A Parent's Guide to Cell Phones
Getting in touch with cell phone culture
Cell phones have gone beyond the functional these days and turned into a fashion accessory - especially for teens and teens at heart. Today a cell phone can perform so many different functions that to call it a phone anymore is to sell it short. Even modest handsets can send emails and instant messages, browse the web and take pictures - not to mention storing and playing different types of media.
Cell phones today are actually computers - a first clumsy step into a future market called wearable computing. But, as communications devices go, they're among the least reliable. Few industries can continue to exist with so many inherent problems. Calls get inexplicably dropped, network coverage is spotty at best and, even in a major city, if you turn a corner and you might just lose your connection.
North American cellular services are plagued with major incompatibility problems compared to markets on other continents. The service providers themselves have among the poorest customer relations of any business. But, as bad as it is with cellular services, we're persistent in our desire for more.
There are some 200 million cell phone subscribers in the United States today and, according to a 2005 survey by Consumer Reports, more than 1/3 of them are so dissatisfied with their service they're considering switching to another mobile network provider.
If you're a parent, it's only a matter of time before Junior is asking for a cell phone - if that time hasn't already dawned. You may already use a mobile communications device for work but never had to decide on service plans for yourself. Or maybe you never thought about buying a cell phone but suddenly find you're looking into one. You'll likely discover that cell phones have changed a lot since the old days when they were the size of a brick and had to be toted around in a luggage case.
Gizmo Cafe's Parent's Guide to Cell Phones will help guide you through the murky shark's den of poor service, technical acronyms and ambiguous billing.
There are some good reasons for choosing a mobile phone for a teenager - or even for young children. A company called Firefly actually makes phones especially for kids under 10 years old. They are designed to be used in emergency situations to give your child constant access to a list of emergency numbers like mom, dad, a neighbor and even 911. The Firefly phones [http://www.gizmocafe.com/handhelds/firefly-cell-phones.aspx] themselves come in a variety of cute and cool translucent colors. Be aware, however, some states don't allow the Firefly phone because of a regulation against a speed dial to 911.
Parents Guide to Cell Phones Jump:
- Find the Right Network
- Understanding Cell Service Providers
- Cell Phone Styles
- Choosing Your Handset
- Cell Phone Headset Styles
The draw for older kids, especially teenagers, is obvious. Constant connection with friends from anywhere is only one of the reasons for wanting a cell phone. Today's multi-functional phones are specifically marketed at kids with "MTV-style advertising techniques for brands like the Sony Walkman phones to Motorola's Rokr music phones and the sleek Razr cell phone.
There are even good reasons that a parent might relent and agree that under certain conditions they would be willing to finance their son or daughter's mobile communications. It can free up perpetual use of the home phone and a cell phone for some teenagers can be their first foray into commitment and financial responsibility.
No matter who the cell phone is for, the way we suggest doing it is to first find your provider, then choose your phone. You really can't do it the other way around because most cellular service providers only have certain phones that are compatible with their networks.