I have only had mine for a little over a year and have become entirely dependent on it in such a short time. If i was to lose it I would be completely helpless and useless because I would not know anyone's number to call them.

The cell phone has definitely been a great invention. It is really hard to live in this day and age without one. They are really handy when emergencies arise.

Dick Tracy would have wet his pants if he knew just how much he could do with a tiny communications device. His wrist watch communicator was pertty much ONLY capable of two way communications with headquarters.

Cell Phones and the generation of devices that followed have enabled people to be in constant communications which has had tremendous benefits, but also considerable costs. Overall as noted below by blueandwhite there has been an impact on our social behavior as a result of cell phones that I think goes beyound mere courtesy of turning off your ringer at movies or talking on the phone at the expense of being engaged with the people in your immediate pressence.

Forethougt and consideration in dealing with life has been impacted. People are in pretty much full reaction morde all the time now, dealing with messages coming in on all manner of frequencies. As a result no one has really given much thought of tomorrow, or even later today for that matter. Nor have they prepared for what's going to happen then. Instant communications has largely caused our world to focus on the hear and now.

Cell phones have changed life as we know it. We can now stay in touch with people at all times in almost all places, whether calling, texting, or even sending email on a smart phone. Cell phones have also led to a variety of new social issues such as people talking on the phone in public places, discrete camera phones taking pictures, and phone's ringing at inappropriate times with inappropriate ring tones. The biggest social chance I have personally observed from cell phones, is that they have caused people to show up late to things. Before cell phones, when you told someone you would meet them somewhere at a certain time, you would have to show up on time or else they would not know where you were or what to do. Now, one can simply just call ahead or send a quick text letting the other person know what's going on. Overall, the benefits cell phones have provided far outweigh any other consequences they have brought.

Telecommunication, we rely on it too much, oh well..

It has really become something we rely on.

Definitely 5.

Yup....uninstalling this app right now.

I find it hard to believe that so many people gave cell phones a low rating. What an important tool the cell phone is. Yes, people do abuse them and have them constantly attached to their ears, never stopping to take a breath, but for the most part, they are very helpful. My main argument for cell phones is for safety. Someone is always just a phone call away. If you were ever in a car accident or a dangerous situation, your cell phone is right there. If I was stuck in traffic or missed a train, I can always call home and let someone know I'll be late, so they don't have to worry about where I am. Now, I can even just write a quick text message to let my family or friends know what I'm up to.

Cell phones do make you feel constantly connected to the world, which is not always a good thing, but you always have the ability to turn them off. Cell phones all display the number of the person calling, or if they are in your address book, it displays their name. So now you have the ability to screen your calls, which I think is a great thing. If I don't feel like talking, they can leave a voicemail and I can get back to them when I have the time to chat (or not, depending who it was calling!)

What did people do before cell phones?

Fun to have.

tend to get on my nerves at times

I see it as a necessary evil. I detest phones of all kinds, but I need a cell phone for emergencies. I need a cell phone to conduct business. I need a cell phone so people can get in touch with me every so often. However, in my Utopia, the telephone was never invented.

I have only had a cell phone for about the last six years. I treat it as a necessity and only use it when I have to. But they are very handy, and I agree with magellan about pay telephones. I went on a vacation last year, and noticed a place I stayed at that had a pay phone at one time, and the pay phone was no longer there. Not that I needed it, because I had my cell phone. It was just something I had noticed.

I still see the occasional pay phone around, and sometimes, somebody is actually making a call. I can't help thinking that whoever is using a pay phone in 2008 is probably a little down on their luck. Is there any scenario that you would ever use a pay phone today? I'd just as soon ask a random to borrow their cell to make a quick call. The cell phone has changed everything.

i have a cell phone that was assigned to me at work, and i use it less than once a year. as far as i'm concerned it is a completely useless invention. i don't want to hear the arguments about how useful it is in emergencies because 100% of the people i have overheard gabbing on them are talking about something completely inconsequential. people who use them when they are dangerous and should be punished accordingly. when my wife asked me what i wanted for my birthday, i told her i wanted a device that blocks cell phones.

a 3.5. cell phones are nice to have for emergencies and if you need to make a call that can not wait.. beats trying to find a pay phone. the bad thing is they have been so abused by the obnoxious  users out there that ruin it for others. they have their place. too bad the abusers who chat while driving, talk in theaters, loudly in restaruants and other public places. i know most use them properly and do not bother others. it is just those jerks who do abuse them who make me resent them sometimes.

What a pain in the ass these are, whether it's the godawful tv commercials or the annoying guy next to you on the train or the sense of never being off duty. I used to be able to get away with not having one (or at least not giving my number away) for years, but now it has all my contact information and I'd probably be unable to reach friends without it. The worst part of it is that it's another expensive monthly plan (like cable) that drains about $400 a year, having been repackaged as a necessity of life. If they manage to make a cheap cell phone that's actually useful (i.e., with a GPS device or directions) I'll upgrade it to 2 stars.

I used to be able to play telephone tag with landlines and get away with it for days.  My favorite was to call before 8 a.m.,  over the noon hour or after 5 p.m.  Most often you would get no answer and you could leave the famous, "I am returning  your call, and sorry I missed you!"  

Now with the cell phone, this old dodge is almost impossible to pull off.

They're about as dangerous as they are convenient. Almost got hit two days ago by some young chick who ran a red light while blithely chatting on hers, paying more attention to her conversation than her driving. See my review here of talking on a cell phone in a movie. Also see my review here of illegalities and bad judgment for talking on a cell phone while driving.

Makes life easier except when it come to finding a reason as to why you avoided someones call.

Seems like it's a "love 'em or hate 'em" kind of gadget (and most people hate 'em only because of those who overly love theirs), but overall it's had a mixed impact.

Sure, you've got to deal with people who have them surgically implanted in the side of their heads and don't know when to use their phones appropriately.  But, to be fair, it's not the phone itself, because if the cell phone wasn't invented you can be assured that they would still find another way to be a jackass.

And regardless of how much you've liked them or not, they've had an impact.  On the positive side, they are good for enabling a quicker emergency response.  And, they've given some people a way to contact their loved ones in what may be their last moments.  And whether it's positive or negative can be argued, but cell phone cameras has also brought about a new media of newscasting (think about all the recent news stories where the images were primarily or solely from cell phone videos).  

So, overall, I'll give the cell phone some credit.  It's just hard to remember its virtues when you have to remind people to turn off their phones while they're driving, in class, during a movie, while attending a wedding or funeral . . .

Now everyone expects me to answer. Thank you, phone bastards...

Compared to gadgets concerning medicine and health, I'll rank the modern-day electronic ball-and-chain rather low. . .

I do have to admit that in the three years that I've had a cell phone, I've become awfully addicted to it. But I think that most of the time I'd be better off without one. Most people really don't need the ability to contact me whenever they feel like it.

Most people have them and I absolutely love cell phones.