Digital Phones, Getting Cheaper By The Minute

Digital Phones
Getting Cheaper By The Minute

by Lisa Hummel

Remember when a phone was just something that hung on the kitchen wall? When it could only be rotary dialed? When it was used solely for the purpose of being a phone? Well, times have changed. Welcome to the world of high-tech, multi-purpose wireless communication.

It used to be that the mere concept of the cellular phone was a foreign concept — it was difficult for the traditional consumer to comprehend the fact that calling outside the home could be done without a quarter and with the ease of pushing a few buttons. Then, it was impossible to fathom that the once-bulky, oversized mechanisms could be inches thin and pocket-sized and include voice mail and caller-ID. So, these days, it’s no wonder that the new concepts in wireless communication are forging a path down a highway — the information superhighway, to be exact — with the latest wireless models featuring e-mail systems, Internet access, and faxing capability. To be sure, when speaking with local wireless phone dealers, the newest trends in cellular calling feature technical gadgets, overwhelming quality, and more than reasonable prices.

Nextel’s i1000plus According to Julie Taylor of Nextel, the company’s latest addition is the Nextel i1000plus, a digital, wireless phone that integrates the traditional cellular phone accessibility with text and numeric paging, 2-way digital radio, and direct connect — a facet that will enable customers to speak directly with other pre-programmed Nextel users at the touch of a button. Also, the i1000plus comes Internet-ready with a web browser, meaning that the phone will be capable of connecting to the World Wide Web when the services become available later this year. For a price of $299, the i1000plus falls under Nextel’s guaranteed all-digital network, meaning that regardless of where a Nextel customer travels, the digital benefits will never be lost — and, therefore, will incur no roaming charges. The i1000plus is a slim-line flip phone that features a see-through cover that enables you to use caller ID, view voice mail and pages, and use the speakerphone — all without opening the flip.

PCS One’s Nokia 9000il Communicator Much in the vein of the i1000plus, PCS One offers the Nokia 9000il Communicator, a wireless model that is capable of receiving and sending faxes, e-mails, and connecting to the Internet. Not merely a phone or a high-tech communications system, the 9000il also doubles as a personal organizer, with a daytimer, palm-pilot, calendar, and address book. According to PCS One’s Brandon Sherman, the 9000il is “one hundred percent digital” and, in addition to its ability to surf the Internet, has the capacity to forward e-mail from the home or office of the consumer — a must-have for “the businessman or the serious traveler.” Further, at a one-time price of $699 (with additional, monthly air time rates), the Nokia 9000il Communicator combines the functionality of a computer, fax machine, and personal organizer … all at the palm of your hand and without the headaches that continually checking in at the office from the road can create, says Sherman. “With this phone, there’s no way you can’t be reached.”

Alltel’s Motorola StarTAC Digital At Alltel, one of the most popular items continues to be the Motorola Star Tac, an extremely slim-line wireless phone that is nearly weightless and smaller than the size of many shirt pockets. More subtle than some of the other phones on the market that are still bulky in comparison, the digital Star Tac has e-mail accessibility and is able to provide the consumer with stock quotes, messages, and regular news updates. Not to be outdone, there is also a Star Tac accessory — the Star Doc Organizer. A palm-pilot, the Organizer (at an additional cost of $199, or $149 with the simultaneous purchase of the phone) attaches to the minute Star Tac and, while adding some bulk to the light phone, provides extras such as a personal organizer, calendar, and address book. “It’s probably the slickest product we have right now,” according to Kirkland, “the customers love it.” The Motorola Star Tac ranges in price from $250-$300.

AT&T Wireless’ Digital At AT&T (formerly CellularOne), the greatest deal isn’t about one phone or it’s ability to access all types of technological means of communication. Instead, AT&T’s wireless division has developed a Digital One-Rate Program that is setting out to “change wireless phones from just being your wireless phone to your only phone,” according to AT&T representative Mike DiGioia. The program, which is available with all AT&T digital multi-network phones, boasts no long-distance, no roaming charges, and no peak or off-peak minutes. With the Digital One-Rate offer, AT&T wireless customers pay a flat rate of $90 per month, a cost that enables the caller 600 minutes a month, anytime of the day or night to anywhere in the country. According to DiGioia, the program is AT&T Wireless’ “biggest draw” and “most exciting product” right now, adding that, due to the absence of roaming charges, “heavy callers and travelers” can’t beat the program’s benefits — a statement he supports with the fact that the AT&T plan is the “only true national plan” that offers such a viable deal. Well-known and accessed by 1.5 million customers nationwide, the Program has just been brought to Central Pennsylvania due to the AT&T-CellularOne merger of recent months, a transition that has thrilled DiGioia and company. “The Digital One-Rate Program has been very popular throughout the country, and we’ve been very happy to have it here,” says DiGioia.

From e-mail accessibility and Internet access and speakerphone and two-way radio to personal organizers and fax machines. The telephone has come a long way from both the rotary dial kitchen-wall model of many years ago and the brick-heavy cellular phone of a few years back. Times have changed — and so has the phone. Welcome to a time when the phone in your pocket has become much, much more than a phone.

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