[3.0L]

Had lunch at one of our favorite restaurants up the coast today. The place was busier than normal for a week day, probably because of the rainy weather.

So we were seated in our favorite spot, which happened to be next to six college-age kids. As I scooted in my chair I was thinking this could end up being really noisy. But not! Everyone of those kids had their nose buried in their smartphone, texting!

[Gemini562]

The art of conversation is now officially less appetizing than the unlimited data plan.

[cmyx6go]

It boggles my brain. WTF? They’re out with friends but have their faces in their phones? Why bother?

[dradernh]

What happens when you're out for the first time with someone you're very attracted to; check your phone first after sitting down just to make sure you're not missing something really important?

Sorry – non-smartphone user here, so I for sure don't get it. I'm just glad I stopped working before smartphones and email came along. I can't imagine what a professional office job is like today. They sound sort of nightmarish when I read about the demand on people's attention across the entire calendar week.

[Esteban]

I will admit I look at mine pretty often. Often enough to occasionally give me a pain in my neck. I have a thread somewhere in here about it.

I look at texts, check email, go on the internet. And use the Bimmerpost app, which I think works pretty well.

Never look at it when I'm out with my wife, that would be rude (unless it's a phone call or a text that might be urgent).

[M_Six]

I went without a cell phone for the first half of my life, and then some maybe. If you got caught in traffic or otherwise held up, there was no way to notify anyone about it. You just dealt with it. I do sometimes wonder what I used to do with downtime when I had no iPhone. These days if I have to sit and wait for something, like a doctor appointment, the first thing I do is pull out the phone. And my Apple Watch keeps me apprised of a whole slew of things. I think telling me what time it is seems to be the least important thing it does.

[Boomer 2019]

Admitted cranky old dinosaur here. I do not have a "smartphone" by choice. I have a flip phone instead. Phone calls, text, and something small that I can stick in my pocket is all I need. I also leave my phone in the car whenever I am out and about, and definitely when I am with someone else. A missed call is not the end of the world.

The more I see of "smartphones" the more I dislike them. They have brought the end times upon us, and the world is full of phone zombies.

[Esteban]

Originally Posted by Boomer 2019

Admitted cranky old dinosaur here. I do not have a "smartphone" by choice. I have a flip phone instead. Phone calls, text, and something small that I can stick in my pocket is all I need. I also leave my phone in the car whenever I am out and about, and definitely when I am with someone else. A missed call is not the end of the world.

The more I see of "smartphones" the more I dislike them. They have brought the end times upon us, and the world is full of phone zombies.

The thing I meant about an “urgent” text or call in my post above was if someone, a family member or friend, was hurt and in the hospital, or worse. You never know what can happen and I want to be reachable if something terrible does happen.

[Boomer 2019]

You are a better man than I am. I check mine every few hours.

[Esteban]

Originally Posted by Boomer 2019

You are a better man than I am. I check mine every few hours.

My son lives in another state and I don't hear from him much, mostly on holidays. Want to be available in case something happens.

[eluded]

Originally Posted by Esteban

....Want to be available in case something happens.

[MassWholeBimmer]

64 year old and could not live without a smart phone. I never use it when out dining with company as the teens do on the original post, don't really use it for texts (I probably get/send maybe 150 a year).

Just the convenience of having it for me is worth it. Case in point on convenience....

A few months ago I was in Dallas on business, just about to leave my hotel for a 9 am flight. I get a cell phone / alert from my Delta app saying my flight was delayed 4 hours. If not for that alert, I would have driven to the airport and spent an extra 4 hours their, rather than killing the time in my hotel room.

[M_Six]

I have my PoE cams running through a program that sends me alerts when there is a vehicle in my driveway or a delivery person walking up to the door. I get a snapshot in email and a short video in the phone app. I have to admit, I've become a junkie for knowing what's going on in and around my house. But it still drives me nuts when some asshat doesn't mute their phone in a restaurant, so you get to hear their ringtones and sometimes a whole conversation. I recently had to listen to an idiot carrying on a conversation with the speakerphone feature on. I was like, "WTF? This is a restaurant! You don't do that here."