New smart phones are raising the bar

For many, cell phones have gone above and beyond the call as a method of communication. Students confess they can hardly set their phones down.Some will go as far as to call it an addiction, not a minute going by without their phones.

From its launch in 1973, the cell phone has changed drastically over the years.

Mobile devices have come a long way since the bulky Motorola DynaTAC made famous by Zack Morris on “Saved by the Bell.”

In addition, the age at which students recall receiving their first phones is becoming younger.

“I got my first cell phone at 12 years old,” said Mandy Acosta, an anthropology and archaeology major. “My grandma used to pick me up from school and could never find me on the playground, so she bought me a cell phone in order to contact me.”

Sophia Medina, a public relations major, said “I got my first phone in eighth grade from my parents because I kept getting lost.”

At its introduction, the cell phone was for most a secondary form of communication, only used in time of emergency.

But over the years, many have become increasingly dependent on cell phones for various other reasons.

“I take my phone everywhere,” said Zacal Jan Immanuel, a computer information systems major. “I go to as far as using my phone while I pee.”

Undeclared major Nick Large said he is “rarely without my phone. When I am, I feel like I’m disconnected from the Earth. It’s a horrible feeling.”

No longer are cell phones just capable of making and receiving calls.

With the advent of Apple’s popular App Store, they have become portable entertainment centers with Wi-Fi capabilities.

Smart phones, like the popular BlackBerry, iPhone and Android models, have also gained in usage among college students.

“Personally, my phone is an invaluable source of information,” Large said. “I have a cell phone capable of Internet use and other advanced features-so I can use my phone much like I would a computer.

“Some people are already completely reliant on our phones, but I don’t feel it’s necessarily a bad thing. Modern phones just give us so many options,” he added.

Said Immanuel, “Cell phones are more than just phones now [because] they can do so much more. They’re computers in our hands.