Cell Phones From Inception - A History of Cell Phones

It started when Alexander Graham Bell accidentally spilled battery acid on his lap and unintentionally utilized the first telephone system when calling for help of his assistant. Since then, telecommunications have come a long, long way.

The first wireless radio phone was patented by Nathan Stubblefield in 1908, and in 1945, mobile phones as we know them and their corresponding base stations were born. Initially, single phones would completely occupy a base station during communications. Cell phone technology has steadily advanced since then, and the first improvement to be made was "handoff", wherein a cell phone switches from one base station to another within a network while traveling. Now, after almost thirty years of development, cell phones feature amazing viewing quality, slick and intuitive interfaces, texting, email, web browsing, viewing of various media including music, video, and pictures, complete media transfer, GPS, gaming, bluetooth capabilities, and even the ability to take pictures, capture video, and record sound. Texting, in particular, has become a large-scale cultural phenomenon, as evidenced by "cell phone novels" originated in Japan. A reader can read installments (anywhere from 70 to 2,000 words) periodically. Modern cell phones are more of a personal computer that just happens to be able to place calls.

Sprint Phones

Vital information such as the phone number and which network the cell phone is linked to is kept on a very small chip called a subscriber identity module, or a SIM card. Using a code, information on the sim card (such as the phone number) can be changed; cell phones can be unlocked for a fee, after which they can access a variety of networks. This is useful for long-distance traveling or for use in remote areas.

By law, people are now required to use a hands-free earpiece while driving a car, which utilizes the bluetooth abilities of cell phones. Current models are universally wireless, and naturally the business of making these earpieces has boomed since the law was passed.

Cell phones have been a wonderful business opportunity for numerous companies. For instance, cell phone ringtones are for sale by the millions online, and many websites also offer versions of their services designed specifically for cell phone web browsers. Good examples of this are websites that offer email services, news, weather, and even daily horoscopes and jokes. As they normally do, companies have taken this opportunity to advertise through the websites viewed on the phones, text message advertisements, and telemarketing.

Cell phone design has evolved just as much as the technology. Older phones were, of course, larger (the very first was all of ten inches tall) and were similar to home telephones that we still see today. Modern cell phones are three or four inches tall, and are as thin as a quarter of an inch or thinner. The flip phone has been around since rather early in cell phone history, and remains a popular design. Another popular design features a touch screen that takes the place of the buttons normally found on a phone, and some have two pieces that slide laterally, exposing more buttons. Or, in the case of some phones, the two pieces slide one direction to expose a numeric keypad and also slide in a perpendicular direction to expose a full alphabetical keyboard. Most modern cell phones do not have a visible antenna.

Cell phones have come to be, first, a convenience, and second, a very versatile and popular mode of entertainment.

Cell Phones From Inception - A History of Cell Phones