Kapitel 165: Two bricks
Although Chris was disappointed, his professionalism compelled him to maintain a smile and prevent any foul language from slipping out. However, he was certain that after Hugo left, he would complain to his colleagues about how stingy Hugo was, despite earning so much recently, and how he refused to equip himself with a pager.
"Forget about pagers, I want to see the mobile phones," Hugo's next words instantly brought Chris back from hell to heaven. "Uh, or how do you call them? Mobile phones? Portable phones? Anyway, I want to see the brick." Hugo's puzzled gaze moved back and forth between Joseph and Chris, trying hard to make his expression clearer.
"Of course, of course," Chris said repeatedly. "Please follow me in this direction." Chris extended his right hand, making an inviting gesture. The other employees in the store who had no customers immediately looked at Chris with envy, regretting not welcoming Hugo in the first place. It was a missed opportunity!
"I just watched "A Few Good Men" last week. My wife, Marian, and I loved it. It was truly fantastic," Chris's smile returned to his face once again. Selling a mobile phone would earn them a considerable commission, and it would also be crucial for their promotion within the company. Chris suddenly felt that this Christmas might have a wonderful memory.
"Really? That's great," Hugo replied with a smile. Although there were still faint dark circles under his eyes, Hugo's smile always carried a warm and sunny feeling, making people feel lighthearted.
Joseph looked at Hugo in this state and couldn't help but let out a long sigh, completely relaxing his troubled brows. Since they had decided to buy a brick, then let's buy it! Hugo had really worked hard in the past year, and it was time to reward himself.
Approaching the glass counter, the sight that unfolded in front of Hugo was spectacular. A row of phones, arranged from large to small, neatly displayed before his eyes. The phone on the far left looked as big as a forearm, while the one on the far right was about the size of a palm.
"This model, MicroTAC Lite, was just developed this year," Chris began to introduce, pointing to the phone on the far right. "It's currently the smallest and lightest mobile phone in the world."
Joseph looked at the phone Chris was pointing at and was somewhat surprised. In his impression, the current mobile phones were the bulky ones on the left side. Compared to those, the four phones on the right were already quite compact. No wonder Hugo initially planned to buy such a phone because it was relatively convenient to carry. He just didn't know about the communication quality since the previous brick had always had poor call quality, which was a significant reason why people preferred landline phones.
Hugo, on the other hand, didn't find the MicroTAC phone on the right particularly extraordinary because he had seen even smaller and lighter phones. Instead, he was more interested in the bricks on the left. "Hey, can you pass me that one on the left to have a look?"
Chris didn't know what Hugo was thinking, but he still handed over the large brick on the left to Hugo. As soon as Hugo received it, he realized it was much heavier than he had imagined. "How much does this weigh?"
"Two pounds," Chris explained. Hugo's eyes widened at once. Two pounds meant it was nearly one kilogram, much heavier than a brick. No wonder people used to say that the old mobile phones could be used as heavy weapons. Just imagine carrying around a nearly one-kilogram brick. How could that be convenient? It was more like a workout.
"This model is a 1G phone. It can be used for one hour after charging for ten hours. The original price is $2,995, but we currently have a promotion, so it's only $1,795," Chris quickly explained. He watched Hugo play with the phone, as if he were weighing a weapon, finding it quite amusing. It gave Chris an inexplicable sense of amusement.
"Wow, one hour," Hugo exclaimed. In 2014, they had countless complaints about the battery life of mobile phones. But just imagine, when mobile phones were first introduced, they could only be used for one hour after charging for ten hours. So smartphones have made significant progress. "Did you say the MicroTAC model is a 2G phone?" Satisfied with his curiosity, Hugo shifted his gaze to the newer and more practical phone.
"Yes, this model has a new battery that charges faster and lasts longer," Chris immediately responded. Joseph interrupted and asked, "How long can it be used?" Chris hesitated for a moment and said, "There is no exact time yet, but three hours should be no problem. In addition, this phone has updated ringtones and an upgraded screen..."
"Can it send text messages?" Hugo interrupted Chris's speech. 2G phones were the mainstay in the mobile phone market until smartphones emerged. In fact, 2G phones already had complete functions, including text messaging, multimedia messaging, and wireless positioning.
