hhmmm, i wish you could have cell phone service in the stations but not in the trains. my reason being that i was standing on the B/D/F/V downtown platform at 42nd street once and watched a homeless man spit ALL OVER the payphone on the platform. i will NEVER touch a pay phone AGAIN unless someone is dying.

i bet the reason current subway cell phone conversations are brief is b/c the service only lasts for a couple of stops. if many riders knew their entire 40 minute ride was going to be cell-able, they would have longer conversations.

Simply put, I can't trust my fellow subway riders, about as inconsiderate a group as there is in the world, with underground wireless connection.

They hold doors, take up more than one seat in a packed train, hug the pole, throw trash on to the tracks, etc etc. Each day that I ride the train, I come one day closer to completely lose faith in the goodness of mankind.

The day the subways have cell phone service is the day I buy a can of mace.

I'm on the train

I'm on the train

I'm on the train

DC has pretty good service underground with verizon (the dominant carrier hear) and it is not a big deal. Most people do not talk very much or very loud. Occassionally you get some visitor or tourist yelling into their phone about directions and announcing which stop they are at, and once I could have sworn the guy behind me was calling a 900-number (I didn't stick around to find out), but in general people are pretty good about it. The key would be to have wireless coverage that only works for 10 minute stretches (with intentional breaks in the service, maybe covered with analog only [for emergencies if they happen to be stuck in a break]. Then no one would bother with a tediuous conversation, but could still communicate quickly as needed.

Oops. Link doesnt wrap ic.

Another thing:

Here I go comparing Tokyo to NY's Subways again. In Tokyo your not allowed to talk on the phone on the train at any time. But you are allowed to Text message when you do get service. The amazing thing is that they follow the rule and stare at anyone who breaks it.

Amazing.

I recommend using these headphones to block out any and all noises from annoying cellphone users, and anything else in general:

http://reviews.cnet.com/Sony_MDR_EX71SL_WK__black_/4505-6468_7-30520512.html?tag=topprods

They're not as expensive as the ones with electronic Noise Cancellation, but they go right into the ear canal and do a good job blocking out those idiots (YES, especially with ones with the Nextel Speakerphones. "Like Look at me, I have friends, Im important...BEEP")

Yes bloody savages, they is.

Toyochin's got a point (in addition to the universal truth that Nextels are hella obnoxious). What happens on the N train also happens on the 7 between Hunters Point and Courthouse Square: As soon as they leave the tunnel people whip out the phones to check their messages and make quick calls. Even I've called home to see if I needed to get off a stop earlier to pick something up. Usually though, the phones are back in the pockets/purses before Queensborough Plaza.

Then after that, it's back to listening to mp3s for the rest of the ride.

I used to ride the N into Astoria, and when the train comes out of the tunnel at Queensboro Plaza, man, it got crazy. Most conversations were variations on "Honey, I'm on the train. I'll be home soon." The Nextel pagers were hella obnoxious though.

Though some places, you can apparently get decent enough reception underground to carry on a conversation. I've done it at 8th St on the N and at 23rd St on the F.

And once, I was on a train with a lady who was carrying on a full conversation on the 1 train. Not sure how she did it but she was obnoxiously loud. When she hung up, she looked up to find evil stares from every corner of the car.

Yeah you do have a good point there King, but the people in the other boroughs are Savages. They're not as peaceful and considerate as us Queens natives.

Soon widespread cell phone use will fray on people's nerves. Chaos will ensue and then the fall of mankind I tell you.

Well, people can use their cellphones on the 7 train in Queens and aside from the occasional teenager yapping on her nokia (or the occasional construction worker yapping on his Nextel) most people are pretty reasonable and considerate. Then again, maybe us outer borough folk are different.

ew, public payphones...do they even clean those things?

Please. No Cell Phone service in the subway, Ever. It will be Chaos. Too many people too busy yapping on the phone to pay attention to what they're doing, and where they're walking, not to mention how annoying it will be on a crowded train since people have no manners

Just get verizon to fix the phones and be done with it.