Quiet, please: cell phones aren't yet mainstream in this country. The reasons are part social, part technological and part financial
Article Abstract:
Wireless telephones, already widely accepted in other parts of the world, have encountered social, technological and financial obstacles in the US. For example, in most regions, wireless communication arrangements have standardized on a single technology, making it relatively easy to choose a product and lowering products' prices. Meanwhile, in the US, people who do not have cell phones apparently tend to feel annoyance toward those who do. For example, people tend to frown on others who take cell-phone phone calls in restaurants or movie theaters. According to Peter Laufer, a journalist who has written books about wireless etiquette, cellular technology can be offensive when misused and we, as a society, have not yet figured out how to use wireless communications without being offensive.
Publication Name: The Wall Street Journal Western Edition
Subject: Business, general
ISSN: 0193-2241
Year: 1998
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Finding your way in the tangled world of wireless service
Article Abstract:
Wireless telephones involve a bewildering array of technologies and pricing plans. For example, technologies are referred to by various acronyms, such as CDMA, TDMA and GSM, and the same brand names sometimes represent different technologies, and the same service is sometimes marketed under a different name in a different area. Generally speaking, there are two categories of wireless service, which are analog and digital. Digital services, also known as personal communications services (PCS), come in many varieties, and these sometimes are not compatible. In spite of promotional claims to the contrary, consumers should be aware that wireless phones still encounter technical difficulties. Calls sometimes do not get through, and sound quality is not always adequate.
Publication Name: The Wall Street Journal Western Edition
Subject: Business, general
ISSN: 0193-2241
Year: 1998
User Contributions:
Comment about this article or add new information about this topic:
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