"Um, sorry, can you repeat that?" Chris didn't seem to understand Hugo's words and asked with a smile.
"I mean text messages," Hugo repeated. However, this was a basic function that was incredibly simple for Hugo. But in the ears of Joseph and Chris, it seemed like a daunting task. Chris smiled apologetically and said, "Sorry, not at the moment."
Joseph even glanced at Hugo directly and said, "Don't expect too much."
Hugo felt helpless. He held the tac phone in his hand. It was about the size of half a palm. In terms of size alone, it was already remarkably compact, but it was slightly heavier than he imagined. "How much does it weigh?"
"5.9 ounces. It's currently the lightest model worldwide," Chris confidently replied.
5.9 ounces is approximately 167 grams, which is remarkably light. Not to mention comparing it to those bricks, it is on par with many lightweight phones of the 21st century. Although it can only make and receive calls in terms of functionality, there is hardly anything to complain about.
"Will the call quality be affected?" Joseph asked hesitantly. "Martin Cooper said that the distance between the ear and the mouth is crucial. But with this smaller design, ignoring that distance, won't it affect the call quality?"
Martin Cooper, the inventor of modern mobile phones. The TAC phone in Hugo's hand had a clamshell design. Opening the square cover below the screen reveals the keypad, and the microphone is located at the top of the square cover. This is a method of minimizing the size of the phone while maintaining the distance between the ear and the mouth as much as possible.
"Don't worry, our phones undergo detailed testing before they hit the market. The call quality of this phone has been greatly improved compared to before. It's our latest and best model," Chris explained sincerely, trying to make his words more convincing.
However, it had no effect on Hugo. He naturally didn't expect the current phone to compare with those in the 21st century in terms of call quality. In fact, Hugo didn't have many requirements for the phone's capabilities. The TAC phone in his hand was already a huge gain, being smaller and lighter than he anticipated. It seemed that 1992 was much more "advanced" than he had imagined.
"How much does this phone cost? And what about the communication company?" Hugo asked uncertainly. He had no idea about the relationship between phones and communication companies nowadays, whether the phone used a SIM card or required a contract with the communication company, like a landline phone.
"As long as you purchase the phone, we will provide a communication agreement with Ameritech Scientific. After paying a certain basic fee each month, you will be billed based on the call duration. We have a specific price list," Chris explained briefly. "This phone is a new model that we just launched this year, so the price is relatively high. It's $3,495."
Purchasing a brick for $3,495 was indeed shocking. No wonder they said that smartphones were essential for wealthy individuals, as the adoption rate couldn't be improved. However, Hugo knew that in the coming years, mobile phones would develop rapidly, and prices would quickly decrease, making them more affordable for the middle class.
Although the price was high, Hugo decided to buy it. After all, earning money was meant to spend it. Being a miser would never bring the joy of life. Moreover, life would indeed become much more convenient with a phone, which was something money couldn't buy. If it weren't for the Internet, which hadn't yet fully developed in 1992, with the first user-friendly interface connecting to the internet developed at the University of Minnesota, Hugo would have eagerly bought a computer long ago.
"Sure, give me two bricks," Hugo said decisively. Chris's face immediately lit up with a smile, but Joseph standing beside them exclaimed, "Are you crazy?"
These two bricks would cost $7,000, which was a huge expense for Joseph. He wasn't mentally prepared for such a significant expenditure. "Why are you buying two? That's a waste!"
"One for me, one for you. Otherwise, if I buy it and have no one to contact, what's the point?" Hugo said matter-of-factly. "Oh, right, I should also get one for Karl, Alex, and Charlize." Besides making life more convenient, the significance of a phone was to simplify communication between friends. Usually, friends relied on landline phones for contact, and answering machines were the most frequent means of interaction. But a mobile phone could skip that step. So, if only Hugo had a phone and no one to contact, it would lose the important meaning of having a phone.
"Chris, please give me five bricks," Hugo's words made Chris's smile even brighter. It was a remarkable start, going from worrying about having no business today to suddenly selling five new tac phones. For Chris, life was about to undergo a "complete transformation."
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
-- Power-
Rangliste 
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Stein