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No, obviously cellphones are not going away, but has the world stopped using them as a phone? What I mean is: am I the only one who pushes a few buttons and talks to people? it seems like they are nearly all used as data devices only, and by looking at the available plans, that's all they want you to do.
I've had a phone since the mid 90's - starting as a bag phone and then to the ubiquitous nokia of the late 90's with the external antenna, then on to a much smaller nokia. due to the fact that i often have my phones exposed to rain, snow, mud, oil, constant drops, and various other pitfalls, i then moved to the motorola tundra and currently the motorola quantico. over the years I have changed plans a few times, based on where I have been working and what providers the people I call are on. Never have I come out cheaper when I changed plans, though when the plan price was higher it at least gave me more time or features. Now that has even stopped. my current plan is 450 minutes a month, with unlimited incoming and mobile to mobile (on my own network) for $40 a month, plus taxes. if i were to re-up the plan, or were starting from scratch the 450 minute plan costs $50 a month plus taxes. This plan includes unlimited texting, and this is where i start to fall through the cracks.
I use my phone to talk quite a bit. I'm never by a land line (aside from work hours) when people need to get in touch me, so I use the cell a lot. bluetooth while driving is a constant, and often when i'm working in my garage I keep the headset on so I can talk and work at the same time. On occasions when I work from home I end up talking on the phone a lot (before i switched carriers I once had over $100 in overages for the month.)
when I'm working my normal job, I am sitting behind a computer for 10+ hours a day. I have access to email and internet when I need them, and if I'm using a phone to text during work, then I'm not working. I spend a solid 2 hours a day commuting, so I can't be texting then. add in time to do the normal stuff around the house when I get home and before work, and there isn't much time left in the day when I'm awake. For the occasions when I'm not working my desk job, I am often working hands-on with something, so I can't be texting then either.
I assume I'm the minority now, as most everyone I see is thumb typing to someone their entire waking life. The funny thing is, I see a ton of people around me with the exact same phone as me, so there must be a few other holdouts too, but with the plans offered by the major carriers it seems that voice is secondary to text and data, and to get voice you have to buy a costly plan.
I've had a phone since the mid 90's - starting as a bag phone and then to the ubiquitous nokia of the late 90's with the external antenna, then on to a much smaller nokia. due to the fact that i often have my phones exposed to rain, snow, mud, oil, constant drops, and various other pitfalls, i then moved to the motorola tundra and currently the motorola quantico. over the years I have changed plans a few times, based on where I have been working and what providers the people I call are on. Never have I come out cheaper when I changed plans, though when the plan price was higher it at least gave me more time or features. Now that has even stopped. my current plan is 450 minutes a month, with unlimited incoming and mobile to mobile (on my own network) for $40 a month, plus taxes. if i were to re-up the plan, or were starting from scratch the 450 minute plan costs $50 a month plus taxes. This plan includes unlimited texting, and this is where i start to fall through the cracks.
I use my phone to talk quite a bit. I'm never by a land line (aside from work hours) when people need to get in touch me, so I use the cell a lot. bluetooth while driving is a constant, and often when i'm working in my garage I keep the headset on so I can talk and work at the same time. On occasions when I work from home I end up talking on the phone a lot (before i switched carriers I once had over $100 in overages for the month.)
when I'm working my normal job, I am sitting behind a computer for 10+ hours a day. I have access to email and internet when I need them, and if I'm using a phone to text during work, then I'm not working. I spend a solid 2 hours a day commuting, so I can't be texting then. add in time to do the normal stuff around the house when I get home and before work, and there isn't much time left in the day when I'm awake. For the occasions when I'm not working my desk job, I am often working hands-on with something, so I can't be texting then either.
I assume I'm the minority now, as most everyone I see is thumb typing to someone their entire waking life. The funny thing is, I see a ton of people around me with the exact same phone as me, so there must be a few other holdouts too, but with the plans offered by the major carriers it seems that voice is secondary to text and data, and to get voice you have to buy a costly plan.
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I think my smart phone saves me a lot of time. I can google information when I need it. I can text to family and others. I often text to my veterinarian to let them know I need them or something. My steel supplier takes my texts for steel orders. Appointments are made with texting. As John mentioned I then have a written memo of what I said or what they said to me. I have an unlimited plan for talking, text, internet etc.. It costs me about 65 Euros a month and saves me a lot of time and money.
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