The Beauty of Cellular Communication by King Smartphones

I remember my first thought when cell phones were first introduced. "No way will I ever buy one of those gadgets!" That was then. This is now. Back then, it was hard for me to conceive of actually paying hundreds of dollars for this new technology, then paying a monthly charge to use the service.

I even remember the day I finally caved in and decided to "go wireless". It was August 14, 2001 and I was in midtown Manhattan, when I finally went for it. A family crisis had come up and I needed a way for family members to always be able to reach me. Walking around with a pager clipped to my belt and a pocket full of quarters wasn't my idea of "staying connected". The thought of using pay phones on New York City street corners and subways grossed me out a lot. Imagine needing to make a call in a hurry and having to find a pay phone that looked "clean"! Good luck with that!

So I walked into a T-Mobile Retail Store on Madison Avenue near 42nd Street. Never having shopped for a cell phone before, it was quite an experience...a pleasant one. The salesperson gave me the whole pitch about the various models and what each could do. Then the various air-time plans were explained to me. Luckily for me, my credit was till pretty good back in those days, and I was able to pick out a free phone, sign a contract and walk out of the store with a brand new cell phone and a great calling plan, all without any out-of-pocket costs.

I was happy as heck because now, I'd be able to make calls from anyplace at any time. It was not only a feeling of utter convenience, but freedom as well. Why did I suddenly feel "free"? For various reasons, the main one being the fact that my mode of communication with friends and family during the work day was this wonderful new gadget in my pants pocket, not some greasy pay phone on a Manhattan street corner that lord-knows-who had been using mere minutes before!

Yes!!! I finally felt "connected". And free. And a part of the new millennium!

My very first cell phone was a large, peanut-shaped Motorola that felt heavy in my pocket. It was the almost the size of my palm and could serve as a dangerous projectile if used for that purpose! I didn't mind, though. I was just happy to be one of the millions of "wireless" Americans walking the streets of New York.

What would life be like without cell phones? Well, it sure wouldn't feel the same, that's for sure! Being able to call anyone any time you want to is one of the greatest feelings in the world. And tell the truth...don't you just love it when your phone vibrates and you have a new voice mail seconds later? Life without cell phones would be less safe, less connected, less relevant, less interesting and certainly less "modern".

Believe it or not, I've never left home without my cell phone. I've left home without my wallet, without chewing gum and without various other daily necessities, but never without my cell phone! It's almost as though it's a part of my body and it feels odd when it's not resting against my right thigh in my pants pocket. I'm sure many of you feel the same. It's normal, or at least that's what I tell myself!

You might want to check out the Blackberry Pearl. It's a great multi-media phone that supports HTML Browsing for the best internet experience. I speak from experience because I have one and I can't say enough great things about it! My nephew talked me into buying one through a friend of his while he was a student at NYU. I don't normally trust college kids when it comes to making purchases, but my instincts were dead on this time.

If you'd like to check out some of the most popular free cell phones on the market, just click on the link below and provide me with any feedback you may have pertaining to the products and what you'd like to see technology produce in the very near future.

By Carl Hewitt