The Cell Phone Evolution Table of Contents THE BEGINNING3 A NEW WAY TO COMMUNICATE4 PRESENT CELL PHONES6 FUTURE CELL PHONES………………………………. …………………………………. ……7 REFERENCES……………………………………………………………………………………8 The Cell Phone Evolution THE BEGINNING Over a century ago, Alexander Graham Bell changed the way people communicated with each other. Back when he invented the phone in 1876, no one could imagine that over the next century, his invention would change the way societies interact and communicate with each other. Since the invention of the telephone, the process of communication has evolved.
According to the website Affordablephones. net, before the invention of the telephone, society had only the telegraph as a means of communicating over a distance (http://affordablephones. net/HistoryTelephone. htm). Since its invention, the phone has gone from only a few families owning one, to entire families owning several. Research in communication shows that throughout the years to the 1920’s mobile radio communications was used to send messages thru Morse code (http://www. unc. edu/~chelsea5/photoessay/). In 1921, Detroit Police used one-way mobile radios to communicate with each other.
A message sent, via Morse code, to the receiver located in the police car. Patrol officers would stop at a wire-line telephone station to respond to the page (http://www. unc. edu/~chelsea5/photoessay/). In 1924, Bell Laboratories made a major step towards the progress of communication by inventing the first mobile, voice-based, two-way radio telephone (http://www. unc. edu/~chelsea5/photoessay/). Society continued to utilize radiotelephone throughout the 1930s. The military continued to perform radio research for military purposes when World War II began (http://www. unc. edu/~chelsea5/photoessay/).
It was not until 1943 that Dan Moble, and employee for Motorola designed the first portable FM two-way radio, the “Walkie-Talkie”, a handheld radio that was crucial for communication during WWII (http://www. unc. edu/~chelsea5/photoessay/). It was not until 1947 that another Bell Laboratory employee, D. H. Ring had the idea of cellular telephone service (http://www. unc. edu/~chelsea5/photoessay/). Ring’s idea was to divide large service areas into smaller cells across a hexagonal grid (www. historyofcellphones. net). His idea would give each cell its own transmitter instead of one transmitter providing service for one large area.
Ring understood that frequency bands would be used more competently used in a small circle instead of a large one. Due to technology limits, the cellular grid network was before its time. A NEW WAY TO COMMUNICATE It was not until the 1960s that the cell phones we see now were developed (www. historyofcellphones. net). Although the technology of the mobile phone was available, it had its’ limitations. The problem then was the user limitation to an area known as cell areas (www. historyofcellphones. net). The cell areas were contained to a small space. When a person went outside of the small space, the call would end.
Once again, a Bell Lab employee, Amos Joel, discovered a “handoff system” to combat the latest issue. With the new system, calls could continue past set areas, allowing users to become mobile. Over the years, cell technology continued to develop. 1971, was the year that ATT asked the Federal Communications Committee, (FCC), to allow cellular service (www. historyofcellphones. net). The FCC spent a decade deciding whether to allow the request. The problem was that AT&T wanted to set up wireless service and the phone division, also wanted to provide wireless service. Motorola also wanted to provide wireless service. http://www. msnbc. msn. com/id/7432915/). In 1982, AT&T requested the FCC allow public cellular service (www. historyofcellphones. net). Radio frequencies 824 to 894 MHZ Band were dedicated for public cellular use. From 1982 to 1990, cell phones operated on analog services. After 1990, cell phones analog signals went digital and online (http://www. msnbc. msn. com/id/7432915/). In 1984, Motorola introduced the public to the first cell phone, the Motorola DynaTAC 8000X (http://www. msnbc. msn. com/id/7432915/). According to MSNBC, the first cell phone was developed by Dr. Martin Cooper.
