Just in the last few years cell phones (usually calledmobile phones outside the US)have become de facto standards for most
of the population. What once used to bea luxury item for a select few that was carried around in a large leather bagand was the size of the brick, is no longer.
Technology has advanced the mobilephone industry to the point where the phone is a mere commodity for vendors,meaning that's not where they make the real money. It's in the service plans,which require 2 year commitments usually, where companies like Sprint, Nextel(now Sprint Nextel), AT&T (now Cingular), Cingular, Verizon, and T-Mobilemake the revenues that enable the cycle of technology innovation and marketingto continue. While the downsides of cell phones have focused primarily on theannoyance of public conversations and the small possibility of brain damage dueto cellular coverage near the ear, these pale in comparison to the benefitsderived from cellular technology. For those who have had cell phones most oftheir lives (think anyone under 25), it's hard to imagine life before cellphones. Writing down numbers in a paper directory, having change on hand (firsta nickel, then a dime, then two dimes), knowing how to make collect calls, andfinding pay phones in new cities were frequent logistic challenges. Not tomention the inconvenience of not being able to get access to those you need atany time. At this point, corporate employees, sales professionals, parents,young adults, and anyone in industries where
communication among many iscritical could hardly imagine life without the benefits of mobile phones. Astechnology matures, ringtones, cameras, GPS features, music, and multiple otherfeatures will be added to the hardware. And the software on phones willprogress to include easier web access, advertisements, news downloads, andeasier chat and email features - becoming the only piece of technology mostuse. In fact, in many countries in South Asia(where the industrial revolution never occurred) they have gone fromagricultural industries right to technology, bypassing an entire type ofeconomy. It is in these countries where the cell phone is an essential tool,enabling communication among millions who don't own a computer. As technologyadvances, and people respond positively to resulting changes, we will allbenefit.