Quote:
Originally Posted by john.wigley
Talking about mobiles, 'L.S.' and Alan's point about cheap, 'disposable' products caused me to reflect on just how far we have advanced (?) in 30 years.
I bought my first mobile when I went self-employed in 1991, justifying it as giving me an 'edge' when looking for work. The phone (and it was only a phone) was one of the first Motorola flip-phones which cost me £400 and came with two batteries, since one could not make it through the day. A fitted car-phone in my 244 would have cost c£2k.
There were just two networks; the airtime contract on both was the same - £25 per month - and calls cost 25p per minute (charged in half-minute increments after the first minute).
In contrast, my current Motorola smart phone, which I'm sure has features that I don't even know about, cost me just over £100. Today, my contract costs me under £9 per month and includes 500 minutes, 500 texts and 500 Meg of data, of which I normally use less than 10% of each. I've just bought a new battery for it off ebay for £8 as the original, now 3 years old, was starting to get a little tired.
Progress? You be the judge! 
Regards, John. |
Well John, it is certainly progress: cell phones are now affordable for absolutely everyone. I even have a second one (a ruggedised 'King Kong') that I mostly use for SATNAV in the RB and on motorcycles.
Unless one really must have the very latest then technology is very cheap indeed. Sure, that is progress.
Alan