Mobile phones have become an incredibly huge part of daily life, although it is hard to believe that only a couple of decades ago, cell phones were virtually nonexistent. Portable phones were the size of briefcases, and carrying one around was a hassle that most people wanted to avoid. Over the years, advances in technology have led to smaller, more capable phones, and now it is hard to find someone who does not own a cell phone. Some users cannot even remember what they used to do without the device.
The first mobile phones were large two way radios that were used only in vehicles, as they were too heavy to be carried around by people. In fact, they were installed directly in to vehicles, as there was no point in removing them. Eventually, suitcase and backpack two way phones were invented, and while they were extremely large by today s standards, in the 1940s they were quite innovative.
When cellular communication was first proposed in the late 1940s, technology was not advanced enough to support cell towers and phones themselves. It was not until the late 1950s that telephone network connected cell phones began to arise. Phones weighed between twenty and ninety pounds and not more than a few hundred people ever bought them. They were also bulky and incredibly expensive.
One of the main purposes of a mobile phone is to be able to talk while you are traveling, but initially, one had to stay within a small area of a single cell station, and if they left that area, the call would disconnect. Bell Labs was responsible for numerous cell phone innovations, and there was no lapse when it came to this dilemma. In response to the problem, a call handoff system was developed, in which users could travel through several cell areas and not lose the connection. This system is still in use today, although it has been improved and elaborated upon in some cases.
The true father of cell phones is widely regarded as Dr. Martin Cooper, as he holds the US Patent for his radio telephone system, which translates today as a cell phone or portable handset. He also was the first person to make a cell phone call, which was conducted on a street in front of surprised pedestrians. While there had been several types of mobile phone systems before Cooper, he was the first to develop a cell phone that did not require all the extra baggage that came with other products.
The 1980s and 1990s saw the fastest improvements in mobile phones than ever before. Two generations spanned both decades, 1G and 2G, and currently, 3G phones are most widely used, and have the abilities to transmit text messages, stream audio and video, and take pictures. Many people use their phones more for the other applications than for calling. It is essentially impossible to find a cell phone that is limited to just making calls. The most advanced phones currently have access to the Internet, offer GPS services, and can record long videos with amazing quality. The iPhone, for example, is the epitome of innovation, utilizing a seamless touch interface to allow the user to quickly access anything they want. What the future holds is a mystery, and one can only wonder what new features lie before us.
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