h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Well it is for me - my phone has stopped working and I'm gonna have to trek out to the o2 shop to get it repaired

The failure of Fords' mobile is the first indicator of the end of the world according to the Mayans.

I know the feeling. Mine's been acting very strange. I might just get a new one, just in case.

Poor wee Phoney has been taken off to be operated on so I'm going to have to use the backup phone. The guy at the shop seemed impressed I'd done everything they would have recommended prior to sending it off so I hope they can bring Phoney back to life

Fingers crossed for a full recovery as soon as possible.

Thank you

I got my old Samsung Genio off the MIL today, but it seems that this phone has also given up the ghost. I think the battery may be buggered, which is strange as it was only in constant use for about six months. I was tearing my hair out until I remembered my sis had EV's old Sony Ericsson - it's not as fancy as the Galaxy or Genio but I can text and phone, which is fine.

I wonder how long the term Mobile Phone or Cell Phone or whatever will last. You are clearly upset that your phone will only work as a phone and even then you can text people. We all have such high expectations of our handheld gadgets should we name them to be something more? This is a big chance for Hootooers. Write your answers on the back of a 50 (dollar, Euro, pound note) and send them to me and I will leave the judging to our expert panel.

Um, what makes you think I'm upset at using a basic phone for a while? I'm really not

Sorry! It was just the efforts you seemed to be going to to get something other than a basic one. It wasn't really a comment aimed at you, per se, it was something aimed at most of us and a chance to rename a piece of tech that we all have about us.

We call them phones but I know many people that if you calculated the time they use it as something else, (web browser, camera, blogging device, GPS, games machine) compared with the time they spend speaking on it the idea of thinking of it primarily as a phone is old hat.

It's a camera that incidentally I can take phone calls on. It's a web browser and GPS that I can also use to speak to people with. Do you see?

No worries, I thought you'd misunderstood me

Mind you, I do use my phone more than I realised and I'm firing up the PC more to do what I'd consider basic phone stuff - checking email, the news, Facebook etc, looking at my calendar etc. On the other hand, it's quite liberating as the mobile I'm using now has sat in the same place for two days and I haven't had to charge it yet

I have to carry the oncall phone for work. It is not as basic as some phones but it doesn't have a big screen. If I don't have any crises to deal with the battery lasts for days! I know someone with an iphone who has to charge it at lunch time after having it charging overnight! It doesn't make it the ideal accessory for traveling does it?

I sometimes have to charge my X10 after our morning walk even though it's been on charge all night. But I use it to tweet, take photos, text and yes sometimes answer the phone! I had to buy a car charger for it. I'd rather have a second battery, but of course you can't take them out of these modern phones!

I thought it was only iPhones that you couldn't take the battery out of? Every mobile phone I've had has had a detachable battery

The Xperia is exactly the same, J says his smart phones have all had removable batteries, maybe it's just mine and the iphone?

Aye, maybe it's a Sony thing

Phoney is home! Well, they had to replace the circuit board so all that's left of him is the back cover and the battery, but it's still Phoney to me and I'm happy he's back and I wub him

>>Phoney is home<<
At first I thought that was a slightly warped ET reference. Then I thought you were making a play on the word Sony in a derogatory sort of way... and then my brain chugged to a halt until a coin of the copper variety tumbled and I realised that Phoney would have a capital P even if it wasn't the first word of the sentence. D'oh.

Cross forum jetlag is the worst