Because of my busy travel and speaking schedule I work from home, and I've gotten pretty efficient with the mobile office concept, or so I'd thought.

I recently added a new member to my rapidly expanding team, she's young, bright and fresh out of college; within a week she taught me a thing or two about mobility and efficiency which caused me to look at how services that were once wired have gone wireless and what that means for consumers overall.

For the most part they make life easier, but there are a few drawbacks to consider too. Here's a snapshot of services that now come with no strings attached-well, sort of.

Cell phones vs. Landlines

Until recently, it never occurred to me that most people always call me on my cell phone instead of my landline even when they know I'm at home-which is admittedly rare. But before I rushed to join the more than seven million people in this country that use only cellular phones (according to Travis Larson of Cellular Telecommunications Association), I put on the brakes to consider what it would mean to cut the cord completely. Here's a bit of food for thought:

Landlines: Provide a level of guaranteed service stability and unless there is some severe weather you won't get lots of dropped calls and "void sound pockets."

Cell phones: Most wireless plans provide more bang for your buck; cell phones come with caller ID, voicemail and call forwarding standard, these are must have features that will cost you additional money with a landline.

Landlines: In cases of emergency, calls to 911 can be tracked to a specific address, often leading to life-saving rescues. With cell phones emergency calls are dispatched based on your coordinates, which could be within a one mile radius of where you actually are. This makes it especially difficult to pinpoint your location if you're calling from a residence or inside an apartment building.

Cell phones: You just upgraded to the RAZR three months ago so do you really need the new iPhone? Cell phones have become fashion accessories, but changing your phone as often as you change shirts is dangerous to the environment. If you've just got to have the newest phone, be sure to dispose of the old one properly. Go to earth911.org to find out how.

Brick 'n Mortar Branches vs. Internet Banks

Another cord-cutting trend is in banking. No longer do you need to find a bank in your college town or switch banks when you move to a new apartment. Banks have taken their businesses offline and the days of waiting in line for a teller are over. 

Less than 10 years ago online banks such as ING Direct and EverBank came on the scene to give consumers another choice besides brick ‘n mortar branches. Despite the fact that they paid higher rates on deposits (upwards of 4 percent) they had many hurdles to overcome such as ease of deposits and withdrawals.

With time and technology these online banks have risen above the challenges to offer not only some of the best interest rates for savings accounts, but also no minimum balance, interest-bearing checking accounts with check writing ability and ATM cards that work in virtually any machine. Plus, they'll even reimburse the charge assessed by some ATMs when you use another bank's card.

You'll still have to mail in deposits (using prepaid envelopes) but with more of us banking online anyway you might be better served by booting your branch and making a beeline to the Internet bank at a computer near you.

And speaking of computers, what about the battle between PCs vs. laptops? According to a report on Techdirt.com, "laptop sales are up 35 percent, while desktop sales are down five percent."

Part of the spike is due to higher quality laptops at lower prices, but laptop makers such as Dell and Apple are also targeting our need to be "in fashion" and like cell phones laptops are as much a fashion accessory as a necessity.

So, do you go for the complete freedom of a cell phone, online bank account and laptop?  Or do you blend the best that technology has to offer? You'll have to do your research to find the best options for you.

As for me, I think for now I'll blend a combo of the two. While I love my PC, I have to admit that Dell's new Dimension NL25C laptop in lime green is looking pretty cool-or is it hot?!

Sanyika Calloway Boyce is the author of four books. She travels nationwide to educate, empower, entertain and enlighten students about money, credit and debt. This former debt-strapped college student shares real and relevant money messages that young adults can relate to and understand. Visit her online today at financialfitnesscoach.com.

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