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Cell Phones - Pagers and Cellphone Service

Cellular Accessories

by Helen Glenn Court

The most important two cellular accessories for a wireless phone are clearly the recharger and the headset. Cell phone technology is based on radio waves powered by rechargable battery. Without the power, the phone won't work. Battery life is measured in talk hours and standby time, perhaps 150-200 hours of talk and 200 of standby. The headset--given the move to ban cell phone use without a hands-free headset while driving a motor vehicle--is the second most important accessory.

All wireless phones come with a recharger, of course, unless the phone is a throwaway model. Pricier phones will also include both a headset and an auto recharger, which plugs into the cigarette lighter. Sidebar: cigarette lighters are, interestingly, still a standard feature on cars despite the radical decline in the number of smokers in America, undoubtedly for just this reason. Sidebar Number Two: the most elaborate--and clearly wave of the future--hands-free headset is the very slick Bluetooth model for the dashboard (expensive).

For the most part, cellular accessories are tailored to either a manufacturer and model number, or to a group of model types. You don't want to drop $75 on a marvelous Samsung hands-free headset only to find it doesn't work on your Motorola phone. This kind of problem was common several years ago but is no longer.

Optional Cellular Accessories

Style has become important in cell phones and cellular accessories. Almost anything is available. Among the two earliest were replaceable face covers and belt hooks. My fingers are itching to type snide remarks, but I did have a burgundy faceplate that matched my car until I replaced the Nokia with a flip-model Motorola. I also confess that the recharger model that sits neatly on a desk or table is more convenient (easy to find) than the simpler version that you plug into an outlet anywhere and then can't find when the battery runs low. I also have a car recharger, that's nothing more than practical (I quit smoking but still need that lighter).

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