¡Viva el Celular!

Last week was the 25th Anniversary of the first commercial cell phone call.  It’s hard to believe that something so integral to our lives is just 25 years young.  And it’s fun to look back on how much cell phones have changed.

The first hand-held cell phone, the Motorola* DynaTAC 8000X, weighed nearly two pounds and cost nearly $4,000; all it could do was make calls.  Today you can get some phones for free, and they do everything from make calls to send videos to play music and TV.  I’m still waiting for a phone that can make dinner – although some phones can even dial-up a restaurant for you, using location-based services.

According to the experts, one of the things that makes the cell phone so popular is the instant connection it provides to people around the world.  So it makes sense that one of the most-devoted segments of cell phone users is U.S. Hispanics who use cell phones to stay in touch with friends and family far and wide, using both voice and data services.

Earlier this year, the San Francisco Chronicle reported that “recent surveys and research indicate that Latinos depend on their cell phones for more services than other ethnic groups, turning to it for messaging, downloading music, surfing the Web and e-mailing.” 

According to a recent Pew Internet & American Life Project survey, U.S. Hispanics were the most likely group surveyed (at 54 percent) to say it would be difficult to give up their cell phone.

Cell phone companies and manufacturers have been hip to this for some time now, with many mounting elaborate campaigns to capture the attention of U.S. Hispanics.  Many providers even offer menu options and applications in Spanish.

So tell us what you think?  Can you live without your cell phone?

* = Motorola is a client of Fleishman-Hillard.