Cellular phones, much like the internet, have sufficiently worked their way into being an aspect of everyday life for many people. The speed of growth in the market has led to the development of new companies, new laws, new phones, and a cornucopia of choices available as far as options for the actual phones as well as plans and rates. Because the industry has seen such a rapid progression, keeping up with the technology available is virtually impossible.
However, there are really only two choices to be made and researched when diving into the mobile phone world: what carrier to choose and which phone. Of course these two choices quickly become more involved once the surface has been scratched. Although there are a number of choices and options available as far as phones and plans, the important points is to make an informed and knowledgeable decision as to what you the consumer expect, want, and need from your new cellular phone and carrier.
Before making these decisions though, some background knowledge makes them a bit more informed and less like a blind leap of faith. When looking into cellular phones, remember that they are simply modified two-way radios. When a call is placed from a cellular phone the message is broken up into radio waves and sent out through the air to the nearest cellular tower. From there, the message gets relayed to another tower and so on until it reaches a tower close enough to the recipient. It is then sent to the intended phone and subsequently transformed back into the voice that you hear.
AUTHOR: Sean-Michael Young
MORE INFO: Excerpted from "Cell Phones: Staying in Touch"
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