But this is all luxury, it's not the fulfillment of a basic need and even a right (as proclaimed by the UN). It's going above and beyond that, which is fine, but it's not *needed* in the sense of survival and being able to further yourself in life and career.
A smartphone may be a luxury. I strongly suspect, for example, that for the 14-year-old kid wandering around with an iPhone that the use is one of luxury; I, on the other hand, finally felt forced into one because I had a compelling (even if only occasional) business need to do things like ssh without lugging a laptop and wireless card with me at all times. Is that an accurate way to look at it? Maybe. However, if I were a parent, maybe I would have an additional perspective: perhaps I like the idea that I can run "Find my iPhone" and be likely to be able to track my kid, because I know damn well that the social status bump of having the phone means it's going to be with him/her. Or maybe one day my kid is snatched. The ability to call 911, the ability to track, the ability to record, the ability to take pictures, even the ability to use the camera as a flashlight, etc., who knows what might be useful. So while the phone might be a luxury on one hand, there's also a real big potential for it to be a serious tool, even a lifesaving one, in a crisis. What about http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2011/06/if-you-pull-out-your.ars for example? With police frequently snatching and confiscating, or even smashing, recording devices, might we consider a high speed communications channel as an essential way to record evidence away from the scene of an event in realtime? It doesn't have to be a cellphone. How about a home security system's external cameras? We continue to evolve new uses and technologies that make the capabilities that we have more useful. Luxuries? Sure, many are nice to have as well, but just because something might frequently be used for unnecessary purposes does not reduce the importance of other uses.
Just as a toyota corolla perfectly fulfills the need to drive your toddlers around and drive to and from work. An SUV in almost all cases is added luxury.
My SUV carries seven passengers and allows me to haul gear including conduit, lumber, ladders, etc. It's actively dangerous to do some of these things in a sedan. ... JG -- Joe Greco - sol.net Network Services - Milwaukee, WI - http://www.sol.net "We call it the 'one bite at the apple' rule. Give me one chance [and] then I won't contact you again." - Direct Marketing Ass'n position on e-mail spam(CNN) With 24 million small businesses in the US alone, that's way too many apples.