Music Do people really buy cell phones to play music?

[chroot]

I don't think they do? I think they respect people they are after all Christian, to have arrogant disdain for any culture would be against their beliefs.

Actually they have quite a bit of disdain for people who leave their communities to go into the rest of the world. They have a culture based entirely around the concept of "shunning," the practice of evicting people from their society for doing anything against their beliefs.

Good try, though.

I don't disdain anyone as I said if you want one have one, fine, I just believe some people kid themselves they are an essential part of modern life.

I think almost anyone would agree with this assessment. You should have just left it at that!

- Warren

 

[Schrodinger's Dog]

Then that is not a Christian belief, it is a heretical one, let's face it I think we both know that the NT doesn't support such things, alienating others for differences of opinion or culture are strictly forbidden, take the story of good Samaritan (a culture discriminated against in Jesus's time) Sorry for assuming they were Christian, a mistake anyone could make.

Well I would if you didn't jump down my neck as if I'd claimed they were the weapons of Satan seriously, that was a joke, if I believed it I would be insane no?

 

[turbo]

I'm lucky Turbo I live in a village but it's on the edge of a major city so if I'm not mistaken we have fibre optics like London. Which means we can get high speed broad band if we want it, I freely admit it's a luxury I use it for online gaming . I could easily live without it though. I need an email connection to stay in touch with the University, and a phone to stay in touch with my tutor. But I could use dial up.

I didn't think I'd ever get DSL out here when we moved in, and then my sister-in-law who worked for the phone company gave the good news about the switch upgrade. The switch is at an intersection 1.2 miles east of here I am only the 6th house in all that distance. It's over 2 miles to the main road in the other direction and there are only 8 houses between here and the main road. That's why the cable companies shun us - though I don't care, I watch the news then turn the box back off.

 

[Schrodinger's Dog]

I think your problem is distance really, your population is very spread out in a lot of cases, and focused in very small areas. We should actually be embarrassed that everyone doesn't have fibre optics like some countries do in Europe, because our country is tiny and distances are small and population density large. But it is a pretty hefty investment for companies to replace the old copper wires, I'm sure we will eventually. Many people use satellite links for internet connections such as on Sky broadband though so it's still covered wherever you live.

I'm on AOL, myself should be Virgin Media, but AOL haven't steered me wrong yet, they rent the connection from Virgin. Customer service is typically American, ie excellent although they have put their call centres in India which is sad, I like the American ones, different from what we're used to very accommodating.

 

[Astronuc]

With all due respect I think that is complete and utter bilge. If anything mobile phones actually remove communications most valuable factors, the ability to read body language or gain understanding from intonation, skills that only come with face to face dialogue. Mobile phones actually lead people to talk less in person and more over the phone.

I use a cell phone provided by the company. I work on the opposite side of the country from my corporate office, and my main contact is on the same calling plane so phone to phone is no extra charge (i.e. more or less free). Most of the time my cell phone if off - when I'm in the office - and I use the land line.

I use my cell when I travel, and that enables clients or my colleagues to contact me wherever I happen to be. Evenso, most of the time it is turned off.

As for body language, I've seen people being very expressive while using a cell phone. Once while waiting to board a plane, some guy waiting at the gate was pacing back and forth, waving his arms and yelling into his cell phone. I think he was talking to his lawyer about his divorce. And I've seen people just yacking away about gossip.

If I don't have a mobile phone in twenty years? I will not have one because I believe they sap your ability to communicate and they are a jump backwards not forwards. And what's more I think I could make a pretty good case that most people have them merely to appear in with the crowd and do not actually need them, they are little more than a fashion statement to be frank.

Certainly the type of phone and the way one wears it could be a fashion statement for some. I carry mine in my pocket.

Au contraire, I believe people with mobiles are slowly removing themselves from real communication, and being left behind socially.

I do prefer face-to-face meetings with clients and colleagues. I just returned from several days of technical meetings in which I met with a number of people from one organization.

The next best medium to an in-person meeting is webcasting, and I will be do that next week concerning a big project on which I'm working. We'll be using phone and internet to present overview and status to people distributed across the US and Europe.

Evo and chroot make several good points. I have used my cell in an emergency and otherwise, when on the road. It's especially useful when trying to rendezvous with someone out in the field and away from a land-line.


