Texting on cellphone, pdas (personal digital assist.)

[OakLeaf]

It occurs to me that part of it may have to do with how fast one types on a standard keyboard. Which also may be an age thing - but not sure about that. Someone like me who's typed upward of 130 wpm on a standard keyboard for the last 30 years, is understandably reluctant to hunt and peck with my thumbs. Someone who hunts and pecks on a standard keyboard, probably not so reluctant.

[Crankin]

I'm almost as un-techno as Shootingstar. I have a cell phone, with a nice At&T contract because my husband got an I Phone in August. He drives me crazy with it... checking his email and just "having to" find something on the web when he doesn't need to. Last weekend I had to yell at him to put it away when we were at cycling friend's house for dinner. We don't usually exchange heated words, but I was mad!
My cell phone is never on, unless I have to make a call when I am out of the house, which is maybe once a month? I don't know how to use any of the functions on the phone. In fact, I had just figured out my last phone, when I had to give it up. Needless to say, I don't text. I really don't feel the need to talk to people that often! I will call or email if I need to. On the other hand, my husband doesn't text, either. A couple of his employees text him once in awhile and he'll reply, but he doesn't initiate it. My older son is the king of texting. His girlfriend lives in NY during the week and this is how they communicate during the day.
A funny related story. On Monday, one of my classes was cancelled. The professor emailed early AM, saying she would make a definite decision by noon and send another email. Well, I had to leave to get into the city at 10:30, so when I was eating lunch at the university, I checked my messages on one of the public computers, to find out that yes, the class was cancelled. When I went to my first class (before the cancelled one) one of my classmates came rushing in, telling me that she tried to text me about the later cancellation, only to find out that the number she had for me was a land line! Can you imagine the horror?

[sundial]

First gen iPhone user here--won't go back to the other phones. I enjoy texting on this phone. I've heard the Blackberry was THE choice phone to text.

[SouthernBelle]

I have a Palm Treo. Although I do text and occasionally use it to access the internet, It's PDA functions are what is most important for me.

I keep my calendar in Outlook on my office desktop and sync it with the Palm. Then I use Google calendar and have it set to automatically sync with my laptop and home desktop. It's great being able to access it almost anywhere.

[Tuckervill]

I have a Blackberry Curve, and I really do like it. I never texted before I got this phone. I, too, have a teen and two adult sons (and their "gals" <g>), and that's a good reason to text. I meet them where they are. I really love texting for the convenience. For instance, yesterday I texted DH to tell them we were at the store next to the restaurant we were meeting at, in case he got there before we saw him. That didn't really merit a phone call, but it saved any confusion if we missed each other.

My BB doesn't have GPS per se (I don't want to pay for it), but it has a Google maps application that knows my location via the nearest cell tower. That really saved me a lot of times when on my trip in September. Sometimes we needed to find a place to stay on the road, and that was very helpful.

The BB doesn't handle documents, either, but I'm never going to need to change one if I don't have my laptop with me. I do blog from it, with pictures, though. I liked that. I do use my laptop less for checking email, because of the email push on the BB. I can at least see if there's anything pressing.

I got the BB so I could communicate better when people walk up to me at the ballpark to tell me they didn't get their uniforms or whatever. I don't have to rely on my holey memory. I just send myself an email or make a note right on the spot.

Karen

[Crankin]

Boy, am I out of it...
If I think I can't remember, I write my appointments in a 3.99 date book I got at CVS.
Or I put a sticky note with a reminder in a prominent place.
But mostly, I can remember it in my head.

[SouthernBelle]

Boy, am I out of it...
If I think I can't remember, I write my appointments in a 3.99 date book I got at CVS.
Or I put a sticky note with a reminder in a prominent place.
But mostly, I can remember it in my head.

For me this is a business use, though I put personal ones in there too. My life is appointments and being somewhere at a particular time.

[Tuckervill]

Boy, am I out of it...
If I think I can't remember, I write my appointments in a 3.99 date book I got at CVS.
Or I put a sticky note with a reminder in a prominent place.
But mostly, I can remember it in my head.

