The geographic distance between people have literally vanished. Due to cutting-edge breakthroughs in cellular phone technologies, physical gaps seem is no longer a barrier in communications and other interactions.
Our extended family for instance, live across different countries, living with their own respective nuclear families, distributed in various corners of the globe. And we have been like that for as long as I can remember, my parents both in jobs that required them to regularly move. My elder sister practically grew up in Europe while my older brother was born in Asia but studied in Canada. Me and my younger sister were born in Canada at the time my parents were assigned there. But we eventually found work in Singapore.
And we have had all kinds of information-communication systems to keep in touch: high-bandwidth internet connections, roaming data subscriptions, the latest mobile phones and devices. These have allowed us to practical remain intact as a family. We found ways not just to communicate but actually creatively utilized these technologies to spend Thanksgiving, Christmas and birthdays “together”.
The Obsolete Walkie-talkie
Recently, however, I discovered a significantly over-looked technology. In fact, it is so overlooked that it is considered obsolete. But the fact that the walkie-talkie still exists and continue to be relevant attest to its continuing value. In fact, walkie-talkie manufacturers continue to come up with more advanced versions almost annually. I brought a digital walkie talkie from Singapore recently and discovered its many wonders.
One of the many advantages of a walkie talkie is that it does not require network connection unlike many cell phones. Instead, these walkie-talkies uses short-range wireless technology which allows them to work where regular cell phones won’t. Walkie-talkies are battery-powered transceivers, meaning they can both send and receive radio messages. They have a half-duplex channel, which indicates that only one walkie-talkie on a channel can transmit a signal at one time, although many radios can receive that same signal.
Still Going Small
Just like cellular phones too, they are becoming smaller by the year. My first walkie-talkie unit is also hand held but was extremely large to be readily put in the pocket or too bulky to place inside an everday bag. Although it did come with a belt clip, as most models do, it was inconveniently heavy.
The Motorola digital walking talkie I bought last year was surprisingly small and light weight. Although it is still significantly bigger than the average cell phone, it is still way smaller than the earlier version I had. In fact, the recent version can fit in a pocket and would have been advisable if not for the unattractive bulge that it creates. From what I have heard from digital walkie talkie suppliers in Sinagpore, the next generation walk-talkie line would be thinner due to developments in battery technology that allows them to be manufactured in almost smaller, thinner models. One of the weaknesses of the walkie of course is that it has integrated microphone and speaker system which means, users need to press a button to speak and release the button listen unlike cell phones where the conversations are continuous.
Smart Technology 