Cell Phones

[Gorgeous Mistake]

Yesterday, I experienced the closest I have ever come to having an ultimate panic attack.

It was horrid, I thought my entire sky was falling, I felt as if the world was out to get me and there was no safety, I ran up and down searching for my savior, nothing mattered except that I might have lost my... cell phone.

Dramatic? Yes. Hyperbole? No.

Lastnight I was at Target with my mother and sister, I went into the restroom and left my phone there. Why in the world would I ever set my phone in a germ infested public restroom? I have no idea, especially since I am such a germ freak! I walked out of the restroom and completely forgot about my cell phone and went along looking at the office supplies section (I'm addicted to office supplies; I love sticky notes, planners, organizers, etc.). Then, I remembered I put down my cellphone in the restroom.. I rummaged through my purse and it wasn't there. I ran to the restroom, it wasn't there! Then I ran up and down the store like a mad woman searching for it!

I thought I had lost it forever, since it is a blackberry, most people who find them, sell them.

My mother was nowhere to be found and I felt very vulnerable. Then I found her and I started CRYING, yes crying, and I exclaimed "Mom I can't find my cell phone, I don't know what to do. Where were you? I need you!" She simply said "Wow that sucks, you better hope someone turned it in." Then I knew she had it, I just knew and so I started crying even more and said "Oh my gosh, you have it, thank you mom, thank you." She pulled it out of her purse and handed me my white blackberry pearl and I never felt so complete in my life.

This is all true. What has the world come to that so many people feel incomplete without their cell phones? What is this?

I have no particular reason for needing my cellphone. Any number that I need, I have branded in my brain.

[Mr. Saint]

That sucks, had it happen to me a few times. This is a little off topic but, how do you like the Pearl? I was thinking abut getting one.

[Gorgeous Mistake]

No complaints, except it takes forever to turn on. But that's understandable since there are many programs the device has to load. Oh and for some reason even though it is considered a modern phone, some features are old fashioned, you'll see what I mean if you look through one.

If you are good with technology, you'll love the pearl if you're not, it'll be plenty of headaches.

As for me, I love my phone. It's smaller than any other phone with it's capabilities (that I've seen), I've had no technical difficulties with it, it's really cute and girly, um... dk what else to say

[dancingdoc2]

I'm a TracFone kinda guy. No bells, no whistles, just tinkle tinkle and/or hmmmm hmmmm. Talk is cheap, also.

[Mr. Saint]

My father is the same way doc. personally I am looking for a nice phone with all the bells and whistles I am a kind of tech nerd. I am debating whether to just get the Peril or wait for the Storm to come out. So thanks Gorgeous, I was just wondering if it had any major problems. I got a fancy phone two years ago and it sucks, it has lots of glitches and I have had to get it replaced 5 times.

[Gorgeous Mistake]

I would wait for the Storm and then compare at the store. I haven't had any major problems... I wouldn't be able to stand it. I'm not a patient person.

Doc, what's weird is that... I don't really talk on the phone a lot either.. but yet I still felt completely lost with my phone.

[dancingdoc2]

It was about ten years ago that I purchased my first cell phone. This was when I was still living in a small town at the heart of California's Mother Lode. A local cell phone company placed a 1/3 page ad in the local paper advertising what I affectionately referred to as "the Valentine's Day Special". For $8/mo. and 39c/min. they would provide an analog phone. This was several years before California had installed solar powered emergency phones every mile along major highways and byways, so I figured one of these telephones was cheap insurance to have while driving, especially because I drove a lot at night and many times on the back roads.

I had two telephone lines at home, one public and one private. Now, I was about to have a third "chat line" that followed me everywhere. I decided that if I could keep the cell phone bill under $20/mo. it was worth having so went and made the purchase just before Valentine's Day. The phone actually worked pretty well in and around the Sierra Foothills which I found surprising.

When I moved to Sacramento, in 2003, I canceled that plan and signed up with Ma Bell and switched to digital. My plan was to use the free minutes at night and on weekends to make long distance calls. Good plan, trouble was there was no reception in the house and only marginal reception on the street! So much for good ideas. AT&T had the best coverage of the various services in the area yet there were still drop outs along the major corridors and surface streets that annoyed me.

I did not use the phone all that much and $35 or so a month was more than I was willing to spend so I just decided than I'd go without. Emergency phones had been installed by about '05. My better half had a cellphone on a family plan with her father and sister and after he passed away that ended that. We both decided we still did not need an expensive contract plan and now that the state requires a vehicle driver to use hands free phones, the only bells and whistles we wanted was Bluetooth technology and either an earpiece or visor mounted speakerphone.

In this area Net10 and TracFone offer pay as you go service. We chose the latter because they offer a family plan. We pay about $16/mo. total for both phones and because our phones come with double the minutes and activation time, we pay 10c/min. So, while the per minute charge may be more than with contract phones, I can guarantee you we are not paying those outrageously high monthly fees! Radio coverage has improved considerably over the past few years and this was a pleasant surprise.

I LOVE technology and am a gadget guru of long standing, and have had a love affair with the telephone and making PBX equipment, etc. for the home as a teen, yet this is my limit. I do not like texting and I do not need a planner; however, I must say I have used the tip and regular calculators, and the conversion calculator a few times. So, there is my rationale for communicating in this manner.

What really galls me is the iPhone. Not only is the device expensive, service is, what, something over $100/mo??!! Add to this my satellite bill, land line bill, food bill, taxes, and so when is enough enough?

[Gorgeous Mistake]

It depends what you other plans you attach to the iPhone. My plan is $75/month... I don't think it's bad. Comes with 600 minutes, unlimited nights and weekends, and unlimited text messaging plus insurance. I'm with T-mobile.

[sera300]

You are raised with them! Everyone knows mine is in the bottom of the pocketbook, left in one of my cars, or maybe not charged or it's "off"!
I know how to answer it...txt a tiny bit, over about 20 minutes to say hi..friends get frustrated and just call me at home.

For work purposes its on but I usually check messages from the house and call from a private number!

I am fortunate I know how to work a computer...that was done over the past 10 years!!! I learned how to use power-point then! Yeah! It's called being in the "digital divide". The majority I did learn was on college campus from the younger students! Just think I began college as a Comp. Sci. major, took a while to figure out I hated programming and the languages!

[smallestoftheclan]

This is a little off topic, I left my franklin planner in the ladies room at the Cleveland airport. I got here to Detroit Metro, no money, no credit cards, no id (yeah it was my purse so all of that was in it). Someone very very very nice turned it in, and the airline flew it home to Detroit and had it delivered to my work the next day.
The parking lot even let my car out without payment. I sent them a check the day after that.
I no longer use my Franklin as my purse, and everyday I appreciate the person that turned that in to security insead of stealing my identity. Yes my ss card and so much more was in there.
So for a plug, it was Northwest Airlines. It was actually turned into a different airline, yet they checked with them all in Cleveland, called me as soon as they found it offered to fly it into Detroit and then deliver it. My work was about an hour from the airport, all at no charge. Everything was in it, the money, my id's my credit cards, oh and my cell phone. It has a cell phone carrier on the front of it. Luckily my car keys were in my coat pocket, or I would of been totally up the creek.