This paper presents an exploratory study of college-age students using
two-way, push-to-talk cellular radios. We describe the observed and reported
use of cellular radio by the participants. We discuss how the half-duplex,
lightweight cellular radio communication was associated with reduced
interactional commitment, which meant the cellular radios could be used for a
wide range of conversation styles. One such style, intermittent conversation,
is characterized by response delays. Intermittent conversation is surprising in
an audio medium, since it is typically associated with textual media such as
instant messaging. We present design implications of our findings.Comment: 10 page