The Cell Phone Revolution

Since the beginning of the industrial revolution, the world has become a smaller place. The time used to travel to far distances has diminished; with the growth of new technologies, traveling and communicating have become simple daily tasks for many people. Through the growth of global communication, people have become closer to others across the globe, and business has gone world wide. One invention that came along with the technological revolution is the cell phone. Cell phones allow us to be reachable anywhere at anytime, letting us communicate even during travel. As time becomes more valuable for people, the importance of accessibility to communication also increases. With cell phones, the communication and accessibility have also revolutionized. With the growth of technology, cell phones also became more complex and versatile, integrating features like text messaging and locating systems. As we go into the future, the functions of cell phones also become more and more complex where they advance in technology and change the way we exist in society. The future cell phones will surpass their purpose as a tool of simple communication and become the central item in our everyday lives.

Since the idea of the cell phone was first invented in the 1940’s by Bell Labs, it has come a long way and evolved into many different systems. The idea of the cell phone first came up in the 1940’s after researchers realized that by “designating range of service areas (cells) that use a single frequency to Mobil car phones,” they can make them have a much higher traffic capacity and quality (qtd. in Bellis). They however noticed that the technology to do so did not exist and that more advancements had to be done to make this idea come true. The greatest invention that was needed in order to start cell phone technology was “the microprocessor” which Intel® invented in 1971. Soon afterwards on October 17th 1973, Dr. Cooper from Motorola patented and created the first hand held cell phone (qtd. in Farley 8). Although there was great demand for cell phones, it took several years for them to reach the standards that are in place today. In order to meet demands and have a system that can support many users, more research had to be done. Cell phones were built and tested on different frequencies with different systems. Consequently each country came up with a preferred system of their own which was different then the other existing ones. What evolved were three different main systems that are still used today. These systems are the “TDMA, CDMA (PCS), and GSM systems,” each differing on the “bandwidth and frequency” they use and whether they are digital or not (qtd. in Bellis).

Current cell phones that are used today have already become more then just-for-talking telephones. One major feature that revolutionized the usage of the cell phones was the short message service” (SMS).” With “SMS” cell phone users got the opportunity to send and receive “two way messages of 160 characters in length.” This form of non voice communication via the cell phone surprisingly became one of the mobile industry greatest successes (qtd. in MobileSMS). Cell phone users were able to send instant messages in situations when they can not talk. Partners in business meetings could exchange ideas or remarks with others at a home office, or a Neighborhood-watch could group message-people if someone got robbed. Students can use this feature in classrooms or movie theaters to communicate with friends. Businesses like credit card companies can use “SMS” to notify credit card owners if they are at their limit, and cell phone companies like Nokia use it to send ring tones to cell phones (qtd. in Bermant) .

Furthermore the integration of web browsers, e-mailing and internet into cell phones has also made them versatile and multifunctional. Today cell phone owners can check and send new e-mails from their cell phones, go to web sites and shop online, and even chat by using “instant messenger systems” directly from the cell phones via WAP (wireless application protocol) (qtd. in Bermant).

Although many of these new technologies are possible and useful because of the cell phone, there are some downsides that come with this device. One downside is the danger of cell phones usage while operating mechanical vehicles such as cars. Because cell phones let us be so mobile, they also let us talk in situations where we are doing something else. While a person is in the middle of a discussion, he can be distracted from anything else he is doing. According to study published in “the New England Journal of Medicine,” the chances of getting into an accident while on a cell phone are increased by “four hundred percent (qtd. in Hua).” Another study that was done by scientists in the “transport research laboratory” suggested that driving while using a cell phone is more hazardous then driving under the influence of alcohol at the permitted blood alcohol content level. The study says that a person on the cell phone reacts half a second slower than an alert driver (qtd. in Wrolstad). Considering the results of the research, more legislation is needed for cell phone usage, possibly banning or limiting the usage of cell phones during situations calling for a person’s full attention.

Another disadvantage of cell phones is the radiation they cause. Every cell phone creates an “electro magnetic field (EMF)” when it is connecting to the local antenna. This EMF radiation can range from “1.55 SAR (specific absorption rate of radio frequency absorbed by the body)”, and lower which corresponds to radiation coming from a leaking micro wave. According to a study done by Dr. Joseph Mercola the radiation heats up brain cells, transfers energy to them, and then can cause damage to those cells by interacting with certain chemical activities. (qtd. in Carnoy and Dr. Mercola and CNET).

Even though these problems exist with cell phones, the industry has tried to accommodate users, making cell phones safer as they advance. New cell phones have radiation’s as low as “0.1 SAR” which lowers the amount of radiation directed towards the brain and with the development of new and improved hand-free headsets, mobile users show less distractions while driving and do not expose themselves to any radiation while talking on the cell phones (qtd. in Carnoy and CNET).

