The last person I knew that actively used a Wyndtell pager just bit the dust and switched over to T-Mobile’s Sidekick. His reason: half the pager’s screen suddenly went blank.

Jim was the only person in my address book that still had “@wyndtell.com” next to it. No more. A quick look at www.wyndtell.com will tell you that you can STILL get a RIM 950 and use Wyndtell’s services (now owned by GoAmerica, also owner of i711.com). But no one does anymore.

I think a mention needs to be made about this development. Wyndtell was the first 2-way pager marketed to the deaf and hard-of-hearing community back in 1998 or so. No one could have imagined how devastating the cultural impact would be. I don’t need to rehash all the changes in Deaf culture that 2-way mobile communication created; you’re all living it right now.

Instead, I’ll just tell you my own personal Wyndtell story. I received it on my parents’ kind welfare soon after I was stuck in a 16-hour blizzard on I-90 outside Buffalo. “I can’t use a cell phone; how can I contact you when I NEED you?” I told my concerned parental units. It worked; I got my pager, and they paid for it. Any other college freshman couldn’t have been happier than I was the day I received it in the mail. Finally, I had the power. E-mail wherever I went.

Seven months later, market forces had already led me to abandon Wyndtell for a cheaper alternative, the $22/mo Motorola Talkabout. The interface and equipment were much more inferior, but if I could save $18 extra a month (that’s like, one large pizza!), why not?

So, yeah. That’s my very short Wyndtell story. Hope you enjoyed it. Now here’s my rules about people who’re deciding which pager to get: Blackberry or Sidekick. It’s a simple rule.

1. If you’re a student, get a Sidekick.
2. If you’re a professional, get a Blackberry.

There it is. Yes, I’m breaking my own rule by not getting a Blackberry. Once I go full-time with whatever company I’m working for, I’m ditching my Sidekick. Flippin’ it open in some high-powered meeting just isn’t the best image I want to extrude. Blackberry oozes professionalism.

So, there you go. Pager history!