Do I NEED my cell phone?

I bought a second generation iphone several years ago. It was my first cell phone. I had consistently rejected getting a cell phone. I didn’t really want to be found at times, and a cell phone let anyone tap me on the shoulder whenever they wanted to. Sure, it was great in emergencies or on long trips, but those were rare enough that I didn’t really need one. Then my employer agreed to pick up the cost if I’d buy a cell phone. So I got hooked on an iphone. The apps are great and I enjoy reading my email anytime. Surfing the web is not something I do on my iphone, it’s just too small. But texting has been nice as an option to actually talking to someone.

AT&T is the provider for data and phone service for the iphone. The exclusive provider. (Although that is going to change this coming year) I switched jobs, and my employer no longer picks up the cost of my iphone, which is around $87.00 monthly. They just put out a new plan cutting the data cost in half, so I should pay about $15 less a month. Still, that’s significant coin.

And so I am considering ending my contract with AT&T. I’ve fulfilled the two year requirement, so I can cancel without a penalty. A month ago, I bought a MagicJack adaptor, and I now have a “home phone” through my computer, at a cost of less than $3 a month. You can read more info about the Magic Jack adaptor at http://www.magicjack.com/5/index.asp

I told my friends that I was thinking about getting rid of my cell phone and just use my iphone as an itouch without the data or phone service. Almost to a man, all of them have told me that I couldn’t do that, it would be unwise, blah blah blah. The gist of their argument against it is that they couldn’t have instant access to me. I thought about taking up a collection among them. I mean, heck, if they really want to get hold of me that bad, they can pay for my phone bill!

But the fact is that I’ve grown dependent upon having a cell phone. Before I had one, I was perfectly happy not having one. I didn’t worry, I didn’t fret, I just didn’t care. But now that I’ve had one for a while, it seems that I have been psychologically conditioned to be dependent upon carrying the thing around. What if someone needed me? And when I’m waiting, what will I do with my time if I can’t text someone? And what will I do if I get stranded hundreds of miles from nowhere without my cell phone to save me?

Fact is, I don’t go anywhere that is hundreds of miles from nowhere. And there are more than enough people who pass by me every day who have cell phones I can use in an emergency.

The truth is that I don’t NEED a cell phone anymore now than I did back when I didn’t have one. So what has changed? I’ve become a techie junkie! That’s what’s different. I crave information in the form of email, articles, webzines, games and applications. It’s an addiction, and I’m a junkie.

So, I’m hesitant to bit the bullet. Truthfully, I don’t NEED a cell phone. But I feel towards it the way I learned to feel about color TV. When I was a young adult, we had a nice sized black and white TV. And it was fine. I had no complaints. And then it died, and we bought a color TV. After a couple of months of having color, I came across a B/W TV and watching it I felt so cheap! I had become a color TV junkie, just like the rest of our nation.

So, I’m thinking about becoming a rebel. Move over, James Dean, I’ve got my Harley warmed up and I’m ready to be a rebel with a cause.

If only I have the courage. I guess I’ll find out just how addicted I really am.