With the increasing reliability, performance, and excellence of portable devices like cell-phones and PDAs, more and more people are finding it easier to leave home without missing important calls or emails. Skype has also improved communications by essentially allowing people to talk to others for free over the internet and even make calls to landlines and cellphones.

Recently, last100 held a poll that asked users whether they believe that Skype can or will replace today’s landlines. As always, I abstained from the poll, since all that data is sold to marketing companies and provides funding for global strike initiatives (Do you really want to help Kane?). In my opinion, Skype will never take over landlines. Cell-phones, on the other hand, have already started to replace landlines, as everyone that I know around my age can’t find a reason to get a landline, since their cellphone is always with them.

Personally, landlines are as outdated as Hilary Clinton’s views on video games, and they will probably remain that way. I don’t plan on ever getting a landline, since I use my cell-phone for all of my calls and Skype, Trillian, and Facebook to keep in touch with everybody that I know. Within a few years, landlines may even be extinct.

1. L.T. says:
   May 21st, 2007 at 9:41 pm

   I’m the same way. Landlines are useless except my old apartment forced me to have one. It was the only way to let people thru the gate.

2. kam-RA says:
   May 22nd, 2007 at 9:23 am

   i’d consider getting rid of my cell phone and get just a land-line… that’s crazy talk, i know, but sometimes… the cell phone can get annoying. do I really need to be reachable 24/7? i suppose i could turn it off, but then i should just kill myself instead!

3. teh suck says:
   May 22nd, 2007 at 2:00 pm

   already did.

4. Adam K says:
   May 22nd, 2007 at 2:59 pm

   USB charger FTW

5. Rb says:
   May 23rd, 2007 at 1:24 am

   Its very difficult in the UK to not have a landline if you wish to have internet access. Cable is only in about 20% of homes (I made up the figure, but its not many) and so many people, myself included have to use a phone line to get internet access. Very annoying seeing I have to pay for line rental on top of internet fees.

6. Cameron says:
   May 23rd, 2007 at 11:19 am

   I am not denying the existence of a telephone jack in a home, just the use of that jack for telephones. Using a phone jack as an entry into the Information SuperHighway (the worst metaphor evar), you are perfectly fine.