What Does Your Phone Say About You?

Thu Mar 29, 2007 10:08PM EDT

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I've featured many phones here on Yahoo! Tech, most of them created to appeal to a younger, style-conscious generation that wants both form and function packaged in a good looking phone. After all, phones are an extension of our personality and the reason we pay a lot of moolah to have them covered in Swarovski crystals. That's not to say we solely judge a phone by its cover. This generation of tech-savvy consumers has all the shopping comparison tools they need to make an informed decision. Add tech blogs, forums, and techie friends to the mix, and young consumers will have enough reasons to think twice before plunking down $300 on a phone, just because it's cute.

A recent survey conducted by Nielsen Media Research confirms what we long suspected: cell phones do say a lot about our personality. According to Nielsen Media Research associate director Mr. Jody Loughlin, "The type of mobile you're seen with could even be more important than whether you're with...one of the other major carriers." Most of us know that mobile phone companies will do anything to get their phones into celebrity hands as a tactic to make them more desirable. Forbes recently shed some light on a practice called "celebrity seeding" where companies gift actors with their products hoping to garner media attention in return. Nothing new here, but lately I've seen celebs pictured with more than two gadgets in their hands, sometimes even three. Blogs like Geeksugar never fail at keeping us guessing what phones celebs are sporting on their regular column called "Match The Celeb with the Cell Phone."

So I've combined what Nielsen Media Research and Dawn Bratton say about phone stereotypes, and added a little celebrity phone sightings to find out if what they say is true. What do you think?

Do you fall into any of these categories:

Motorola Magenta RAZR: Fashion conscious, under 24, fun seekers, individualistic.The "It" girls must have phone.
Celebrities who have one: Maria Sharapova, Paris Hilton, Denise Richards, Nicole Richie, Rachael Bilson, and Mischa Barton.

Dolce & Gabbana V3i RAZR: Only 1,000 of these were made so this phone screams "I'm One of a Kind."
Celebrities who have one:
Sharon Stone, Hillary Duff, Reese Witherspoon

Chocolate LG Pink: Favorite with moms/stay-at-home parents, success driven, harmony seekers.
Celebrities who have one: Rihanna, Mariah Carey, Jessica Alba, Snoop Dog, Hugh Hefner, Girls Next Door.

Sidekick 3: You can be exclusive and you like to have people wonder what you are doing at all times.
Celebrities who have one:
Hillary Duff, Paris Hilton, Lindsey Lohan

Nokia: Family-minded, middle aged managers, balance seekers, health conscious.
Celebrities who have one: Jennifer Lopez, Mary J. Blige

Sony Ericsson: Ambitious young men, professionals, success driven, individualistic
Celebrities who have one: Robbie Williams, Helena Christensen

Samsung: Young women, career focused, success driven, fun seekers
Celebrities who have one: Leonardo DiCaprio, Allison Janney

Blackberry:  You are into all of the tech things and like new things. Carrying a PDA also means you may be demanding but only because you are a multi-tasker. You are extremely organized.
Celebrities who have one: Jaime Fox, Britney Spears, Lauren Conrad, Jennifer Aniston, Jessica Simpson, Adrian Grenier, and Tina Fey.

Treo: You are into all of the tech things and like new things. Carrying a PDA also means you may be demanding but only because you are a multi-tasker. You are extremely organized.
Celebrities who have one: Mathew Broderick, Peter Gabriel

Could the stereotypes be true? What phone do you have?

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  • 6 Posted by zaphod@prodigy.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:59PM EDT Report Abuse

    I have an unlocked MOTOKRZR K1 - got the Valentine's Day 15% discount. Needed a quad-band phone that works all over the world with different carriers.

  • 8 Posted by fjringhofer@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:00PM EDT Report Abuse

    These days I think phones are, for most of us, like cars. You don't REALLY pick exactly the one you want--you get the one that was offered at the best price the day you go in, and that's that. Both my cell phone and my car were available in one color and style at the dealer I went to, and that's what I took home both times. I think that says more about the INDUSTRY than it does me.

  • 9 Posted by busdriver1928 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:15PM EDT Report Abuse

    I guess I fall into the same category as rn_dmh.. I have a pre-paid Motorola V170 (yeah, THAT Cheap!) But, I mainly use it for absolute emergency or brief contact.. otherwise, it usually stays in the car, or at home. I keep the air-minutes full, and I'm super frugal on the use. As of yet, I've never run the time out. (very close 1 time, and the phone was dying.) I don't live by it.. It's just why I got it.. Back-up incase I can't get in contact by conventional means. The wired phones aren't dead yet.

