Spin-Off: When Did YOU First Get a Cell Phone And...

[ronandannette]

...how has your use evolved? Do you remember what kind of phone it was? When did you start texting? Do you still have a landline?

DH got "our" first one 20 years ago; my DDad (who knew absolutely NOTHING about technology) insisted as DS was a new-born and we routinely made the 8-hour drive back to my hometown for visits 5 or 6 times a year. LOL - it was something like this, if I remember correctly

and during those first years there were so few cell towers around that it was out-of-service more than it was in!

There was no texting in those days; I first remember "learning" how to text on a motorola flip phone I had for work about 7 or 8 years ago and it was a pain because you had to scroll through all the letters on the phone keypad to enter a word. Over the years I've since abandoned having a personal phone because I always need to carry the one my work provides and there is no restrictions on the use.

Our company has stuck with Blackberries, which I LOVE, although I do very little web-surfing on it. I use it 100x more for texts and e-mails than for anything else, including phone calls (I actually hate talking on the phone). DH and DS are iPhone guys; DH always has the most current version and DS always has his most recent hand-me-down. Interesting how things have evolved; DS (and most people his age) practically NEVER make (or answer) a phone call. Their phones are basically web-browsing cameras and texting machines.

We still have a landline at our house, just for nostalgia I guess, I can't seem to want to give it up. But truth be told, we practically never answer it when it rings because the only incoming calls we ever get are telemarketers.

How about you?

 

[Mizzoufan]

When I was in my late teens early 20's which was around 1999

 

[mjkacmom]

My first phone was MUCH bigger than that. I'm guessing I got my first one in the early 90's - wish I kept it!

 

[ronandannette]

View attachment 206931 My first phone was MUCH bigger than that. I'm guessing I got my first one in the early 90's - wish I kept it!

I can remember very early on in my career, my company had ONE "mobile phone" that was shared by several executives. The battery for it was carried separately in a suitcase and needed to be plugged into a car cigarette lighter at all times. It looked something like this:

Bonus points if anybody recognizes this thing (HINT: there was a time when PDA did not stand for public display of affection ):

 

[Lilacs4Me]

I was 25. I had just had DS16 and was back in college fulltime. I decided to get one because I was unavailable for the better part of the day while in classes.

It seems so archaic now, and not smart thinking at all, because not only did I not even know what a text was, but the phone had to be turned off during the 3 hour classes anyway, so really the best scenario in an emergency would have been to leave ME a message, and call DH at his workplace. Also, we paid by the minute lol, so we never used them. It was such a waste.

My next phone was a Nextel that my work gave us teachers so we could talk between classrooms if needed. I think it came with 100 minutes/mo, too, and we paid overages.

After that, phones started getting smarter. It took quite a while, though before *I* personally had a phone with good enough quality to make going online/using apps/streaming/etc worth it. After my Galaxy S3 about 7 years ago was when I really started getting into using my phone for everything. Now it's all I need outside of my work laptop. Currently on a Note 5.

My kids have never owned or used anything than a smartphone, at least not that they can remember.

 

[wenrob]

We had these:

DH always forgot his and they were barely used because making actual phone calls used your minutes. I remember us starting to use them fairly regular when oldest DD was born in 1996. DH was carrying around both to call people from my hospital room. When clamshell/flip phones came out I remember choosing our plan based on where we could get reception. At that point people were starting to text but I ignored them because I couldn't figure it out. Hung onto my little Cingular flip until those state of the art Razors came out and DH had a top of the line Windows Pocket PE. We were FANCY! Then came the iPhone and we've never looked back. That's when I began texting and it's my main form of communication now. We had a landline up until this year because they wouldn't let us separate it from our bundle but it had been unplugged for about five years.

I can remember very early on in my career, my company had ONE "mobile phone" that was shared by several executives. The battery for it was carried separately in a suitcase and needed to be plugged into a car cigarette lighter at all times. It looked something like this:

We have a friend who had one of these. We were going to a show at one of the casinos and they wouldn't let him bring it in. I remember right up until flip phones places that wouldn't let you bring in cellphones. So funny to think about now.

 

[Skippy918]

I had a dumb phone on and off from the late 90s until 3 years ago when I actually got a smartphone from my job. I left that job and then got my own phone 2 years ago. My parents got me the first one while I was in college so I could use it for emergencies. It came in handy several times.
We have a landline but it's a VOIP line thru Ooma and no monthly fee.

 

[blackpearl77]

I got a cell phone in 1993/1994 when I got my drivers license. I was either 16 or 17 when my parents gave me the phone. It was huge. It was in a bag. It was a large box that came in a travel bag. It looked like a mini suitcase! I used to keep it in the trunk. Only for emergencies if I broke down. I didn't get a more portable cell phone until 1999 after I graduated college.

 

[dotfurio]

I don't remember when exactly I got my first cell phone. It wasn't at the start of the craze because it wasn't big and bulky, and I'm pretty sure it was a Nokia.

We still keep a land line in case of emergencies.

