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Evolution of mobile phones essay
Papers on the evolution of cell phones
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Digital cell phone from Nokia
Millions of people in the United States and around the world use cellular phones. They are such great gadgets -- with a cell phone, you can talk to anyone on the planet from just about anywhere!
These days, cell phones provide an incredible array of functions, and new ones are being added at a breakneck pace. Depending on the cell-phone model, you can:
Store contact information
Make task or to-do lists
Keep track of appointments and set reminders
Use the built-in calculator for simple math
Send or receive e-mail
Get information (news, entertainment, stock quotes) from the Internet
Play simple games
Integrate other devices such as PDAs, MP3 players and GPS receivers
But have you ever wondered how a cell phone works? What makes it different from a regular phone? What do all those confusing terms like PCS, GSM, CDMA and TDMA mean? In this article, we will discuss the technology behind cell phones so that you can see how amazing they really are.
If you are thinking about buying a cell phone, be sure to check out How Buying a Cell Phone Works to learn about everything you should know before making a purchase.
Let's start with the basics: In essence, a cell phone is a radio.
One of the most interesting things about a cell phone is that it is actually a radio -- an extremely sophisticated radio, but a radio nonetheless. The telephone was invented by Alexander Graham Bell in 1876, and wireless communication can trace its roots to the invention of the radio by Nikolai Tesla in the 1880s (formally presented in 1894 by a young Italian named Guglielmo Marconi). It was only natural that these two great technologies would eventually be combined!
In the dark ages before cell phones, people who really needed mobile-communications ability installed radio telephones in their cars. In the radio-telephone system, there was one central antenna tower per city, and perhaps 25 channels available on that tower. This central antenna meant that the phone in your car needed a powerful transmitter -- big enough to transmit 40 or 50 miles (about 70 km). It also meant that not many people could use radio telephones -- there just were not enough channels.
The genius of the cellular system is the division of a city into small cells. This allows extensive frequency reuse across a city, so that millions of people can use cell phones simultaneously.
Just whip out your handy dandy cellular device and now you don’t have to talk to anyone! Cell phones are perfect for avoiding those awkward conversations, weird situations, they can even find you a spouse while at the same time help our population decrease, creating more jobs and space in the world! Everyone gets stuck in situations where they feel awkward; whether it’s on a bus, in the mall, walking down the street, or even driving; a cell phone is the only solution to solving these problems. Cell phones make it easy to block out the world surrounding you.
They give us the freedom to contact people anywhere at any time. If there is a sudden change of plans, people can contact one another by texting a quick short sentence in a matter of seconds. Cell phones act as first responders at a scene when someone is hurt and needs help. New-aged cell phones are programed with a built in tracking device that can be used to locate a kidnapped victim, stolen car, or purse.
Cellular phones carry a diverse group of users. In June 1985, there were about 203,000 cellular phone service subscribers. By June 1989, the number had exploded to 2.7 million subscribers, and by June 1995 there were mire than 26 million subscribers. When cell phones were first introduce, only people with a lot of money had them and the service was very expensive. It was a lot cheaper to stop and use the pay phone than it was to use a cell phone. Now, it is almost as cheap to use a cell phone to make a long distance call as it is to make a long distance call using AT&T.
Cell phones use radio frequencies to transmit signals. Radio Frequencies (RF) are a form of electrical waves similar to those used in radios, microwaves, radars or satellite stations. They are emitted from a transmitter, and received using an antenna. This telephony technology is restricted geographically to small zones called “Cells”. Every cell has a base station capable of sending and receiving radio waves. When a call is started a signal leaves the handheld unit headed to the closest base station. This station answers by allocating a specific channel to the unit. When this “channel” is established, modulated radio frequency signals are both received and transmitted. The head of the user is in the near field of use because the distance from the antenna to the head is a few centimeters. (Blettner & Berg 2000) If the antenna is inside the body of the phone, the exposure to Radio Frequencies is greater. The antenna might be requesting a stronger signal to contest with the interference of the battery or the actual shell of the phone’s body.
