Calliope, I think you might be on to something. They chew only the charger cord and always right where the wire goes into the charger thingy that apparently has current in at all times. But it's also true that months ago when they were really tiny, they chewed a very thin wire. Well, the FOURTH charger for this month is safely tucked away in a drawer and I'll start trying a couple of the methods you've all given me to try and make sure it's the last charger.

We've had a couple of Nokia cell phones for several years through TracFone. We decided to go with the Motorola W376g phones because it is hearing air compatible, plus my wife wanted a new phone. Using the TracFone web site, transferring the minutes and telephone number from the first one went fairly smooth and it took just a few minutes before the new phone was working. Trying to do it with the second phone has been a problem and after 3 days is still not working. They first told me it would take 24 to 48 hours for the transfer to take place. and then they said it would take up to 10 days. I've tried calling them but with my hearing problem it's almost impossible to understand their overseas Service Representatives. So I've been dealing with them by e-mail. It cost $49.99 is supposed to have "double minutes for the life of the phone upon activation."

Wait, you agree that "those that use their cell phones while driving are risking the lives of many people" but you say you will answer the phone when your family calls? I don't really understand this. I get that sometimes there are emergencies but those are very rare. The problem is when everyone gets to create their own set of exceptions to when it's okay to use the phone that we get into trouble in society as everyone has different risk thresholds they are willing to take. Unfortunately it's usually the innocent ones who aren't doing anything who have to pay for those exceptions and choices, far too often with their lives. It's a good idea to pull over if you must take a call. If I need to take or make a call I usually go into a parking lot, or will pull over depending where I am. I do see far fewer people on their phones while driving compared to a few years ago though so hopefully people are realizing how dangerous it is. In my area they are really cracking down on it though. I was pulled over for glancing down at my GPS once, and the officer asked to check my phone to look for texting or calls. He let me go when there was nothing recent on it but I imagine they catch a lot of people and it's not a cheap ticket.

I can't possibly imagine being without a means of communication at any time, regardless of where I am and that's what I grew up with personally. Yes, I know humans survived for thousands of years without phones, they also survived without the internet, electricity, modern plumbing, etc. It doesn't mean I want to live that way. I was 17 when I had my first ticket and wreck because I rear ended someone on a country road. The deputy said he could drive me to the city line but that's it. I lived almost 10 miles out of town and had no cash for a payphone. The guy I rear ended was so kind to me. He had a mobile phone and let me use it to call my mom. Unfortunately, she happened to be in the middle of one of her 2 hour gabfests with her sister and call waiting was disabled due to dial up internet. This man was kind enough to wait with me til the tow truck showed up and then he gave me a lift home. I swore I would get a cell phone as soon as I was able to sign a contract, and I did. I've followed and upgraded my phone continuously as the technology has improved. I remember having to stop at a local gas station to buy a map for the town to find out where I was going, having to find a phone book and look through it to find the right business to call, having to call businesses to find out their hours of operation. No more, thanks to smart phones. I truly don't understand the vitriol some have towards evolving technology. I get lost on vacation, I don't need to stop and buy a map and ask the locals, I don't need to buy a fancy GPS device, I use the power of the internet in the palm of my hand to get my answers. I'm not "glued to my phone" BUT it is a tool, a very powerful one at that, why would I purposefully NOT use it? I switched to Project Fi from Google a few months ago and it has been the cheapest phone plan I've ever had and provides everything I want. We were previously with Sprint and we paid 150 a month for 2 phones with unlimited data. We now pay less than 70 for 2 phones. The downside is you have to purchase a current gen phone (either the Nexus 5x or the Nexus 6P) at full price. (Not a problem for us as our old phones WERE old and outdated) The upside is our unlimited cell costs only 20 bucks a month per line, plus 10 dollars per gig of data. If you don't use all the data, you are credited back on the next bill for the unused data. Almost all our data usage is at home over our own Wi-Fi so we have received a credit on every bill since we signed up. Google's Project Fi works over wireless, Sprint and T-Mobile networks so we have better coverage than we did with only Sprint. If you think you might ever use data (aka the internet) from your phone and you can afford the upfront cost of a new smartphone, I strongly encourage you to look at Project Fi.