 

[Marchand63]

We had these:
View attachment 206937
DH always forgot his and they were barely used because making actual phone calls used your minutes. I remember us starting to use them fairly regular when oldest DD was born in 1996. DH was carrying around both to call people from my hospital room. When clamshell/flip phones came out I remember choosing our plan based on where we could get reception. At that point people were starting to text but I ignored them because I couldn't figure it out. Hung onto my little Cingular flip until those state of the art Razors came out and DH had a top of the line Windows Pocket PE. We were FANCY! Then came the iPhone and we've never looked back. That's when I began texting and it's my main form of communication now. We had a landline up until this year because they wouldn't let us separate it from our bundle but it had been unplugged for about five years.

We have a friend who had one of these. We were going to a show at one of the casinos and they wouldn't let him bring it in. I remember right up until flip phones places that wouldn't let you bring in cellphones. So funny to think about now.

I think that is my exact 1st phone. I honestly can't remember the year had to be early 90s.

We do still have a landline not sure why but its cheap

 

[PollyannaMom]

When Did YOU First Get a Cell Phone?

I think I got my first one when DS was a baby (so 2000/2001) in case of car trouble or some other emergency. I didn't want to be stuck away from home without a way to call someone.

How has your use evolved?

At first, I just kept it around to call out if necessary, now I use it mostly for texting and the internet. I much prefer texting to actually talking on the phone!

Do you remember what kind of phone it was?

first one was a "candy bar" (Nokia, I think?) - then a flip phone (Samsung?) - then my previous smart phone (Samsung Galaxy Exhilarate) - and now I'm on my second smart phone (iPhone 6S)

When did you start texting?

When my brother's phone was on the fritz, and he could receive texts but not calls. And I still had the flip phone, so it was "hit this key once, then this one three times, this one twice"...!

Do you still have a landline?

Yes, I do. I am unwilling to give my cell phone number out for everything.

 

[Soldier's*Sweeties]

Junior in HS... like 2002. It was a Nokia Trac-Fine. I had to pay for it myself.

 

[Bluestars]

I got one in the 1990s. Before that, I had a pager.

 

[RedAngie]

My first cell phone was provided by my company, late 1996. At the time, I traveled to various company locations on a daily basis. I think it was a Nokia.

I had my own PDA even before that.

 

[Squirlz]

I got some kind of flip phone in 2001 for a job that lasted less than a year. After that not until 2008 when I started seeing the woman who would become my Wife. She got me one on her plan because she lived in TN and I live in MI. So I still have a TN area code which confuses people to this day.

 

[ZephyrHawk]

I got my in 1996, about the same time I got my first car (end of high school). My parents had car phones for many years before that. My dad, in fact, had a car phone installed several weeks before the first cell tower in our area being active (mid-80s).

 

[powellrj]

I don't remember exactly, but it was the early 90's. I got my phone # in 2000 that was one digit off of our landline phone. It makes it really easy for me to remember, but its really confusing for other people!

 

[kimblebee]

It was 2004 or 2005 when I got my first cell. It was a Nokia and it was pretty basic (internet wasn't even an option on it LOL)

I got my first iPhone in 2010 and I remember how in awe of it I was. I've been on one since then and gave my daughter one when she was 11.

I would much rather text than talk. The only people I actually call are my parents and doctors.

 

[loves to dive]

I got a cell phone in 1993/1994 when I got my drivers license. I was either 16 or 17 when my parents gave me the phone. It was huge. It was in a bag. It was a large box that came in a travel bag. It looked like a mini suitcase! I used to keep it in the trunk. Only for emergencies if I broke down. I didn't get a more portable cell phone until 1999 after I graduated college.
View attachment 206938

This was the kind that I got first. My boyfriend got it for me because I had to drive about 30 min. into the country to pick up my son from my ex-husband's house. My ex was a wife and child beater and my boyfriend (we've been together 23 years now) was a Marine and couldn't stand the thought of me being by myself with my ex. I couldn't get him to understand I took care of myself before he came into the picture and was very capable of doing so then too ( my ex didn't hit me more than once before I put a stop to it). My son who was around 12 or so at the time got a big kick out of the phone, called my honey Magnum because he was keeping his eye on me. I actually still have the phone somewhere. We do still have a landline but it's just for honey's business, he has his own computer consulting business and it's actually an extension for one of his clients.

 

[Diznygrl]

I had a toy version of the "Zack Morris" style cellphone (pictured in ronandannette's post) when I was a kid. My parents also had a car phone in theeee...late 80s? Early 90s? Mostly because our car was such a hunk of junk that broke down all the time and they wanted the ability to call for help without trekking around to find the nearest pay phone or business owner who would let them use their phone.

I think I got my first cell sometime in '98 or '99 when I was a senior in high school...don't remember exactly. It was a flip phone and I think it was a hand me down from my dad. Since they were getting a little more popular by then I guess my parents decided I should have something to make calls with in case of emergency. I hardly ever used it because all it was really good for was phone calls, and such silly and distracting fads were verboten during school hours in those days anyway. I had a few more flip phones after that and got my first iPhone in 2010. Don't have a landline anymore.