Remember when the cellphone first came out in the early 80's?.
They looked like a black brick with a aerial sticking out of them!.
Just wondering, what sort(brand and model) of cellphone do you guys use these days?.
I think that we have gone to the other extreme in phone size these days, the new phone that I got a few weeks ago, is a bit too small to hold in my hand.
But, the once touted "Yuppie-phone" is now, unfortunately an essential piece of equipment for most Trades-people these days.

What's a cellphone? Got rid of mine three years ago & haven't missed it one bit.


Did I mention I have an ocean-view cabin here in Colorado?

Aah yes cell phones from the 80's...they weighed 10 pounds and costed $1,000, now they weigh 10 ounces and are free!

I will admit that I like to have the latest and greatest toys, my cell phone is one of them. I got one of those camera phones, the LG-VX6000 and its great, I have used it for work a few times, if a project manager has a question about something it is a lot easier to snap off a picture and it shows up in his e-mail inbox 30 seconds later than to take 20 minutes trying to explain why I can't mount an enclosure where he wants it. I am also keeping my eyes open for violations on the street.....

Mike,
I've run the gamut. Being tied closely to radios, I had a radio phone in the early 80's, got a "bag" cell ($1,100.00) mid 80's and gave them to about half my guys when in business.

The last 5 years it's been nothing but Nextels, FAR handier than a regular phone. Mine have always been a part of my job, and given to me by the people I've worked for, but I recently bought one and gave it to my son. He travels about a bit, and I use it for long distance since it's LOADS cheaper than the ole twisted pair.

I've the explosive model

George,
Being a Hand-Held(2m and 70cm) Ham, the cellphone has taken away the "Secret Agent" aspect of the hobby.
With a guy talking into a radio transmitter, we used to have an element of espionage or spy-work.

I'm a 2 cell phone guy. I've got a very small Nokia that I've had about 5 years. Also about 3 years ago I switch us over to Nextel, but couldn't give up my regular cell because too many people call that number. My Nextel is a Motorola i90.

My first phone was also a bag phone in the early 90's.

Thread Jack - Does anybody still use a pager?

Trumpy:
Hello there, how are ya???

My 1st cell was mounted in my van, set me back about $1K. Went thru a lot of handhelds since then, from the "original" Motorola flip to the Motorola V60i.

Just picked up a replacement V60i on monday. Broke the antenna last Fri, had an aftermarket installed Fri PM, & phone was useless since. (It also was ready for a new battery)

Instead of about $100 for batt & repairs, decided to take the $50 rebate and have a new one for $90.00 net.

BTW, I have AT&T, been with them a long, long time.

John

I go withn Eesparx, I carry a company supplied cell phone while at work and take it in my boat, (turned off) other than that I'm still happily living in the pre cell phone world.

Roger

I still carry a pager. I also carry a cell phone but nobody has the number. I'm always on-call and if they can get me by cell, that's so convenient for them that I get stupid question calls all night and all weekend.

But the pager's inconvenient for them, I call back on my cell in 15 or 20 minutes and that's just inconvenient enough that they'd rather solve the problem themselves than wait 20 minutes wondering when I'm gonna call.

I went cell phone shopping a year ago. I wanted a durable, one color(not pink or yellow), no frills phone. I don't want a camera, don't need a color display, don't use my cell phone to schedule meetings or play video games. I don't want it to flash when it rings or play any songs by Michael Jackson.

Turns out nobody makes a phone that's just for making phone calls.

The great thing about cell phones is you can always turn them off. For me, an after hours contact number (where required to be given) is always a cell number to all but the most trusted and closest.

m'guy,
I hear you there!.
This phone I've got at the moment, I can't even get it to ring like a normal telephone, you have to have some poor electronic rendition of Flight of the Bumblebee (and that's about the best of the lot!).
I think that cellphones are generally made for the younger generations, these days, what with all these add-on features and the smaller sized phones. (My God, I sound like Abe Simpson )
What's next, the in-ear phone?.

I have the simplest Nokia phone that I could find,and I still don't know what all the buttons are for. I leave it in the truck and check it 2 or 3 times a day to see who's called. If I carry it around,some days I would'nt get any work done. Sometimes I do take it inside the house or job I'm at,but I don't answer it until I check the caller I.D.

Russell

Russell,
that's the reason we have children or grandchildren.

Roger

You're right Roger.And it's not just cellphones.Gas pumps,atm's,automated phone systems(press one if by land and 2 if by sea),computers. Occaisionally,I hear the term "Old fart" even.

I also need help turning on the new TV/dvd system my son bought us for our anniversary.

I'm beginning to understand why my 80 yr.old mother feels overwhelmed.

Russell

Russell, this is bringing a tear to my eye.
I have no tatoos but maybe I should get one saying "OLD FART", we could all get one and be a brothersisterhood. Just kidding, we already have that here.

