Push to Talk…Pushes my Buttons!

Am I the only one who completely doesn’t understand the point of push to talk phones (Nextel)?  It would seem to me that the point of having a cellular phone (at least in Zack’s time) is so that you can be reached when you are away from your normal phone. Granted now a a days phones are everything MP3 players, cameras, GPS’s, computers, and most likely Decepticons lying in wait to strike when we least expect them.  But the most basic function, it would seem, would still be to make and receive phone calls, right? And don’t phone calls typically need to take place between two people about a topic at hand, and need to be clear enough so that both parties can understand this conversation?  Why then would you want to carry around a glorified walkie talkie that beeps “doodle-loop” incessantly, and then without warning begins talking at you.  And not only that but from my experience everyone seems to turn into the teacher from Peanuts when they talk on one of these things because it’s all static and “wonh wooh wohn waah” to me.

Hence I have trouble understanding the appeal to such a “phone.” In today’s age of electronics cell phones can get great reception and fabulous sound quality, so why are you still using CB radio level technology? Maybe when the apocalypse comes only the Nextel people will still have their primitive phones, while all of us are left in the dark… won’t I feel silly then? The kid on the right probably gets better sound quality from his spiffy Armed Forces headset than most people do on their push to talk phones, and one can only hope his came with the face paint and imitation fatigues.  Aside from my other obvious distastes for push to talk phones I would never get one for fear that it would infinitely enhance my level of dorkdom. Why you ask. Because I would given the odd open ended nature of the phone feel compelled to begin all conversation with “Do you copy?” and subsequently end them with “Roger… over and out.” And that’s just NOT cute.

What I’m trying to say is… buy a real phone. Please, for the public at large who’s tired of hearing your phone beep ever 17 seconds and genuinely doesn’t want to hear your muffled crackling potentially inappropriate conversations.