It has been 10 years since I last had a cell phone, and I haven't needed one since. My job doesn't take me on the road, but my freelance work does, and I'm able to manage just fine with an answering machine and a few quarters. The Cell phone would attract me if:

1. All incoming calls were free.
2. E-911 worked even when power was out. Some cases no power in the towers meant that land based phones still worked better because of the trickle charge coming over the phonelines.
3. The rates were lower for local than the local land line charges. I can get $20 a month, 65 free calls a month, and 8 cents a call (not minute, a call!) after that from my land line provider, including taxes.
4. The iPhone needs to be available in all areas. Coverage of cellphone services can be more sparse than broadband internet in some cases.

PDAs pose another problem: The darn keyboard, or input methods are all too small. The screen is too small to make a legible 80 column text screen. When OLED screens become a reality, and a 17" Powerbook size screen folds like a folding Trails Unlimited map, and the infrared keyboard does too, a PDA might make more sense.

The protection of such devices against water damage is another problem, as well as the sturdyness against collisions etc...

I would like a one button voice memo recorder. My cell phone has a voice memo feature, but you have to get through several menus to start it.

Vern, have you ever considered that these "mobile professionals" are essentially serfs? They are at the beck and call of their lords and masters (bosses, clients, suppliers, partners) all the time--even in the can. (At least you draw the line there!) They like to think that they're in control of their lives, but they're not even close--they're deluding themselves. A 10-year-old kid has more control over his/her life than these "mobile professionals."

When you carry a cell phone and answer it, no matter what, you're saying that your time is less valuable--to YOU!--than the time of whomever is calling you. They are dictating what you do and when you do it, not you.

I ran several multimillion-dollar programs in the Air Force long before cell phones. When the phone rang, I didn't answer--a subordinate did. He/she would ask if I wanted to take the call. (If it was my boss, of course I took it!) If I were busy--meeting with my staff, talking with another senior officer, etc.--or not there, my subordinate took a message and left it on my desk. There was seldom anything that was so critical that they would interrupt a meeting. (Today, we have voice mail that does the same thing without interrupting someone else. Use it.)

Today, on the other hand, at nearly every meeting I go to (mostly volunteer organizations like 4-H, meeting in the evening), someone's cell phone rings. Usually, the ringer is set to wake the dead, so the discussion/business stops immediately. Almost every time, it's the person's kid or spouse, asking when they'll be home, what's for dinner, where their socks are, etc.--stuff that could easily wait.

Also consider that, if you answer the phone while you're meeting with a client, you've just told that client that his/her time isn't worth very much to you, that, basically, you don't give a d*mn about their business. Think how you'd feel if your attorney or physician took a call while meeting with you.

(The only time I would interrupt even a meeting with a subordinate for a phone call was if the call was from our commander (or higher), as the commander had a right to demand the attention of both of us.)

A friend was recently on jury duty. Twice during the trial, someone's cell phone went off, even though everyone had been told to turn phones, pagers, etc., off. I have a DVD of a speech by General Zinni (four stars)--someone's phone went off during his speech. That is arrogant, rude, thoughtless, boorish, inconsiderate, and, to be frank, stupid. People should be embarassed when they allow it to happen, as it's really easy to prevent--turn the d*mned phone OFF during the meeting, trial, dinner, etc.

When I was much younger, the only people who had pagers were physicians who were on call. Then, it seemed that lots of people had pagers, perhaps to make themselves feel important. Now, it's cell phones.

Worst, though, are people use cell phones while driving. Recent research has shown that talking on a cell phone while driving--even with a headset or hands-free device--dramatically increases the risk of a serious accident. Many jurisdictions have made using cell phones without hands-free devices while driving illegal. To anyone who uses a cell phone while driving, even with a hands-free system, I have one question: is that call worth your child's life? If not, don't do it. Turn off the phone while you're driving.

Yes, I have a cell phone, but it is turned off most of the time. Few people have the number, as it's mostly for outgoing calls. If someone calls, they can leave a voice mail message that I'll pick up when I have time.

I also have a PDA (Palm TX) with WiFi. Besides playing battleship (<G>), I use it for contacts and to record appointments that I'll later sync with Palm Desktop on my iMac at home (still haven't moved to iCal). (I also keep info on DVDs and books I might want to get so that I can check local sale prices vs Amazon, buy.com, etc. Documents to Go is great for this.)

Cell phones, PDAs, PIMs, etc. should make our lives easier, more convenient, and less stressful. Instead, it seems, for too many people, having such devices makes their lives more difficult, less convenient, and much more stressful.

Don't get me started about people (mostly young people) who continue to play their iPods while someone is talking to them (they take one earbud out) or kids who send text messages during classes.

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Ibn Rushd wrote:
I would like a one button voice memo recorder. My cell phone has a voice memo feature, but you have to get through several menus to start it.

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gslusher wrote:
Vern, have you ever considered that these "mobile professionals" are essentially serfs? They are at the beck and call of their lords and masters (bosses, clients, suppliers, partners) all the time--even in the can. (At least you draw the line there!) They like to think that they're in control of their lives, but they're not even close--they're deluding themselves. A 10-year-old kid has more control over his/her life than these "mobile professionals."

If Mark Twain didn't say that, he should have.

""On April 20, 1879, Robert Lynd was born in Belfast, Ireland. Educated at
Queen's College in Belfast, he moved to London in 1901. Over the next
five decades he became one of England's most popular writers and critics,
writing regular columns for London's "Daily News," the "Nation," and the
"New Statesman." Some of his best essays were collected in a 1921 book,
"The Pleasures of Ignorance." Lynd had this to say about one of the 20th
Century's most important inventions:

"The telephone is
the greatest nuisance among conveniences,
the greatest convenience among nuisances." ""

Just to go off on a tangent....I think the "iPhone" needs to be all your portable gadgets in one. To really wow and succeed, it (and I'm sure apple are capable of pulling it off) should combine a good quality digi-cam, ipod, pda functions, a decent level of storage, and, of course, a phone. Although most new phones are getting like this, like, say, the SonyEriccson W810i, we are still waiting for something that can do everything excellently, not just moderately, as it the case now. With a competitive price they'd have a clear winner. Having said that though.... coolness with be the decider!

Also, it could have the advantage of being sold alongside other phones as well as apple products, thus giving it a presence in more locations than its competitors.