  • 10 Posted by bmkndrgnsr@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:10PM EDT Report Abuse

    I'm not a tekie and my phone is about as basic as you can get.I could text msg. if I wanted to, but why pay for it? It seems a bit dumb to me to do it. So if it lets me call who and where I want I don't need all the bells and whistles added in to it. I also don't get $300.00 to $400.00 bills either

  • 11 Posted by greatpr2000@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:12PM EDT Report Abuse

    What if you don't have any of these models, and all you have is a phone that receives and sends calls and drops as few calls as possible. What category do you fall into, and do any celebrities carry just a simple phone for staying connected to the rest of their world?

  • 12 Posted by rheimbecher on Thu Sep 3, 2009 8:38PM EDT Report Abuse

    I'm a sorta techie, former corporate player... I retired to get away from the CrackBerry... true to prediction, I have a Nokia on it's last legs. Will likely replace it with something from LG or Samsung.

  • 13 Posted by macosta70@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:02PM EDT Report Abuse

    Overall, consumers should protect their money and credit score instead of fancy cellular phones.

  • 14 Posted by missredhead78 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:22PM EDT Report Abuse

    I have a Red Razr. That means I might actually care about Aids. Or, I just like red accessories.

  • 16 Posted by prestoprod1 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 8:18PM EDT Report Abuse

    Since I work from home,I had two Go Phones for me and my partner, with pre-paid minutes. These were an unfortunate choice, not for what kind of image they created for us, but for the service. The phones malfunctioned most of the time, my replacement phone was just as bad as the first, goes dead as soon as it's charged, and I have over $50 worth of prepaid minutes in that phone which I can not use because the phone is always dead. The second phone malfunctions and does things it should not do all the time. Tried to get our money back for phone and minutes, wrote to the CEO, but Cingular has refused, saying we had them over 30 days, so we have turned the entire matter over to the Federal Communications Commission to get our refund. Should have stayed with my good Nokia!!! Doesn't matter what kind of phone you carry as long as it properly meets your needs. These Go-Phones definitely did not. Avoid them like the plague......

  • 17 Posted by nslavick@swbell.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:41PM EDT Report Abuse

    Mygod!How could they know me so well. This fits me all the way. Nokia has been mine for many years. Norma

  • 18 Posted by linniem@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 6:53PM EDT Report Abuse

    Has our society devolved so far that we actually think we can tell what a person is like by the cell phone they carry? Worse yet, we even took the time to write an article about it! Rome is burning and we are drawing links between personalities and cell phones -- what's next, survival reality shows? Oh wait...

  • 20 Posted by zscheidker@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 11:02PM EDT Report Abuse

    I have the cheapest Nokia available, due to a lack of money, and because putting a camera in a phone is stupid. That's why I have a camera.

  • 21 Posted by swimmur4lifenc on Thu Sep 3, 2009 9:52PM EDT Report Abuse

    Okay, i love my phone but i hate my phone. i have a SILVER RAZR in a pink case. i am not over 24 and the predicton for the magenta razr fit my description even though it is silver. i think that it is important that phones have other acceriores other than just calling to and from calls. Like in my case. i am in school and we aren't allowed to call our parents or anything in school. but sometimes i am not sure if i am a car rider or a bus rider, so i text my mom to ask her. or if i forgot my project i can TEXT my mom to bring it to me. i think that a phone is an important part of anyones life. i don't know how my life would be without it. why would u want to avoid them????

  • 22 Posted by swimer1992@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 9:52PM EDT Report Abuse

    um my phone is the sony ericcson and it says that i am "Ambitious young men, professionals, success driven, individualistic" and i'm not a man, i'm definatly not professional but i'm succes driven and individual. so it's 50/50 for me:)

  • 23 Posted by davidj40@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:38PM EDT Report Abuse

    I'm not sure what I'am..."I'am what I'am...AH gig-gig-gig-gig"! but I'am sporting a SonyEricsson W300i.....and this has to be the BEST phone I'v EVER had....sooooooooo many features....sooooooo small....soooo many possibilities....:) K-A !!!!!!

  • 24 Posted by steven.francisco@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 9:43PM EDT Report Abuse

    I have a camera in my phone for one reason only. I couldn't find a bluetooth phone without a camera. Phones are for phone calls. Period. I received a text message from my carrier recently and had to call tech support to find out why the phone was beeping at me. I know the phone could text, I just don't care.

  • 25 Posted by bart_cena on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:02PM EDT Report Abuse

    I have the basic Verizon flip phone that says "My mom would only get the free phone, so I'm stuck with it". But the dolphin sticker makes it more original.

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