Who needs a cell phone?

[justin]

That's what CB radio is for

That was before my time! I remember seeing it in my parents' old cars though. If I wanted a solution to the "breaking down on the side of the road" problem, I'd get a cell phone though. In the meantime, I stick with regularly scheduled maintenance intervals and keep the cars in top operating condition. I splurge on maintaining the cars so I don't end up stranded on the side of the road.

 

[Scrooge]

I splurge on maintaining the cars so I don't end up stranded on the side of the road.   

I can assure you that there are many many ways to end up stranded on the side of the road even if you do a great job of maintaining your car

 

[justin]

I can assure you that there are many many ways to end up stranded on the side of the road even if you do a great job of maintaining your car

True. But I can assure you that there are even more ways you can end up stranded on the side of the road if you don't maintain your car.

I grew up in the household that thought "maintaining your car is just a scam run by those evil auto repair shops and the car dealers". The "if it runs, drive it" (until it breaks down on the side of the road, of course) family. You may have seen me walking on the side of a road near you.

 

[audreyh1]

Question for the cell data users:  what it the monthly cost, and do you get unlimited data transfer, or does the cell co. cap your monthly usage at a certain number of MB's? 

all unlimited - $60/month.

Audrey

 

[justin]

all unlimited - $60/month.

Does that amount include your voice cell plan, too? Or is it a separate fee? Seems like a decent deal given the portability, and the fact that most of us cable internet users are paying ~$45/month for speeds a few times faster than your "in-town" speeds.

 

[audreyh1]

Separate from voice plan, but having a voice plan reduced the data plan by $10/month. Includes unlimited broadband if you are in an area that has it.

It's expensive compared to land systems, but cheaper and a lot easier than setting up a portable internet satellite system.

Audrey

 

[Michael Moore]

We've been talking, very sporadically, about an emergency cell phone for the cars.

But we seldom go anywhere that counts as a significant ways from home. Neither of us has a desire for a cell phone, and I must admit that the time or two I've attempted to use someone else's phone, especially if outside, I have had a lot of difficulty hearing clearly enough to understand what the other person was saying (especially if they too were on a cell phone).

Mostly, we pity people who feel they need to have a cell phone to be in touch with random callers every second of the day. That excludes the ones we hate because they can't walk/drive/be quiet in a movie theater because they are on a cell phone.

I guess we're just not important enough to need a cell phone.

cheers,
Michael

 

[sgeeeee]

. . .if I were keeping up with the Joneses I'd have the latest camera flip phone that does everything but wipe your @$$.  . . .

That feature is not scheduled until 4G phones hit the market.

 

[mountaintosea]

Never had a cell phone. I've used them a couple of times and don't care for them.
The job is NOW saying that we either have a cell phone OR they will provide us with a pager. Just another factor pushing me out the door.

 

[sgeeeee]

   Never had a cell phone. I've used them a couple of times and don't care for them.
  The job is NOW saying that we either have a cell phone OR they will provide us with a pager. Just another factor pushing me out the door. 

When I was still working, I found a pager was something I could live with more than a cell phone -- especially an alpha-numeric pager. They are much less intrusive than a cell phone. You can postpone responding until you finish your sentence, your meeting or your day -- depending on who calls for what. The alpha-numeric pagers were actually nice since most of the time, people only need some simply response. Type in a few words and you're done.

I hated being saddled with a cell phone. It meant I was always working on someone else's problem. I would just turn the d@mn thing off sometimes. Then when I would get back to my office, there would be 50 messages on my voicemail telling me to check my cell messages.

Good luck, mountaintosea.

 

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

I am still working, and I live on the road. Back home, my wife is also on the road a lot. We both have had cell phones for years as do the kids. We have a Verizon family plan and I have a special plan that gives me no roaming charges and a flat rate all over North America. (I stared out with AT&T, who had the first no-roaming, flat rate North American plan. We dropped it when we moved and found that their local coverage was crap.) We couldn't live without cell phones. We used to have arguments because we couldn't get hold of each other or the kids when we needed to. All of us except the daughter have stone-age basic phones.

I get very few business calls on the cell. Possibly the out-of-country area code puts people off. Almost all my business is transacted on the office phone or via e-mail. Understand that I am a simple contractor and go from project to project. I am not a big wheel.

My cell usage is usually communication with family, my agents, officialdom and friends, who are all over the world. Networking is lifeblood to me.

I have a local phone in my apartment with my fax and answering phone on it and DSL. I buy phone cards at the 7-11 that suit me fine (3.9 cents Canadian a minute to the places I want to call). I use the cell only if I can't use a phone card.

I have Yahoo e-mail accounts for personal and professional purposes that I can use anywhere in the world.

I have been interested in PDAs that include a cell phone function but I have not seen one yet that works well, does what I need and is reliable.

I only need a little technology, and it must be reliable. I also need alternate ways to communicate, for back-up in case one or another method can't be used.

 

[TargaDave]

With Rep's and customers spread out in the US, Europe and the Far East we use everything including domestic and international cell phones, land lines, Skype and laptop wireless cards. Haven't tried the international wireless cards yet though (Verizon's I think is $130/month). That's on top of just moving to a full T-1. Total cost is "you don't want to know" but a required evil for our biz.

That said I really dislike loud longwinded public cell talkers. I always duck into a quiet spot to use mine and just take messages most of the time. No idle chit chat.

DW and I pay for our 15 yr old's cell. Peace of mind, better oversight, and less wasted time carting her all over the place 10 times a day

 

[larry]

Here is how I plan to make my TracFone completely free:

    Al's TracFone Page

I designed that page so that it will appear high up on people's searches about tracfones.  No referrals yet, but I just created it a week or so ago.

Good idea, looks like you are the official guinea pig. I've considered trac-phone as an option also and you've really clarified alot of the process for me.

Thanks for the link.

 

[Michael Moore]

I use the cell only if I can't use a phone card.

It sure seems like payphones are getting more and more difficult to find. I suspect that eventually you'll have to have a cell phone if you need to make any kind of call while away from home.

cheers,
Michael

 

[mountaintosea]

Thanks for the info on pagers. Hopefully they won't seem so intrusive sgeeee. I'm not sure when they are going to show up.
Good grief with email and voicemail the bosses really want us connected ALL the time!

 

[Scrooge]

It sure seems like payphones are getting more and more difficult to find.

Nationwide, the number of pay phones has dropped by half to approximately 1 million over the last nine years, according to an estimate by the American Public Communications Council

 

[free4now]

I was reading the story about the guys busted for terrorism for buying 1000 prepaid Tracphone cell phones, and thought hmm... maybe they've found a good deal?

They offer a year's worth of service with a phone for $100:

http://www.freeprepaid.com/tracfones.htm

 

[KB]

Sam's club carries Tracphones....maybe Costco also.

Last time I looked, the price was about 68.00 with a small amount of minutes, but a one year activation. Minutes could be added through their website or by buying a card.

I have a family plan with 3 phones and 1500 anytime minutes. My kids have unlimited text messaging and evenings start at 7 PM. Sprint to Sprint is not counted in the 1500. With an employee discount from m previous employer, it costs about $100 a month. When this plan expires, I'll probably let my kids go off on their own plans.

They use most of the minutes, but I do use the long distance on it occasionally.

 

[thefed]

i only have a cell, no landline

60/month for unlimited minutes...and i use about 2500!!!!

 

[Spanky]

Cell phone is great. It's a great way to call and receive calls from almost any place (except for remote area). The drawbacks are voice quality and interference. We hardly use our regular phone since we can use the cell phone for long distance. The regular phone is for emergency purpose. I do not give out my cell phone number to people at work.