Future cell phones will not only emit lower radiation and come in smaller sizes, but also will come with a variety of new and advanced features that will revolutionize its usage and make them the center of our digital life. One upcoming feature of the future cell phones is “video stream services” on cell phones. The next generation cell phones will come with high definition full color displays, and have video cameras integrated into them. They will have the capability to record high quality videos, 30 minuets in length and send them to other users or to e-mail addresses, and they will be stream capable, letting people have real life video conferences over the phones. People will have the opportunity to watch videos while they are waiting or riding the buses, and they can watch the news on their cell phones upon request (qtd. in Japan’s Corporate).

New security technology will let cell phones have fingerprint scanners on them so only authorized people can use those cell phones and they will integrate “PDA palm pilots” into the cell phones making them the multifunction items for any business men. With the new security system, whenever someone wants to check or send e-mails, or turn on the cell phones, a finger scan is needed and that gives the cell phone owner security. “Through Bluetooth® and other technologies,” cell phones will be able to connect to any other remote or wireless device within twenty-five feet proximity, allowing them to connect to laptops, other cell phones or even to televisions acting as remotes (qtd. in Yamanoha).

On the other hand, the cell phones future uses are not bound by technological advancements, but rather are directed by the adaptations that have been made by other businesses. In the future, people will be able to buy food using their cell phones in various places. In Finland, vending machines are going to have phone numbers for individual items which they can dial and later get billed for by their phone companies. Cell phone screens will be able to act as bar codes, letting people connect credit cards to cell phones and simply scanning a cell phone after grocery shopping to charge their cards. Other features will be Fm radios, mp3 players and voice recorders. The cell phone will be able to record conversations acting like a voice recorder, making it a useful tool for many people like students who could record lectures on their phone and then send this recording to friends or themselves as an e-mail. Cell phones will also be able to play back and store many songs in MP3 format, enabling people to carry around their music without a second device. Finally cell phones will have a FM radio function letting them receive radio signals wherever there is reception (qtd. in Yamanoha).

One fascinating technology that is in development for cell phones will lift the language barrier by offering real time translations of conversations. Using voice recognition software and translation software, cell phone companies will be able to offer the most amazing features created. Once a cell phone user chooses his or her native language, the cell phone company will be able to translate conversations from and into his language. This means that a Japanese speaking person could be talking to a German speaking person, and they both would receive the conversation in their own native language. Furthermore using GSM positioning, the cell phone will be able to predict the languages needed and automatically start the translation software.

With this feature global communication will enter a whole new level and obtain a new meaning (qtd. in Yamanoha).

The advancement and introduction of cell phones has also changed our society and will further change the society in the future. Cell phones have made us grow closer, enabling us to communicate with all our friends and families almost instantaneous. Planning lunch with our friends has become a matter of the moment, where we can call up our friends for meeting up with them, or let them know of any change of planes as soon as they come up online to chat. According to Howard Rheingold: “to not have a cell phone is to be walking blind, disconnected from just-in-time information on where and when you are in the social networks of time and place.” (qtd. in Mizuko 6). The cell phone has become necessary for our everyday lives, helping us organize, communicate, and even stay up to date with news as we go along our busy schedule. The cell phone has caused youth revolutions in Tokyo and Helsinki, and a political uprising in Manila. Cell phones also have the prospective to strengthen surveillance in our lives changing the way we live and observe our privacy; “what we know and do can minimize dangers and maximize opportunities” (Gtd in Rheingold).

Different lines of research and development that have developed steadily for years are gather speed now because adequate computation and communication capabilities recently became affordable. These projects began in a variety of fields but are now joining on the same boundary between synthetic and natural worlds. Sensor chips are starting to be put into all modern devices, giving our machines the ability to send, receive and store information with their environment. In the near future there will be environments that sense people within them and respond to them using any portable or electrical device that person is carrying on them. Cell phones are becoming more important every day. With the new features that they are getting, cell phones will become the number one items people will use for almost any thing they need.

Instead of credit cards, people will carry cell phones and most of their business can be done on the phones even if they are on the way (maybe in video conferences using the cameras and internet functions). Companies can use cell phones to advertise directly to people. People will not have to carry many different items for all the things the cell phones can do and they will become a very useful technology and in the same time, the cell phone can become a powerful tool placing people’s privacy at risk and their lives in danger. In near future, the world we live in will change into a digital life with our powerful tool–revolutionized cell phones, and we will have to both embrace this wonderful technology and simultaneously, be careful how much power we are giving to one item.