DH and I both are on Verizon (him: Motorola Droid, me: LG Dare inherited from DH but previously Samsung Flipshot) and we have had absolutely NONE of these problems! When I have a voice mail, I get a white screen with the number (or name, if it's one of my contacts, or "unknown" if it's a blocked number or a call from a multi-line system) is displayed at the top of the screen along with a timestamp, with buttons below saying "check voicemail" or "ignore". If I have a missed call where the caller didn't leave a voicemail, or I "ignore" the voicemail, I get a screen reading "missed call", name/number, timestamp, and buttons for either "ignore" or "add to contacts". If I've "ignored" any of these things, little icons appear on the screen - a little person for a voicemail, an envelope for a waiting text message, or a tiny phone for a missed call. I tap any of those icons to activate it. DH's Droid works about the same way.

1. There will be a sense of disconnection Smartphones have dramatically changed the way we communicate with other people. They made it easier and more accessible. Technology used to limit us as we were forced to languish in front of a landline while waiting for a call. Today people have become much closer to each other. Now, in order to talk with the desired person, a couple of touches on the smartphone are enough. However, the absence of this miracle gadget will make you feel separated from the world, which often leads to an acute feeling of loneliness. In addition, you may succumb to incessant boredom. 2. It will become harder to navigate without GPS The days of people using maps to get to the right place are almost gone. All smartphones are equipped with GPS, which helps us to reach our destination without much difficulty and wandering. Life has actually become much easier thanks to GPS, because this navigator shows us the right direction right down to the smallest turn. Therefore, in the absence of access to the global system, many people will not be able to correctly and quickly navigate in an unfamiliar area. Navigators have become such an integral part of our lives that most travel enthusiasts and those who often go on business trips can hardly imagine their lives without a smartphone with its indispensable GPS.

I guess it all depends on how much you call from home versus away from home or on the road. We use pre-paid cellular. The new phones were free after rebate and my wife and I each spend about $5-$7/month for the STI Mobile/Sprint service. We only make quick 1-2 minute calls for necessary reasons and it works fine anywhere in the country that Sprint covers. Voice mail and text messaging are turned off on both cellular phones. Other cellular providers are now joining the pre-paid game with good deals. We are still stuck with the old telephone company for home and home office lines. I must have the reliability and quality of a landline for my business. I do pay too much for long distance, toll-free, and local service for my business compared to the low rates available today. Bills are typically $35-$50/month for relatively low volume usage. The last time I switched was from MCI to Ameritech(i.e. SBC/AT&T/who knows?) It was a pain to switch, but the new lower rates were good for a year before they went up again. Our home phone line just went up to $22/month for local phone service. It started at $18 several years ago. Pre-paid long distance service is $.025/minute using cards from companies like Cheap Phonecards. The latest cards don't require you to enter the pin every time from home and you can program the 800 access number into speed dial. The long distance cards are great from hotels too. We are seriously considering the switch to broadband phone service, but our local numbers are not yet portable for Vonage or the others. We are just outside of their large markets. Broadband cable internet is $30/month and speed is around 300K or 10 times faster than dial-up. It is fast enough for our needs. The total bill (excluding my business) is around $67/month for all phones and broadband for my wife and I. Here is a link that might be useful: Cheap Phone Cards

Haha. The email is clearly real. I got one and thought nothing more of it until coming upon this thread. There's an irony with this. Two-step authorization measures are implemented, in part, precisely because people get hysterical about security and perceived risks. So the very measure used to address those who are worried about security, is distrusted by those same people and leads to more feelings of risk and insecurity. Too many folks, especially oldsters, don't want to be confronted with truth or fact that conflicts with a view they've reached and want to cling to. It's unbelievable. Those of you who want to think of the email as being phony are entitled to do so. Just don't be shocked with what happens the next time you try to sign in to the SSA website (you'll be asked to supply a cell phone number to receive a text). I just tried it out, it works fine. Those who don't have a cellphone can call or visit a SSA office. This isn't a big deal, it's just an added security step for web access. Yawn.