Oasis ruled the airwaves, the British ruled Hong Kong and pagers ruled most people's lives.
The year was 1994, the golden age of the pager, when everyone who was anyone had beepers on their belts, and their shrill tones rang out during train rides, restaurant meals and movies.
Mobile phones were only slightly smaller than house bricks - and only slightly more fashionable. They all had the same ringing tone and the idea of slipping one in your pocket or hanging it around your neck would have been laughable.
Back then, it cost about $100 a month for a basic paging service, and mobiles were the realm of the rich. Mobile handsets cost $6,000 to $7,000 each and phone companies charged at least $600 a month for their services.
Pagers were discreet by comparison, often featuring an alarm clock. With some pager companies offering daily financial information they were the height of telecoms technology. Now they are yesterday's news. Booming competition between phone networks - and huge advances in technology - mean mobile phones cost next to nothing and pagers are a relic of a past century.
Mobile handsets are available on the street for as little as $300, or from about $1,000 from authorised dealers. It can cost less than $200 a month for as much talk time as you want, and phone calls are just part of their attraction. Clocks, games, messaging systems, Internet access and the latest pop songs put the pager's tiny screen to shame.
