you are viewing a single comment's thread.

view the rest of the comments →

[–]tiny-brown-mug[S] 1 insightful - 2 fun1 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 2 fun -  (1 child)

Yes! They're incredibly cheap. I think they mostly sell to markets in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. A lot of them are very affordable, and some of them also have radios in them, which is cool.

It's great when the old stuff works, though. It feels like a win. :)

[–]chottohen 2 insightful - 2 fun2 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 2 fun -  (0 children)

Yes. Here's a related story I like: My wife accompanied me to Cambodia many times (even though she doesn't really like it) and made friends with some of the people. She was hooked up by cell to a young lady who sent out a selfie almost everyday. Well, soon my wife learned that the girl lived in a small stilt-house out in the back of beyond with her farmer father, siblings, and many water buffalo. Nothing wrong with that of course. She also had a late model iPhone that brought the world to her doorstep. It was an eye-opener for my wife. There are phone shops all over third world countries. You can drop off your phone and have a local SIM installed in minutes or just buy a used phone for cheap and get your basic functions. Those phones have been a cultural bomb that has led, in part, to such things as Iranian women taking off their burkas and multiple other cultural changes—a game changer like the wheel and the printing press.