As for the OP, I find 'ringtones' to be rather obnoxious, especially when the volume is turned up so that everyone around can hear it. As chroot mentioned, the fidelity is horrible. I have my phone on the vibration (quiet) mode so that I can sense it, and it doesn't impact anyone around me.

 

[JasonRox]

Honestly I use to be like... I don't own a cellphone because I prefer the face-to-face talk.

Well you know what, now that I have a cellphone (just got 2 months ago), I enjoy more face-to-face talk than I did before. It's so easy to hook up with someone who has a cellphone. Before I'd be out the door or something and not get the call. Now I don't have to worry about that as much or not at all.

So yeah, if you enjoy face-to-face talk, then get a cellphone because you might as well throw that argument out the door.

And the other argument that cellphones are for emergencies and that if you live in the city you won't need it for emergencies. Well you know what, maybe 1% of the market buys a cellphone for emergencies. It's not even a real reason anymore. So throw that excuse out of the door because it's not even a reason people use to buy one in the first place. Maybe a teenager will say that to his or her parents, but that's it. No one should be dumb enough to fall for that one.

 

[Astronuc]

Going back to the OP question - I just received a new cell phone (courtesy of my company), and it has an FM radio. The quality of the music is poor.

It also has a camera (I might use it occassionally), it has games , online shopping and all sorts of garbage which I certainly don't need or want.

All I need is the ability to communicate and obtain useful information when I'm traveling. I do like the GPS feature.

 

[radou]

I keep seeing all of these cell phone ads that only talk about playing music, as if that is the only reason to buy one. I thought you were supposed to talk on them.

Again, the key word is marketing.

As Astronuc pointed out in the previous post, today's cell phones come with a load of unnecessary garbage, such as FM radios, cameras, etc. But people go for it.

I bought a new cell phone recently, and it was cheap just because it doesn't have a camera.

Mostly a clock.

Since I own a cell phone, I don't wear a watch anymore. I'm not specially fond of watches anyways, so one of the most important functions of a cell phone is a clock, definitely.

 

[Monique]

I have had the same cellphone for over 4 years now and I have no inclination whatsoever to buy a new one. I can see the advantage to having it play music like an mp3 player, if the quality is good, but I have an iPod so why bother.

The thing I love about iPods is that I can automatically download the latest Podcasts from scientific journals and other subjects, so that I am always up to date. So if there is a cellphone with that function and my current one breaks down, I'd probably go for it.

And the other argument that cellphones are for emergencies and that if you live in the city you won't need it for emergencies. Well you know what, maybe 1% of the market buys a cellphone for emergencies.

I actually know quite a few people who use it only for emergencies, I'm not allowed to call them on their cell phone (only text-message) and they usually have it turned off if there is no special reason for anyone to call them. But for most people it goes: "if you have it, you'll use it".

 

[Astronuc]

I received a text message from someone I don't know on the other side of he country. It asked "When do we leave?" I'm inclined to respond - "Who are you?"

They must have a wrong number, because they called twice but did not leave a message.

 

[SticksandStones]

I have a cell phone, and I'm not ashamed of it. It has a camera, can play music, etc.

It's just darn useful. No matter where I'm at anyone can get a hold of me (if I don't want to be interrupted I can - gasp - turn the ringer off!) for any reason. As my friends all have cell phones, I can get a hold of them just as easily - again no matter where they are at (and if they don't want to be interrupted they also turn off the ringer).

I just don't see any reason to not have a cell phone.

 

[Loren Booda]

One might think of cell phones evolving as electronic Swiss knives - a blade in your pocket for every function.

Just wait until someone incessantly mistakes your line for a fax machine.

 

[SticksandStones]

I don't understand the animosity some people have towards cellphones and being able to be reached. Why would you want to not be reached? What if something major happens? What if a friend dies, or is in the hospital? What if your kid got injured? Wouldn't you want to be able to know this as soon as possible instead of waiting to get home and listen to an answer machine? I mean, if you really don't want anyone to be able to reach you you can, as I do, turn off the ringer on your cell phone so it doesn't disturb you. However, I don't see why a trip to the grocery store should require yourself to be secluded from your social groups.