shelty Loc: Medford, OR

I checked a couple of weeks ago and without a doubt the cheapest service was the $100 yearly card from TracFone, and if you need more airtime, you just buy an airtime card of your choosing. Of course, because of my age, I use the phone for essential usage only. The other day, as I was trying to pick a broken dish off of the floor, I stayed down a few seconds too long and had to dial 911 so they could pick me up off of the floor.

IDguy Loc: Idaho

You misunderstand. Landline comes into the house. It plugs into whatever phone you use. Most use radiophones. Usually the base also has a wired line that will work when power goes out. But the radiophones need the base unit powered.

clickety

A waste of my remaing unsplit hair for sure. 😃

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Ahhh, I did. Everyone I know calls them a portable.
But I imagine even that is up to interpretation as it is "mobile" up to maybe 100 feet. And yes, its power for a portable comes from the "wall" outlet.
(Now a "radio telephone" is usually on a boat, and totally different.)

Even cellular is "radio".

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

"cell over Internet", as in instead of ??
My cell doesn't go through (via) the internet.
Compared to VIOP ( Voice Over Internet Protcol)

robertjerl Loc: Corona, California

Doesn't work, they are calling my cell phone now. At least it is only about once a day, so far.

robertjerl Loc: Corona, California

Half the calls I make on my cell are either to find the wife's cell or find one of the wireless handhelds for the house land line. Someone I won't name is one of those people who when they are done with something just sort of opens her hand and lets it land on whatever reasonably flat surface is available.

wjv

I don't think VOIP will work without AC Power, unless you have some kind of solar power w/battery backed system. That is an advantage of the old land line from ATT, they have racks of batteries that will keep phones working for days if power goes out. Bigger phone offices have diesel generators to keep batteries charged for longer outages. Good insurance for major AC power loss.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

It won't, unless the connection box has a battery backup in it. A friend who has VOIP has the connection box with a battery backup in it, so his does. But if he uses a portable (AC powered) to that, it won't work.

That's the main reason I keep a landline (copper) is that the phone company powers it via the phone line.
One of my phones is a plain, wired phone which doesn't use house power. The other is a three unit portable.

LWW Loc: Banana Republic of America

Yep.

What would have if the people had been told that their great great great grandchildren would still be funding the Spanish American War.

robertjerl Loc: Corona, California

I have seen that before - funny as hell.

Once years ago while visiting my father and step-mother in Missouri we went to a restaurant that actually had a working dial wall phone with the ear piece on a cord connected to another one in the far end of the dining room. There was a line of kids at both waiting to talk to each other. Oh, they also had a third one that actually was an old dial pay phone, in a booth and you could make calls on it. Plus one that little kids just played with that the dial had been set up to make extra loud noises as it rotated.

When I was a kid our little town still had wall phones, an operator etc. And for many years after they got a phone the one on my Grandparent's farm was a party line. That ended about 1960.* Then when Grandma sold the farm while I was in the Army she bought the house in town that used to be the local phone company. A big living room that had been the office/switchboard room and a huge walk in closet that used to be the switching equipment room. My youngest aunt's best friend's family had run the local phone company. She used to do her homework at the switchboard as the operator so her Mom could cook dinner and get a nap for the overnight shift. Bed next to the switchboard and loud bell for the rare middle of the night calls. The father sometimes was an operator, did most of the installs and line work himself and would call the Bell people in the nearest city for crews to do any major work.

*There was one farm wife who knew everything that went on and would even take messages for people who weren't home when a call came through. I guess every party line in the nation had at least one of those types. Probably would have made a good Director of Intelligence in Washington.

carlberg

As I recall "Mobile Phones" from the 60s operated through satellites while Cellular Phones operate through land-based towers.

10MPlayer Loc: California

I live in a pretty big city just a mile and a half from the capitol dome but AT&T signal fades to one bar around 3 or 4 pm every day. I keep the landline just in case I need the police or an ambulance during those low signal periods. You would think there wouldn't be such problems in an urban area but there you go.

therwol Loc: USA

Sure, communication satellites were first launched in the 60s, but show me any consumer phone that utilized satellite technology from that era. The term mobile phone has been universal in the UK for as long as I can remember, and it is creeping into the vernacular in the US, but we started with cell phones in the beginning, and that term is still common.

I have to say that some of the features of smart phones are appealing. "Free" long distance calling is one. Having a phone handy in case of an emergency away from home is another. They can even set you straight when you're lost or give you turn by turn directions to get you to your destination. You don't have to carry a map or memorize directions. You can access the internet to look up things like where restaurants are. You can take a picture of something interesting if you're not carrying a dedicated camera. On the other hand, I hate being tethered to anything. I use those features when I have to, but my cell phone is not always with me and not even in a convenient place to answer it in my house unless I happen to be next to it. Overall, I think that there are more plusses than minuses.

khildy Loc: Brownsburg, IN

Just got rid of mine today as a matter of fact. Stupid me had a bundle for years just happen to look into this week and realize I was paying $50 a MONTH for a LAND LINE.