Some readers may find this topic trivial, even menial and unfit to be in the company of more pressing issues such as AIDS and child rights. I certainly beg to differ. No other portable gadget has indoctrinated itself into the life of youths the way hand phones have.

What used to be an instrument to simply call and receive calls has now evolved into an all in one personal multimedia computer. I’m going to give you an account of a friend of mine and his dependence on his hand phone, a Nokia N95, by far one of the most capable hand phones to date. He wakes up in the morning to the sound of the alarm of his phone. Then, checking the reminders stored on it, he proceeds to get his day started. When he goes to class, he takes down notes on it using the Bluetooth keyboard that can be purchased as an accessory. When he needs to use the internet, he simply switches on the Wi Fi feature on his phone and enjoys high speed internet. When he is outside a Wi Fi zone, he enjoys H.S.D.P.A. He’s always got a 5 mega pixel camera and a video camera capable of near DVD resolution. How does he lug these two devices around discreetly? Simple! They are incorporated in his N95. Since his parents work overseas, he uses the voice calling feature on his phone to speak to them. Being an avid music fan, the built in mp3 player serves him well wherever he goes. His life is so intricately connected with that phone that it’s like an extension of his being.

The question here is whether this is healthy or not. Sure, this makes life convenient, but what happens to the social skills of the individual himself. He becomes so involved in his phone that he spends hours on it, using up lots of money and time. What would happen to him if he lost his phone? What do you think?

The U.S. Supreme Court has refused to throw out a number of class-action lawsuits that challenge radiation emissions from cell phones.

With Chief Justice John Roberts presiding, the court refused to consider an appeal from cell phone manufacturers, who wanted the high court to overturn a decision by the 4th U.S. Court of Appeals in Richmond.

Class-action lawsuits currently pending in Maryland, New York and Pennsylvania allege that cell phone radiation can cause brain tumors. The suits allege the manufacturers are aware of the danger and have deliberately kept consumers in the dark.

The suits seek to force phone manufacturers to reduce the amount of radiation produced by phones, and to advise users of the alleged health hazards.

In 2004, Judge Catherine Blake dismissed five of the lawsuits. But in March the appeals court ruled 2-1 that four of the five cases must be sent back to lower courts for trial.

Motorola, Nokia, Nextel Communications, Sprint and Cingular Wireless are among defendants named in the lawsuits.

Courtesy:

Cell Phones and Cancer

Even without the risk of cancer due to cell phones, they are just like video games or computers. Too much of anything is a bad thing.

-Jenos

Whether its healthy or not is still a subject for debating. Companies that producce this say its healthy but consumer and watch dog groups say otherwise.

quote:

damage to the brain cells because of the magnetic field

unsupported, unproven tosh, go get evidence and play again

quote:

notjust destroy the social skills of a person

really? I end up being more social because of my cell phone, because it makes coordinating social events easier

morbile phones do notjust destroy the social skills of a person and makes a hole in ones pocket but also causes damage to the brain cells because of the magnetic field .Morbile phones are good, but when used as a mode of communication,not entertainment

The mobile phone is one of mankind's greatest achievements. It has gone from the size and weight of a brick to the size of your palm and weight of your left testicle. Its role in one's life would differ from one user to another. Most people have these brilliant hand phones which could short of calculate the infinity equation, only use it because its the latest/trendiest and it has a 5 megapixel camera and an mp3 player. Think of it this way, your friend has by far the most sophisticated piece of plastic gadgetry in his hands and utilises it to is maximum potential.

I won't lie. I'm addicted to text messaging. I'll admit that at times it unhealthy to have all the neat gadgets and toys that phones have. Yet, if you think about it, your friend would simply have a lap top and an Ipod and a digital camera and a cell phone. Basically, what I'm trying to say is that your friend would just have a million things to carry around if it wasn't all on his phone.

[cell phone rant]

I hate cell phones.

I don't like having to be accountable to everyone at every waking second. Sometimes there are moments when I don't want to talk to someone on the phone. I keep my cell on always, and when I'm not home, I usually have it nearby. It is an incredibly rare event if I answer it. People who call me often have learned to just leave a message knowing that I'll call them back when it's convenient for me. I mean, that's what home lines are for, why should my cell be any different?

[/cell phone rant]