Cell Phones and their Advantages
Mobile phones or cell phones form an intrinsic and vital part of our everyday lives. They are indispensable in today’s modern world with its wide ranging and numerous applications which have evolved over the time. Their usage is no more just limited to communication, the purpose for which they were originally invented, but has far outstretched to the things which might have been impossible to have been even thought of until a few decades back. The history of cell phones is a long drawn one and stretches to many a decades. Cell phones in various ways and manners have made our lives easier, comfortable for all the benefits they offer.
The history of cell phones dates back to 1922 when the first ‘mobile phone’ was released. Eve’s Wireless, as the first portable phone was called, allowed people to make calls while on the move (Wrenn, 2012).
Though many consider Eve’s Wireless the first mobile handset, it was only in 1973 that the first modern mobile phone was made. Martin Cooper of Motorola is widely hailed and appreciated for his invention of the first public handset. DynaTAC, the first public mobile phone, was a astounding success and kicked off the cellular image in the right sense. The first cell phone only served the purpose of voice calling and was way to bulky and had awful battery life by modern standards. It was only in 1991, with the introduction of 2G (second generation) cellular technology that more benefits associated to mobile phones started unfolding (Borgobello 2013). This new technology pushed for and initiated the development of lighter and better mobile phones, which in turn, kicked off the smartphones race in 1995 with IBM launching the first ever touchscreen cellular phone known as IBM Simon Personal Communicator. It did offer plethora of advantages and benefits over the conventional mobile phones, which were only used to make calls. The first smartphone facilitated calling, facsimiles, emails and cellular pages as some of the most prominent of its features.
The evolution of better, more compact and feature filled smartphones continued with better and improved cellular technologies pitching it. Ten years after the emergence of 2G technology, 3G (Third Generation) became a reality in 2001 and it was a trigger that led to mobile revolution throughout the globe. Many big companies entered the industry and the competition intensified. The cellphones and smartphones became technically advanced and intelligent too. Though the earlier smartphones combined and amalgamated the functions of Personal digital assistants (PDA) with mobile phones, the new versions offered many added functionalities. The new models were the multi-purpose devices, which could be used as personal and portable media players and low-end compact digital cameras in addition to the other features.
Though the market saw many new smartphone phones launches with different operating systems and varied uses, it was in 2007 that the mobile phones or the new age smartphones were revolutionized forever with the launch of Apple’s iPhone (First Generation). It was a quad-based GSM cellular phone, which supported GPRS and EDGE, and as claimed by Apple, iPhone did reinvent the phone. It offered many advantages over other smartphones available in the market and was termed a complete package by many and hence became an instant hit. Apart from the traditional phone usages of calling, sending and receiving text messages, it enabled Email Access, Navigation, and Web Browsing in a whole new manner with its new operating system OS 3. It even took special care of the entertainment needs of the users with special Music and Videos features, Camera Functions and host of other features by downloading of third party applications.
The entry of Apple into the mobile phones market shook the industry and many giants like Google and Samsung made the inroads. The scope of innovation in mobile phones has been unbelievable. With multitasking, high quality cameras, Amoled and LED High Definition screens phones are practically used for any function under the sun. The latest inventions like iPhone 5 and Samsung Galaxy Note 2, phones are set to replace computing devices. These devices enable users to perform almost every computing operation, play games and enjoy music and videos, record and download music and software, VOIP and Video Calling and Chatting apart from the basic telephonic functions.
Mobile phones have come a long way and have reinvented and rechristened themselves to suit and meet our demands. With increase in the number of functions smartphones can perform they have become an important everyday use utility. Life seems and feels difficult without this invention, which has seen many phases from being an device weighing over a pound to one that weighs only a few grams. Mobile phones offer us many advantages and benefits and lets us communicate to our known ones through number of ways. Mobile Phones, in a true sense, have changed our lives for the better.
References
Borgobello Bridget (2013). Looking back on 40 years of the cell phone. gizmag.com.
Retrieved February 23, 2013,
Wrenn Eddie (2012). As the iPhone 5 is released How the first 'mobile phone' was launched in 1922 - and it even had a rudimentary form of iTunes. Dailymail.co.uk. Retrieved February 23, 2013, from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2206554/As-iPhone-5-released--How-mobile-phone-launched-1922--rudimentary-form-iTunes.html
