The late 20th century saw the rise in telecommunications. More and more companies were investing in new technology and launching new products. Japan was spending heavily in technology and so was the United States. There was a lot of going on during that time. One of the gadgets that changed the game for good was the Beeper. It introduced ideas that many companies did not consider initially. Hence, it became a huge hit. Read on to learn more about it.
Technology
The Beeper or pager was the ultimate portable mini radio frequency device to be used. It was created in 1921. The Detroit Police Department used it to take advantage of its powerful capabilities. Motorola later coined the term “Pager” in 1959. Thus, voice and tone pagers were introduced to the public by the 1970s. The pager could also relay audio messages. This huge improvement was possible due to the Code Blue in CIU. However, the Beeper became a massive success by the 1980s. Just about everyone had the Beeper and you could see it hanging from a purse strap, shirt pocket, or belt loop. It conveyed a status symbol that you would instantly notice at that time. Pager users developed unique shorthand communication like the emojis we use today.
When it comes to the technology, Beepers only had a limited uses. The main purpose of the device was to allow communication. From medics to police officers, the Pagers allowed everyone to communicate with one another. Motorola was the main producer of the device. Its products had alphanumeric displays which showed users that they had received or sent a message.
As newer models were introduced by Motorola, the Beeper continued to attract a huge audience. The best thing about the device was that users could easily send as many messages as they wanted to other users. They used asterisks and numbers to communicate. The best thing about paging networks is that they are a lot more reliable as compared to wifi or cellular networks. Pagers would deliver messages without any issues.
History
The Beeper was introduced to the public by the 1970s. It became widely used. Everyone used it to communicate. Unlike early cell phones that were too large and referred to as “car phones”, Beepers were portable and can be considered the original cell phone. The Beeper continued to be used by just about everyone until the late 1990s. It allowed for instant communication between people. Since there was only 1G at that time, Beepers allowed for better communication.
Is the Beeper Still Used Today?
Beepers are no longer used today as they have been replaced by smartphones. Once Apple launched the iPhone, consumers expect their phones to provide them with just about everything that they can possibly imagine. Even though Motorola no longer produces Beepers, there are still some companies that manufacture them. Thus, you can still shop for this 90s classic gadget. It allows for encrypted, one-way, and two-way communication. You will find it to be the blast from the past that you need to keep going.