Upwardly Mobile
Indians love their mobile phones. This realtor friend of ours has three--one from Airtel, one from Hutch, and one from Reliance. Driving with him the other day, I was astonished by the ease with which he took a call on one mobile, dialed out on the second phone, and still managed to negotiate Bangalore's traffic--all at the same time.
Dropping call rates have made mobile phones so affordable that practically everyone has at least one instrument (seriously, that's how the savvy mobile users refer to their phones out here). SMS'ing (short message text for the unintiated) is hugely popular, particularly with the college kids. The next time you receive an e-mail with something like "wr r u", be sure to thank the mobile phone companies for creating an all-new language.
People sling their phones around their necks, often with an earphone for a truly "hands-free" chat. Pets have names, mobile phones have personalized ringtones. If you ever want to know what's the hottest ringtone out there, simply sit through a movie at a local theatre. The logic one guy offered is that he got a mobile so that he could be reached wherever and whenever, so why switch off the phone just because he was in a movie theater?
If someone gives you their mobile number, don't start feeling like it's something special. Folks out here have no privacy hangups and will happily share their mobile number with everyone. People don't bother looking for a pen to jot down someone's phone number--they simply ask their friends to give them a "missed call." When you call someone, what you're most likely to hear from the other end is a "where are you," not a how-are-you.
Welcome to the brave new world!
Dropping call rates have made mobile phones so affordable that practically everyone has at least one instrument (seriously, that's how the savvy mobile users refer to their phones out here). SMS'ing (short message text for the unintiated) is hugely popular, particularly with the college kids. The next time you receive an e-mail with something like "wr r u", be sure to thank the mobile phone companies for creating an all-new language.
People sling their phones around their necks, often with an earphone for a truly "hands-free" chat. Pets have names, mobile phones have personalized ringtones. If you ever want to know what's the hottest ringtone out there, simply sit through a movie at a local theatre. The logic one guy offered is that he got a mobile so that he could be reached wherever and whenever, so why switch off the phone just because he was in a movie theater?
If someone gives you their mobile number, don't start feeling like it's something special. Folks out here have no privacy hangups and will happily share their mobile number with everyone. People don't bother looking for a pen to jot down someone's phone number--they simply ask their friends to give them a "missed call." When you call someone, what you're most likely to hear from the other end is a "where are you," not a how-are-you.
Welcome to the brave new world!
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