Cellular Plaza was created as a way to provide information and discussion on how cell phones have evolved and how we depend on them.  It wasn’t long ago that we were anchored to corded phones only at home and the office and long distance rate that left us counting the seconds before we could break off a cross-country phone call.  I remember my father making his weekly interstate phone call to his mother in Toledo.  He seemed more concerned whipping through a checklist of events than taking the time to ramble.  After all the meter was ticking.

How things have changed…

There is actually a phobia for being without your cell phone.  Nomophobia apparently plagues most mobile phone users.  Most of the people I know won’t go out without their phone as a lifeline to friends and family. Most cell phone plans are cheap and provide unlimited long distance.  If my grandmother was still alive, I am sure my Dad might feel the freedom to getting into messy details of feelings or random thoughts.  Knowing my dad, maybe not.

When I went to my high school prom in 1988, a cell phone was not a concern.  We would frolic into the wee hours of the morning without any consideration for texting our classmates or having a phone for emergencies.  Our parents would actually trust us to limit the amount of trouble we would get into.  Things could not be more different now.  If you surveyed prom goers this year, I bet you couldn’t find more than a few without a cell phone.  - “How else are we going to text for the after prom hook ups?”  On the other side, parents can now track the position of their teens to make sure they aren’t lying about why they are going to be home late.  “So you say that are at Matt’s house, but I can clearly see that you are in Samatha’s basement rec room at 2457 Flower drive…”

Cell phones as portable computers
We have gone way beyond roaming phone calls, nimble texting fingers, portable cameras, email on the go, or checking your favorite websites.  Did you know that a phone was released in Japan with a bad breath sensor? There are also apps that turn your cell phone display into a portable mirror.  Now you can check breath and check your lipstick - all with your multipurpose Swiss army phone…

Cell phones don’t simply invade our privacy when we are next to a loud talker in the Starbucks line.  The feds have actually turned on the mic on cell phones carried by suspected gangsters on their way out to a mob hit.  How about the spouses that have discovered the illicit love lives of their partner by reviewing recent sext messages?

Cell phones provide security and can also threaten safety
You don’t even have to activate your cell phone to make sure that it can save your life.  Did you know that even disconnected cell phones can dial 911?  Make sure that you disconnect the battery before you give your old phone to your kid as a cheap toy.  How about the cell phone gun that was discovered in airport security?  It actually was a .22 caliber pistol disguised as a cell phone.  What’s next the cell phone taser?

Taking a cell phone with you during your summer vacation is a near guarantee that you won’t be stranded without a way to call AAA (Just hope that you have signal).  But cell phones have also been shown to be dangerous when used while driving.  Many states have even banned teenagers from using a cell phone (even with a headset) while driving.

What’s next
The technology of the cell phone is not done evolving.  We will soon be able to use our cell phones instead of credit cards for most store purchases.  We will be able to take able to take a snap shot of a magazine ad to go directly to a website for a special cell phone coupon.

Cell phones have changed the way we live and work.  We are always in contact.  We have everything from Google to Facebook at the tip of our fingers whereever we go.  We can’t truly get away on a vacation because our cell phones act as our link to our work lives even in Alaska or Aruba.

Cell phones have also merged technology into our lives in surprising ways.  I can’t read the New York Times or CNN without seeing a new must have smartphone or apps that do things unimaginable just a few years ago.

Not everyone can be a teenager (it’s OK if you are) and know about the newest and greatest from peers.  We are hear to let you know how cell phones are changing and what that will mean for your life.