Using Cellphone
A watch, Internet, credit card, MP3 player, digital camera, traffic card, dictionary and alarm clock - what do they have in common? In case you don’t have an answer, here’s a hint. All these functions are neatly tucked into one small gadget, and more than 40 million Koreans, or about four in five, have them in their pockets, hang them around their necks, carry them in their bags or clip them on their belts. Simply, they are ubiquitous.
The answer is the cell phone, a digital hub with practically all functions and applications imaginable embedded into it.
Cell phone trends move lightning fast in Korea. The cell phone is the hot bed for new digital gadgets and features, with the number of mobile phone subscribers having topped the 40 million mark late last month.
As of the end of November, SK Telecom had 20.2 million users. KTF followed with 12.9 million, and LG Telecom came in next with 7 million.
The number is not so big in comparison to such countries as the United States or China, where the mobile customer base amounts to hundreds of millions.
However, 40 million is incredible in consideration of Korea overall population - around 48 million. In other words, about 80 percent own cell phones.
As the penetration rate rises, mobile phones are having a deep impact on the country -both on people’s daily lives and on the nation’s industry map. The handset is now an indispensable part of everyday life, and many feel uneasy without the handheld gizmo because they depend on it so much.
Losing a cell phone means a lost watch, MP3 player, digital camera, trffic card, credit card, dictionary and alarm clock.
With a cell phone, people can search for their friend’s phone number, make transactions by logging onto bank accounts, take pictures and send them wirelessly, listen to music, watch TV, and figure out their family member’s locations.
Mobile phones have even saved some lives by helping the police pinpoint the location of their endangered owners. Early last month, a 35-year-old man attempted to kill himself on Cheju Island, but the police were able to stop him after locating him by tracking his cell phone. The man had sent a text message hinting about suicide to his sister, and the police tracked his whereabouts at the request of the sister.
CONVERSATION QUESTIONS
1. Describe what you think are the best and worst features of your cell phone.
2. Is your cell phone import!!ant to you? If you could never use a cell phone again,
would that cause any problems in your life?
3. Do you have a coworker, friend, or family member who does not use a cell phone?
If so, why don’t they? What do you think about people who don’t like to use a
cell phone?
4. Do we still need public telephone service?
5. Do you screen your calls? (This means, do you decide whether or not to answer the
phone after first checking to see who is calling you?)
6. What new features would you like to see on your cell phone in the future?
7. Have your cell phone ever rung during an import!!ant moment? What happened?