Who needs a mobile phone

phoenix

i have had one since just out of high school some 16 years ago, and have always had one. but a week ago i didn't have it as it was broke and i found it to be very nice,but also a problem as i could not be contacted nor conyact if an emergancy were to arrise as we have very few pay phones in the town (due to vandels) but then again i don't use it very much as it is

Anonymous

They can come in handy in emergency

talikarng

Hey I'm with you and although I have one which work gave I rarely use it. The phone bill is always the same. In fact I try so hard to give it away no one wants it. I find them impersonal and rude particularly when they ring in meetings.

paulH

Update: With the new laws on mobile phones in cars I no longer use the mobile in a car unless I first pull over and stop.
Still very useful for calling someone abd catching up while waiting for 15 minutes in a car to pick up a pizza.
Also being a pensioner and living alone the mobile is always in arms reach as I travel around the house or outside in the yard.
Heard on the news of a lady that fell and broke her hip in her house and could not get help for 6 hours when someone visited. A mobile in your dressing gown or at a low position would have been very handy then,

CSD

I was given someone's old mobile phone. I don't really know how to use it but have taken a lot of photos of my feet! I pay $10 a month and only a few friends have the number.

I have used it to let people I am meeting that I am running late / stuck in traffic, etc. Twice I have used it to access a cab. A couple of years' ago I received a message from the Vic Emergency Service about the bush fires, but I didn't check my messages until a week later because I don't receive text messages. Luckily, I don't live in the bush.

I have noticed that, recently, more and more services require the provision of a mobile phone number. I do not give out my number randomly so miss out on various services. Never mind it must be saving me money.

paulH

I regard my self as very lucky to be able to have and use a mobile phone. I have one on a $49 per month unlimited text and calls to other mobiles and landlines. So that is $150 per quarter to be able to call from anywhere , receive short messages be available for emergency calls and make emergency calls. So much freedom.

Now my landline (totally used for ADSL now) has recently gone up from 96 to 99 per quarter without any calls attached. And I am chained to my home to be able to answer the phone there. If I am out and remember I have to call someone I can do it then, and not have to rely upon a faulty memory to remind me when I get home to make the call or search for an increasingly sparse public phone.
Additional advantages are that I use a handsfree on my mobile when at home. Tuck the phone in a shirt pocket and I can be working on the computer or doing some cooking and be chatting on the mobile at the same time. If I am out in the garden and get a call if it was just the landline phone ringing I could injure myself rushing to get to the phone but by receiving all my calls on mobile I can take the mobile out of my pocket and answer the call then and there - no rush, no possible heart attack, and what if i start to have an attack out there in the garden the mobile is just a pocket away , or on a car trip , pull over and call.
So much freedom!!

Hilary

I have prepaid. I like the fact I can make free calls to my husband and son. I find the reminder function on the organizer very useful and it doesn't cost anything. I've set the phone up so It has who is calling and I can always turn it off if I want to. Once a month I can get a free picture, free tone and free trivia. I like the trivia .. lots of things that aren't that important but are interesting.

hotprincess08

they are good for emergencys though. especially when there is a power cut or you get stranded sumwhere with a flat tyre and need to get hold of someone. but alot of people go without them there is way to many cellphones on the market and they sell at crazey prices

Anonymous

I never saw the importance of a cell phone for years until my children got older and had no way to find out where they were especially when they weren't home on time. Just a simple txt is all i need to do to see how all my family are. Simple!

trix56

I'm a pensioner too but Telstra wanted $300 to connect a landline to my home. My no-frills Nokia cost me $29 and my pre-paid cap costs me $29 a month for $150 worth of calls, $350 vodaphone to vodaphone (which a lot of family, friends are on) and I even get free gig but my phone doesn't use it. I find the above more than enough to stay in touch with everybody and I like the fact that I can take it with me. I have a few health problems and need to be able to call for help when and where I need it.

Kitty999

I don't have a mobile phone either. I hate them and I hate the way people use them. You can't go anywhere without people talking loudly on their mobile phones - shops, public transport, walking down the street.
What I really object to is having to pay mobile phone charges if I have to call a mobile number from my landline. I think this is grossly unfair.

ingramator

I don't need one either.