I abhor purses anything larger than, well, my Blackberry, so I wouldn't have a datebook with me. One of my least favorite things about working full time was having to wear skirts, which seldom have pockets. It's been a long time since I worked full time, and I will never wear skirts if I do go back. (Thinking about it--the renter in our rental just lost her job, and if she can't make her rent I'm going to have to get a job.)

Karen

[Bluetree]

I'm an iPhone texting addict with an unlimited plan. Of course, it helps that most of my friends are also on iPhone!

[shootingstar]

I'm almost as un-techno as Shootingstar. I have a cell phone, with a nice At&T contract because my husband got an I Phone in August. He drives me crazy with it... checking his email and just "having to" find something on the web when he doesn't need to. Last weekend I had to yell at him to put it away when we were at cycling friend's house for dinner. We don't usually exchange heated words, but I was mad!
My cell phone is never on, unless I have to make a call when I am out of the house, which is maybe once a month? I don't know how to use any of the functions on the phone. In fact, I had just figured out my last phone, when I had to give it up. Needless to say, I don't text. I really don't feel the need to talk to people that often! I will call or email if I need to.

I guess I run a personal life that doesn't want to be constantly on call/available to other people. There have been uh..less than 6 times per year where my partner and I thought it would have been nice for both to have cell phones for a meet-up situation, non-emergency.

And my friendship circles never demands constant contact...I probably end up destroying good long friendships if it changed to pestering one another about trivial details in real time.

No I'm not techno-retrograde. Just not interested in jumping in on the on-call mode of 21st century life in my personal life. But I am curious what motivates people to text when the technology doesn't strike me as liberating as sitting down in front of a laptop....I did ask another employee who works in our dept. She's around 25 yrs...and doesn't text but uses her cell frequently. She gets complaints from family who wonder why she doesn't answer her phone. And it's non-emergency stuff.

When we are on vacation, he does like taking laptop along and ensuring hotel has Internet access. And when I get around to it I check email, stay on forums, like here. Non urgent stuff.

[Crankin]

I used to keep my cell phone on all day on my desk, when my kids were at home; it's notoriously difficult to reach teachers and so I would get a lot of "can you pick me ?" calls if they wanted to stay after school. I would IM my husband if I needed to communicate quickly with him during the day, but I would have to do it sneakily, so the kids wouldn't see, or wait until lunch. Last spring, when i was subbing, my son called me from Iraq on my cell! My colleague next door was absent and there was no sub. I was trying to teach 2 classes and make sure chaos didn't break out and talk to him. I felt bad, but finally I said, 'gotta go."
Like Shootingstar, my non use of these things really has to do with the fact that I don't feel the need to be so connected to everyone I know every minute. One of my friends texts a lot; she is constantly texting her kids who are college aged. I have a good relationship with my sons and I am pretty sure they don't want me texting them. It's intrusive. I like to keep the different spheres of my life separate. I find that since I am not working now, I rarely turn my cell on, which has made a couple of people mad when they tried to reach me, but hey, they eventually called me at home. I know I could learn to use these things, but I don't want to. I told my husband that I could curl up in a little garret with my books and a computer for the Internet and I'd be fine. I wouldn't need any other electronic stuff.

[surgtech1956]

Looking at a new phone. Not really into texting, but I am addicted to any new electronic 'toy'. We're with Verizon, so the Iphone is not an option, I looked at the Blackberry Storm, can't really justify it - I don't want to pay anymore for a cell phone contract. None of my friends 'text' at least not yet. The phones I've been looking at the LG Dare, LG Voyager. I would probably benefit from something like the I-Touch, wireless connection, music and calender/pda.

[msincredible]

I have a Blackberry Pearl. I do texting and use emails and the web browser on it, but it's more for work purposes than otherwise. If work hadn't forced me to get it, I would just have a regular cell phone.

[loneleaf]

Some days ago my laptop broke down... Oh i never imagined the days would be so boring without this high-tech machine although i have just lived within its existence for 4 months.
The same goes for when my cellphone was dropped into the water...that time i hadnt had my laptop. Oh well, i befriended with my TV. But gosh, i missed it so much that tiny thing and its little keyboard.
It's not that im an addict (am i ever? :P). When we r used to one thing, we understandably find it uneasy without it