Essay 2 (Cell Phones)- Revision

Kristen Roberts

Professor Kerr

EN 101-1

4 October 2010

Cell Phones Then and Now

                In 1983, the first cell phone hit the market; it cost $3,395 (“First Cell Phone”). The first cell phone, the Motorola DynaTAC 8000X, was invented in 1973 by Dr. Martin Cooper (“Martin Cooper”). In 1973, Cooper, using the DynaTAC, made the first cellular call to Joel Engel of Bell Laboratories research (“Martin Cooper”).  Ironically, AT&T and Bell Laboratories initially proposed the idea of cell phones in 1947, but Cooper and Motorola were successful in creating them first (“First Cell Phone”).  The new technology was not available for purchase to the general public until it was finalized in 1983. (“Martin Cooper”). When the DynaTAC was finally released it had three basic functions; dial, listen, and talk (German). Since then, people have access to advanced phones like the Apple iPhone 4 (Apple). Cell phones have changed and progressed over the past 37 years in the areas of buying and owning, appearance and features, and usage and popularity.

Cell phone prices, providers, and availability are different from 1983. The first cell phone sold for $3,395 (“First Cell Phone”). Years later, cell phone prices reduced to between $50 and $500 (“Review Gist”). Service providers have also grown since 1983. Motorola was the top provider in 1983, but AT&T was close behind (“Martin Cooper”). Currently, the most popular providers are Verizon Wireless, AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile (“Providers Review”). When Motorola and AT&T first began selling phones there was a waiting list to get one; now they are available on-site at multiple stores (“History”).  Since cell phones have reduced in price and increased in availability they are more common.

                Following 1983, cell phone appearance and capability has progressed. The first cell phone, nicknamed the brick, weighed around 2 pounds (“First Cell Phone”).  It stood 9 X 5 X 1.75 inches (“Martin Cooper”). Today, phones can be as light as 3.3 ounces (“Best Small Phones”). Even though older models weighed more they lacked a display screen (“Martin Cooper”). On current cell phones there is always a display screen (“Verizon”). Because the first cell phones had no display screen they were one solid piece (“Martin Cooper”). Today, phones are available that flip and slide (“Verizon”). Older cell phones were not only short of models, but capabilities as well. Dial, talk, and listen were the only features (“Martin Cooper”). Now, the iPhone 4, an advanced cell phone, can perform luxury tasks like video calling and web browsing (“Apple”). Even the most basic phones have more functions than the first cell phone such as texting and voicemail (“Verizon”). Lastly, battery life for the first cell phone was only 35 minutes before it needed to be charged for a full ten hours (“Martin Cooper”). The new iPhone 4 has a battery that lasts 38 hours on heavy use (Zee). Cell phones are continuing to increase their features, functions, and aesthetic appeal.

                Cell phone popularity, purposes, and consumers progressed or changed over the years. When cell phones first emerged they were expensive (“First Cell Phone”). This means people who had more money or business people were more likely to own a cell phone (“History”). Today, teenagers and college students own and use cell phones the most (Burns). In the 1980’s, cell phones were used for communication between families and friends, multitasking, calling home, and convenience calling in emergencies (Stewart). Currently, cell phones can be used for those things among many others. Advanced cell phones can now be used for accessing the internet or even checking the weather (“Apple”).  The popular purposes of cell phones are not the only things that have changed in terms of popularity with cell phones. Where cell phones are most popular has also progressed since they first came about. The first place that cell phones were released was in the United States (“Martin Cooper”). So naturally, the United States owned the most cell phones in 1983. Cell phones have spread; China now has the largest ownership in the world with 547,286,000 (2007) cell phone owners (“CIA World Fact Book”). The European Union has 466,000,000 (2005), India has 362,300,000 (2009), and the United States, the creator of the cell phone, comes in fourth place with 255,000,000 cell phones (2007). Since 1983, cell phones are used for many more things and used by many more people (“CIA World Fact Book”). Cell phones have increased their popularity and uses since they first came about.

                Cell phones are constantly improving their capabilities, speed, and reliability through experimentation with new types of technology. Currently, Apple is experimenting with 3G wireless chip technology that will be used in the upcoming iPhone 5 (Evans). Apple aims to improve the speed of the iPhone 5 by manufacturing a chip with a 65-nanometre process (Evans). This process will aid the progression of cell phones with power saving techniques and faster technology (“Intel”). Companies like Apple are constantly experimenting and changing cell phones. Over the years this has been made apparent by the changes in cell phone ownership, capabilities, and usage.

Works Cited

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Zee. "Battery Life on the IPhone 4 Lasts 38 Hours on Heavy Use. Yes, 38 Hours!" The Next Web | TNW Is the International Source for Internet News, Business and Culture. 23 June 2010. Web. 02 Oct. 2010. <http://thenextweb.com/apple/2010/06/23/battery-life-on-the-iphone-4-lasts-38-hours-on-heavy-use-yes-38-hours/>.