Slaves to the Cell

 Cell Phones and American Adults

Cell phones are ruling our lives.  According to a new study conducted by the Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project, 65% of us sleep with our cell phones either on, or next to our beds.  My husband and I are guilty of the former.  When I am writing early each morning in the den , I hear his HTC Evo beeping beside me as bulk email messages start arriving for the day.  At this point in our nation's economic history, the sound is no longer annoying, but rather comforting.  Those high-pitched beeps are the music of job security.

My husband is not alone.  I believe that more companies are demanding their employees carry cell phones.  Thus, work, and not play, may be the reason that 72% of adults are now text messaging regularly.  (That's up from 65% just last year.)  Furthermore, I think lots of companies are having their employees sign formal "no texting while driving" agreements (printed off of Oprah's web site).  These pledges are then completely ignored as folks speed down the freeway with their fingers flying over the keys.

My husband even has an app that reads him his texts into his Bluetooth so that he doesn't have to pick up his phone, (which is illegal to hold in the city of Chicago while you are behind the wheel.)  He has perfected the new "Swype" texting, that allows you to leave your finger on the screen, and just slide to the letters you want.  He is so good at "Swyping", he can type an entire reply without looking down even once, and maintain decent accuracy.  This should be helpful for all those quick texts "between stop lights" that drive me so damn crazy.

My personal texting abilities are still in development.  I still have an old pink flip phone from three years ago.  I am much more comfortable texting with a key pad then on LCD/LED screens.  I like being able to text my husband that I am taking a nap, or need milk, without interrupting his day, or frustrating myself to tears trying to not screw up a touch screen.  Thus, I am waiting to get a new Epic when they become available to employee's family members. 

In case you can't tell, I am in a love-hate relationship with cell phones.  I love them because my husband supports a company that provides them for a living.  I really do see their potential to benefit our lives.  I also hate them, because I think that, at times, they take control of us.  I hate them because I constantly observe people's noses buried in their e-mails, or stock updates, while their family and friends are sitting right beside them, being completely ignored.  They can even be dangerous at times.  Not to mention the fact that using your phone in certain places is downright rude.  (86% of the adults surveyed think that it is rude when someone repeatedly and inappropriately checks their messages, like during meetings or conversations.)

I guess it's just a matter of finding the right balance.  Like with everything in life, cell phones can be a help or a hindrance, depending on how you use them.  So click the link, check out the new research findings, and see where you fit in.  Find that healthy, happy balance, so you don't end up being a slave to your cell.

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CNN commentary on Pew research:  Adult texters catching up to teens
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9/5
The silliest smartphone accessories revealed

From the above linked article, I learned about this device:  Bluetooth Bracelet.  Sounds like an upgrade to the Bluetooth headset perhaps?  Not quite.  This self proclaimed "revolutionary product . . . gives the user discreet and increased awareness of all incoming mobile phone call by vibrating."  So, in case you didn't hear it ring, see it light up, or feel it vibrate on its own, now you can wear a "sporty" bracelet to ensure you don't miss those all-important incoming calls.   Even more amazing, the bracelet will vibrate if the wearer moves more than 5 meters away from their phone.  These "features" sound more like punishments than a problem-solvers to me.
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9/21
Proposal bans texting by haz-mat truck drivers

When I saw this headline, I was shocked, not by the nature of the proposal, but by the fact that they have been allowed texting up until now.  It seems outrageous that this ban is going to take act of government to get enacted.

"The requirements would complement new rules being finalized by the Transportation Department that prohibit commercial bus and truck drivers from sending text messages on the job and restrict train operators from using cell phones and mobile devices on duty."

Perhaps the companies that truck drivers and train operators contract with have regulated cell phone use up until now.   Maybe this isn't as huge of a deal as I am making it out to be.  But I am guessing that most industries operate like my husbands; you sign a pledge not to text, then forget about it the next day.  Without heavy patrolling, and penalties for getting caught, I don't think any ban will hold.  If done right however, I'm sure texting bans could make some cities a lot of money via tickets.

"During two weeks of extra enforcement, police in Hartford wrote nearly 5,000 tickets and Syracuse authorities issued nearly 4,500 tickets for drivers talking or texting on cell phones. Government surveys and observations of drivers conducted during the enforcement waves found declines in cell phone use and texting behind the wheel."
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9/22
$100k up 4 grabs in txting chmpionshp

Those aren't typos.  That is really the article's title.  And there is really a contest involving the quickest fingers to fly across phones.  Last year, a 15 year old won the grand prize, furnished by LG.  Imagine how proud her parents must be...At least part of college will be paid for with the $50k she didn't have to donate to charity.
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11/28
FCC updating 911 for the texting generation  (CNN Wired, by Ryan Singel, 11/23/2010)

911 is going (more) mobile.  Currently, 70% of the 230 million annual calls it's emergency operators receive come from mobile devices.  In 2001, the use of GPS technology or cell tower data to locate 911 callers became mandatory.  Now, a push to allow texting, multimedia messages, and streaming video to first-responders, is in the works.

"A system that could handle those messages would also allow people to report crimes without being overheard, which could be useful in situations ranging from kidnapping to seeing someone being robbed on the street."

Other technologies may also become 911 compatible with this next round of changes.

"The FCC also plans to allow automated pinging of 911 by sensors, including chemical detection sensors, alarm systems, medical devices and systems like On-Star in automobiles."

Who will pay for these changes is still being debated.  I predict it will come out of our pockets, either as taxes, or increased service bills from our cell phone and home security providers.  But this is one change I am willing to pay for.  We got rid of our home phone several years ago to save money, and thus rely 100% on cell phone's to do our communicating, including to emergency services.  Ensuring they are able to use every possible avenue of communication during an emergency is worth a small rate hike, in my mind.
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5/10/2011

Several weeks ago now, it was discovered that the latest type of cell phones, known as androids, store data about where their owners have been.  This information is stashed away  in a secret file, accessible to anyone who happens to get their hands on your phone or computer.

My first reaction to this news was anger at the phone makers, Google and Apple.  But then I realized that if you don't go places you don't belong, who cares if your cellphone tracks where you've been?  A little further pondering made me come to the conclusion that this form of covert data gathering could be the top of a slippery slope, where one day phone companies will be secretly taping full conversations. That thought alone scared me enough to make this post.

With all of the pressure on phone companies to one-up each other, I don't understand why this tracking device wasn't just pawned off as another "feature" that could be enabled or disabled at the users discretion.  Users could opt in to letting their data be anonymously gathered. 

Congress is getting involved (of course) so we are sure to hear a whole lot more on this subject in the days to come.
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5/30/2011

Can the police check the data on your cell phone AFTER arresting you, in an attempt to find evidence that will help with a conviction?  Depends on where you live.

According to this article from CNN.com, some states allow police officers to scan the text messages, calendars, videos, etc. on a persons cell phone without getting a warrant.  This has led to increased conviction rates, but also a serious question regarding a person's right to be free from warrant-less searches and seizures. 

The best advice the Civil Liberties Union representative could give was to keep your phone password protected, and locked at all times.  But this seems very unrealistic, even to someone like me who is only a modest user of the device.  For someone like my husband, whose very livelihood revolves around cellphones, it is downright absurd.

Which makes me hope the issue reaches the Supreme Court sooner rather than later.  As more and more of us become slaves to our cells, we deserve protection from cops just trying to up the statistics for their local DA's office.
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