Landlines vs . Cellphones : You No Longer Have to Choose
( NewsUSA ) - You know we ' ve become a nation that insists on being " connected " at all times when even your grandmother is texting . Phones ... email ... the Internet . We want it all , and we want it now .
But with consumers jittery about spending on anything but the basics , the question naturally arises : Do you really need a landline phone if you also own a cellphone ?
Here are four reasons against pulling the plug :
* Better 9-1-1 location tracking . Dispatch centers can find the exact address where landline calls originated . However , with wireless phones , emergency responders can only pinpoint an approximate latitude and longitude of wireless phones -- not exactly comforting if , say , you ' re having a heart attack in an apartment building . " Even if we nail your [ cellphone ] location , we don ' t know what floor you are on ," says Steve Marzolf , president of the National Association of State 911 Administrators in a recent MSNBC . com ( now NBCNews . com ) article .
* Higher reliability . " Frustrating " may be the nicest word to describe the feeling of having an important cellphone call dropped , midsentence , due to a poor wireless signal .
* No need to constantly recharge . In what may be the strangest example of the perils of forgetting to recharge a mobile phone , the Washington Post recently reported that police in Silver Spring , Md ., tracked down a serial burglar after he left his cell phone plugged in at the scene of his last crime . His own home , it turned out , had lost power in a storm . ( See " Higher reliability .")
* Sweetheart deals . The cost of maintaining a landline is actually plummeting in places where cable companies are offering great deals on phone , TV and Internet .
In fact , price may be spurring many to rethink cutting the cord . But thanks to the convergence of landlines and cellphones , consumers don ' t have to answer the " eitheror " question . For example , the new VTech DS6521-2 phone with " Connect to Cell " technology is the answer for anyone who wants the best of both worlds ( www . vtechphones . com ).
You can make and receive both cell and landline calls on this stylish , two-handset cordless phone system . Its one-button pairing feature makes set-up easy .
For those cell phone users who opted for frugality and are now suffering from " Cord Cutters Remorse Syndrome ," you ' re in luck . You don ' t even need a landline to use it , and outbound calls can be made using cellular minutes while at home -- even if your cellular phone is charging .
So , if you ' re someone who is entertaining the idea of going solely mobile , just remember that it may not be time to cut the landline cord just yet .