None of the major carriers - Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint - track the number of customers who use more than one mobile phone. It is difficult because many dual-device users have a company-issued mobile that runs on one carrier while their personal cellphone operates on another.
Who could possibly need two? Think securities traders, bankers, event planners, doctors, or IT professionals, to name a few. And then there are some who just love gadgets. But as mobile phones have become an essential part of social lives, their work-issued wireless is no longer enough. And the corporate cellphone - much like the corporate wardrobe - does not allow for much self-expression.
That Beyoncé ringtone, for one, might not go over so well in the office.
Such freedom is why Adrienne Maley is willing to foot a bill of nearly $100 a month for an iPhone 4. That way, said the 40-year-old event planner with CIO Executive Council in Framingham, she does not have to worry about what to say and what not to say on her company-issued BlackBerry.
“I like to keep my personal stuff on a personal device,’’ she said.
And at least when she is carrying her personal cellphone, said Maley, she will not “pocket dial’’ her boss at any inopportune times.
For Allison Pincus-Jacobs, it is all about unplugging from work.
Her BlackBerry, with its blinking red light, acts a constant reminder of e-mails waiting to be answered and work yet to be done for the 29-year-old director of programs at the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce. The sleek features of her iPhone 4, which is her own, allows her to more easily text, tweet, and post to Facebook.
Having two phones means you always have a backup in case one runs out of power. But it also means figuring out who gets which phone number and checking two voicemail boxes. Pincus-Jacobs resolves those issues by not making any calls on her BlackBerry.
But she has not figured out everything. “It does get challenging when I want to put them both in my pocket,’’ she said. “It can weigh you down.’’
