Although cell phones and regular phones have the same purpose and they both work the same, they have many differences as well. For example a cell phone has to have at least six service bars in order to talk and the battery has to have a charge before it will work. The battery needs to charge for about an hour but it depends on what kind of charger you use. The charger that comes with the cell phone doesn't take as long to charge the phone as chargers purchased over the counter. A hard wired phone, one that has to be installed through wiring within your home, can be used anywhere in your home and is maintained by telephone servicemen. some of hard wired phones are cordless, which means they can be used throughout the home and even in the yard. You can't take your hard wired phone with you in your vehicle because service is limited to just a short range. A cordless phone has to be returned to its base periodically to be recharged. With your cell phone, someone can leave you a message and you can get it right on the phone where as on a home phone, you have to have an answering machine. Although they have many differences, they also have some similarities. They both have to be charged in order to keep the battery full and the phone working. You can use both to make and receive a call. They also both ring t tell you that you have an incoming call. A cell phone can be programmed for special rings but a hard wired phone has only one ring tone. Cell phones are much smaller in appearance than a hard wired phone. Cell phones may have different appearances and gadgets but they both serve the same purpose.