Cellphones have changed physically and technologically throughout the decades. From the militarized phone bags that were used to give orders during war to the more modernized, smaller, multi-use cellphones where anything can be found
The advancement of cell phone technology in the last decade is truly astounding because back then most people’s cell phones had such limited capabilities. Cell phones or smart phones as they are also known today have so many advanced abilities it’s more like having a pocket sized computer in your grasp. We can
Radio-wave technology is one of the most important technologies used by man. It has forever changed the United States and the world, and will continue to do so in the future. Radio has been a communications medium, a recreational device, and many other things to us. When British physicist James Clerk Maxwell published his theory of electromagnetic waves in 1873, he probably never could have envisioned the sorts of things that would come of such a principle. His theory mainly had to do with light waves, but fifteen years later, a German physicist named Heinrich Hertz was able to electrically generate MaxwellÕs ÒraysÓ in his lab. The discovery of these amazing properties, the later invention of a working wireless radio, and the resulting technology have been instrumental to AmericaÕs move into the Information Age. The invention of radio is commonly credited to Guglielmo Marconi, who, starting in 1895, developed the first ÒwirelessÓ radio transmitter and receiver. Working at home with no support from his father, but plenty from his mother, Marconi improved upon the experiments and equipment of Hertz and others working on radio transmission. He created a better radio wave detector or cohere and connected it to an early type of antenna. With the help of his brothers and some of the neighborhood boys he was able to send wireless telegraph messages over short distances. By 1899 he had established a wireless communications link between England and France that had the ability to operate under any weather conditions. He had sent trans-Atlantic messages by late 1901, and later won the Nobel prize for physics in 1909. Radio works in a very complicated way, but hereÕs a more simple explanation than youÕll get from most books: Electromagnetic waves of different wavelengths are produced by the transmitter, and modulations within each wavelength are adjusted to carry ÒencodedÓ information. The receiver, tuned to read the frequency the transmitter is sending on, then takes the encoded information (carried within the wave modulations), and translates it back into the sensory input originally transmitted. Many of the men who pioneered radio had designs for it. Marconi saw it as the best communication system and envisioned instant world-wide communication through the air. David Sarnoff ( later the head of RCA and NBC) had a vision of Òa radio receiver in every homeÓ in 1916, although the real potential of radio wasnÕt realized until after World War I.
Cell phone manufacturers and service providers are at the core of the cell phone industry. These corporations are integral from their research and development endeavors to interactions with the consumer and the marketing of new products. The companies that control such factors of cellular phones are very numerous, so it is difficult to address all the cell phone manufacturers and service providers. However, we have focused largely on only the most significant cellular companies namely in the U.S. marketplace, although many have global ties. Collectively, companies around the world have the same goals in mind – to create desirable cutting-edge technology and to increase consumer satisfaction with hopes of generating sales, and thus profits.
In 1921 the Detroit Michigan Police Department first used mobile radio in a vehicle. Digital wireless and cellular roots started in the 1940s. In the 1940s new frequencies between 30 and 40 MHz were available. There was an increase of availability in channels which police systems were encouraged to use. Mobile units were available within private companies, individuals, and public agencies. In St. Louis, 1945 the first mobile telephone system in the US was introduced. Along the highway between New York and Boston a Public mobile system carried greater frequency distance in 1947. In 1n 1949, the FFC authorized separate radio channels to common carriers. A new system was developed with automatic channel selection in 1964. With this new system each call allowed customers to dial for themselves and it eliminated the need to push-to-talk operation. In 1975, in Chicago, AT&T was authorized to develop a cellular system. After this AT&T and Bell labs work with other cellular vendors to develop their cellular phones. Their phones were made so consumers would have the quality products available to use on cellular networks. There are many reasons why the mobile wireless has not progressed further in the last 60 years, this is because of cautiousness and federal regulation. The Federal Communications Commission controlled frequency availability. Their regulations and unresponsiveness had the most significant factors hindering radiotelephone development. The Federal Communication Commission delayed the technology in America by ten years.
In the 1980s, first generation (1G) cell phones consisted of voice-only analog devices with limited range and features that were sold mainly in North America. In the 1990s, second generation (2G) devices consisted of voice/data digital cell phones with higher data transfer rates, expanded range, and more features. Sales of these devices expanded to Europe and Asia. In the twenty-first century, Nokia and other companies are combining several digital technologies into third generation (3G) communication devices that reach globally and feature the convergence of the cell phone, personal digital assistant (PDA), Internet services, and multimedia applications.
Most innovations have two sides, the good side and the bad side and the cell phone is no exception. Many people find it difficult to believe that there was a time when cell phones did not exist. Letters back then were used to pass messages across before the telephones were introduced. Initially, telephones were used only to call people, who would receive the call only if they were near the receiver. Then the cell phones were introduced.
When phones became available to the public they were not considered to be mobile in today’s sense of the word. They were available to have installed in an automobile, they were big and bulky, and they needed and consumed a lot of power to use. The phone networks would only support a few simultaneous conversations. Cell phones since then have made vast improvements in their efficiency, abilities, and size. The first handheld mobile phone wasn’t produce until 1973. The origin...
A mobile phone is a telephone that can make and receive calls over a radio
A cell phone is essentially a two-way radio consisting of a radio transmitter and a radio receiver. When you talk to your friend on your mobile phone, your mobile transfers your voice into an electrical signal, which is then transmitted through radio waves to the nearest cell tower. The network of cell phone towers then replays the radio wave to friend’s cell phone, which converts it to an electrical signal and back to sound. Cell phones transmit radio waves in all directions.
Since the invention of the cell phones, there has been a turning point in history because of its massive addition of technology. Without cell phones, there would be no such thing as using the internet on the go. The iPhone, Samsung, and Android phones are the most popular cellular devices today. A cell phone is a device with a handheld computer, simply offering Internet access, data storage and usage, e-mail, etc. They are useful for quick sources such as Goggle for looking up important information on the internet or using Google maps in the car to find your destination. This is one reason why cell phones are a significant asset to technology.