Word: beeper
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 1980-1989
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...simpler times, beepers were usually worn by doctors on call to answer medical emergencies. Today they are routinely carried by executives, lawyers and journalists. In fact, they are something of a status symbol. Now comes a new twist: an ersatz beeper so that people can beep themselves. Press a small button. About 25 seconds later, a red light flashes and a beep starts to sound. The person can gracefully excuse himself from a boring business meeting or a dull blind date. About the size of cigarette lighter, this device, called the Timely Beeper, weighs 2.5 oz. and sells...
...times in the 1970s. "American college students have said, 'Like 1984, man,' when asked not to smoke pot in the classroom or advised gently to do a little reading." Now merely mentioning the date can convey muzzy criticism of whatever the speaker happens to dislike: advertising, computers, beeper phones, freeways and domed stadiums...
...cheapest beeper to hit the market so far is Tandy Corp.'s $99.95 pocket pager. Smaller than a cigarette package, the pager can be activated merely by dialing a seven-digit number on an ordinary telephone. Like all beepers, it carries a monthly rental fee. Depending on the area, the cost will be about $4 to $8 a month, paid to the common carrier that transmits the signals; some carriers add a surcharge of 20? or so per beep. The pager was introduced in the Dallas-Fort Worth area last month, and should be available nationwide...
...past month, Metromedia Telecommunications, a division of the big television-and radio-station owner, has been blitzing the New York metropolitan area with an advertising campaign for its new rental beeper, fittingly named the Li'l Bugger. Suggests a newspaper ad: "Lose 'em, beep 'em-find 'em, keep 'em." The Li'l Bugger, which is powered by one A A 1.5-volt battery and has a range of 30 miles, rents for $39.95 a year with a $5-a-month broadcast fee and a 25? charge per call. Metromedia says it has been getting...
While this new wave of consumer beepers is designed for simplicity and durability, more complex and versatile models are on the way. Next week Radiofone Corp., a Metromedia subsidiary, will launch what it calls the world's first pen-shaped pager. It weighs 1.5 oz., costs about $365 and is small enough to be clipped on a shirt pocket. The unit runs on a mercury battery that gives off a warning tone when a new one is needed. In May, Radiofone will introduce a 5-oz., $500 beeper that is practically equivalent to a pocket secretary...