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Proper etiquette when using your cell phone in public? With all of these new gadgets that we carry around today definitely save us time and make things a whole lot more convenient. But they also come with an entirely new set of cultural rules about how / when and what’s appropriate when using them around others. Everyone seems to have THEIR opinion on cell phone etiquette so we at Hawk Electronics decided to conduct a survey to find out what some of the rules.
Ok, so let’s start with the fun stuff-bad etiquette. What are some of the major pet peeves that people have about using wireless devices in public?
Well, cell phone use while driving is always a hot button for people so we definitely wanted to find out how people felt about using cell phones while driving. First, we had an overwhelming majority of respondents, more than 90%, say that they have encountered a bad driver who was using their wireless device while driving. What’s more interesting about this is that more than 60% of people from this same group say that they think it’s safe to talk on their cell phone while driving. So, while people may be bothered by a bad driver on their cell phone, most of them still think it’s safe to drive and use your cell phone at the same time.
I guess another way to look at that is that a lot of people probably don’t think they’re the ones doing the bad driving. We also asked drivers if they felt that it should be against the law to drive and talk on the phone without any type of device that frees up your hands. And even though most people have admitted to doing it, almost 60% of those same drivers believe that it should be against the law.
So what do people have to say about using their cell phone in other places?
Well, people seem to agree that you should stay away from using your cell phone at a restaurant. We had 66% of our respondents say that you should either turn your phone off completely or switch it to silent mode and only check it during a break or free moment in a restaurant setting.
We also asked about how people felt about taking calls at the gym. Half of those surveyed say that you should use your cell phone at the gym only if you have a very important call that you have to take.
I know one of the things I always hear about is how more people are even answering their phones during a movie. This is becoming a big point of frustration for movie-goers and theater chains. But it’s still pretty much agreed upon that you should never answer a call during a movie at a movie theater. What we did ask though is how people felt about sending text messages during a movie. Almost 60% of those people surveyed say that you should not be able to send text messages during a movie.
So based on our survey results what can Hawk Electronics bring for us to make our lives easier and improve our cell phone etiquette?
The first thing is for driving. One of the interesting things we learned from the survey is that the most popular reason people give for not going hands-free in their car is “bad sound quality,” from the hands-free kits. So, this is my recommendation for a quality hands-free kit that will give excellent sound quality in your car. This is called the Jawbone “NoiseShield” Bluetooth Headset and the reason it works so well is because of this little part here, which is called the “noiseshield.” This technology cancels out any background noise or music so that you clearer calls. I recently switched from my more stylish headset to using this and my husband says I don’t sound like I’m in a hole. It provides great sound quality so I would definitely recommend it for anyone who wants better sound quality from their hands-free device.
We’re also seeing a lot of people buy PDAs because they combine so many things, like your camera and MP3 player, into a single device. This is the Treo 750 and it’s a perfect option for bringing along during your workout because it looks and sounds just like an iPod, and (if you do get that important call) you’re still able to answer it.
Another great thing about using your phone as your MP3 player is that it’s a safe option for bringing along on walks or jogs. If anything were to happen, then you also have the ability to call when you use your phone as your music device.
It seems to me that as more of our lives move on the road and many of us today communicate nearly exclusively on cell phones that we need to establish some basic cell phone etiquette which the world can commonly agree is both sensible and polite. Since there really doesn’t seem to be any established rules regarding cell phone etiquette we think that we are uniquely qualified as the purveyors of Social Couture to weigh in with at the very least our 2 cents worth, and we do understand that 2 cents may be all its worth!
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