Anonymous

Mobile phones are a near necessity in today's modernised life; internet services, SMS and the ability to call someone while on the move can potentially save lives and enhance social interaction.

paulH

I am a pensioner and have a homeline phone for internet broadband only. I prefer to take or make calls on my mobile. I can carry the mobile with me everywhere to receive calls and also for security. It follows me tinto the bathroom and toilet. Should I have an accident or injury at home or have trouble getting out of bed, the mobile is only an arm's length away and thus help.
If I am pottering out in the yard, the mobile is with me in case I have an urgent call from a relative.
My mobile has a hands free that I use with it at the computer so that my hands are free for typing while I talk. I also use the hands free if driving some distance along the highway to Brisbane or south. Makes the time go faster and on the long highways when there is little traffic can be quite safe. This frees me up from having to sit at home to amswer and talk to relatives and friends.

Anonymous

im quite young and i find cellphones very useful to contact anybody from friends to family and they become handy in emergencies. im not saying that mobiles are vital or a 'need', espicially if you are not as busy or on the move as others although they are to those others out there.

hendos4

If you are careful on a cap plan you will never go over, I am a volunteer who does a variety of things from fixing computers, medical transports, bus driving, Set top Box Installs, Tv Tuning Door Locks the list goes on, the majority of people I do this for are very old,& with a door lock that won't work they get scared, they know I am out & about sometimes 7 days a week & if it wasn't for my mobile they would not get hold of me as quick as they can & on top of that most times when they call my mobile I am in their area. The other reason to have one is my kids, my nephews know they can call anytime night or day if they are in trouble or stuck to get home safely

moreta

Mobile phones are great for emergencies, but you do pay the price for that security, being contactable all the time is a pain in the neck.
My Mum has one so she can check on my Dad who isn't well when she has to leave him on his own while she shops which is great for both of them.
I wouldn't have a clue what my adult children were up to if it wasn't for the mobile phone LOL!
On balance, they are a necessary evil these days. Just learn to tame it. Turn it off if you don't want to be hassled!

Poppy.

I am a 68 year old pensioner but I still have a mobile phone and it is prepaid. I believe when you live in a country town a mobile phone is a must for emergency purposes. I always carry it with me in the car because I have an aged frail wife to take care of, I never know when she might need emergency medical help. I am also a CFA volunteer and it is very useful for me to have if I am needed. I can also get bushfire alerts on it as well. It only costs me $5.00 a month to recharge my credit. I find this most affordable. What cost can you put on a persons life?

Anonymous

How do you stay in touch with someone when you're out or in emergency?
You can almost do anything with a mobile.

soldier

As a pensioner I do not really need a mobile phone and survived for 60 odd years without one, but for an emergency it might be a life saver so I now have one.

sully124

Sorry. I dont believe i can actually agree with you on this topic. I believe that Mobile Phones are an essential part of life in this day and age. We are so busy with life at the moment that we need some way in communicating with family, friends, etc by using a mobile phone. I am sure some people beleieve that Mobile Phones are a negative issue although if you think of it in the sense of safety then you can then think of it as positive. Say if you were stuck in a negative situation and there was no phone box around, or you had no money on you to use the phone box, then you can use your mobile phone. If you stuck in a deserted road, with no where to go, no houses surrounding you etc, then use your mobile phone as a GPS or ring someone! They can be brilliant i believe!!!

Janlo

I'm the opposite. I don't have a land line and I have my mobile on a pre-paid cap with Vodafone. It costs me between $29 and $49 a month but I get between $160 and $360 worth of calls for that. I love the fact that I know what my monthly spend will be. I buy my recharges at Safeway and get 10% discount. I also love knowing that wherever I am I won't miss a call.

JennyC.

The mobile's arent that expensive really ,depends how you use them.We find they are to handy for us not to have now.If there is a family emergency or the landline goes out , you know then just how much they are needed.We live in rural NSW and as such travel distances for just about everything,landline goes down for days at a time .There are not phone booths or lots of houses around..yes they are a handy in a lot of ways. I know we can't ever have deals like GSM customers but it is better then nothing.

paulH

One could also extrapolate backwards. Why don't we doi without landlines after all our great grandparents did not have them and did perfectly well getting out the horse and buggy to travel for hours to meet with a neighbour or family, or writing letters to England that would take months to get there and get a reply?
Surely we take advantage of what new products we can use.
I like and use a mobile phone because I do a lot of travelling up the Gold Coast (20-40 minutes) away , travellong down the coast, 2-3 hours and these are great times to be calling (using a hands free of course) when I am on the long lonely roads.
At home even with a landline I prefer to use the mobile again with hands free as it gives me freedom to continue working on the computer, clean house etc while still chatting away and maintaining communications with close friends.
I communicate with a lot of young people who are on the Gold Coast and they may only be renting a room / flat / house for 3-12 months at a time and that is too short a time to worry about getting a landline. Mobile populations and people need mobile communications.

steve

I am in working and running a business and do not have a mobile phone. Such an item is on my "do not need" list and I expect that it will always stay there.