Roger

Forgive me—I gotta’ go retro for a moment. At the 1979 or ’80 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, a rep was showing the original 3-watt Motorola 800MHz/AMPS “brick” phones. He was mad because he’d been promised that LV would have limited cellular coverage by showtime. At that time I think there were 6 US cities that had cellular service on an experimental basis, with regular coverage in LA/NYC. He was fairly excited that ‘Advanced Mobile Phone Service’ {the original cellular} was going to outpace IMTS [The more traditional ‘Improved Mobile Telephone Service’—the briefcase-sized/mounted-on-the-driveshaft-hump sets] that had the same sized “G” handset that deskphones used. {Some were rotary dial too.}

IIRC, the brick phone had something like 20 minutes of talk time between overnight charges and the most local of calls were something like 79¢/minute.

Bjarney,
I've never seen a cellphone with a dial on it!.
Imagine the kiddies today, trying to text-message on one of those.

These are the {pre-cellular} IMTS sets I remember…
http://www.privateline.com/PCS/mobilephonepictures.htm {Intereting site.}



http://www.privateline.com/IMTS/briefcasephotos.htm

The briefcase model look like it has an integral-dial handset, like the claasical 'trimline' 2700{?} WECO/Bell handset on their {wired} desk version.

Well, I suppose I'm showing just how old-fashioned I am, but I do not own, nor have I ever owned a cellphone! (Though the idea of a Maxwell Smart shoe-phone did appeal! )

I know a cellphone might be useful for emergencies, but the rest of the time I manage just fine without. Anyone can leave a message on my answering machine and I'll get back to them when I return.

There's one thing about cellular service over here which is very different from North America: The caller pays more per minute for calling a cellular phone (in many plans, quite a lot more than calling a regular landline).

The fact that cellular phones here also have their own "area" codes rather than being just part of the local numbering system makes it easy to spot mobile numbers, and many people just refuse to call them and pay the extra. I've overheard people being given numbers and responding along the lines of "I'm not calling you on that. Give me a proper number."

Mike,
How is cellular operated in NZ? Is it like the U.S.A. or is it British-style caller-pays?

P.S. The phone sitting right next to me is a 2500-type set, with properly designed handset and good old-fashioned real bells!




[This message has been edited by pauluk (edited 10-11-2003).]

Paul,
We have two cellular networks over here, the fisrt being the Telecom network that used an 025 prefix up to a couple of months ago, this is now 0274.
The other network is the Vodafone network that has an 021 prefix.
These systems use the same caller-pays system as in the UK.
It costs NZ$0.71 per minute to ring a Land-line and depending on what time of the day you call, it can cost up to NZ$0.90 to ring another cellphone.
Text-messaging is real popular over here, especially amongst the kiddies, these cost 20 cents per message, with a maximum size of 120 characters.
Eagle,
Sorry, I missed your question, even though it was in bold type!.
Us firefighters over here have pagers that go off at the same time as the fire station siren, the new pagers we got recently, have a text message facility that tells you where the call is and what sort of incident it is.
If the pager says Dump Fire, don't expect too many fire-fighters to run into the station!.
Bjarney,
What sort of power output did them IMTS phones have?.

Paul,

I'm in New York. I don't know how other cities' phone companies bill. Here goes:

A "local" call to domestic city codes 212, 646 and 718 are billed at a flat rate of 10 cents a call -- no matter how long you gab. Calls to surrounding city or "area" codes such as 201 (New Jersey), 516 (Long Island) and 914 (Westchester) are billed per minute -- almost like long-distance charges. I personally consider a call to Long Island long distance.

917 is the area code used for cell phones and pagers "connected" in New York City. If you're calling from a 212, 718 or 646 phone number to a 917 cellphone number, it is billed as a local call. It doesn't matter what the physical location of the mobile is.

If you have a "New York cell phone" and you're in California or New Jersey and I call you on my regular phone from New York City, I will only pay the local rate.

I don't own a working cell phone. I have a pager for work -- but only one person (my boss's assistant) knows that number and she only uses it when she REALLY REALLY needs to get a hold of me. And that only happens maybe three or four times a YEAR.

If it were up to me, I wouldn't even have a telephone at home!!!

The two non-working phones I have are part of my radio collection: An old early Motorla Flip Fone I've wanted for years and a Qualcomm phone (this company doesn't manufacture them anymore). I'm actually looking for one of those old "bricks"

It's surprising how comfortable it felt to hold one of those earlyphones. It feels like a phone. The earpiece and the microphone are positioned where you think they should be.

Nowadays, trying to talk into one of these iddy-biddy things that almost every has now feels like holding a TV zapper up to your face....they're so cheesy.

[This message has been edited by SvenNYC (edited 10-11-2003).]

The “1960s James Bond” briefcase model in this pic looks like it has an integral-dial handset, like the classical 2700{?} WECO/Bell 'trimline' handset on their {wired} desk version.



Edit—I guess “retro” is in itself is sort of an archaic term… Looks like properly it’s s’posed to be deemed as “Olde School” nowadays.


