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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  • 66 Posted by maryamu@sbcglobal.net on Sun Apr 1, 2007 6:51PM EDT Report Abuse

    I'm a techie and I have a three year old nokia, I fell in love with the look of the Gold Motorola DG and had almost made up my mind to get until I veiwed the IPhone via TV and the Internet so I will wait until I can check out the actual phone and then purchase one of the two.

  • 67 Posted by along-the-way@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 2:51PM EDT Report Abuse

    It would be interesting to see what results you would get if the survey also took into account the service provider. I have a Samsung through Verizon because it will work just about anywhere there is cellular service available - very rare to find a "no service" area when outdoors. That suits me because I like to be prepared for any situation that may arise. I think I also fit into the categories of success driven, career focused and fun seeking which are mentioned in this survey.

  • 68 Posted by cjhaught@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:26PM EDT Report Abuse

    I work in the cell phone industry and I just have to say that people take their cell phones WAY too seriously. They really have become 'tech crack'. Just a few quotes: "This phone is my life!", "I can't live without my phone.", "If I wreck my car I'd be mad but if I ever lose my phone I'll die!"

  • 69 Posted by savemor37@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 9:06PM EDT Report Abuse

    I had a great, tough, simple Nokia 5190 for many years untill it went bad and I couldn't find another. Singular gave me a tiny Motorola 139 and it's a piece of crap. An 80 page instruction manual, 17 steps to lock the tiny keys, the screen blacks out in a few seconds to prolong battery life, no missed calls list, etc. In a year or two in California driving while talking on a hand held phone will be illegal, so Bluetooth is a must. And so far it's only available with a camera. There are no longer any good phones like the old Nokia. These days function follows form by "designers". And as you have guessed, I'm well over 50.

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

    Why are most of you, not all of you so mean about this article. I don't care if you want a phone or not. for those of us who do care about it, and like the newest phone: right on. for everyone else you are all radiotypes. you make judgements just because we like our phones. this article was just talking about how a lot of people who have certain types of phones tend to be this way. it is not saying that you have to be this way or you uare they are just saying a lot of people do. If you really didn't care about cell phones you wouldn't post a comment. And by the way _vintageties@sbcglobal.net_ what is your problem. i am not a plastic and i love my razr, quit being so judgemental i am not calling you a plastic am i. i think the _vintageties@sbcglobal.net_ has seen mean girls to many times. i am only in 7th grade and i am kinder than you, obviousley. and don't say i am a little girl and i don't know what i am talking about because i do!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • 72 Posted by lilroh5305@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 6:51PM EDT Report Abuse

    If you have the Sony Ericsson w600i, what does that say about you? This article limited to only 5 phones. If I were to buy a new phone today, I'd pick the Sony Ericsson w810i first, then the new RIM Blackberry Pearl, and third the LG VX8500 Cherry Chocolate.

  • 73 Posted by roselisa1966 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 8:51PM EDT Report Abuse

    hmmm....I don't the trac phone on here. What does that say about me and do I care. lol

  • 76 Posted by adavidcol on Thu Sep 3, 2009 2:45PM EDT Report Abuse

    I have neither. Sounds like this is just another Madison Avenue stunt to gain sales for the phone companies from the vulnerable young people in America. You should be touting Fallout Shelters.

  • 77 Posted by roselisa1966 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 8:51PM EDT Report Abuse

    excuse me, I don't SEE the trac phone oh here. I suppose there are no celebrities to compare me too. Not even a B lister. Now my self esteem is just gone.

  • 78 Posted by aikensfinest2k9 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 2:47PM EDT Report Abuse

    i think this is pretty off. the people who like the chocolate, or sidekick or other multimedia phones are the young people who have a lot of time on their hands during work or school and get bored easily. also, likes attention. your phone sais a lot about you. how in touch with the world you are, or how cheap you are, or how broke you are.

  • 79 Posted by michael.conran@prodigy.net on Sun Apr 1, 2007 7:02PM EDT Report Abuse

    Wow! I did not realize how important my phone is. I just use the one my wife got with the service. Maybe I am giving people the wrong image of me. What kind of phone should a 40 year old carry, that uses the phone to talk to his wife and is not worried about image. Anyone who has to have the phone the stars are using just tattoo a big "L" on your forehead.

  • 80 Posted by booer@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:11PM EDT Report Abuse

    i think this survey is kind of bogus but anyhow i have a motarola razr silver of course i am so sick of the pink and i go through verizon

  • 81 Posted by ajette@ameritech.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 2:48PM EDT Report Abuse

    This article falls into the category of who really cares! We have people starving and in living in conditions that a pig should not live in and you should be worried about whether or not your cell phone image is correct.

  • 82 Posted by apehangersporty on Thu Sep 3, 2009 2:56PM EDT Report Abuse

    I'm stuck with a nextel so that can't be saying very much for me!

  • 83 Posted by sundance1957 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 9:48PM EDT Report Abuse

    I'm a writer. I don't have a cell phone. I don't want a cell phone. I'm not particularly thrilled about having a regular phone.

  • 84 Posted by jeremyzxq on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:33PM EDT Report Abuse

    Whadda'bout people who refuse to have a cell phone - or a hard-boiled brain - egg? (See Russian Experiment: http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/bl_cook_egg_cell_phones.htm) ~ JK in SM.CA

  • 85 Posted by michael.conran@prodigy.net on Sun Apr 1, 2007 7:13PM EDT Report Abuse

    OK someone complained because the phone the article says is the the one young hip and cool under 24's carry is not the one she and her friends carry so they need to do more research. maybe your not so cool, better get the cool phone fast, or you will never be cool.

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