Are we too reliant on our mobile phones?

SORRY but I can’t sympathise with Mark Palmer, who says his life has been wiped out after his mobile phone mysteriously deleted his contacts and photos (Mail). I find it staggering that so many people rely on a pocket-size gadget to store everything about themselves. An address book with names and phone numbers never fails; music sounds a lot better when played on proper stereo equipment; surfing the net can be done on a PC; and you can keep in contact with friends and family with a landline. Photos should be kept in albums for posterity with a favourite few in your wallet, without the need for endless scrolling to find the one you want. I may be a smug dinosaur but at least I’m calm and collected.

Mrs LINDA PLANT, Hitchin, Herts. AFTER reading about Mark Palmer’s predicament, I copied every contact from my phone. Despite the bemusement of the younger members of my family, I take a camera with an old-fashioned film to special occasions as a back-up.

MARIE STOKES, Deal, Kent.

MOBILE phones are a brilliant invention but constantly clutching an electronic gadget like a comfort blanket has to be

questioned. I carry a mobile when I am out just in case I get stranded but I consider it to be a safety feature and nothing else. Mark Palmer’s sorrow at the loss of precious family photos shows the importance of not trusting this little device that seems to rule people’s lives. I am proud that I can run my life without being dependent on a mobile. I admit I would be lost without a computer — but that is switched on when I choose. I manage to arrange my busy life without a mobile phone constantly ringing in my pocket.

JANET e. LITTLEWOOD, Redditch, Worcs.