Cell phones finally arrived in Panama during the mid nineties. They were huge, heavy and expensive. BellSouth and Cable & Wireless were the first carriers of wireless phones in this small country in Central America. During the initial phase, only the wealthy people could afford such a classy gadget. Now everybody owns one, even the street peddlers selling stuff at the street lights of Panama City.
Prices have dwindled, the size has shrunk to unbelievable dimensions, and they are now almost weightless. We are currently in a cellphone frenzy. Everybody has one, or more than one. Even kids have a Blackberry to show off to their peers.
I resisted the technology for several years, but finally caved in. My wife, who is extremely allergic to new technology, recently purchased a Samsung cellphone. Since she acquired it, she can’t leave home without it. Air time evaporates under her agile fingers. Talking, talking and more talking over the tiny rectangular box has become the norm in our home.
On the other hand, I barely use my iPhone Chinese cloned cell phone. As an example, I spend approximately ten bucks a year in necessary calls. It were for me, Cable & Wireless would go broke in a year, but I’m an exception to the rule in this consumer oriented country. Yep, the mobile phone has taken the country by storm. Long live technology. Good Day.
Lingua Franca 
Morning Omar,
Here in the USA, it seems everyone is using a “smart” phone of some kind. Both my sons carry one and my 2 year old grand daughter can flip through the screens, locate Netflix, select and watch her favorite movie faster than I can type this sentence.
Years ago I was amazed by a program titled, “Connections”
http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/james-burke-connections/
It featured major scientific discoveries and traced the “connections” necessary to have caused them to happen.
jim and nena
fort worth, tx
Hello Jim & Nena:
That is true. Children of the digital age are used to using computers and smart phones so much, they can use them with their eyes closed. I was forty-something when I touched my first computer during the eighties. I recall it was an Apple II-e. It was another time and era.
Things are so different today. I feel like a dinosaur in this highly technological age. Keeping track is impossible.
I’ll take a look at your link. Sounds interesting. Thanks a bunch.
Omar.-
Yes is great and very nice the service in Panama. But is not very good the charges done in prepaid calling card. (Mas Movil-Moviestar-Claro and other carriers) very high and expensive.
Also when you try to place a call and no one answer other line or not connected the local carrier charge a minute.
I think if some one try to install a Company like Metro PCS will make a great deal… the question is!!!!!! how we can start business like this in Panama…is VERY DIFFICULT AND WASTE TIME this business is controlled by few persons
Hi Hubert:
As I mentioned in my blog post, I use my cellphone only for important calls. I use Más Móvil (C&W) pre-paid service and pay $0.12 per minute which is reasonable for me. It used to be a lot more expensive when the service was first introduced. Then we were paying close to fifty cents per minute.
Thank you for commenting in Lingua Franca.
Best Regards,
Omar.-
One of the first things I did when I made my first visit to Panama was to buy a cheap, pre-paid phone so I could keep in contact with my lawyer here. It was a “dumb” phone. Didn’t take pictures. Didn’t access the internet. All it did was make phone calls. That was three years ago. It died recently and I had to buy a new phone. I stuck with a “dumb” phone.
I don’t own an automobile so I take buses everywhere. When I get on it seems that anywhere from a third to half of all the passengers heads are bowed in supplication to the digital deity of texting. And the cell phone companies LOVE that. Do you know that the profit margin for text messaging is ENORMOUS compared to what a voice call nets?
@ jim and nena…James Burke did the Connections series which was absolutely marvelous. It was also put out at a book which I had for many, many years. The series is available on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=connections&oq=connections&aq=f&aqi=g10&aql=&gs_sm=3&gs_upl=1676l3806l0l4061l11l10l0l0l0l0l307l1477l2.4.2.1l9l0
Everyone interested in the world should check them out.
I have no idea what all the people did before cell phones. I mean when I was growing up there were two phones in town and one was at the doctor’s office. Now they seem to be sewn into the ears of some people who walk around with them all the time. LOL
Abe: In the little town I grew up in we had more than two phones but though we had phone numbers they were no big deal. For example, our number was 358. That was it. And Dr. Burke’s number was 6. You read it right…six. But we didn’t use the numbers. The system had operators and it was a VERY small place so when the operator came on line you’d just tell them WHO you wanted to talk to and they’d connect you.