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...
It’s the ubiquitous, convenient, passion-inspiring mobile phone, the consumer darling that cottoned to the global market faster than any in history – even faster than the horseless buggy – and that last year passed a largely ignored milestone: the number of mobile phone users worldwide reached a stunning 1 billion, according to figures from cellular database EMC.
Today, the number of mobile users is actually closer to 1. ... But the news is that soon, probably by January 2004, the GSM Association predicts that a full billion of this growing universe will be using its technology – by far the largest mobile phone technology standard and the one used virtually everywhere.
So what does all this mean for the average user, the person, like me, who recognizes – and appreciates – the significance of the mobile phone for its “increasing connectivity, unprecedented mobility and the emergence of new cultures” yet who wants to keep its use tempered by policy and social convention?
For me, an entire planet of mobile phones – which is where we’re headed – is a plus only to the degree we learn to balance the advantages of perpetual (and noisy) communication with the equal advantages of privacy, personal space and decorum.
Approximate Word count = 825
Approximate Pages = 3.3
(250 words per page double spaced)
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