Just before traveling to India a few months ago, my iPhone was stolen from the dinner table at a winemaker dinner at Merryvale Winery in St. Helena.  (Probably the wait staff conspired with my stupidity when I left it on the table for a last dance.)  It was a Saturday night and I was leaving for India and Malaysia on Monday morning and didn't have time to replace it before going.

So, I had a two week holiday from the cell phone.  I highly recommend it.

What you quickly realize when you don't have a cell phone is how much and how frequently other people use the cell phone.  It seems when people are not talking on it they are texting, reading emails or browsing the web.  Especially in developing economies where the cell phone is the computer.  You also realize how many people quickly jump on their cell phone as soon as the flight attendant says its ok to do so.  Everyone eagerly powers up and immediately checks what's happened in flight.  As if to communicate to all those around their self importance.  What it probably commununicates more is our addiction to immediacy and the tyranny of the urgent.

I've sinced replaced my iPhone with a Nokia E71 - so I'm back in to the self-important addictive behaviors as well - but highly recommend a cell phone holiday.  Try it for a week or day.  You'll be amazed as I was as to how much of the world and the people around you are missed while engaged with your device.