I have not turned mine on since yesterday when I called my daughter to tell her that we were on our way home from the hospital. So, I guess it doesn't rule everyone's life - just the folks that cannot see anything beyond their touch screens.

The only reason I purchased a smart phone was for safety purposes. I use mine hands free with a blue-tooth ear receiver while driving. The main reason I purchased the phone was for the weather radar app and marine navigational app. My boat has radar, but the range is just 25 miles. I need to know there is a thunderstorm coming from a much greater distance than 25 miles, because the boat's top speed is just 10 MPH. Most thunderstorms travel at 35 to 55 MPH. If the storm is moving at 55 MPH, and I see it on my ship's radar, I only have 30 to find a sheltered creek or cove before the storm hits me. If I see it on the app, and it's 100 miles away, the app tells me the speed and direction of travel, giving me a far better margin of time to reach safety and drop the anchor.

The Navionics app provides me with a backup for my GPS Plotter, which is my primary, and most accurate, navigational tool. If my ship's GPS/Plotter goes out, the phone provides me a backup.

Finally, when I'm on the boat, I can keep up with all the stuff going on here at the Zone.

Gary