Katie

I need a mobile phone but I keep my bill down. I have free talk time to my husband and 100 free txts per month. Even my teenager manages on a $9 per month plan (with no internet usage). I think they are a useful tool when used moderately and wisely and if you live in an area with useful coverage. I understand that alot of areas outside major cities are not well covered and that the lack of access to a variety of services in many areas is no good for those people.

Gai

I'm sure there are other people who think that way but I believe its a matter of lifestyle. I'm a very busy, single parent who works fulltime. I'd be lost without my mobile. It basically lets me keep all the various things I'm juggling under control. Maybe when I'm aretired pensioner I'll feel the same way you do but right now it'd be like cutting off my right handif I lost my phone.

bj

Hi I too am a pensoner. I text only. grandies text if need a ride and mum not about. I have only 10 numbers in my phone. I use less then $10 a month on a cheap no frills Nokia. I like the fact I am reachable if the need arrives.

Rayne

My husband and I are pensioners, we each have a mobile phone. He has poor health and is sometimes in hospital so rather than pay to have the phone put on we use the mobiles, works out much cheaper. We are on Vodafone's 365 day prepay plan so we only need to recharge once a year with as little as $20 most times. We can call each other for free with the Vodafone to Vodafone minutes too.

The phones have come in handy when we have had a breakdown and had to call NRMA.

We don't need all the bells and whistles a simple phone will do. I have seen them advertised for as little as $49 for an unlocked phone, you can use them on any network. I got my husband a big button easy to use unlocked phone for $92.

We still have a landline but never call a mobile number on it, it's too expensive!

typhoon

My wife is nerve deaf so a mobile phone and SMS have opened up a way to keep in touch where before she could not. If you are deaf and register with the RACV you can even use SMS if you get stranded. To use a mobile phone it is no dearer than a fixed line phone if you use it properly.It does provide communication to some who would not have been able before.Some pensioners have actually ditched their fixed line phone in favour of a mobile phone and they do not find it expensive.It is in how you use it.

Webby

Shaggy

i could not live without my mobile phone that allow people to be in contact with everyone all the time if you are running late to see a movie with your friend and stuck in traffic how would you be able to let them know that you will be late to be honest where i live we dont have a land line anymore there is no point if someone wants to talk to me they can call my mobile they are too convenient not to have!

Helen

Mobile phones are not expensive if you use them properly. I use mine to make my short, less than 10minute calls because I have a monthly cap, which I have never gone over, so therefore my calls are free. The monthly charge pays for buying my phone and it is cheaper than the landline monthly line rental. I only use my landline when I call a government dept or other business that I know will take a long time to answer. Having a mobile phone also allows me to keep in contact with my teenager to know where he is and what he is doing. Since using my mobile on a cap, my landline bill has gone right down because I basically only pay for the rental of the line now. I now pay less for both my mobile and landline per month than I did just using my landline.

Anonymous

Mobile phones are not expensive if you use them properly. I use mine to make my short, less than 10minute calls because I have a monthly cap, which I have never gone over, so therefore my calls are...

I love that bit about government departments who keep you on hold for some time! :) but i think mobile phones are a convenience and, sadly to say, - a sign of keeping teenagers hopefully a little bit safer when meeting up with their friends at concerts etc.
We are becoming a more extravagant society and mobile phones are a part of it.
I agree with previous posters who say that they dont need all the gadgets!
I phone to make phone calls when it is convenient to me- not to become at the beck and call of others at any time - i just dont answe rmine and use message bank to screen calls andmy family all know that ;)sshhhh

baggage

I totally agree, mobile phones are a waste of money, what has happened to the days of people writing to each other, speaking on a landline phone, another money making market revenue, i cannot believe i see younger children using mobile phones. I always ask people why the have a mobile phone, response is "just in case of an emergency" we must have emergencies happening everyday.
People need to wake up, technology is growing, we are getting ripped off.

asfaq

but i think its must ..
u can get for prepaid also where u don't have to pay more..
its a mobile.. u can take anywhere u go.. u can stay in touch with ur wife ,, childrens,, anyone at ur home..
i think mobile is must for every one

shirl

Mobiles will go down as the greatest marketing coup unleashed apon us. The kids are now fully indocrinated and life can't carry on without one. Who's laughing most? All of the Telcos. Now we...

