Cell Phone Technology :: Technology Communication Phones Essays

Cell Phone Technology Ring ring! All the people in a 20-foot-radius are thinking it is them that are ringing. Women search through their purses; men reach for their pockets to see if it is their cell phone that is ringing. The year is 2002, and it appears that almost everyone has a cellular telephone. Many believe that in today's society it is a necessity to own one and would be difficult to go a day without one. Are they really necessary? People survived just fine without them before their invention. It really was not until about 15 years ago that they really started appearing and the last five that it seemed as if every Tom, Dick, and Harry owned one. What has caused their sudden boom? Are people becoming too reliant upon them? Is there health risks involved when people send such powerful signals directly toward their heads? Cell phone technology dates all the way back to 1947. â€Å"In that year researchers first developed ideas as to the possibility of creating mobile phones that used "cells" that would identify a user in whatever specific region he or she was initiating the call from† (Cell Phone World). Still the technology was very limited at the time, so much more extensive research was required. In 1968 private companies started getting involved with cell phone development, such as AT&T. The FCC (The Federal Communications Commission) then opened new frequencies and the private companies had the theory of cellular towers. Each tower would be responsible for a particular region. When a customer traveled farther a way from one region it would switch the call to a closer tower with no interruption. In 1977 public cell phone testing had begun. People in Baltimore, Chicago, and Washington were the first to be eligible for cell phone trials. In 1979 a company in Japan began doing cell phone testi ng with the public. Not until 1983 were cell phones really available. â€Å"The year 1988 changed many of the technologies that had become standard in the past. The Cellular Technology Industry Association was created to set realistic goals for cellular phone providers and research new applications for cell phone development† (Cell Phone World). In a way they still were not very accessible to the public, due to their extremely high operating cost to the consumer. Only the very wealthy could afford cell phones. Important heads of cooperation’s, movie stars, and top government officials were able to afford the luxury of a mobile phone.