The arrival of mobiles has brought telephone conversations into a range of different settings and situations - not always happily.
People can and do make and receive calls from places they would never have dreamed of before: in restaurants, museums, cars, buses, trains, shops and while walking in the street.
Sometimes that has aroused resentment among others upset at having previously quiet spaces invaded by chirruping ring tones and loud one-sided conversations. It has led to some UK railway networks offering its customers' designated quite areas where the use of a mobile phone is not permitted.
Once upon a time mobile phones were dismissed as toys for 'yuppies' (the young upwardly mobile professionals who emerged during the 1980s). Now most people consider mobiles on a par with calculators, sunglasses, wallets and handbags, as just another essential part of modern life.
Being in easy and constant contact with friends, family, partners and colleagues is the main effect of mobiles on working and social life.
It has produced several effects. One is the blurring of the division between work and leisure. The mobile (together with roaming access to e-mail) means people can be 'at work' anytime, any place. Another is the new shift in emphasis in work - away from offices and being judged on hours worked and more towards remote working and being judged by outputs and results.
Jane Soole, is a radio broadcaster. As a young girl the phone never featured in her life however by the time she began broadcasting the phone was an essential part of her equipment
She talks about how she uses the phone to voice her reports for local radio and how mobile phones mean you can send in reports without leaving the scene.
Play the audio clip and view the transcript to learn more. A new window will open.
SMS SMS texting means you can send and receive messages discreetly any time and any place - allowing people to 'stay in touch' more easily.
But SMS is just one part of the mobile phone phenomenon. Figures revealed in April 2005 point to more young people than ever before owning a mobile phone. Just take a look around you to see what's one of the first things a youngster does when they sit opposite you on a bus or train. You've guessed it - check their mobile for messages. Without question the mobile phone is a must have not just for youngsters but for all of us. In fact it's become clear you can't leave home without one!
Before the mobile, access to the emergency services or outside help was as far away as the nearest friendly house or working payphone. Now it can be as close as your pocket, handbag or car dashboard.
Over the past decade hundreds of lives have been saved by emergency calls made from mobile phones.
The AA, RAC and other roadside rescue services now receive most of their emergency calls from mobiles. In 2004 the UK Telecommunications Industry announced it was to develop technology that would help the emergency services locate people calling 999 from their mobile phone.
It is not quite true that every mobile is unique - but the chances of finding two the same are becoming slimmer all the time.
First it was the profiles that could be changed - choice of rings and alerts, displays, and configurations.
Then it was the physical appearance, with clip on covers, fascias and a wide range of accessories like covers, batteries and stands.
Now it's the ring tone that can be customised with thousands of different tunes and themes available for download - at a price - direct into the mobile.
With the convergence of the telephone towards the personal digital assistant (PDA), and the emergence of devices that are both personal communicators and organisers, the range of potential customisation is becoming even wider.