The phone was considered “a brick” that weighed 28 oz and 13 x 1. 75 x 3. 5 in. In the early 80s, many cell phones were not made to be hand held. Back then, phones were installed in the car. This created a high demand for car phones. Early edition of car phones like the earlier version of the cell phones were big, shaped like tote bags. They needed the battery of the car, through the lighter outlet for power. Other models came in the briefcase forms. The briefcase held batteries so the user could make calls (http://www. msnbc. msn. com/id/7432915/). The earlier model phones were known as first-generation, (1G) (www. historyofcellphones. rg/). 1G phones had analogue signals that began in the 1980s. 2G phones were the beginning of digital network signals. With the introduction of the 2G phones, came the introduction of smaller mobile phones. Technological improvements such as energy-efficient electronics and advanced batteries were the cause of the modification (www. historyofcellphones. org/). According to historyofcellphones. org, it was with the 2G network that SMS text messaging came about. The first person-to-person text message was sent in Finland in 1993. Over the years, text messaging has become the preferred choice of communication among our youth.
The 2G phones also allowed media content on cell phones (www. historyofcellphones. org/). The 2G cell phones were smaller and weighed less than the 1G. Users no longer needed to carry around a large battery pack. Due to the advanced technology 2G cell phones were developed smaller and smaller (www. historyofcellphones. net). 2G phones were more portable which increased the public demand. Today, we use 3G phones. 3G phones were invented shortly after the 2G phones. The main reason for this was the increase in demand. 3G phones differ by company by model. G phones also have requirements that cell phone providers and networks must obey (www. historyofcellphones. org/). The requirements are, they must include 2 megabits of the data for indoor use, and 284 Kbits allowed for outdoor use (www. historyofcellphones. org/). With the various models of 3G cell phones, consumers are able to choose phones that illustrate their lifestyles. With continual technology advancements, 3G phones are capable of streaming TV shows, radio shows, and using Wi-Fi (www. historyofcellphones. org/). PRESENT CELL PHONES Sprint has recently released their 4G phone, the HTC EVO (http://www. optechreviews. net/tech-news/htc-evo-4g-the-best-multimedia-smartphone/). According to Toptechreviews. net, the new “smartphone”, consumers have access to the fastest connection to date with a phone that can also access 3G networks. The new phone retails at $199 for a two-year contract (www. historyofcellphones. org/). With the HTC EVO you have access to the Android applications system. This system is offered from Google. The phone also has two cameras; one at the front, which has a 1. 3 megapixel and the other one is the 8-megapixel, which has a dual LED flash (http://www. optechreviews. net/tech-news/htc-evo-4g-the-best-multimedia-smartphone/). FUTURE CELL PHONES So what is next for the cell phone? Demand for cell phones is high. Due to this, it probably will not be long before we see the 5G cell phones. With the new phones, there will be new features. According to historyofcellphones. net, Japan has cell phones that are in the form of wristwatches. Per historyofcellphones. net, in 2005, there were over 2. 14 billion cell phone subscribers in the world. With cell phones, we are able to talk to anyone no matter where you are or where they are.
We are able to communicate via email, text messaging, and instant messaging. We are no longer limited to small cell area when we want to talk. We are even able to send text messages to other countries at any time of the day. We no longer have to wait until we get home to read the paper; we are able to receive the latest news on our cell phone. We do not have to be at home to watch a television show; we can now watch the show on our phone. Cell phones now come with a keyboard that makes texting easier. Cell phones are able to capture color video and audio with ease.
People are able to reach out to people on social networks like Facebook and MySpace on their cell phone. Cell phones have come a long way from the big, analog signal, briefcase themed “bricks” of the past. The question is what is next? Phone companies are in race, competing to make available cell phones that have features that consumers will want. As long as there is a demand, cell phones will continue to evolve society’s process of communication. References Federal authorities shut down movie sharing websites. (June 30 2010). Retrieved July 5, 2010, from http://njtoday. net/? 2010/? 06/? 30/? ederal-authorities-shut-down-movie-sharing-websites/ Federal Trade Commission. (2010, May). Deter, detect, defend: Avoid ID theft. Retrieved July 5, 2010, from Federal Trade Commission website: http://www. ftc. gov/? bcp/? edu/? pubs/? consumer/? idtheft/? idt01. shtm First cell phone a true ‘brick’. (2005). Retrieved July 6, 2010, from msnbc website: http://www. msnbc. msn. com/? id/? 7432915/ May, M. (2004). Federal computer crime laws. Retrieved July 5, 2010, from SANS Institute website: http://www. sans. org/? reading_room/? whitepapers/? legal/? federal-computer-crime-laws_1446 Telephone timeline. (2010). Retrieved from
