When ring tones are jarring

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at the start of a gathering can touch off a discussion of phone features among the company's geeky employees, Barr said. "Everyone whips out their phone and says, 'I've got this one.'"

Companies have begun setting rules for how employees use phones. A survey last April by the Society for Human Resource Management found that 40 percent of organizations had put written policies in place regarding regular cell phones and that 12 percent more planned to have such a policy within six months. Just 7 percent had written policies for camera cell phones, though another 15 percent planned to do so within six months.

"Everyone whips out their phone (in a meeting) and says, 'I've got this one.'"

--Adam Barr
Developer, Microsoft

One reason policies may be important: A little cell phone could lead to a big headache. Camera phones could be used to snap photos of secret corporate information. And there's the prospect of lawsuits stemming from employees involved in car accidents while talking on cell phones.

"Fear of rising lawsuits and concern for safety of employees and the public has lead many employers to prohibit employees from using cell phones while driving," The Ison Law Group wrote in a report last year. The Sacramento, Calif., group, which focuses on workplace issues, cited a number of cases, including a $30 million lawsuit filed against a law firm when an associate on a cell phone fatally ran over a 15-year-old girl in 2000.

"An official written policy on cell phone use is highly recommended, especially in those businesses where employees spend a substantial amount of time commuting or traveling on business," Ison said in its report.

Despite concerns, the cell phone is the right call for companies, suggested Jen Jorgensen, a spokeswoman for the Society for Human Resource Management. "It's definitely something that's been instrumental in expanding the walls of the workplace," she said.

Barry Strasnick, chief information officer of financial-services company CitiStreet, says cell phones are replacing pagers for his information technology staff. The shift hasn't been costly, in terms of having to buy new devices, Strasnick indicated. "The vast majority of our staff just give us their private numbers," he said.

Evans of the PGA Tour also sees mobile phones as productive tools and is experimenting with a remote e-mail system using Treo phones.

Evans may be an elevator caller, but he sees a limit to cell phone use in another possible business setting. He's against allowing wireless phone chatting on airplane flights. "It's one thing to have a conversation with something sitting next to you," he said. "It's another to hear two to three conversations, and you may be trying to get some work done."