Telephones have become such an important part of our lives, that it's very hard to imagine that there was a time not so very long ago when telephones weren't even invented yet. They were, perhaps, the most important ever contribution to communication. Now, we face such a confusing array of different kinds of telephones that if we ever have to buy a new one, choice is often made rather arbitrarily.

Now we can buy up-to-the minute digital phones, or vintage phones if we hanker after the technology of yester-year. We can buy cordless phones, colored phones, in short, phones of just about any size, shape or color. We can buy phones that have several extensions for the home or the office.

Local phone companies offer several ways of selecting and paying for phone services. You can opt for base phone services for one monthly fee. You can pick a few services and pay for each of them separately, in addition to the basic fee.

Caller ID
Caller ID displays a caller's name and number on a special display device. (The device is usually bought separately, though some new phones have it built in). It works in conjunction with call waiting (the option that allows you to answer an incoming call while you are on the line) to identify an incoming caller when you are already on the phone. Some devices store caller information, so you'll know who called while you were out, even if no messages were left.

Voice Mail
Most local companies offer one, if not many, voice mail options. With voice mail, you can say goodbye to clunky, cluttering answering machines and their unreliable tapes. You can record your personalised greeting from any touch tone phone. You can retrieve messages from any touch tone phone with your password. Most voice mail services also take messages when you're on the phone, the Internet or faxing. A special dial tone lets you know when messages are waiting.

Multi-Ring Service
Parents of teenagers often choose multi-ring service, which allows customers to have multiple phone numbers with varying rings that all come through to the same phones. Since each ring sounds different, everybody knows whom the call is for, before they even answer it. Those who also have call waiting will hear different beeps for which number is being called.

Call Forwarding
This service forwards calls from one number to another when you enter a code, wait for a dial tone and enter a forwarding phone number. If, for example, you are expecting an important call but plan to go to a friend's house, call forwarding allows your calls to follow you.

Three-Way Calling: This feature lets you talk to two people at different locations at the same time. To add a third person to the line, simply press the receiver, wait for a special tone, dial the number and press the receiver again after the third person has answered. Just like a conference call at the office, the service is especially helpful when trying to organize gatherings of several people.