The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
We finally did it. After a year of convincing by my wife, and after a summer traveling around with bad telephone and Internet service, we bought a cell phone. I know, for a person who loves technology and who usually buys the latest toys as soon as possible, I am way behind the times on this. But this summer I was in a few campgrounds where there was no Internet service and the telephone service was bad. Do you know how few pay phones there are around these days? Every place you go it seems they have taken them out because so few people use them. Everybody today has a cell phone. Well, now I do too. It's funny because it seems to me like just after I had kids and started noticing all of the babies around, now I notice all the cell phones. Back then it was people with babies in strollers, in stores, and in restaurants. Now I notice people talking on their phones in restaurants, at the football game I went to on the Labour Day weekend (go Riders!), and just wandering down the streets talking. It seems like everybody's talking, and I wonder how we survived before we had these things attached to our ears. Mind you, I do have a few complaints. When I first bought the phone and picked out a plan, I was quite content with the choices I had made. But now that I think about it a bit, you need to be pretty careful about how you set yourself up. It seems that everything costs money. Choose a plan, but then web access will cost extra. It costs extra to phone at certain times of the day. It costs extra to have voice mail, etc., etc. When all was said and done, at the end of my first month of service, with a grand total of 25 minutes of airtime, my bill was over $95! I was surprised to say the least, and I studied the bill pretty thoroughly to figure out how I managed to run up a total like that. The problem, of course is the convenience and the habits we've all developed with our home phones. We want to be connected. We are used to picking up the phone and calling people whenever we want. It's why we get cell phones in the first place. In the U.S., people are charged every time they pick up the phone, whether the call is local or long distance, so cell phone charges must not be anything different for them. So words of wisdom for those new to the cell phone world or those amazed each and every time they open their bill. First of all, choose your carrier and your plan wisely. We live in a competitive world where companies are doing everything they can to earn your business. Make them pay for the privilege of you paying the bill. Check the available plans closely to make sure the one you choose matches your needs. When do you call? Where do you call? Most companies offer discounts for evenings , weekends, or for calling other members of the same network. Check these choices closely to see what works best for you. Second, choose your phone wisely. The latest and greatest gadgets are cool, but you will pay for them. I was amazed by the number of university students I watched at the Labour Day football game text messaging on the latest Motorola Razr phones. Nice, but big bucks. Do you need a camera? Do you want to shoot video, listen to mp3s, or record audio? There are cell phones that can do it all, but you will pay for it all. In the end, the cell phone will stay, but I'm checking out my plan thoroughly, and I'm going to be watching how I use the phone over a few months. You can change your plan, even if you've signed a contract. If your needs change, talk to your service provider. It's your money. Spend it wisely. ([email protected]) Tech Notes runs Mondays.
