-get-along-without-cell-phones/251319/65 "2015-01-10T06:27:15Z")
> [@The\_Hamster\_King](#): > > – Call 1 – > > Her: “I’m out in the hall, the meeting’s running long. Can you get The Girl?” > > Me: “I think so. Call me back at 4:30 and let me know if you still need me to go.” > – Call 2 – > > Her: “Me again. Yep, I’m not going to make the cut-off for pick-up. You better go.” > > Me: “Okay, I’ll check in when I’ve got her. Can you get The Boy?” > > Her: “Probably.” I love your pet names for your kids. For several years I shared an office with a coworker who, along with her husband, called their son and daughter Thing 1 and Thing 2. ---
**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:** [January 10, 2015, 8:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-we-ever-get-along-without-cell-phones/251319/66 "2015-01-10T08:16:35Z")
> [@KJ](#): > > That wouldn’t be necessary. After all, what’s to stop you from coughing up 50¢ to call them from a pay phone? > > > [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](#): > > > > Have you looked for a pay phone recently? There were a lot more pay phones 10 years ago when he posted that. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Holdsworth\_Effect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/848f3c/32.png) [@The\_Holdsworth\_Effect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Holdsworth_Effect)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2015, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-we-ever-get-along-without-cell-phones/251319/67 "2015-01-10T19:34:17Z")
Read through the thread for a bit before checking the post dates- whew!! I have a Verizon flip phone because I have to, in theory, be reachable at work and I can’t find the pager they issued me (and I can’t see the darn little numbers anyway). It’s $100/year, it runs out in February, and I still have $62 on it. I keep it mostly in my car attached to the charger. If I ever get a smart phone it’ll be for the camera and voice to text function. I’m hoping I can hold out until iPads will do that. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2015, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-we-ever-get-along-without-cell-phones/251319/68 "2015-01-10T21:44:18Z")
In 1953 Ray Bradbury wrote a short story called [The Murderer](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Murderer). Back when everyone having a portable phone was science fiction, the story depicted someone going insane over all the constant noise. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2015, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-we-ever-get-along-without-cell-phones/251319/69 "2015-01-10T21:53:53Z")
[I Pit real-life Borg](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=371256) ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2015, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-we-ever-get-along-without-cell-phones/251319/70 "2015-01-11T17:28:03Z")
I don’t think I had a cell phone when this thread was started, but I do have one now. It has what used to be our land line number. It’s a basic flip phone with no camera, and to text, you have to use the number pad, so I rarely text. One thing I do like about it - I can block unwanted numbers very easily, so now it hardly ever rings. What more could I ask of a phone? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2015, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-we-ever-get-along-without-cell-phones/251319/71 "2015-01-11T17:46:48Z")
I was just rereading _The South Florida Book Of The Dead_ which is an early '80s novel about a drug trafficking scheme gone bad. When a character had to communicate with his co-conspirator on a speedboat, they used CB radios with (illegal) power boosters). Very primitive-sounding, with the advantage that they didn’t have to worry about the lack of a cellphone tower in the south Atlantic, and the government couldn’t establish their locations or localize communications to an account. It’s downright amazing that anyone was able to engage in monkey business before cellphones were invented. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2015, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-we-ever-get-along-without-cell-phones/251319/72 "2015-01-11T17:56:53Z")
zombie or no what still gives me a chuckle is that way back when, if people wanted or needed to keep in contact they used a brick (a radio the size of a brick like a walkie talkie or handy talkie). some people needed it for their job. some ham radio people did it for fun or public service (you could talk to another ham or maybe make a phone call [phonepatch] to summon help if you came upon an accident). these people were thought very nerdy and weird for having this near constant communication ability. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2015, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-we-ever-get-along-without-cell-phones/251319/73 "2015-01-11T17:59:33Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > I don’t think I had a cell phone when this thread was started, but I do have one now. It has what used to be our land line number. It’s a basic flip phone with no camera, and to text, you have to use the number pad, so I rarely text. One thing I do like about it - I can block unwanted numbers very easily, so now it hardly ever rings. > > What more could I ask of a phone? 😃 I have a first generation Droid, and what I like about it is that I could download a ‘silence’ ring tone. I use the call logs to find the spam calls, and tag them with spam and silent ringtone. They ring right into voicemail with no ring, perfect. I also downloaded a 688I General Quarters alarm, which is great for when I need my husband to wake up immediately [though I do get odd looks if it rings while I am over on the Submarine base or something …] [URL=“[Pinterest](http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/)”] ---
**Author:** ![chicagowhitesox1173](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/46a35a/32.png) [@chicagowhitesox1173](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chicagowhitesox1173)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2015, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-we-ever-get-along-without-cell-phones/251319/74 "2015-01-11T19:20:20Z")
I still don’t own one, but I will admit, I am going to finally get one, on account of there’s very few pay phones left. I will miss my land line phone too, because i’m not paying for two phones. ---
**Author:** ![GrumpyBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc8723/32.png) [@GrumpyBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrumpyBunny)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2015, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-we-ever-get-along-without-cell-phones/251319/75 "2015-01-12T15:35:47Z")
> [@jsleek](#): > > Every day some air head woman in a SUV jabbering on a cell phone cuts me off without a glance. (She may have a thought, but it’s not about driving.) > > I suppose there’s a few guys out there doing the same, but I’ve never seen it. Interesting. When I get cut off in traffic by some dumbass on the phone, it’s invariably a guy wearing a suit in his 30s or 40s, driving an Audi or Lexus. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2015, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-we-ever-get-along-without-cell-phones/251319/76 "2015-01-12T17:13:39Z")
Man, oh man. We don’t even have a pay phone here at the library anymore - a few years ago the company that was operating ours went out of business and we literally could not find anybody who would do it. We _can’t_ have a pay phone. We tried! Even my friend who used to utterly refuse to get a cell phone got one this year. We worried sick about her because she has a long commute, and if anything happened to her car she planned to “wait until somebody came along to help”. She insisted it’s only us “young” people who have to worry about being raped and left to die in a ditch. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2015, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-we-ever-get-along-without-cell-phones/251319/77 "2015-01-16T22:10:06Z")
> [@Lumpy](#): > > In 1953 Ray Bradbury wrote a short story called [The Murderer](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Murderer). Back when everyone having a portable phone was science fiction, the story depicted someone going insane over all the constant noise. Truly a visionary. We should have listened. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-we-ever-get-along-without-cell-phones/251319.md?page=3)