Guys, just watch Michael Moore on 9/11 and you will see how badly you are lied to about all this stuff.
Now, on a personal note: everytime i fly (not very often) i always have my mp3 and my laptop.
I cant use laptop on take off, the mp3 on the other hand, i got mixed answers. Sometimes they allow it, sometimes they dont (normally when you explain that the radio and the mp3 cannot work togheter, and that you plan to only use mp3, they let you).
Now, i perfectly understand why no laptop: if there is a turbulence, and your laptop flies out and kills that annoying little kid behind you, everyone will blame the airline, so they reduce the chance of a problem this way.
I agree with that. Now, about phones, its no myth that they "can" interfiere with plane electronics. I was once flying and the stewardess was capable of finding the 1 guy that forgot to turn off his cellphone.
I belive that if everyone used their phone, we could have some bigger issues.
On a final note, planes have been crashing more often since the economical recesion, so im a bit scared of adding more potencial problems to the current situation.