How the Cell Phone Has Changed Our Lives
How the Cell Phone has Changed our Lives
The cell phone, or mobile phone, has become a large part of our American culture. You see them wherever you go, and in the hands of every group dynamic. This technology seems to have appeared overnight, and it is probably going to be with us for a very long time. They are used for both personal and business demand, and have an interesting future as well. Our lives have changed quite dramatically with the invention of the cell phone, with both good and arguably bad results.
Just where did the cell phone come from? Bell Laboratories created the first cellular communication device in 1947, which was used exclusively in police cars. The first actual working cell phone was created in 1973 by Dr Martin Cooper, a former General Manager for Motorola. Today there are over one billion cell phones in use, with a prediction that between the years of 2010 through 2020, everyone who wants and can afford a cell phone will have one (Rosen, 2004, para. 1).
If you go out into a crowded public place and do some people watching, you will notice cell phones being used by every social and age group imaginable. Even though the device was first created in 1973, it was not until the past 10 years that they have become very affordable to the mainstream public. This gives the illusion that the cell phone just sprang up overnight. In Europe, the penetration of cell phones is the highest in the world at approximately 150 cell phones per 100 people, or 150%. In the United States we are in the middle, at a mere 80% of penetration, and China is the lowest at 50%. These numbers are still staggering for all demographics. There is no end in sight for the cell phone either, as it has become a staple for both personal and business use.
People have many more uses for their cell phones, other than just making the occasional phone call to Mom. The mobile phone now has the ability to perform many functions, such as music player, camera, text messenger,
The cell phone, or mobile phone, has become a large part of our American culture. You see them wherever you go, and in the hands of every group dynamic. This technology seems to have appeared overnight, and it is probably going to be with us for a very long time. They are used for both personal and business demand, and have an interesting future as well. Our lives have changed quite dramatically with the invention of the cell phone, with both good and arguably bad results.
Just where did the cell phone come from? Bell Laboratories created the first cellular communication device in 1947, which was used exclusively in police cars. The first actual working cell phone was created in 1973 by Dr Martin Cooper, a former General Manager for Motorola. Today there are over one billion cell phones in use, with a prediction that between the years of 2010 through 2020, everyone who wants and can afford a cell phone will have one (Rosen, 2004, para. 1).
If you go out into a crowded public place and do some people watching, you will notice cell phones being used by every social and age group imaginable. Even though the device was first created in 1973, it was not until the past 10 years that they have become very affordable to the mainstream public. This gives the illusion that the cell phone just sprang up overnight. In Europe, the penetration of cell phones is the highest in the world at approximately 150 cell phones per 100 people, or 150%. In the United States we are in the middle, at a mere 80% of penetration, and China is the lowest at 50%. These numbers are still staggering for all demographics. There is no end in sight for the cell phone either, as it has become a staple for both personal and business use.
People have many more uses for their cell phones, other than just making the occasional phone call to Mom. The mobile phone now has the ability to perform many functions, such as music player, camera, text messenger,
References: Rosen, C. (2004). Our Cell Phones, Ourselves. The New Atlantis. Retrieved March 18,2008, from http://www.thenewatlantis.com/archive/6/rosen.htm