Master of the Universe doesn't own a cell phone

[oldhat]

That would be Bill Gross (http://www.cnet.com/news/bigwig-bond-fund-manager-doesnt-own-a-cell-phone/#ftag=CAD590a51e), manager of the Pimco bond fund. (He also manages other funds, one of which I have money in and which has done quite respectably.)

I'm still with a dumb phone. Anyone else?

[awakenedsoul]

I have a Jitterbug. I just use it for phone calls. It's cheaper than a land line. I went and saw Jersey Boys in Las Vegas last week. I couldn't believe that the woman behind me was taking photos with her phone of the set. (They don't allow that.) Then her phone range during one of the most important scenes...(they had announced before the show to turn off phones and not text during the show.) Some people are just addicted. It's annoying, when you've spent good money to see a Broadway show. It's distracting for the performers, too.

[Blackdog Lin]

I call mine a stupid phone. I can see that a smart phone would be a desirable or necessary thing for certain people, in certain situations or professions.....but I'm not one of those people. And oh my the money I save!: $7.50/month vs. $70.00/month. Or so. Per phone. I don't think so.

However, I expect my Masters of the Universe to adapt to all the latest technology and have the latest smartphone. :) How can this man have access to all the latest data without one?

[iris lily]

That would be Bill Gross (http://www.cnet.com/news/bigwig-bond-fund-manager-doesnt-own-a-cell-phone/#ftag=CAD590a51e), manager of the Pimco bond fund. (He also manages other funds, one of which I have money in and which has done quite respectably.)

I'm still with a dumb phone. Anyone else?

yep, I've got a Tracphone.

[iris lily]

I call mine a stupid phone. I can see that a smart phone would be a desirable or necessary thing for certain people, in certain situations or professions.....but I'm not one of those people. And oh my the money I save!: $7.50/month vs. $70.00/month. Or so. Per phone. I don't think so.

However, I expect my Masters of the Universe to adapt to all the latest technology and have the latest smartphone. :) How can this man have access to all the latest data without one?

He accesses all that data at work, and he's probably got a computer at home. Why look at important stuff on a tiny 3.5" wide screen when you can use a big screen?

[bae]

I use a sat phone mostly for calls, it's pretty darned dumb and refuses to play Angry Birds.

[pinkytoe]

I am still usng a Tracfone because it works for my simple needs. However just about everyone at work (as well as family) now text rather than email. I just can't justify the cost of being constantly connected. I imagine the money man doesn't wish to be tracked.

[rosarugosa]

Still hanging stubborn with just a land line. Cannot bear the thought of connectivity 24/7. But hey, I certainly wouldn't describe myself as a master or mistress of the universe. Unless I'm standing on an awesome lookout point on a beautiful day in the woods. :)

[ApatheticNoMore]

I have a tendency to continually lose cell phones (the cheap dumb kind - no huge loss) so ... I've gone long periods without them.

But as for a Master of the Universe - no they probably don't need it. That's stuffs for wanna bes, or really those who need to make a good impression, be on call for interviews or work etc., whose livelihoods depend on keeping up appearances. That's why I really think M.O.U. can get away sometimes with a level of cheapness that would start to have consequences for someone closer to the median income and wealth :)

[CathyA]

I've had the same cell phone for about 15 years. I would like to have a phone with gps and maybe weather, but it would probably take me another 15 years to learn how to use it.
But mostly, it's a stand against having to get every new thing that comes up.

[Float On]

I was just reading yesterday somewhere that the average expense for a family of 4 with 4 smart phones and contract for 2 years can expect to pay around $6,800 over that 2 years. I think we spend around $400 a year with our 4 tracfones. We may change our mind depending on where the boys go to college but at least I have another full year before we have to make that decision.

[iris lilies]

This thread reminds me that I need to charge my phone. I never use it and I forget to charge it. Some good it is in the emergency for which it exists, ha.

[ToomuchStuff]

I don't have a corded (home) phone, but a dumb cell phone (candy bar style Nokia). I used my home phone less then pay phones (calling work to see if any other pickups, etc) and since the places I went, eliminated pay phones, I was driven to a cell phone. (more then I averaged for payphones, less then the home phone which at 50% taxes, was ridiculous, considering I really only needed lifeline type service) About due for year number four on it, and it has cost me between $60 and $100 a year.

