Mobile Phones

[steveh1510]

As the Missus and I were in the cab to go to the station this morning I realised that in my rush I had forgotten my mobile phone. The missus was worried in case I couldn't contact her if anything happened, but it was too late to go back and get it. This lead me to think for years people didn't have mobile phones and only the last ten years, if that, have they become widespread, yet it never bothered anyone before.

So the question quite simply is could you do without a mobile phone? I'm not talking as in could you if your life depended on it, just day to day life, could you do without a mobile?

I don't think I could because of the trains....

 

[Napster]

I could quite easily live without one. Although uni would have been so different if I had one then.

 

[steveh1510]

I'm expecting it to be fairly split between the young and old(er). Personally, I have had a mobile all my adult life, and so have got used to relying on one, and I reckon a lot of younger posters will be the same....

 

[Napster]

Yeah probably. Although in some ways, it's worse if someone doesnt reply to your drunken texts than if they don't respond to your drunken answerphone message...

 

[steveh1510]

Quote[/b] (Napster @ Jan. 26 2004,10:27)]Yeah probably. Although in some ways, it's worse if someone doesnt reply to your drunken texts than if they don't respond to your drunken answerphone message...

Ah yes, waking up in the morning and wondering what you must have texted that prompted a no reply!

 

[McScriven]

Thank god for the saving of sent messages!

 

[Napster]

Quote[/b] (McScriven @ Jan. 26 2004,10:34)]Thank god for the saving of sent messages!

Alas I can't do it on mine

 

[McScriven]

Unfortunately I can!

 

[steveh1510]

Quote[/b] (Napster @ Jan. 26 2004,10:35)]

Quote[/b] (McScriven @ Jan. 26 2004,10:34)]Thank god for the saving of sent messages!

Alas I can't do it on mine

No me neither.

 

[McScriven]

You wanna get yourself a decent phone then!

 

[steveh1510]

Quote[/b] (McScriven @ Jan. 26 2004,10:42)]You wanna get yourself a decent phone then!

I've got a sharp gx10 (the vodafone 'beckham' phone), but I can't find an option to automatically save messages, only if you do it for every message individually, and I'm too lazy for that!

 

[McScriven]

I said decent phone!

 

[Matt the Shrimp]

Whilst I've had a mobile for a long time - probably the best part of 7 or 8 years - I think I could manage without it. Whether I would want to is, of course, another story entirely.

The interesting thing is going to places (e.g. Japan, US) where a standard British mobile doesn't work. It's actually very liberating and refreshing to be on holiday, and to be uncontactable... it really is "getting away from it all"!

Matt

 

[McScriven]

Not if you've got Tri Band!!!

 

[Leeboy]

I think that any SZ'ers out there who work in the city, like a drink, and have to rely on Public Transport to get home, a mobile is a vital communication tool - how else are you going to phone the Chinese in advance so its ready when you step off the train?

 

[Matt the Shrimp]

Quote[/b] (McScriven @ Jan. 26 2004,11:17)]Not if you've got Tri Band!!!

Pretty sure that tri-band doesn't work in Japan... there they have a system which is compatible with almost nowhere else in the world - very typically Japanese, not at all insular...

Admittedly, though, tri-band does work in the States... it's just that I don't have a tri-band phone!

Matt

 

[Napster]

Quote[/b] (Leeboy @ Jan. 26 2004,11:29)]how else are you going to phone the Chinese in advance so its ready when you step off the train?

actually, thats a good point.

 

[McScriven]

Quote[/b] (Matt the Shrimp @ Jan. 26 2004,11:42)]

Quote[/b] (McScriven @ Jan. 26 2004,11:17)]Not if you've got Tri Band!!!

Pretty sure that tri-band doesn't work in Japan... there they have a system which is compatible with almost nowhere else in the world - very typically Japanese, not at all insular...

Admittedly, though, tri-band does work in the States... it's just that I don't have a tri-band phone!

Matt

Now I'm no communications expert (that's Ninja's department) but I think you'll find tri-band does work in Japan.

 

[Napster]

Quote[/b] (McScriven @ Jan. 26 2004,11:46)]

Quote[/b] (Matt the Shrimp @ Jan. 26 2004,11:42)]

Quote[/b] (McScriven @ Jan. 26 2004,11:17)]Not if you've got Tri Band!!!

Pretty sure that tri-band doesn't work in Japan... there they have a system which is compatible with almost nowhere else in the world - very typically Japanese, not at all insular...

Admittedly, though, tri-band does work in the States... it's just that I don't have a tri-band phone!

Matt

Now I'm no communications expert (that's Ninja's department) but I think you'll find tri-band does work in Japan.

Ill be amazed if it does.

The Japanese cellular network is pretty much on its own. The only way round it is to rent a 3G phone whilst out there.

 

[Matt the Shrimp]

Quote[/b] (McScriven @ Jan. 26 2004,11:46)]Now I'm no communications expert (that's Ninja's department) but I think you'll find tri-band does work in Japan.

It doesn't, Scriv.

I was going to borrow a work tri-band phone to take with me when I went out to Japan on holiday; but after a considerable amount of research, we discovered that their system was compatible with a similar system in place in California... and that's it.  It's not on the conventional tri-band frequency, that's for sure.

Matt