Cell Phones

[paul]

On 2002-06-03 06:51, Boodikka wrote:
I've got another beef with cellphones: crappy "shelf life"! Many of the cellies seem to have been designed with "planned obsolescence" in mind. They break down quickly and will soon cause an environmental problem (along the likes of old computer monitors, TVs, etc.) Di's last "high-end" cellie (a Motorola) lasted just 3 months!
Oh, and yet another squabble.....the service contracts! Sprint MCI keeps charging us for service even though the cell phone they gave us was defective! They refuse to cancel service....we refuse to pay....fuck 'em!

Boodi, you're back. Yippeee
You just lit up what has been an ordinary day.
To go along with Marky, everyone and there grandma in SoCal is surgically attached to their cell phones. Like Marky, I don't have one. I'm in the manufacturer side of the business so I guess I shouldn't admit that but I vant to be alone, to borrow a quote (can you guess that one Marky ). I here and see enough of these things at work. Most annoying is hearing them at places like the movies. I just saw Star Wars and some pretentious self important asshole had his ringer on. I guess his order from Pizza Hut was confirmed.
BTW, the better choice for these things are those that are CDMA based. If you're worried about radiation going through your noggin, PCS is the safer band.

[markydefad]

Well, Paul I DO have a cell phone. I just don't use it. The only time I wished I had one was when I was at LAX and they cancelled my flight and I had a hellava time trying to get a damn payphone to work so I could make a long-distance call to my family. I think when next I travel I will take the cell phone with me. When I'm driving in LA--I'll just wait til I get to my destination or call before I get in the damn car.

[BrunoRepublic]

On 2002-06-06 20:23, paul wrote:
Like Marky, I don't have one. I'm in the manufacturer side of the business so I guess I shouldn't admit that but I vant to be alone, to borrow a quote (can you guess that one Marky ). I here and see enough of these things at work.

Well, after working six years in the telecom industry -- including two at an inbound call center -- you can't even imagine how much I hate telephones of any kind!

I resisted getting a cell phone for many years, but my last employer was a reseller of them, and had a deal where I got free service through them. After they went under, I kept the phone (the service was taken over by the company they bought it from). A few months ago I lost the damn thing, and figured that I couldn't justify buying another. So I called them to cancel the service, but they made me such a nice offer on a new one that I couldn't refuse. Small wonder that nobody can make any money at this business in this country.

Marky brought up another point though -- since these things took off, pay phones have become an endangered species, especially outside of urban areas.

I got my latest bill yesterday. 14 minutes used in total last month. And half of that was for work-related calls which I could've made from my desk phone, but the numbers are programmed into my handset, and I'm too lazy to bother writing them down. I guess I have just nicely demonstrated for everyone how I don't have a life...

Anyway, I insist on Nokia phones, not because I think they're any better, but because you can customize them and make them look very cool. As I explain to people, "Well, I don't actually use the thing, so have no qualms about treating it as the fashion accessory that it is."

[Funky Dude]

In Australia we refer cell phones as "mobile phones".

Anyhow here's what I think of mobile phones. If you are doing jobs that require travelling here and there such as being a TV repair man, then a mobile phone comes in real handy. Also if you are travelling a lot or going bush whacking out at whoop whoop then a mobile phone is vital so if you get lost in the bush or if you get injured you can call 000 (911 in USA) for help, although you do get awfully poor reception in the bushes a lot of the time. I see a lot of advantages with the mobile phone.

Disadvantages with a mobile is that it can be like a drug and many people tend to over-use their mobiles and run up big mobile phone bills. Also as Hustlebaby mentions about about many mobile users chat chat chatting away and bumping into people, this adds to the disadvantage list. Also the other disadvantages Hustlebaby mentions are true. Another disadvantage to add is when you are in the classroom at college or university and the teacher is in the middle of teaching the lesson and then you hear someone's mobile ring which disrupts the lesson and some of the teachers get really pissed off about it. Also I tend to wonder how mobiles affect pacemakers on people who have heart problems. And I've heard that certain mobiles could cause cancer or brain tumours although I'm not sure if it has been proven yet.

I see that mobile phones have their advantages and disadvantages just like with a lot of stuff.

I myself am sharing a mobile phone with my mother although I rarely ever use it because I'm not always on the go so I rarely ever need to use a mobile and I tend to use the pay phones if I needed to let anyone know where I am.

Now Graham Start, you mentioned you worked for Telecom for 6 years, was it Telecom Australia? Reason I ask is because the Australian phone service use to be called "Telecom" up 'til the early 90's and then changed its name to "Telstra". Or is there a phone service in USA called "Telecom"?

Anyhow getting back to mobile phones, I was watching a technology program on TV not so long ago and they were telling about Sweden's heavy use of mobile phones. In Sweden nearly all of the people use mobile phones and there are virtually no pay phones in the cities and towns of Sweden. Also I think the cost of the calls were made cheap as chips.

[BrunoRepublic]

On 2002-06-07 06:53, Funky Dude wrote:

Now Graham Start, you mentioned you worked for Telecom for 6 years, was it Telecom Australia? Reason I ask is because the Australian phone service use to be called "Telecom" up 'til the early 90's and then changed its name to "Telstra". Or is there a phone service in USA called "Telecom"?

Neither. "Telecom" is simply what we call the entire industry, just as one might say they work in "real estate" or "banking". I've worked for 5 different companies in the last 6 years, and my current employer is struggling as well. BTW, I'm in Canada; never worked or lived anywhere else.