From the outset of human civilization, man has always had the desire to communicate with one another from a distance. For thousands of years, simple devices were used: cupped hands for shouting, drums of various sizes, conch shells, homing pigeons, and let us not forget the highly popular smoke signal method of communication.

Fortunately for us (and the environment!), modern-day life provides much more convenient and highly effective methods for communicating with one another. The last quarter century has produced some of the most sophisticated communications devices ever imagined. But….

This month, let us take a stroll down memory lane to a time when Blackberries and Apples were considered a tasty fruit. A time when a “smart phone” was the more expensive model that featured loud and soft ring settings. An era not so long ago where one wireless communications device ruled the airwaves – and having one was considered the “status” symbol of the day. We are of course referring to the pager (or “beeper” as we affectionately called them).

Fast-forward 30 years, and you may have the wild notion that the pager is dead and gone – a forgotten tool whose present-day purpose is simply to adorn the electronic scrap heaps of a simple yet bygone era.

This is not the case however. Pagers are alive and well in the 21st century. And, as crazy as it my sound, employing a pager into your business life may even save you some money.

A Quick Pager Refresher Course

For those that do not know exactly how pagers work, (or for those too young to remember), the following is a quick refresher course. A pager is a small telecommunications device that receives (and, in some cases, transmits) alert signals and/or short messages. Two types of pagers still exist: the numeric pager, and the alphanumeric. Each can easily fit into a shirt pocket or attach to a belt. Pagers operate through telephone (or e-mail) messages sent by the caller. A voice message prompts the caller to either leave a voice message or to manually enter the telephone number where they can be reached.

Here’s the problem: Different types, sizes and weights of food always make it difficult to determine the proper temperature and length of cooking time. In the past, grillers were forced to hang around the grill and constantly check the temperature of the food to be certain meats were cooked as required. But this problem is now a thing of the past!This handy BBQ thermometer allows you to simply insert the metal probe into your food, then select the desired temperature setting from the chart included. The alarm will automatically sound on the main unit sending an alert to the remote pager to tell you when your food is done…its that easy!

In addition to the uses listed above, the pager in some form or another is being used in the home, for the car, even for pets. Take a look at the products on the left of this newsletter to get a better idea as to how far the pager has come.

Isn’t it about time we gave the pager the respect it deserves?

Submitted by: TelCon Associates, Inc.