CINDY, INCIDENTALLY:

Not too long ago, I went to lunch with a friend who had just bought an iPhone.

I marveled at the GPS tracking device and was impressed by how fast one could text-message on the keyboard versus pecking your way through the keypad.

I was slightly envious and later stared at my sad little cellphone and thought that maybe it was time to upgrade.

But I knew a phone like that requires a certain level of commitment to technology I may never be ready to give.

While most people I know have heartily embraced texting, I long for the days when telephone conversations were an art form.

Maybe I’m an old biddy, but I’d much rather hear someone laugh than read “LOL.”

And when it comes to dating, I’d much rather have a suitor ask me out rather than send a text that says “U wanna chill l8er?”

It seems that in the last few years, texting has become just a way of life in forming friendships and relationships. According to an Oct. 8 Los Angeles Times article:

“Americans now send about 75 billion text messages a month, so it’s natural that the medium has become a popular means of courtship,” writes Alana Semuels. “Speeding the trend is the new generation of handsets equipped with full keyboards, faster Internet connections and global-positioning systems that can pinpoint their users’ exact location. In the U.S., about 143 million wireless subscribers have GPS on their phones, according to Nielsen Mobile, and there were 43.3 million active mobile Internet users in August.

With this number of people using texting as a form of communication, I don’t know why it still surprises me how many of my friends or acquaintances are having full-blown relationships with people they don’t to speak on the phone and who hold court with important arguments or discussions through text messaging.

Lusanna Russ, 29, from Newport Beach, explained that it took her a while to adjust to texting as the early stages of courtship.

“I used to get offended. But now I am used to it, and I actually think it’s a noncommittal way to reach out,” Russ said. “This can be great in the beginning.”

Marie Ward, 31, from Huntington Beach, said she prefers texting because it allows her to talk to people even if she’s in the middle of watching a movie or just relaxing at home.

If she’s dating someone, she says she allows for texting for a while but ultimately wants a phone call.

“I just think it takes away emotion. I’ve had arguments while texting, and it is annoying, because you can’t really express emotion,” Ward said.

“Half of the texts I have are questions marks, because someone doesn’t understand what I mean or said … that’s sad. People shouldn’t have to put a smiley face or sad face to express emotion.”

Interestingly, texting and dating continues to grow and is finding a place amid online dating and social networking sites.

There are now text message dating sites, such as bouncephone.com or matchlinkmobile.com, where people can get to know one another through texting.

Personally, I’m not completely sold on texting yet, and I will continue to annoy my texting friends by calling them up to ask them out to lunch.

But for now, I’m not quite ready to give up on the art of conversation or seeing a smile versus a smiley icon.

CINDY ARORA is a freelance writer. She may be reached at paprgrrl@gmail.com.