A smart phone would be nice in one shop, or about 3 or 4 times a year (no where near cost effecitive).

[Tradd]

Some may brag about not having a cell phone, but with the disappearance of pay phones, it's really a necessity these days. Do you really want to break down, or get lost in a bad area, having to rely on strangers to offer you use of their phone?

Brag about not having a SMARTphone if you wish, but still get a cheap prepaid phone for emergency use.

[goldensmom]

We do not have a land line but do have smartphones. I wanted just a cell phone to make calls but my husband insisted that I get a smartphone. So many features....I can check the weather, check gas prices, find an address or telephone number, compare prices, take pictures of items to compare or research at a later date, take pictures when I on the fly when I don't have access to my camera, send and receive messages when it is inconvenient to call and much more. I've never lost service with my cell phone where we regularly lost service with our AT&T land line and were without service for up to a week. My only complaint is that when I misplace my cell phone I can't call myself from the land line to find it.

[ToomuchStuff]

Some may brag about not having a cell phone, but with the disappearance of pay phones, it's really a necessity these days. Do you really want to break down, or get lost in a bad area, having to rely on strangers to offer you use of their phone?

Brag about not having a SMARTphone if you wish, but still get a cheap prepaid phone for emergency use.

One thing to note about that, that won't help in all situations (then again, people went for decades without cell phones, etc). Check your local laws, because here, any 24 hour gas station (doesn't have to be manned), is required to have a working pay phone and an emergency fuel shutoff switch, in case of fire/spill, etc.
I saw two payphones that weren't at gas stations in the last couple of years; one down the street ouside a pizza delivery place, and one in a mall.
I still look for them out of habit.

[awakenedsoul]

Nine time Tony award winner Tommy Tune doesn't have a cell phone. His asst. does, though. He's one of the most successful Broadway directors in the business.

[happystuff]

Still have a house phone and a tracphone.

[CathyA]

Some may brag about not having a cell phone, but with the disappearance of pay phones, it's really a necessity these days. Do you really want to break down, or get lost in a bad area, having to rely on strangers to offer you use of their phone?

Brag about not having a SMARTphone if you wish, but still get a cheap prepaid phone for emergency use.

I just thought about that the other.............no pay phones around. I suppose you could always borrow a stranger's in an emergency. But still......it's weird to not have pay phones any more.

[rosarugosa]

There are pay phones at the subway stations in the Boston area, which are the only places I've needed one. I tend to scope out pay phone locations just in case. We've talked about getting Tracfones, but talking is all we have done so far.

[ApatheticNoMore]

Never knew about those tracfones (looking at them).

[martha]

Have a 9-year-old Tracfone and a landline. The Tracfone stays turned off until I need to make a call, and no one has the number. Am still resisting being reachable 24/7. Back in the day, if you were "on call," you got paid for it! :~)

[ctg492]

iPhone and my can of mace, two items I have with me all the time. Sadly I feel I need both in today's world. I miss the days were I could just drive, walk, bike and feel safe without either. Perhaps they are a false sense of security.

[Rogar]

I use a Tracphone and only have it on when travelling or a few other occasions. I get a little comfort in knowing that others are still in the dumb phone world, including the Master of the Universe, since I get occasional grief from my more connected friends. It's like some people expect you to be available by phone at all hours of the day and regardless of what you might be doing.

I think if Apple had it's way, the iPhone is not just a phone, but the center of your life. Alarm clock, music, email, shopping, dining out, GPS. Some of which might make things more convenient.

[Spartana]

I have a Tracfone also. An old style flip phone. It does have internet and texting but it's slooooow. Sis has a much more upgraded "Smartfone-type" tracfone and it works great. Her phone came with triple moinutes and mine came with double minutes - meaning everytime we add minutes to our phones, those minutes are doubled or tripled (plus all the minutes roll over every month).

[Rogar]

My tracfone is so dumb it doesn't know who's buried in Grants Tomb. So if you get a smarter tracfone, does the minutes you spend on the internet count the same as minutes spent talking? I never quite seem to use my minutes and have rolled over for so long that I have over a thousand minutes accumulated.