by Erich Heinlein

Created on: April 18, 2009   Last Updated: May 04, 2009

Just like any other piece of technology, when it comes to cell phones it all essentially comes down to how you use it. Dan Hesse, who at least claims to be the CEO of Sprint said it all in a commercial last year: "It's an amazing thing they still just call these things phones." Not only can you merely talk on cell phones you can use GPS, surf the web, check your e-mail and send text messages. If you have the right TV provider you can even schedule a recording on your DVR. Let's think for a minute about what DOES to connect us to the outside world. How do we know what is going in the world? It has been proven the average family watches the news on TV or if they don't eat at a convenient time which the news is on they have the luxuries of checking the internet or surf the web of the news organizations of their choice.

The next way we connect with the outside world when we communicate with people are cell phones and some people still have home phones although the general trend seems to be that is going away. There are certain types of companies in which calling and/or e-mail is their only form of communication. There are other benefits of cell phones as well. Nowadays most cell phone companies will provide you with low cost road side assistance, giving some competition to AAA. With cell phones you can call anybody at anytime because you don't have to be within a certain area to call people unless your cell phone carrier has certain restrictions as to where they carry service. Then you run into the issue of whether to get a phone where you pay a monthly payment every month or whether or not you use pre-paid minutes.

How does one choose you might ask? It basically depends on how you use it and when you call people. If the answer is for emergencies only you are best off paying as you go but if it is the sole way which someone can get a hold of you then you probably need to get the type of phone which you pay a regular monthly payment for a certain number of minutes (unless, of course you have a cell carrier that has unlimited minutes). But at the same time cell phones sometimes can become nuissances instead of convenience. Phones become nuissance when they are not properly used, used at an inappropriate times such as at work for non work related purposes (unless you are on a break or lunch of course), in the middle of a church service or at a movie theater. But all in all phones do connect us to the outside world.

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