Is it rude to use a smartphone at dinner?

'Google.

Few rules of contemporary society seem more unanimous right now than the strict admonition against using a smartphone at mealtime. Of the nearly 41,000 surveyors who rated restaurants for the 2011 Zagat guide to New York City Restaurants, 64 percent said that texting, checking e-mail or talking on the phone is rude and inappropriate in a restaurant.'

These comments by Bruce Feiler got me thinking...well, is it really that rude? And if it is, how about we create spots in the bar, or lounges in the restrooms with wi-fi, because if we are going to use this technology to its fullest capacity, then we have it accessible, right?

For instance, I am playing in my fantasy football super bowl this week (with the co-owner of my team, Tony Zimm). Second year in a row - big stuff, right? I mean we survived Aaron Rodgers going down with a concussion last week in the first quarter, and still managed to gain a hard-fought victory. So this week, we are analyzing all the possible moves to defend our Super Bowl title, and here we are...we need to speak immediately if a press conference is held and Aaron Rodgers decides to play.

I mean, we NEED that, right?