There Was a Tool for That?

Here in Panama, I have been using a Motorola phone (same one for about 3 years- the previous one lasted 4 years) for which I paid about $40 (the previous one about $10.). The phone came without a "Plan"- I buy time as I use it. I spend about $60. on telephone calls per month, but the high cost of calls is most likely due to the fact that I use the telephone for business as well as personal. I suspect my monthly cost of calling would be on the order of $10. per month if I used it only for personal use. Figures include the occasional international call. The phone receives text messages, and, I believe, has the ability to send text messages, but I have never tried this, having no use for this option.

I do not have world-wide coverage, however. Some of my job sites are too remote for cell phone coverage- interestingly, I can, at a couple of these sites, access the Internet over Satellite links (and, thus, Skype).

Oh- this telephone does not meet one of your primary requirements- it has 21 buttons. But no extra fees. I do not have to pay for services I have no use for. I believe all three major service providers locally offer very similar services. If you want additional features and services, I am sure they are available (a number of my correspondents send me e-mails from their Blackberry's). You can pay several hundred dollars for a telephone that can do all sorts of interesting things if you really want to. But, at $40 for the telephone, I can not even use it to take pictures (which, perhaps surprisingly, does not really impose any serious limitations for me personally).

No, this is not the Land of Oz. Panama is situated in the real world, about 1000 miles due south of Miami, Florida...

There was a rumour going around here, oh, about ten years ago now, that Nokia was about to introduce a phone that would 'just make phone calls', and be that size of a credit card. Hard to imagine way back then. And to my knowledge it didn't happen. Why? Well there just aren't really enough of us old 'dinosaurs' to be a significant market. The kids want to be able to do everything on a phone. They'd have it produce cans of Coke if it was physically possible. I think it's crap that society has been 'dumbed down' by the instant gratification facillitated by the advent of the 'mobile phone'. I'm still waiting for the one that just makes phone calls, and then only when it's convenient. Uncanny that the damned thing only calls when one greasy hands, is hanging from ropes at the 35th floor. I find that it takes quite a lot of will power not to answer a ringing phone. Cheers, Stu.

Ok , here is a phone for ya old guys.

Thanks, Problem...... Not sold here in Oz. Would be first in line if it was. Cheers, Stu