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Are you bothered or not by a partner who is constantly glued to his or her cell phone?

At the dinner table. During church service. Before bedtime.
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ArishMell · 70-79, M
I don't have a partner but one or two of my friends are a bit that way.

I live by the rule that my portable 'phone is OFF most of the time unless I am expecting an arranged call, which is very rare. All my friends and relations likely to call me know I am not usually readily available by text or voice 'phone; land-line or portable (nor come to that, by e-post). So they leave a message!

It is switched OFF when I am driving (illegal to use it while actually driving); obviously in any situation like a church service, lecture or entertainment event; but also in any informal social gathering.

It is only ever switched ON overnight for its alarm-clock function if needed while away from home - and that is very rare! For an alarm clock at home, I use a bedside clock / radio / alarm.

I take it with me on long journeys to use in the event of breakdown, accident or undue traffic delay; but have often been on entire holidays with the instrument turned off throughout.

'
I have never understood why so many people are so desperate to have their 'phones switched on permanently (except when re-charging them) that they lose even more etiquette with the thing:

- Are you genuinely expecting a genuinely important call constrained by time of day? Be honest - does that really happen very often; except in certain, necessary professional or medical situations? Switch it on but if available, set to silent (vibrate) mode. (Unfortunately, silent mode is not available on mine!)

- Do you need make a genuinely important call constrained by time; or necessary to the occasion? Is that common outside of your work or medical needs? Switch it on to do so, switch it off again afterwards.

[i]Easy, isn't it![/i]

+++

Incidentally there are purveyors to the ignorant and gullible, of foil-lined portable-'phone wallets supposedly shielding users from "radiation" the sellers hope incomprehensible and frightening. The likely effect, if any at all, is to block incoming calls; so perhaps socially advantageous to everyone around the user!

The snake-oil sellers exploit the instruments' need to emit tracking pulses so the telephony system can route calls to and from them. Apparently this happens even when the 'phone is nominally 'off'. I do not know if that is correct, but even if it is, the battery drain rate on my 'phone suggests these harmless v.h.f radio pulses are of miniscule duration and power, at low repetition-rate. They are also transmitted as omni-directionally as possible, with the side-effect that only some of the signal reaches the user.

If you find a portable telephone that alarming, don't have one!

Besides, as with all electronic equipment anyway, our portable radio-telephones have to comply with many increasingly complicated and stringent, internationally-agreed, safety and environmental standards.