Totally agree they are a marketing coup! I do have a mobile phone and it is a $10 a month plan (hhehehe) and I do not use all the credit most of the time - but it is for the moments I travel so others can get me if needed. But very few people have the number.
I went in to get a new cover for my phone last week and the girl at the counter looked at me like I had 2 heads when I pulled out my old nokia that does not have a camera on it or connect to the internet etc. She tried very hard to convince me I needed an upgraded model with all the perks - only $79.99 a month!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I also think they are a social burden. I hate going out to dinner and some ones phone rings and they sit there and talk for 20 minutes with every one else feeling uncomfortable as you can't help but hear their conversation - and then all the teenagers are sitting at the table with their heads down looking at the screen and thumbs going 500 mile an hr texting the kid at the other end of the table! I dont know how many people I have nearly run over that have walked out on to the street no taking any notice because they are on the phone. Parents of kids running around with no shoes and crying poverty - and how do we know this because they have an expensive mobile phone and facebook and tweet their poverty to the nation. I am not that old - but some days I think my opinions feel like it hehehehehe - and I am sure my 3 year old will confirm that when she is old enough to want the latest and greatest mobile!

jayenmelb

but i think its must ..
u can get for prepaid also where u don't have to pay more..
its a mobile.. u can take anywhere u go.. u can stay in touch with ur wife ,, childrens,, anyone at ur...

Mobiles will go down as the greatest marketing coup unleashed apon us. The kids are now fully indocrinated and life can't carry on without one. Who's laughing most? All of the Telcos. Now we don't just 'need' a mobile phone we have to have the internet on it. How often must anyone 'need' access to the internet outside of home or office? Supposed 'need' equates to $Billions and that's the real driving factor behind it. Other examples .... Milk. You don't need the 20 varieties marketed at us. Milk is milk with only 3% fat so why do you need fat reduced? Just how many people drink 10 litres of it every day and gain weight? Watch out! The next 'must have' 3D Television. Try watching that 6 hours a day with your special glasses on and wonder why you ave a headache and an unnecessarily low bank balnce.

Anonymous

It depends, sometimes you may need to talk to certain people, but they may not have internet or some kind of free messanger.

Other then that, yeh i agree they are expensive and you'll find its easy to waste $100 in a week just talking to your friends...

theblues

I need a mobile for work, but all the gizmos they add to the phone these days are a waste. They are trying to entice young people more and more. All I need is the ability to phone someone and SMS, I have a great mini camera to take pictures cause the quality is better and it's light and small. And the internet... who wants to surf the internet on a screen that is that small

wyrdlife

I agree with the no mobile phone. I have a landline, answering machine, fax, internet , just dont need another way of contacting me
I also live in a remote area with telstra as the only server, and if I drive outta town 5kms, we lose all contact until we are close to another town. Problems with car breakdowns, it wouldn't work even if I had a mobile, for the reason I listed before. I think the technology is getting away with itself, being able to do online banking etc on your mobile, surely cannot be safe, and all those silly ring tones etc, all charged to your account, no wonder most ppl's phone/mobile/internet bills are over the $300 mark, and that is monthly. Glad it isnt me. Old hippie here.

SpaceMonkey

I used to think the same Greame, and I am a pensioner as well. Then one day my vehicle broke down and there was not a public phone box within 5 Kilometres radious. I tried hailing motorists to get a lift or help, to no avail, when a lady pulled up. She had a mobile phone and I was able to ring for assistance. Since then (some 10 years ago) I have had a mobile phone. I only use it to keep in touch with relatives interstate by sms or a quick call. It has been used to assist other people who have had vehicle trouble as well, just like I had. So I think that provided they are used wisely, mobile phones are useful.

boags

I had one, once, and ditched it. Found them to be a pain in the bum. People ringing at all hours.
You don't need one to run a business, in fact they are more of a hindrance than useful. Also found that they are extremely intrusive.
I's a bit of a worry when you see that now they are bringing phones out that you can use to shop with, security issues spring to mind here. Net banking is not secure and these things are even worse.
Time to get off the soapbox

Anonymous

I had one, once, and ditched it. Found them to be a pain in the bum. People ringing at all hours.
You don't need one to run a business, in fact they are more of a hindrance than useful. Also...

if a phone is annoying you , you can always turn it to silent mode. How are you going to tell people if you are going to be late to dinner, they may get worried if they take to long.