The cellphone has replaced the landline for a huge segment of the population, probably the majority in most places. Cellphones are also pretty handy when you have a flat tire or your car breaks down in the middle of nowhere, or when you're worried about someone who is traveling. Given that my auto insurance includes road emergencies and defines even such easily fixable problems as a flat tire as a road emergency, I don't even know if I'd change my own tire anymore. I've only had one flat tire in the past couple of decades because I replace them regularly, but I couldn't find my lug wrench; no problem, because I had AAA. Later, I became aware that my auto insurance has the same coverage that I was paying extra for from AAA. Without a cellphone, I would have had to walk quite a ways to a phone. Since we both had cellphones, there was no reason to continue paying for the landline service so we had that disconnected many years ago. Another benefit of a cellphone, versus a flip phone, is that I can use my Internet hotspot if I am having trouble with my Internet connection or if I want to connect from somewhere where there isn't a reliable ISP, such as hotels whose Internet services are sometimes less than remarkable.
We all have our choices and lifestyles and what fits each one is just fine. I get all I need on my desk top 19" monitor, I like to have large screen, my choice. If and when I need to get a new computer, I guess I'll have to go to Windows 10 or whatever it will be then...so far I'm good on this wonderful Lenovo. Plus all the radiation scares, who really knows..
Just thinking about my life of work and probably for about 6 yrs or so I did outside sales, drove all over the U.S., Canada and parts of MX and flew all over and NO CELL phones in those days, my boss had his people hooked up with pagers and how annoying they were when sitting trying to make a sale and one is getting paged....how did I ever make it? But we all did and it was all good.
@Joy Martin There are actually several kinds of radiation scares, those associated with cellphone use, which passes electromagnetic (radio) energy through the human head. Much has been debated about that, claims of increased cancer rates, etc., but the money-making industry surely will not back off, just like food manufacturers continuing to "poison" us slowly. The other kind of radiation scare pertained to the old type of T-V picture tube, known as a Cathode Ray Tube (CRT), which generates low-level X-rays. As far back as the '50s parents were advised to not allow their kids to sit up close to the screen. CRTs carried over for many years in computer monitors, which were indeed looked at close-up. Today, virtually all imaging is done in a different, far safer way, using low voltage semiconductor devices, Liquid Crystal displays (LCD), Plasma devices, and now Light Emitting Diodes (LED). No more radiation except visible light! Frank
Of course, they won't back off, $$$$ and we will never know FOR SURE what causes brain tumors if and when someone gets them. And the billionaires today for all these instant gadgets. I have no need in my life for these gadgets and glad I don't. I will not even own a microwave oven, I don't food prepared that fast....today, it's Instant Gratification, people can't wait for anything, next day delivery blah blah blah...I like keeping a lot of my earlier life in my life today.
@Joy Martin Understood, and agreed! However, I must intercede with the microwave oven: my wife taught microwave cooking classes back in the '80s, and took away with her, some amazing knowledge. For example, a microwave-baked turkey is far more tasteful, scrumptious, than conventionally-baked. The reason is much of the natural juices do not "cook out"; microwaved turkey breast is deliciously juicy and tasty, unlike my Mother's many-hour oven roasted birds, sometimes needing a bit of fluid to swallow breast meat. Hence the ever-present gravy? Frank
I have an Android phone and I don't like them, but I would never pay a thousand dollars for a phone. It's just a phone. The one I had through the well known senior company couldn't be used when I switched to an even less expensive service. The old phone was less expensive than the next phone, but the camera on the old one was much better. OT I can't believe all these people falling into the Grand Canyon and other deadly falls,while taking a selfie. At least 259 people have died since 2011, taking selfies.
I believe that you and @Hal Pollner would make great friends! He has a computer but seems to dislike anything more tech than his Timex watch. (Unless of course it has something to do with bombs. )
Except for the fact that I own my iPhone, I could get by with something cheaper, that I could just make and receive calls on. I rarely use my phone for the Internet and, while the hotspot comes in handy sometimes, I don't use it often enough to warrant buying another expensive phone for.
I've owned enough Timex watches but want nothing to do with bombs...so I don't know.... I had a love affair with time pieces for most of my life but now never wear one.
It's no different than someone paying 25 -45,000 to walk up Mt Everest, and dying there. The requirement: pay the fees. No training of any type currently required. They are about to set some new regulations to hopefully cut back on fatalaties.