Historical Development of the Mobile Phone
The date of the first mobile phone is widely debated topic. Some believe that in the year 1930, the ability to make calls to ocean liners warranted the term “mobile phone”. Others believe that the first mobile phone was not released until 1946 when the American company AT&T made a call using a handset installed in a car. Some may argue that it was not until 1948 that a true “mobile phone” existed, a 40kilogram handset that is. However, the unarguable fact is, that mobile phone technology has significantly advanced since the first public phone call was made from a portable handset on April the 3rd 1973.
Design Features
The Motorola DynaTAC
The first publicly sold portable phone, the Motorola DynaTAC was made available to customers in 1983. The large handset weighed just less than 1kg and unlike mobile phones common to the twenty first century, it had a small screen capable of displaying only the number of an incoming or outgoing caller. The mobile phone, costing the equivalent of $9000 had a standard keypad, displaying only the numbers 0-9 and the symbols * and #. Although marketed as a mobile phone, Motorola’s first product was hardly portable and was therefore generally installed in cars or left in offices. A somewhat large antenna protruded from the top of the phone reaching approximately half the height of the device itself.
The Motorola MicroTAC
Mobile phone technology advanced very slowly resulting in few size reductions in future mobile phones until 1989. Motorola’s second mobile phone, the MicroTAC weighed only 350 grams and was considerably smaller, measuring a mere 22cm in length. This mobile phone contained no improvements to screen size or capabilities and contained a very similar keypad. It was not until 1997 that the full QWERTY keyboard was seen on mobile phones. The Nokia 9000 Communicator was referred to as a mini computer at the time of its release due to the considerable amount of features new to consumers. As mobile phone technology progressed into the twenty first centenary, the size of the devices got progressively smaller, screens became bigger, additional buttons were added to the key pad and the ability to view colour became common.
Communication
The Motorola International 3200
Upon the release of the first mobile phone in 1983, the only mobile phone network available was the 1G analogue network. The Advanced Mobile Phone System or AMPS as it was called, was not introduced in Australia until 1987. This mobile phone network provided a very basic level of communication for consumers. As this network was analogue, noise interference and static was not uncommon, and provided poor security as conversations could be easily hacked into. Following Motorola’s unveiling of its newest device the 3200, the 2G mobile network was released in 1992. Unlike the original network, this mobile phone network was digital. The 2G network was made available to considerably more customers due to the development of remote radio towers. Static background noise was eliminated in the 2G network and data encryption was introducing prompting the development of SMS technology. Further developments have been made to mobile phone technology including the establishment of the 3G network which allowed internet access, the 3.5G or nextG network which improved on this again and finally the newest and fastest mobile phone network, the 4G LTE network.
Evolution of the Battery
Nokia 3210
Mobile phone batteries have considerably improved since the mid 1970’s. The DynaTAC for example, took ten hours to charge and only provided users with a mere 30minutes use, these facts can easily be reversed and applied to smart phones. After only nine years of refinement, the Motorola International 3200 provided users with eight hours of use in exchange for only five hours charge time. In 1999 Nokia’s extremely popular 3210 boasted an excellent 55hour battery life that required only four hours charge time. Mobile phone batteries have progressively become smaller, from the size of a large brick to an object only millimetres thick that can be easily placed in ones pocket.
Productivity and Entertainment
The iPhone's calendar app, a vital productivity feature.
From a basic snake game, to reliable calendar and notification services, mobile phones have become more like computers and are frequently being used in the workplace as vital productivity tools. The introduction of colour LCD displays has allowed both the entertainment and productivity values of mobile phones to rapidly increase. Consumers can now easily sync calendars and events between multiple employees with ease. High resolution, console like games can now be played on hand held devices. Mobile phones have easily become one of the world’s most valued technological devices due to their vast entertainment and productivity uses.