Cell phones

Cell phones are used to make voice calls, send text messages, and transfer data wirelessly.

Cell phones are mobile devices which are the counterpart of land based phones. They have extra features not available to the traditional fixed lines. Other terms used for cell phones are mobile phones, cellular phones, or cell. The term cell phone is derived from the fact that the technology works on the basis of a network of substations called cell sites.

See also

• History of cell phones
• Major players in the cell phone industry
• The effect of mobile phones on culture

This was not the same as the cellular phones as we know them today, however. It was only in 1947 when the first cell phone, based on cellular technology, was developed by Bell Labs engineers at AT&T, one of the premier communications companies in the world today.

The first generation of cell phones is dubbed the 0G mobile phones. They lacked the feature of changing channels during a single call, however. The next generation, 1G, incorporated this feature. The 2G cell phones are most known for the GSM standard. This signaled the boom of the cell phone, particularly in northern Europe. Japan played the major role in the 3G cell phones. This time, miniaturization became one of the biggest features of cell phones.

This generation also includes TV and video applications. In the near future, we will be seeing 4G cell phones, which will add features such as short range communications and other personalized effects.

Various cell phones from 1992

1. NEC 1992 Cellstar 500 series
2. Nokia 1994 - 2110 series
3. Nokia 1998 - 5120
4. Kyocera  (2002) 2135
5. Audiovox (2002) CDM8300
6. Samsung (2004) SCH-A650

Due to the explosive boom that the cell phone industry has experienced in the past decade, it was inevitable that major manufacturers join the bandwagon.

Some of the biggest names include Nokia of Finland. For the longest time, Nokia has been the main player in the field. In fact, as of 2007, Nokia is reported to have 40% of the market share.

Of course, one cannot discount Sony Ericsson, Motorola, and Samsung, among many others. Also, Apple has recently joined the fray with the Apple iPhone – the first of its kind.

This is especially true with the development of SMS (short messaging service) or text messaging, as it is more commonly known. This feature has allowed the average person to communicate quickly and affordably any time, any where. As such, it is not uncommon to visit any city in the world and see people of all ages hunched over their cell phones and texting.

Added features such as Internet access through the cell phone have made connectivity issues even rarer. Now, as along with SMS, cell phone users can connect to anyone anywhere in the world on their cell phones. They can even download music, images, and videos through this nifty gadget.