Wireless Phones

Making a Statement with Wireless Phones

If you don't have a cell phone, we have to ask: are you living in the darkest wilds of Africa, somewhere in the Gobi Desert, or under a rock? (Do rocks even have Internet access?) Wireless phones are cheap and plentiful these days -- and if you haven't entered the world of wireless phones, it's probably time you should. There are plenty of great deals on wireless phones out there; in fact, it may make better sense to abandon your home phone and stick to wireless, so you'll be in contact at all times. All you need to do is remember to keep the battery charged, and not to leave your phone lying around someplace. For those of us who have a bad habit of losing their wireless phones (an expensive proposition), we respectfully point out that brightly colored wireless phones are now available. A colorful one might be more difficult to lose; may we suggest blaze orange, or Day-Glo green?

Big stylin'

In the few years since their creation, wireless phone technology has advanced by leaps and bounds. Wireless phones have gone from huge cumbersome bricks with terrible reception to tiny wisps of things with crystal-clear sound (assuming you're in a reception cell). Captain Kirk's communicator's got nothing on modern wireless phones; there are even some you can just hang in your ear and chatter away on. Aha! All those people muttering to themselves on the street aren't just well-dressed hobos; they're talking to real people on the phone!

Since they've now beaten most of the technological issues and most people who want wireless phones have them, companies that make them are starting to emphasize features and style more than ever. Modern cell phones aren't just phones -- you can read and send email, check everything from the weather to sports scores, play games, and use your phone in calculator mode. Some wireless phones are even PDAs, too. The phones themselves have become stylish and small, and some of them, like the aptly named RAZR line from Motorola, are very slim. What's next? Wireless credit card phones?

Hunting up a deal

Wireless phones, no matter how tasteful or bleeding-edge stylish, aren't useful if they can't connect. For that, you'll need a decent cell phone plan. If you plan to talk a lot, get a plan with unlimited minutes; it may be more expensive than some, but it'll end up being worth it in the end. Plans that set a limit on minutes are great, until you go over your minutes and they charge you enough to make Bill Gates scream. Some plans give you a wireless phone along with the plan, though now that the market's reaching the saturation point, that old perk is starting to go by the wayside; today the best you usually get is one or more wireless phones for a reduced rate. Sometimes you'll also get a rebate per phone that will pay for the phone (and then some) if you're willing to send it in. Don't just stick your paperwork in a drawer and forget about it! The phone companies expect a lot of people to do that, and calculate into their profits -- but you don't let them take any more money out of your pocket than necessary.