It didn’t even occur to me that I had stopped wearing a watch. It was not something that I did proactively, it just happened. Instead, I started to depend on my mobile phone, which was always in my pocket, to let me know where our planet was in relation to the Sun.
With my Nokia E61’s clock set to auto update, it has been a stress-free existence – changing time zones, cities, and continents were never a problem – the network updated the time for me. The built-in alarm clock was ample to wake me up, or alert me about my next appointment. When the Daylights Savings time changes were needed, the phone did it for me. Pretty neat – and no surprise that I have not missed my wristwatch.
However, this advisory from Microsoft about the Daylight Saving Time changes reminded me that one couldn’t always depend on the mobile phones to tell us the correct time. Some network glitches and acts of U.S. Congress can suddenly cause havoc on your schedule.
Congress had passed a law to change the dates when the Daylight Saving Time changes went into effect: Second Sunday of March and First Sunday of November instead of First Sunday of April and Last Sunday. So this year, the DST change will happen on March 11, and if you are a Windows Mobile user, then Microsoft is saying you better download a patch and become ready for the new time regime.
I have not heard about updates for Symbian S60 based devices and other mobile phones and devices. Can this be a productivity drain, at least for a day? This year’s DST change is certainly going to cause some havoc on your calendar and sleep schedule.
Web Worker Daily has some practical tips on how to prepare oneself for the coming change.
Lay in some extra coffee and donuts for meetings in those three weeks, be prepared to make phone calls or send instant message reminders to people who don’t show up when you think they should, and try not to stress too much about being on time for things.
And maybe I will just wear a watch for those three weeks, just to be on the safe side.
I also stopped wearing wathces for almost 2-3 years and i’ve seen many of my friends checking time on their cellphones…
Wow, now with your confession this trend seems more common than i thought!.
For this reason alone watch manufacturers should more effort marketing watches as a part of men’s jewelry and fashionable accessories rather than sole functional purposes.
I stopped wearing a watch in college because my philosophy studies led me to believe that time in a 24-hour sense was pretty insignificant. Also, I started carrying a pager, which always had the time.
I am sure that like every other enterprise the cell phone companies will also apply DST patches to their linux/unix servers and therefore since your mobile depends upon the cell phone towers to provide them with the time they will be all ok .
i havent worn a watch, due to having a mobile phone for close to 10 years now… one less device to keep going… am waiting to do away with my wallet when it becomes standard to keep money on a phone using some form of wireless digital payment scheme! then perhaps my keys too. One device to rule them all…
I’ve been watchless for about 3 years now, just use the mobile. If it could just keep my calendar without a mega-hassle it would be perfect.
I recall a conversation I had when much younger:
Friend – “I’ll know I’m rich when I can buy a Breitling”
Me – “I’ll know I’m rich when I don’t need a watch”
I guess now I’ll know it when I don’t need a mobile 🙂
I stopped wearing a watch several years ago, and then my wife bought me a watch. The only time I seem to wear it is when I am required to dress more formally. It seems to help complete certain types of outfits. As a previous poster noted: in some regards it’s really becoming more of a male fashion accessory.
Would “to let me know where I am in relation to Greenwich” or something similar be a better way to put it?
Mobile phones improved their time-telling usefulness since they started offering PDA/email features. I’ve never used a wristwatch, but 10 years ago I had to pull the phone out of my pocket solely to check the time and that wasn’t good – talk about “poor man’s watch”.
Now I use the phone much more frequently (to check push email, etc.) and so there’s almost no need to reach for my phone just to find out what the time is.