Mobile phones conversation questions

Vocabulary

 * Formal: mobile phone, cellular phone, cell phone
 * Informal: mobile,, cell

Mobile phones

 * Do you use a mobile phone, and if so, is it a smartphone or a non-smartphone?
 * What make of mobile phone do you have?
 * Do you think there is much difference between makes and/or models of mobile phones? Which do you think is the best?
 * How important is your mobile phone in your business and personal life?
 * Do you have a monthly phone plan and is it expensive?
 * Do you have a company phone? Are you allowed to make personal calls?
 * Do you send and receive many text messages? Do you use a special “language” for mobile phone text messages or do you use normal language?
 * Young people are said to be developing a much more mobile thumb than previous generations, precisely due to their extensive use of text messaging. *Do you think that your thumb has become more dexterous/skillful/expert?
 * Are you an "expert" user, or do you have to look at each key before pressing it?

Use

 * Do you think that mobile phones should be barred from certain areas? Which areas?
 * Do you sometimes switch off your mobile? When/where? What do you think of people who take calls during meetings?
 * Do you always switch off your mobile when a plane takes off and lands? What would you do if you saw someone using their mobile phone during take off or landing?
 * Some people claim that the radiation from mobile phones causes brain damage. What is your opinion?
 * Do you use a mobile phone while driving? What is the law in your country about this?
 * What is your opinion of hands-free mobile phones?

Features and Apps
Non-smartphones have a limited set of features and smartphones have an unlimited set of apps.

Features

 * What features does your non-smartphone have?
 * What features of your non-smartphone do you actually use?
 * Which would you prefer on your non-smartphone, only speech and text with a very large screen and numbers, or a phone loaded with lots of complex features?
 * Consider these features and rate them as very useful, somewhat useful and not particularly useful.
 * Alarm clock
 * Camera
 * Diary function (calendar)
 * Schedule planner
 * Radio
 * MP3 player
 * Calculator
 * Converter feature: Metric to imperialUK/customaryUS
 * Gallery of photos
 * GPS
 * Flashlight
 * Games

Apps

 * A video-conferencing facility is now commonly available on smartphones. Do you use it?
 * Some companies are investigating the possibility of putting television programmes on phones. How would you feel about watching your favourite television programme on your mobile phone?
 * When do you connect to the internet on your phone? What internet features do you use?
 * Do you use a messaging application?
 * Do you read your email in your phone?
 * Mobile phones are now able to interoperate with other devices such as ATMs and vending machines. Do you think this is useful? How much use would you make of such a service if your operator and bank offered you such a service?
 * Mobile phones come with different operating systems such as Android or iOS (Apole's). What difference, if any, does the operating system make to you?
 * What other apps have you found useful?
 * Have you ever paid for an app?

Operator/network

 * Does your operator charge you for establishing a call in addition to the call time? If so, what do you think of the practice?
 * How does the cost of making a mobile phone call compare to the cost of making a call from a fixed line?
 * How easy is it to change operator in your country?
 * What level of service do you get from your company when you have a problem?
 * Have you ever used the roaming service to make calls from a different country? How efficient was it?
 * In 2009 the European Commission obliged operators to reduce charges for calls made between countries in the EU. What do you feel about the government interfering in the free market in this way?

The Big Question
Android or iPhone?