Though they have been largely outmoded by the now-omnipresent mobile phone, there are still many great uses for a pager. Those in the medical profession in particular make extensive use of pagers, as do a number of other professionals. Today's pagers are both smaller and much more technologically advanced than their older cousins, not to mention more inexpensive.

Pagers work by transmitting signals over radio frequencies. The earliest pagers were simply a small electronic device with an LED light on it. If you had a page, then the light would let you know by blinking. You then had to call the paging service to find out the full extent of the message. Those days are long gone, however, and today's pagers can perform a wide variety of functions.

Some of the best of today's pagers have the ability to send actual text messages both to the pager and from it to a third party. This 'two-way paging' is essentially a form of the popular 'text messaging' function that is found on many of today's cell phones. This can be a great way to transmit a brief message quickly and securely.

Pagers are absolutely essential gear for many members of the medical field. They allow hospitals to transmit messages to a several people simultaneously. Perhaps most importantly, pagers will work in some areas where cell phones will not, i.e., in hospitals, and thus they become vital for emergency messaging.