[This message has been edited by Bjarney (edited 10-12-2003).]

I think the next step for cell phones is going to be implants, keypad on the inside wrist/forearm of your choice ...

I think I know some that would go for it.


Bill

[This message has been edited by Bill Addiss (edited 10-12-2003).]

Bill,
I hope that it never comes to that!.
But, on the subject of cellphone numbers, with the large of people that own them, over here, the numbers are getting pretty long and hard to dial from a piece of paper that someone else has written down or from an answering machine message.
My cell number has 7 numbers, as well as the 3 number prefix (021).
A few of the newer 0274 phones have an additional 8 numbers, where is this going to end?, I don't think that I would like to dial a cellphone number in poor light, for fear of ringing China or some other far away land!.

On the cwll phone plan I have, I have to dial 10 numbers area code + the 7 digit # of the person called.
If it wasn't for the usefulness,I would get rid odf it.

Those IMTS pictures bring back a lot of memories. I was working in the mobile phone business in that era in direct competition to the phone company. It was fun sometimes. I've got an LG VX4400 - most everything but the camera. I got it mainly because of the big color display and its a flip. I can read the number I dial without my glasses. My pet peeve is the buttons on the outside of the phone. I just glued one shut so it doesn't get pressed by accident - it shuts off the darn ringer. Most phones don't seem to be designed with a working guy in mind.

Big Jim,
Yeah, I reckon.
I'm on my fourteenth(sp) phone now, I end up dropping the thing or knocking it, last one I had, fell down a well, when I was fixing a submersible pump.
You can get the covers for them with the "clip" but after a small period of rough handling, the spring gives up.
If I wasn't a Tradesman, I reckon I'd never have one of these annoying things!.

I've got a Nextel (Motorolla) i1000 plus Cellular Device, which is my personal Cellular Telephone (and is used for work, too!). Had it since 1999.
Bought it at an Office Supply store under a "Two-For-One" Package Deal, so my Wife and I both have i1000+'s
(makes direct connect actually nice ).

Prior to this, had a Company supplied Nextel phone, which was in the "Common Field-Look" style of the basic i1000.

In the 1970's, my Father used the "Mobile Telephone" (Radio Telephone in the work truck). I loved that thing - especially the ring function triggoring the Vehicle's Horn Relay!

Late '70s, thru the '80s, our Friend / General Contractor kept his "Mobile Telephone" active, then ended the service around 1991.

I also had a Pager for years. Ended this service just last year.

Was given a Sprint Cellular Telephone for Company use back in April, but it was given to someone else whom lost their phone...again!

<frustration vent>
Reason for taking my cell phone:
... err,,,, ahhh,,, you already have a cell phone;
,,,... duhhh... we are trying to cut costs;
,,,... duhhh... you don't use it that much;
,,,...(insert additional B.S. here!).
</frustration vent>

Actually, the real reason is due to pinheads and their typical pinhead thinking!!!


***SMALL THREAD JACK***
Re; Anyone using Nextel Service:

Has anyone setup the newer "Advanced" Voice Mail options? I am referring to the current multi optional greeting schedules, etc...

I need to set this stuff up in tweeked mode, so contacts get ahold of me easier!

Scott35

Scott35,
Hey, no worries, Scott, I reckon that this is what keeps discussions alive at ECN.
I have always known ECN as a sort of swirling topic sort of place, that's why I just keep coming back, there's always a new idea!.

The faster and easier communication becomes, the easier it is to talk to anyone, anywhere, anytime...the closer we are getting to becoming Borg from startrek.

Interesting enough... but why are there no phone books for cell phones???

This is the most missed marketing opportunity in a lifetime!

Probably because people change plans and providers so often that it's hard to keep track.

I don't know if you get to keep the same number if you change service providers...

And then you start getting telemarketers on your cellphone and also junk email on the text messaging service.....

As cellphones have their own "area" code here, the same sort of thing applies, where you have to dial the full area code plus number, a total of 11 digits.

Still, where overlays have been introduced in the U.S. some people have to dial the full area code plus number even for local calls now.

The keypads on many of the latest cellphones (and other phones for that matter) aren't my idea of well designed.

The courts just approved something called a portable number. If you switch companies, they have to let you keep the same number if you want it.
One of my nick names is Gorillia Grip because of my strong, stubby hands. Cell phones have gotten unusably small. I think companies are missing a golden market for a ruggedized tradesman phone. I know I'd pay extra for one that could survive falling in the gutter.

Ref. the phone book for cell phones-

The law (ruling?) allowing the transfer of phone #'s between services will be going itno effect sometime in November '03.

This is a modification of the same law that allowed you to keep your # and switch land-based carriers... but this applies to cell phone / PCS carriers as well.

So if you change from Sprint to MCI to Verizon to AT&T... you'll be able to keep your number - and thus, be able to be listed at that number.

Wonder how much they'll hit us for the "convenience" of a # transfer?

[This message has been edited by DougW (edited 10-25-2003).]