My technological experience

Upon moving to the land of the technologically savvy (or at least those who have figured out how to build electronics most cheaply), I had some assumptions about what this could mean for me. Turns out, like many other things, my speculations have been pretty far off-base. First of all, I assumed consumer electronics like televisions, cell phones, cameras, and stereos would be less expensive than in the U.S. That's certainly not the case. When I decided to buy a cordless phone for my apartment, I was shocked to find out that these handy items that go for as little as $30 in the States can't be found for less than $100 here. In order to get a decent one (the first one I bought was dysfunctional--NO, not the operator) I had to shell out about $150. Just for dramatic effect, let's call it 150,000,000 Korean won! I decided the freedom to roam around my apartment, indulging my Attention Deficit Disorder while I chit chat is well worth millions of won.

Here's a picture of my cell phone. I actually got a pretty good deal on this. It was about $100, plus a fee for my monthly service plan. What I'd like to call special attention to, however, is the little black squarish thingy dangling from the phone. It's called a "Pebble" and it might just be my favorite technological advancement yet. And IT was only four million won ($4 USD).



The Pebble is a handy dandy little doodad that stores credit for public transportation fares. When you board a bus or pass through a turnstile at a subway station, you hold the Pebble up to a sensor and the cost of your trip is automatically deducted from your balance. You can reload the Pebble with money at any subway station by holding it up to a machine and inserting your desired amount of cash. It costs me about one dollar to get to work on the bus each day. You can also use the same method to pay for things in subway convenience stores.

The other dangly thing on my phone is just a KBS accessory. Most Koreans have one decoration or another (or ten) hanging from their cell phones. I noticed the same fad when I visited Japan in August. I've found it very interesting to check out the various accessories people have chosen for their phones. It takes people watching to a whole new level.