December 2001

Disposable Cell Phones
by David Currie

In the 80's we were exposed to disposable watches, in the 90's, to disposable cameras, which even appeared in the aerial and underwater variety.  Driven by the proliferation of cell phone use, Electric Fuel brought us the disposable Instant Power ™ disposable cell phone battery in the spring of 2000.  With 5 times the power of a rechargeable, the disposable cell phone battery was a lifesaver for busy executives who forgot to charge their cell phones overnight. Coming soon to stores near you is the disposable cell phone, well, at least partly disposable.

Telespree of San Francisco is ready to market the first "partly disposable" phone. Users keep the sleek designer two-button handset (scuba blue, laser red, Calypso green, citrus yellow, supreme violet, night sky blue), which is nearly completely voice operated, and purchase "AirClips," disposable clip-on battery packs with pre-programmed minutes.

In case of emergency, every Telespree™ phone has a built in 911 button. Telespree is likely to cash in on a huge market with this product, those who want cell phone convenience without the complicated contract, teens and others who can't afford ongoing cell plans, executives who forget to pack their cell phones or chargers, people traveling out of their local or roaming call areas, travelers wanting inexpensive 911 access in their vehicle, and, for the less adventurous, an inexpensive way to test the cell phone waters.

While disposable phones will be more expensive than a collect call from the corner booth, you will never be stuck looking for a payphone again.

Dr. W. David Currie