Cell Phones Do A 360...Back to Beepers!?

It always seems like America is behind when it comes to technology in Asia, but this time it seems we're so behind we're ahead. Huh? A lot of cell phone companies in Asia are up in arms over the practice of...wait for it...beeping--communicating by calling and hanging up before connection. Reports are that this practice is spreading around the world at a breakneck pace particularly into Europe and Africa.

Some countries are calling it "flashing" a friend, or hitting him with a "toque" in Spanish or a "bipage" in French. A research study of Rwandan beepers found three reasons behind the "new" practice: to get someone with more money or airtime to call the beeper (the person beeping, not the device) back; to signal a pre-agreed message like "pick me up"; or just to say "I'm thinking of you." In India it is estimated that intentional beeps amount to 30% of total mobile phone calls.