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Politics : Politics for Pros- moderated -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Joe Btfsplk who wrote (277618)	10/30/2008 4:10:21 PM
From: goldworldnet	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 793914

Hello! It's a throwaway $10 cell phone BY LIANA LEHUA Wednesday, July 23rd 2008, 12:06 PM nydailynews.com Hop-On's Pre-Paid Hop1800GS, the world's first disposable cell phone, is only $5 with rebate. Good news for Naomi Campbell. There's a new cell phone on the market that doesn't have to be retrieved after it's tossed at someone. Those of us who have lost, damaged or misplaced a mobile phone know how expensive they can be to replace. How nice would it be to purchase a phone for use on trips out of the country, as a backup to an existing phone or simply as a cost-effective way of making phone calls? Enter the Hop-On's Pre-Paid Hop1800GS, the world's first disposable phone. The concept: Provide a durable, cost-effective, prepaid mobile phone with high-quality audio, reception and in-call stability at the cost of less than two lattes. Make the device available for purchase for only $10 at convenience stores, and include a $5 rebate to encourage recycling, even though the device is disposable. For the geeks, the dual-band Hop1800GSM (85-0/1900MHz) wireless phone can be used with over 40 U.S. carriers, including AT&T, Cingular and T-Mobile, as well as through the company's low-cost Graffiti Wireless network, according to Hop-On, Inc. The phone offers four hours of talk time, 150 hours of standby time, keypad lock and a built-in flashlight. Weighing just under 3 ounces, the phone is shorter, thinner and lighter than the slim and popular Motorola RAZR V3. This nonflip-style phone does not have a display and is made of durable plastic with a rubber keypad. Without a screen for displaying them, SMS/text messages cannot be sent or received. Turning on the phone activates a digitized female voice that says "Welcome." When dialing, the Hop1800's on-board voice prompt repeats the numbers as they are being pressed. Other voice prompts include "dialing," "cancel" and "bye-bye," depending on whether you are initiating or ending a phone call, or turning off the device. There is no way to access menus to change the very '70s ring tone, but I was glad to hear voice-mail included with my prepaid T-Mobile account. Checking voice-mails from the phone, however, uses precious plan minutes. Voice-mails can be checked from a landline or other phone with no effect on your existing minutes. The items included in the box are only what you need to get up and running: the Hop1800, a prepaid SIM card, a wall charger and a one-page manual that gives device specifications and a pictorial overview. Noticeably absent is a headset, and the connector appears to be proprietary. So there will be no using your existing headset with this phone. Significantly less expensive than renting a mobile phone and purchasing a compatible SIM card (required to obtain service for GSM phones), Hop-On's device provides a real alternative to long-term, costly mobile phone contracts. For the traveler and budget-conscious buyer alike, the Hop1800 does the one thing it was built for extremely well: make phone calls. Check one out at hop-on.com * * *