Many think that I am born in 1949 because that was the year I was patented. However, my real birth year is 1921. I was with the Detroit Police Department. Although I had a long life in a few countries like the US, I had a very short existence in developing countries. By the time I reached these countries, they were getting ready for mobile phones who killed the possibility of my existence in these countries. However small my life was, I got very royal treatment by my owners in these places. They showed me off on their trouser belts. I was used for signalling status. I know many won't believe me now for this when the iPhone has taken that place.
Imagine how romantic message was shared in those days. It was in a way worst than a closed letter. You were expected to tell some awkward things to the operator.
In my early days, I could give only a phone number of the sender on display. Then my owner on getting a beep, would read that number and go to a nearby telephone booth to call the sender of the beep. That was my only value add. Slowly, I started giving small 1-2 line messages. That was a big advantage then. I started doing the job of a telegram that too which is on 'Red Bull'. messages like, "Come to a place at a given time with so and so" etc kind of clear communication became possible. Yet, I remained always a one-way communicator. That is if one wants to reply back to the sender the person had to call the paging service provider on phone and tell the message to be sent. Imagine how romantic message was shared in those days. It was in a way worst than a closed letter. You were expected to tell some awkward things to the operator.
Then the mobile phone came and I died a silent death, or maybe there was one last beep.
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