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Evolution of the cell phone
Then, during the Second World War, the Allied powers deployed over 130,000 units of the SCR-536 Handie-talkie. This bulky contraption was essentially an entirely handheld two-way radio transceiver. As you’d expect from such an early technology, it suffered many drawbacks, including short battery life and a lackluster range of just one mile depending on the terrain. -
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First mobile phone
After decades of research and development, Motorola unveiled the world’s first cell phone prototype in 1973. Martin Cooper, the Motorola engineer who led the development of this invention, invited reporters to witness the first-ever wireless phone call. -
first smartphone
The 1990s marked a time of rapid change in the cell phone industry, particularly with the release of smaller and more portable devices. But arguably, the most important development of this decade was the Global System for Mobile communications (GSM), the first fully digital cellular standard. In 1991, GSM’s efficiency was perceived as a necessary advancement as the existing analog network rapidly approached maximum capacity. -
first flip phone
Motorola, meanwhile, released the first-ever clamshell-style flip phone in 1996. The StarTAC’s top half folded down to protect the display and keypad. However, Motorola’s big selling point for the device was its impressive 3oz (88g) weight.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CP07YQodvCs -
more about developing phones
In the couple of years that followed, handset makers began experimenting with various form factors. The Nokia 8110, for example, earned the “banana phone” nickname due to its prominent curvature and sliding form factor. It even made an appearance in the 1999 blockbuster The Matrix. -
phones getting better
While the 2000s started off with carriers like DoCoMo in Japan testing 3G cellular service, the system wouldn’t catch on for a while. Cell phone manufacturers, meanwhile, found themselves amid an intense race to innovate and outperform the competition. -
The first iPhone and android
n 2007, Apple entered the cell phone market with the iPhone. The company announced it as “a revolutionary mobile phone, a widescreen iPod with touch controls, and a breakthrough Internet communications device.” Indeed, it was the first phone to fully embrace the touch interface and fulfill three use cases in a single device.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2SraxoofFQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drdiDLj0i1Y -
iPhone and aneroids take over
for design trends, physical buttons on cell phones were clearly on the way out even as early as 2010. The Samsung Galaxy S, for example, switched to capacitive touch buttons on the front, leaving just a single physical home button. Only a few years later, phones would feature edge-to-edge displays with no front-facing buttons whatsoever. Cellular data speeds improved considerably in this decade, thanks to the widespread adoption of 4G LTE.
