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Janet asked: “I have a land phone. Tell me the benefits of having a cell phone. What would be the best cell phone for at home? I am a senior citizen and am not looking forward to any expensive telephone.”
Janet, if you’re happy with your landline and don’t want to spend money on a phone, you can certainly keep it.
People have gravitated towards mobile phones because they’re just that, mobile. Cell phones are more personal devices than traditional home lines, you can be at home and pick up, you can be at a park and still pick up. It gives people a way to reach you rather than your household, whether you happen to be at home or not.
The obvious added benefit that comes with being reachable anywhere is that you can also reach out from anywhere, so if you happen to get caught in the rain and need a pick up, if you need an ambulance, if you need to reach someone before they miss some kind of a deadline, you can from wherever you are.
Even if we skip smartphones, since you don’t want to focus on expensive phones, any modern cell phone will act as a camera too, which as you’ve probably noticed is a feature almost everyone loves and takes advantage of.
Now, there are some disadvantages, cell phones cost more than landlines. They need to be charged like cordless phones do, but since they’re usually on or near you, you may not naturally charge them without thinking by resting them at a base. They tend to last far less than traditional home phones before needing to be replaced.
Like everything else, they’re a compromise, but most people prefer them to old landlines because of the advantages that being connected anywhere can bring.