{...} everywhere I go people sit with their phones, in restaurants and parks, pubs and parties, ignoring each other. It's weird and sad.

You obviously haven't seen gold-plated cars then, or phone cases encrusted with diamonds. Go to Abu Dhabi, there is so much bling tat there as they have more money than they know what to do with. There is a huge market for this.

I prefer sitting in the corner with a book.

The picture is a "Better Than Life" worst-case scenario about how people may start to live in virtual worlds and let the real world fade.

the $4m Lamborghini is identical in almost every way to the $500k one; it's just made of gold.

And people bought those to show off their wealth, did they?

I'm pretty sure there's a middle ground between spending every waking hour looking at your phone vs never even taking it out of the house (which is arguably also an odd attitude in itself); and I suspect the vast majority of people happily occupy that middle ground.

And people bought those to show off their wealth, did they?

Here you go. £22,800 for a mid-spec feature phone. Because it's made of shiny materials and is well bling innit.

http://www.vertu.com/gb/en/collections/ ... cgid=12500

It's basically an old Nokia. It's that price because it's bling, exactly like the fancy Apple Watch.

Well, of course. Did that need saying?

As much or as little as anything else we talk about here. Apologies if I'm not hitting your required level of interest or something.

As much or as little as anything else we talk about here. Apologies if I'm not hitting your required level of interest or something.

Apology accepted.

But I don't know why I would take my phone out if I was going out to dinner, or on a shopping trip with a friend, or a wedding, or any other occasion where I was going to be spending time with someone else or a group of friends and family. Answering texts, checking sports, reading Twitter - all of these things can be done at another time.

Perhaps she has no will power?

Of course, I never said I never take my phone outside the house, I just don't bother with it very often. If I am going to meet somebody somewhere, it's handy in case one party is delayed. If I am going out alone I will take it for safety in case something happens. If I am going to split up with someone to do secret shopping, again it is handy to find them again.

But I don't know why I would take my phone out if I was going out to dinner, or on a shopping trip with a friend, or a wedding, or any other occasion where I was going to be spending time with someone else or a group of friends and family. Answering texts, checking sports, reading Twitter - all of these things can be done at another time.

It's less about 'why' and more about 'why not'. It's not difficult to think of emergency situations in any scenario where someone might need to urgently contact you, or you them, which can be done if you've got your phone on you. If you don't want to answer texts, checking sports, read Twitter there's an easy solution there: just don't do it.

You're sort of presenting it here as a binary choice between having your phone on you and thus acting anti-socially to a degree vs not having it on you and properly engaging with whomever you're physically with which I don't really understand.

Maybe. I'm answering the question 'why would I take my phone out'.

But I don't know why I would take my phone out if I was going out to dinner...

Ever since I was a teenager and phones were first coming in, I've always felt that the moment people get theirs out and start discussing size or features etc is the moment that the conversation had exhausted itself and the evening was drawing to a close.

That depends on the company you keep. As evidenced by the various Android/iOS threads here, and all the discussion everywhere else on the internet, a lot of people are interested in phone technology in and of itself and not just because they've somehow run out of other things to talk about (does that ever actually happen?).

She actually has incredible amounts of will-power, but that's not what's needed.

I don't have any need, want or feeling to check my phone when I am out, so why carry around an expensive but of extra equipment to bulk out my pocket to not look at it for eight hours to then return home?

It might as well carry around a small frying pan and a can of Mr Muscle if I start toting around things for the sake of it.

If I'm not going to use it, why bring it with me?

To take pictures of your food. Like an Gaywood.

Your frying pan comparison is, obviously, ludicrous because there's a massive difference in potential utility when out of your house between a mobile communication device and a cooking implement but ultimately (of course!) it's all about whatever works for you. Aside from the fact that I personally can imagine a multitude of situations where I might need to urgently communicate with people who aren't physically with me it's also no hassle at all to stick my phone in my pocket. It costs me nothing even if it sits in there doing nothing for any length of time so again, for me, it's more about 'why not' than 'why'. Whatever works for everyone.

Ludicrous for you as you are more likely to use one than the other.

I honestly don't care if you take your phone out, why would I?

I can't really imagine any situation outside of that that requires me to see my phone in any kind of urgency.

Are we honestly going to pretend that habitually a mobile phone around is less odd than carrying a frying pan for anyone? Really?



I've no idea; I've never at any point claimed that you would. I'm just having a conversation here.

My phone has all my medical info available on the lock screen in case of emergency.

I think you miss the point: I think it's strange to habitually carry around anything you don't use. I'm not applying that to you.

Of course I don't care whether you carry your phone, so if you see re-stating the idea that it is important/useful that you carry your phone despite nobody you shouldn't as a discussion, then so be it, but I don't think it's particularly interesting.

Yes. Then they get married.

http://techcrunch.com/2015/03/11/rose_gold/

As good a summary of the case against the Watch Edition as I've read anywhere.