The Evolution of Cell Phones

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The Evolution of Cell Phones

The cellular telephone, as many other current technological products, started off in the military and eventually made its way to the common consumer as a result of the high demands for such communications technologies. The concept for cellular technology was often thought to be limited to science fiction or futuristic communities. Well the future is now, and computerized technology with the help of transmitters and satellites brings nearly unlimited contact to anyone in the world. The transition of the cell phone from thought to reality was made possible by military technologies and a stress towards communications advancement. Cellular technology evolved from its early development to commercial use sometime in the late seventies as the first cell phones were expensive, appeared bulky, and was fairly inconvenient and inefficient. Currently, cell phones have become efficient, useful, and relatively inexpensive. Into the future, cell phones can only become smaller, more efficient, and globally renowned. Cellular phones are widely used and accepted into modern culture as one of the most popular forms of media communication.

Cellular technology was actually originated in the military two years after the end of the Second World War, in 1947 (about.com). Despite many who believe that the cell phone is a relatively new product on the market, the first usage of any cellular component was very large and strictly for the use and development of the United States military. Actually, the cell phone derives from a two-way radio that uses a mobile phone type of communication of signals. Basically, the first cell phones were simply glorified mobile phones, in essence, that is what all cell phones are. The system uses many stations to divide an area into many cells. As a user moves from cell to cell, calls are transferred from base to base. Around 1968, the Federal Communications Commission, that had haltered the development of cellular broadcasts, now freed up necessary airwaves to allocate the usage of the first cell towers that acted as base stations for phone calls (about.com). This was certainly a start, but these towers only broadcasted a couple miles in radius and there was still no device comparable to today’s cellular technology.

The seventies saw the first working cellular phone components to reach the common market, although bulky, expensive, and inefficient. At a time when disco was lying in its death bed and spandex became popular as a wave of workout videos and aerobics struck the land like a pestilent plague, the demand curve met the supply curve for the commercial development of cellular technology.

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