By Tiffany Ayuda
Cell phones have become an absolute necessity; they’re like underwear, you can’t leave home without having it on you.
“I’m attached to my phone. I hate how I need to have it with me all the time. I know this sounds crazy, but I feel lost without it,” says Lauren Keough, a sophomore math education major.
Taking on roles other than just a wireless phone, they have transformed into planners with alarm clocks and reminders. People can access the Internet on their phones and get directions, the weather, check their email and receive breaking news.
Molly Wedgewood, a junior video/television major says she named her cell phone Shelly, that has been dunked in puddle of coffee, is still able to wake Molly up in the morning, take her calls and let Molly’s friends contact her.
“I throw Shelly around a lot, against walls, concrete. But she still works just fine. I need a phone with durability and Shelly’s the only one that’s worked for me,” Wedgewood says.
Cell phones have revolutionized the way people talk on the phone and made it into an art form. According to an article on CNN.com, companies like Sprint are working with Dooney and Burke to create cell phone purses and cell phone designs. But this isn’t the only reason people buy cell phones these days, it’s what they can do that makes people purchase them.
“I use my phone for everything: Facebook, MySpace, AIM. I download a lot of songs and games on it, too,” Carol Rupert, a sophomore, business major, says laughing. “I love my phone and what it can do. I play Tetris before I go to bed every night.”
The emergence of Bluetooth has allowed cell phones to become the accessory they are today. Bluetooth allows cell phones, laptops, MP3 players and other machines alike to be interconnected easily, using very little wireless connection. First released in 1999, Bluetooth has worked with over 4,000 phone and multimedia companies to help market their products to consumers.
However, other Hofstra students dislike how people are attached to their phones and rely on it for everything.
“I hate how people have to be attached to the hip with their phones, and how people can call me anytime they want. It bothers me sometimes,” David Rutkowski, a junior, chemistry major, says.
Phones like the Motorola RAZR has been the top-selling cell phone in the country for 2006, because of its Bluetooth capabilities, a 1.3 megapixel camera phone, photo and video messaging, AIM and mobile web 2.0.
Verizon, recently added VCAST, a multimedia service that provides entertainment, news, sports, music downloads and 3-D games.
Nextel’s Garmin Mobile allows its users to access six million points of interest, including restaurants, hotels, shops and tourist attractions. It also gives the ability to find nearby gas stations with the cheapest fuel and turn-by-turn moving directions and maps.
“I like how I can take a picture anywhere at anytime with my phone. If I forget to bring something, whether I’m forgetting directions, a calculator or even a guide, my phone can always substitute it,” Keough says.
So how do you break your addiction to your phone? According to an article called “Cell Phone Etiquette” in The New York Times, to avoid the imaginary-friend syndrome, people should use handsets or headsets and keep their phones away from their hands.
But Wedgewood says otherwise.
“I love Shelly; she’s a part of me. If she was ever gone, I’d want her back right away.”
