its profound how the cell phone changed the world.

[GH85Carrera]

The cell phone, and especially the smart phone has indeed changed everything. I think of my smart phone as my brain's spare drive. I have countless notes, and tons of contacts.

I remember the old days of ALL phone equipment, ALL of it was owned by Bell Telephone. The phone almost never broke, but if one had a problem stop my the Bell store, and they threw the old one in a bin, and handed you a new replacement, and walk out. All phone equipment was rented, and a long distance call was EXPENSIVE.

I was dating a chick I really liked. She moved to TX and we called each other a lot. I had a long distance bill that was over 50 bucks for the month, and I broke up with her.

My favorite author is Isaac Asimov. He wrote a short story about the far far future where everyone had a small computer with them that was connected to Multivac the giant single computer so any question could be answered. He described it as glowing letters. No full color, no movies, no video calls or high resolution photos much less a phone to call anywhere for free. We have outstripped Asimov's imagination.

[pwd72s]

Having trouble with being knocked off the net (comcast cable), Cindy called the help line.

Help line girl led her though the usual plug/plus routines...

But phreaked when Cindy said we didn't text. Wanted to know how we got on the net? Girl was shocked to learn no wifi, no smart phone...just a desktop.

LOL! Yep, we're just analog old folks, trying to survive in a digital world.

But at least we're not always walking into posts while staring at a small hand held screen.

We do have a dumb track phone..only used when we're out & about. Probably wouldn't have bought it except no pay phones anywhere these days. $100 worth of minutes lasts us a year..

[stevej37]

Originally Posted by pwd72s

We do have a dumb track phone..only used when we're out & about. Probably wouldn't have bought it except no pay phones anywhere these days. $100 worth of minutes lasts us a year..

Tracphone has really changed over the years. You could buy an ebay smartphone and switch it with your old one.
Then you could read/post on PPOT while out and about.
I pay $25 for 3 months service with data.

[Sooner or later]

For a couple of years in the late 90's I made money by switching carriers on my land line.

Sprint would offer me $200 to switch to them. 6 months later ATT would offer me $200 to switch back. I went through several carriers for a couple of years.

And yes, the smart phone has changed our lives. Never before have we had the ability to quickly check for lowest product prices/available at any location, world wide. The internet/smart phone is the biggest inflation fighter and marketing device ever developed.

I no longer have a computer, land line internet, or land line cable or satellite. My smart phone and tablet are my phone, internet, and TV.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

I remember the old days of ALL phone equipment, ALL of it was owned by Bell Telephone. The phone almost never broke, but if one had a problem stop my the Bell store, and they threw the old one in a bin, and handed you a new replacement, and walk out. All phone equipment was rented, and a long distance call was EXPENSIVE.

Yes, I remember in the early 80s. We had lived on a military base over seas in the late 70s and therefore owned a telephone. We moved back to the US. My parents had a phone line and rented a single phone for downstairs from the telco. Since the place was wired for a phone upstairs, and we had a phone, my parents connected it and used it. I remember my parents talking about the telco calling them and saying "we hear a second ring, but you should only have one phone." I think the telco may have even sent someone out to look for a second phone. Crazy stuff.

My favorite author is Isaac Asimov. He wrote a short story about the far far future where everyone had a small computer with them that was connected to Multivac the giant single computer so any question could be answered. He described it as glowing letters. No full color, no movies, no video calls or high resolution photos much less a phone to call anywhere for free. We have outstripped Asimov's imagination.[/QUOTE]

Pretty impressive.

I don't think about it now, but I remember a few years back when smart watches popped up thinking about...

[Racerbvd]

Yep, had a cat scan at the hospital yesterday and when I got there, had to check in on my smartphone, plus more restaurants are having you scan a thing to get the menu.
We have not only caught up to Star Trek, but gone beyond

[herr_oberst]

Chester Gould was very proud of his 2-way wrist tv invention.

Me, I'd be hooking those big honkin' knobs on anything and everything around me to the point where it would probably end up in my pocket or in the trash.

