Cell phones taken more seriously after attacks

Until Tuesday's attacks in New York and Washington, Diane Brandon didn't see the need to replace her broken cell phone, finding the phone too expensive and "too intrusive." But listening to the harrowing stories of passengers on hijacked planes calling their loved ones minutes before they crashed has drastically changed her mind. So have reports of trapped victims calling for help amid the rubble of what had been the World Trade Center. Hours after the news broke, Brandon, who only Monday had put her AT&T wireless service on hold, was on the phone with the carrier to reactivate her account. The next day, she bought a new cell phone. In the aftermath of this national crisis, a growing number of Americans are now looking at cell phones as more than just convenient communications gadgets. They are now being viewed as essential security measures. Ana Crespo, a New York City publicist who typically used her cell phone just to call her daughter when she was stuck on the train, said she now considers it a "lifeline." Officials at wireless communication services such as Verizon Wireless and Sprint carefully point out that they don't want to take advantage of a national tragedy. Sprint has attempted to pull ads in the local New York papers this week, while Verizon is downplaying its ads and beefing up public service announcements.