How business, doctors and journalists prey on your food anxieties I
How business, doctors and journalists prey on your food anxieties I
How business, doctors and journalists prey on your food anxieties I
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Fr<strong>on</strong>t page<br />
Once just gadgets that beeped ph<strong>on</strong>e numbers, pagers<br />
now store messages, stock quotes, even voice mail .<br />
By Michael Noer<br />
P_4GSC5 HAVE SHRCNK in size, gotten that in a feN\ Pears remo-traxvoice<br />
smarter <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g> have broader reach than messagers-no~e in derelopimnte~'er<br />
. Some 27 milfi<strong>on</strong> Americans tote NNill dominate the pager market .<br />
thent around. These miniph<strong>on</strong>es could be an alter-<br />
If Vou are in the market, here are nati~e for some cellular ph<strong>on</strong>e users<br />
some tips: (see story, p . 1581 .<br />
Go alphanrsrnes^ic . Numeric pagers Alsopass<strong>on</strong>cellttlar'teleph<strong>on</strong>e/pager<br />
display numbers <strong>on</strong>ly <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g> can't march c<strong>on</strong>bisiati<strong>on</strong>s . Thev Irase this going<br />
the usefulness of the full-test (alpha- for thent : You d<strong>on</strong>'t hace to pa%, tor<br />
numeric) devices . Besides pri~ate lengthcincomingcellularpii<strong>on</strong>ecalls,<br />
messages, t-ou can also get news head- which can realhacid up . And the<br />
lines, stock quotes, foreign exchange pager acts as a screener-you d<strong>on</strong>'t<br />
rates <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g> n,en the air polluti<strong>on</strong> index . ha~e to resp<strong>on</strong>d to mcssages right<br />
A text pager costs utilv betrn'een S6 a«a\<br />
. ifat all- <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g> S20 more per m<strong>on</strong>th, deoending But there are major drawbacks :<br />
<strong>on</strong> the npe of senice . Cwrentlc <strong>on</strong>k numeric paging is pro-<br />
A high-end text pager will displav vided ; <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g> :k :e combo unit is a bit<br />
:our Iines of test of about 80 charac- buL'cv to carn~ around .<br />
ters <strong>on</strong> its screen,-<str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g> will store up to Cmasidcr going ultralight. Seiko<br />
50 messages al<strong>on</strong>g with the time <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g> (800-456-5600) has integrated a<br />
date received .<br />
Rent, d<strong>on</strong>'tbvr . A4otorola's<br />
top-of-the-line text<br />
pager sells for 5350 . But<br />
paging companies will rent<br />
<strong>on</strong>e to Nou for about S3 a<br />
m<strong>on</strong>th . Insurance against<br />
damage, theft or loss is an<br />
additi<strong>on</strong>al S2 per m<strong>on</strong>th .<br />
Skip roice pagcrs Por natv .<br />
PageNet is about to introduce<br />
what are, in effect,<br />
pocket-size anavering mu<br />
chines . Thev can store four<br />
minutes of inessaees <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
will cost more than text<br />
pagers . But who wants to<br />
listen to a l<strong>on</strong>g verbal message<br />
%%'hen vou can silenthread<br />
a c<strong>on</strong>cise note?<br />
Also, take a pass £or now<br />
<strong>on</strong> the new "m-o-war"<br />
paging technology . Hyped<br />
as a«,av of resp<strong>on</strong>ding to a<br />
page without scrambling to<br />
find a teleph<strong>on</strong>e, the current<br />
generati<strong>on</strong> o .`' devices , ..-.a99MM,<br />
allows , vou <strong>on</strong>l}' a limited From watches to pens, pgers new come in various torms<br />
menu of resp<strong>on</strong>ses. On the horiz<strong>on</strong> : two-way voice pagers .<br />
Experts insist, however, ~<br />
pager into its MessageWatch digital<br />
w .ttch . It has <strong>on</strong>le a tim- screen, of<br />
course . but scill still displav tinancial<br />
ne"s, stock quotes, local treather<br />
torecasts <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g> eN en the «iwting lottei},<br />
numbcr . It's uglr (see photo), but at<br />
580 for the %satcit plus about S12 a<br />
m<strong>on</strong>th for senice.n it's a bat'gain . Currendv<br />
the rVlessaeeSVatch is available<br />
<strong>on</strong>h<strong>on</strong> the West Coast, but should be<br />
in other markets «'ithin the % ear .<br />
Espectglitches. Remember, pagers<br />
use Em t radio fi'eauencies, <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g> you will<br />
occasi<strong>on</strong>alhY get static that makes gibbeish<br />
of inessages . So d<strong>on</strong>'t expect<br />
<strong>your</strong> pager to ah ays work in the<br />
sub«a% or in an tmdcrground p.; :-king<br />
garage- And thinlv populated areas of<br />
the C .S . are out of reach . Houcvcr,<br />
~our pager will ohen functi<strong>on</strong> <strong>on</strong><br />
airplanes, <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g> even <strong>on</strong> aour boat .<br />
IT'berc to rhop- b4ajor paging companies,<br />
all of~\ hich operate irati<strong>on</strong>allr,<br />
are : Mobilemedin (800-z37-2.337),<br />
ylobilcComm (800-685-5555) .<br />
PageMart (800-324-4367), PageNet<br />
(800-724-3638) <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g> Sk%Tel (800-<br />
-156-3333) . SksTcl also blankets 16<br />
foreign countries . If vou plan to be<br />
out of tlte counu-V for <strong>on</strong>lr a brief<br />
period of time, Sla•Tel offers a Follo«-Me<br />
senice for an udditi<strong>on</strong>al<br />
S7 .o0 per m<strong>on</strong>th<br />
plus about S4 per alphanumeric<br />
ntessage cou receice .<br />
Paging companies price<br />
their sen-ices based ou<br />
whether aou need local, regi<strong>on</strong>al<br />
(several states'), nati<strong>on</strong>al<br />
or internati<strong>on</strong>al service<br />
. Thec also tack <strong>on</strong><br />
m<strong>on</strong>thly charges for add<strong>on</strong>s<br />
such as pers<strong>on</strong>al 800<br />
nuntbers, news senices <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
stock qnotes .<br />
1\iininuim seMce-numeric<br />
paging within a maior<br />
metropolitan area-<br />
-rrrs at about $12 a<br />
m<strong>on</strong>th . But if wu get the<br />
works, iou are looking at<br />
S200 per m<strong>on</strong>th, perhaps<br />
more, depending <strong>on</strong> how<br />
manv messsages }'ou receiee .<br />
Some providers allow vou<br />
up to 100 free 'est messages<br />
a m<strong>on</strong>th, houever .<br />
Note : Most pagers allow<br />
for silent operati<strong>on</strong>-they<br />
\\<strong>on</strong>'t beep at vou, thev'll<br />
~ibrate. ~<br />
Forbess dugusu14,1995<br />
20466<br />
"344S<br />
191<br />
http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/agf97d00/pdf