It is sometimes interesting to look at the parallels between the development of the mobile phone and the automobile. In the century since the late 1800s the automobile moved from being a odd contraption on the edge of society to being a taken-for-granted factor in everyday life. In the late 1800s none of the major elements of today’s automobile culture were in place. Cars were rickety contrivances. There were rarely cabs for the passengers, cars needed constant prodding and maintenance, and they were more often seen as the hobby of determined tinkerers or eccentric millionaires than as an item of daily necessity. As if to ensure cars’ marginalization, the roads were poor, and there were few gas stations and even fewer automobile-repair shops. If you were an early user, it was almost in spite of their usefulness. Society was clearly oriented toward other forms of transportation. This had consequences for the way that people organized their lives. Work, shopping, and schooling were often within walking distance. Daily activities did not require the individual to move about to the degree that we often see today. Neither the automobile nor the culture of the automobile had gained the purchase that they have today.