I like having my phone mostly for the non-phone features. I like surfing the net and reading the news on there if I don't have a computer with me. And like I said, I do like the Blackberry Messenger which allows me to have a chat room with several friends at once, people I actually enjoy chatting with, and want to keep in touch with.
An acquaintance of mine, who I've known since high school, has never had a cell phone. When I was a freshman, lots of people started getting phones, and by sophomore year, pretty much everyone had one. Those first couple years of high school, everyone thought this dude was just behind the game, or maybe too broke to afford it. Then as the rest of high school came and went, people started seeing this dude just wasn't trying to get one. By the summer after senior year, the dude was looking like a boss. People called his house phone and left him voice mails inviting him to parties or whatever. He would get the messages and decide what he wanted to do. People were always hype when he showed up, cause they couldn't get ahold of him to see if he was gonna come through.
Now highschool is almost 6 years ago, he still never got a phone. People run into him at the bar or downtown and are psyched to see him. In short, not having a phone has made him a highly "in demand" individual.
I'd consider ditching my phone some day, especially as technology makes mobile web browsing available on more and more devices. But I'd like to up my status a little bit more. At this point in my career, I think I still need to have a number where I can be reached if necessary. Good article though.
