Cell Phones and Me: An Irrational Prejudice Crumbles to Dust

I remember my first cell phone. My mother insisted I get it because I spent so much time on the road and sometimes had to go into unsavory sections of town to visit clients. As I remember, it was an ugly brownish thing about the size of a small football. I decided right then that I didn’t and would never like cell phones. But since then, both the cell phone and I have come a long way. Their added features and new conveniences have put them at the top of my hit list instead of at the bottom of my….er…other list. Here’s a look at what’s changed since I got my first prehistoric cell phone.

Size

Yesteryear’s cell phone barely fit in my glove compartment. Today’s cell phones fit comfortably in my jeans pocket. They weigh practically nothing. I can even casually hide it in the palm of my hand and get a text message when I’m supposed to be paying attention at a staff meeting. Convenience: A+

Accessorize

One of my friends has three cell phones: blue, pink, and green. She uses them to color coordinate her outfits. I don’t go that far, but it is fun to get to choose between all the different colors and shapes. My current cell phone is a sleek little black thing, but I’m getting awfully tempted by those “chocolate” cell phones they keep offering on TV. If it has the word chocolate in it, it has to be good, right? Besides, my cell phone is over two years old. That’s ancient in today’s world of changing technology.

Ring Tones

You can pretty much download any ring tone you want on today’s cell phones. You can even set different ring tones for each caller so you know, just by listening, if you’re going to be talking to your mom or the hot guy from last night’s date and adjust your voice accordingly. Just don’t get the two tones mixed up, or you could find yourself with some explaining to do.

Of course, I use my ring tones for the same mature, appropriate reason as every other business woman: to annoy the heck out of my coworkers. But Can It Clean the Toilet?

My cell phone can take pictures. It can beat me at tic-tac-toe. It can receive text messages from friends asking me to dinner and from television networks advising me when and where I can find my favorite shows. It can even play the music I enjoy. In fact, the only thing it doesn’t do is clean my apartment, and I bet that’s coming in a later version. Just wait and see.

Mom, Dad, Have We Got A Gift For You

Although my mother insisted I get a cell phone for my safety, it’s taken me years to convince her and my father that their own safety could be enhanced by a cell phone as well, since they travel all over the country by car. My dad said if he had a problem, he’d just get in touch with AAA. I asked him how he was going to call AAA without a cell phone. He harrumphed and turned on the football game.

Finally my sisters and I got together, got the ‘rents a cell phone, and prepaid the thing for a year. And guess what? They love it! My mother, a pianist, even downloaded a classical music ring tone. So far, they’ve only used it for fun, but I feel much better knowing they’ve got it. Small, cute, able to make almost any sound you want it to make, great for safety, and an excellent multi-tasker as well? Who could believe there was ever a time when I thought I didn’t like cell phones?