# Mobile (cell) phones

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mobile-cell-phones/854144>\
**Category:** Great Debates\
**Created:** [May 19, 2020, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mobile-cell-phones/854144 "2020-05-19T21:39:51Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 8\
**Page:** 4

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**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\
**Post date:** [September 12, 2020, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mobile-cell-phones/854144/61 "2020-09-12T23:47:03Z")

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The only thing I get out of these post is that kids are still doing things that make the older generations pissed off. So they are doing things right and we must be progressing as normal.

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**Author:** ![Mallard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Mallard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mallard)\
**Post date:** [September 15, 2020, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mobile-cell-phones/854144/62 "2020-09-15T20:29:01Z")

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The advent of the cell phone was in my view one of the biggest life changing events of the 20th century ( In my lifetime, I’m 67). I recall a number of years ago how a cell phone saved a woman’s life in South Dakota during a massive snow storm. Her car left the road and was buried in snow. I’m sure she freezes to death without it.

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**Author:** ![SmartAleq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smartaleq/32/163_2.png) [@SmartAleq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAleq)\
**Post date:** [September 16, 2020, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mobile-cell-phones/854144/63 "2020-09-16T00:15:18Z")

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> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#):
>
> I would never even think of getting on a train, bus, or plane without bringing something to read; and smartphones haven’t changed that.

Smartphones have improved this tremendously. One of the things I hated about being a bookworm was that I had to A) carry heavy ass books around (hey, even a slim paperback weighs way more than my phone) and B) would still have those terrifying days when I’d finish my book sooner than expected and be stuck with NOTHING TO READ. I have hundreds of books stashed on my phone, if none of those suit I can download some other ones from my Amazon account and if THAT isn’t enough I can go read news or reddit or a message board instead. Smartphones are the best goddamned thing that has ever happened to reading addicts.

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**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\
**Post date:** [September 16, 2020, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mobile-cell-phones/854144/64 "2020-09-16T01:48:21Z")

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> [@SmartAleq](#):
>
> Smartphones are the best goddamned thing that has ever happened to reading addicts.

And e-readers.

Yeah, [those ass books can get pretty heavy.](https://xkcd.com/37/)

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**Author:** ![SmartAleq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smartaleq/32/163_2.png) [@SmartAleq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAleq)\
**Post date:** [September 16, 2020, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mobile-cell-phones/854144/65 "2020-09-16T02:28:54Z")

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KIndle app on my cell phone AND my tablet. When I’m reading a book at home I can call it up on my phone while I’m out and it will put me at the exact spot where I left off on the tablet then catches me up when I switch back. Anyone dissing smartphones hasn’t fully figured out what they do yet. Music too–I have a 128GB SD card in my phone loaded up with a shit ton of music and I can play it anywhere. I have Bluetooth speakers all over the house and a BT connector for my car stereo and noise cancelling BT headphones so I can listen to the music I like anywhere I go. How can anyone think this is a bad thing?

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**Author:** ![Saintly\_Loser](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saintly_loser/32/4045_2.png) [@Saintly\_Loser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saintly_Loser)\
**Post date:** [September 16, 2020, 10:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mobile-cell-phones/854144/66 "2020-09-16T10:57:33Z")

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> [@SmartAleq](#):
>
> Smartphones are the best goddamned thing that has ever happened to reading addicts.

If the smartphone had never been invented, you’d still have the Kindle. Amazon’s Kindle is just about the same age as the iPhone.

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**Author:** ![SmartAleq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smartaleq/32/163_2.png) [@SmartAleq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAleq)\
**Post date:** [September 16, 2020, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mobile-cell-phones/854144/67 "2020-09-16T17:57:00Z")

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I detest the Kindles, aside from the e-ink they’re just crippled Android tablets and if you have Android tablets you’re gonna have smartphones so they’re just differently sized critters that are basically the same thing. Like house cats and panthers. And the iPhone came out in 2007–by then I’d already had the T-Mobile SDA and was ready to move up to the MDA which more of what we now think of as the smartphone.

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**Author:** ![razordance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e47774/32.png) [@razordance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/razordance)\
**Post date:** [September 16, 2020, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mobile-cell-phones/854144/68 "2020-09-16T23:30:30Z")

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Someday within our lifetimes, cell phones will be replaced by brain implants.

You will never, EVER be able to get away from the communications network.

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