Dude? Where’s My Cell Phone? We don’t leave home without

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10 years ago I walked into the local dealer and picked up my first cell phone. I believe it was a Nokia 920. My work cell was a Motorola Clam Shell, then I believe a Nokia 720. I then got a 5100 series, followed by a 6300 series. 2 years ago I purchased the Razr3, and now I have an HTC 8125.

5 cell phones in 10 years. Throughout those times I have called, texted, surfed and played the occasional game of Bubble breaker. My phone has been by my side all this time. So has my wallet and keys. But which one would I want the most if I had to choose one?

IDC and Nortel Networks did a study to find out what is more important – your cell phone or your wallet. 38 percent of over 2000 people polled wanted their cell phone. 30 percent went for the wallet, while the remainder went for something else.

It’s interesting that a little thing like a phone can make you decide that you can leave things like your wallet at home. I could never do that. I would feel naked without my wallet. Then again, I would feel naked without the cell phone or my keys.

We seem to value the things that work easiest for us. Then again, I used to have a watch on my wrist and a ring on my finger (no, not a wedding band – just a regular ring). 15 years ago I went along with my life without a cell phone. Could I ever give it up now? How about my wallet or keys?
The interesting thing is, yes. I could give up my wallet. After all, what IS in my wallet? We’ll start with the most important thing. Money. I can always carry a money clip or just stick the bills in my front pocket.
My ID, Debit and Credit cards make up the majority of my wallet. But ya know, in a few years I wouldn’t be surprised if those would both be on my cell phone in some way shape or form. Think about it – a scan able ID via infrared? A scan on the Credit card reader, in which you punch in a couple numbers into the phone and you just bought something?

Even business cards can be scanned into your address book. Why have a piece of paper when you can have your phone take care of it for you?
Now keys are important, right? Not really. I rarely use my keys to enter my car or house. If you equip your car and house with keypads, you just punch in a number and boom. Your car is unlocked and started, and your house is locked or unlocked. There are even some public restrooms in Finland that will open with a text message.

Keys, shmees. Don’t need those archaic things. All I need is a cell phone and a good battery.

Reality is, cell phones do a lot more than call a person. Some cell phones can even access the internet, VPN into your home computer and let you work. Internet maps, Videos, MP3’s and whatever else you can think of.
Some have played with the idea of embedding your cell in your arm, or behind your ear. Battery technology has told us we can charge a certain type of battery just by holding it to our skin. Could you imagine having this technology as a part of you – working off human power?

There are some that oppose the cell, though. Even some people that are 100% techies. They want nothing to do with a cell phone – they would rather have the land line and use payphones : that is, if you can find one.
Technically, my phone matches a Pentium 233 mHz machine from back in 1997. Newer models have 600 mHz processors, 192 MB of RAM and 4 GB of storage. It’s a long cry from the first “Brick Phones”, but as we evolve, so does our technology.

Maybe someday we won’t need keys. Maybe someday we won’t need wallets. Maybe even someday we won’t need cell phones. But for now, I’ll take all three, thank you.

Thanks for listening. My name is Jeffrey Powers for Geekazine dot co…. Oh wait, almost forgot my cell phone.