[Seahawk]

My wife and I had the "keep the land line" conversation five years ago.

At my age, having a land line somehow meant "better" in terms of availability after storms, 911 calls, etc.

Nothing could be farther from the truth. The physical phone lines in my area are left completely unattended, trees leaning against them, etc. In a hurricane, the phone lines are doneski.

We dropped all physical lines and have never had an issue...and won't unless the Cat 4 hits.

My company is working with Verizon on some UAS projects (all cell phone capability/tower related, post disaster relief) and the engineers have all been very blunt, land lines will not be supported in a relatively few years.

The apps on cell phones have changed everything. The key is putting it down.

[URY914]

If 30 years ago someone were to tell you that you could look at porn on your phone 24/7 instead of a VCR you'd think they were crazy.

[Tidybuoy]

I was really, really pissed when they got rid of popcorn. How in the world will we be able to set our clocks?

[stevej37]

There are some bargains out there....
https://www.ebay.com/itm/304034298571?hash=item46c9db3acb:g:QcwAAOSwlxFfy0A W

[rcooled]

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

The cell phone, and especially the smart phone has indeed changed everything.

They sure have...

[LJ851]

When I was dating my now wife in the mid 90’s I lived in Georgia and she in California with her parents. My phone bill was no joke, $300-$400 every month.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by LJ851

When I was dating my now wife in the mid 90’s I lived in Georgia and she in California with her parents. My phone bill was no joke, $300-$400 every month.

I met my wife in Nov (years ago) in FL. She was visiting family from TX. Between Nov and FL, I ran up a $300 phone bill. She came back for the holidays. She left again, and I was planning to visit TX less than 2 weeks later. In that time, I ran up another $300 phone bill. I visited, got a job, and only went back to FL to get my stuff and drive back. I've been here since.

[red-beard]

Originally Posted by gwood

I read an interesting article a while back, can't remember the name. It was about how hard it is to write detective stories set in the present, where you can reach anyone at any time, and get backgrounds on anyone with the click of a key.

Dresden Files. Harry Dresden is a PI/Wizard. As a Wizard, he cannot use computers, cell phones, etc. He has to drive an early VW beetle. Wizards kill technology.

[rusnak]

Originally Posted by Noah930

Pay phones, too. And pagers/beepers.

Pay your dime, and dial up the (local) phone number. Have more change ready, in case your phone conversation ran long. Where would poor Superman change from Clark Kent these days?

And in the time of pagers before cell phones, you'd get a page (invariably in a not-so-nice part of town) and then maybe have to find a pay phone to return the call.

Yes, exactly.

The pre-paid card was so that you could use a pay phone to answer your pager. I had both. Unbelievable now to even think how much better AND WORSE life has become because of the mobile phone.

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by vash

remember a phone number that you called to get the time and date? faack. Popcorn? i think the number was popcorn. 767-2676.

Hmmm. For years my number was seven six seven 2726. I don’t recall getting a lot of hang ups and wrong numbers though.

[zelrik911]

I think the cell phones have also changed smoking.
In the old days people would light a smoke if waiting or just bored.

Now they have their phone to read/watch/text and distract them instead of fiddling with their hands & face.

[Evans, Marv]

Originally Posted by Seahawk

My company is working with Verizon on some UAS projects (all cell phone capability/tower related, post disaster relief) and the engineers have all been very blunt, land lines will not be supported in a relatively few years.

They had better hurry up & put a cell tower to service our area then. We don't have cell service here. I think some T-Mobile people get signals sometimes. Duriing times when the power goes off, the land line works & is our connection to the outside world.

[Hockey fan]

Originally Posted by Evans, Marv

They had better hurry up & put a cell tower to service our area then. We don't have cell service here. I think some T-Mobile people get signals sometimes. Duriing times when the power goes off, the land line works & is our connection to the outside world.

Same at our house. At best we get 1 bar of reception. Would love to ditch the land line but when the power is out and there's no wi-fi the landline is the only way we can communicate.