I’ve read that ¾ of all new phones sold are smart phones. It’s not surprising; I upgraded to one when my last phone broke because buying it didn’t cost much more than a regular phone, and I was already paying for internet service on my contract. And, I have to admit the thing is dead useful.

But, while a smartphone provides a lot of handy options, it also provides a wealth of brand new ways to annoy and alienate people. Here are five things you and your smart phone are doing that are ruining your luck on dates:

Answering your phone during a date. Put it on vibrate while you are out together. Once upon a time, no one had cell phones, and they managed to live through entire meals without taking a phone call. You can too. The only possible exception to this is if you are a single parent with children at your house. In this case, it’s okay to pick up for possible emergencies with your kids.

Using an obnoxious ringtone. Keep away from the loud, the crass, and the just plain annoying. By the time you get a chance to explain the humorous reason that you assigned “Back That Ass Up” to your brother-in-law, the damage is probably already done.

Texting during your date. Your attention needs to be on the person you are with. And, F- if your date is at the movies. Do not text during &^%$& films. The screen lights up, and it’s insanely distracting for everyone around you.

Playing games on your phone during your date. I don’t care how addictive the latest Angry Birds or any other game is. During a date is not the time to be playing them.

Taking pictures of your food. If you are active on restaurant review sites, yes, you will sometimes want to provide pictures for other diners. But, not while you are on a date. Photographing food rubs a lot of people the wrong way, and it’d be a shame to ruin the good impression you made by picking a good restaurant by being a douche about your meal.

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Photo: Dru Bloomfield