Mobile phone Wikipedia
A mobile phone or cell phone is a portable wireless telephone that allows users to make and receive calls over a radio frequency link while moving within a designated telephone service area, unlike fixed-location phones (landline phones). Text messaging, which are performed on mobile phones, has also led to the creation of ‘SMS language’. In Japanese mobile phone culture for example, mobile phones are often decorated with charms.
In addition, they enable multimedia playback and streaming, including video content, as well as radio and television streaming. These include text messaging, multimedia messaging, email, and internet access (via LTE, 5G NR or Wi-Fi), as well as short-range wireless technologies like Bluetooth, infrared, and ultra-wideband (UWB). This radio frequency link connects to the switching systems of a mobile phone operator, providing access to the public switched telephone network (PSTN). While there are rumors of mobile phones causing cancer, there was a study conducted by International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) that stated the there could be an increase risk of brain tumors with the use of smartphones, this is not confirmed. In Europe, regulations and technology have allowed the limited introduction of the use of passenger mobile phones on some commercial flights, and elsewhere in the world many airlines are moving towards allowing mobile phone use in flight.
Soon afterwards, other media content appeared, such as news, video games, jokes, horoscopes, TV content and advertising. Mobile phones are used for a variety of purposes, such as keeping in touch with family members, for conducting business, and in order to have access to a telephone in the event of an emergency. In February 2014, 93% of mobile developers were targeting smartphones first for mobile app development. Up until that point, smartphone application distribution depended on third-party sources providing applications for multiple platforms, such as GetJar, Handango, Handmark, and PocketGear.
Battery
3G is able to provide mobile broadband access of several Mbit/s to smartphones and mobile modems in laptop computers. These first-generation (1G) systems could support far more simultaneous calls but still used analog cellular technology. Early predecessors of cellular phones included analog radio communications from ships and trains. “Mobile phone” is the most common English-language term, while the term “cell phone” is in more common use in North America – both are in essence shorter versions of “mobile telephone” and “cellular telephone”, respectively.
- Studies have shown that around 40–50% of the environmental impact of mobile phones occurs during the manufacture of their printed wiring boards and integrated circuits.
- In Israel, similar phones to kosher phones with restricted features exist to observe the sabbath; under Orthodox Judaism, the use of any electrical device is generally prohibited during this time, other than to save lives, or reduce the risk of death or similar needs.
- This radio frequency link connects to the switching systems of a mobile phone operator, providing access to the public switched telephone network (PSTN).
- Mobile phones are considered an important human invention as they have been one of the most widely used and sold pieces of consumer technology.
- Beyond traditional voice communication, digital mobile phones have evolved to support a wide range of additional services.
- Feature phones typically provide voice calling and text messaging functionality, in addition to basic multimedia and Internet capabilities, and other services offered by the user’s wireless service provider.
- Soon afterwards, other media content appeared, such as news, video games, jokes, horoscopes, TV content and advertising.
In 2013, a national survey in the US reported the cash lounge casino number of drivers who reported using their cellphones to access the Internet while driving had risen to nearly one of four. This can lead to drivers being stopped for using their device illegally for a phone call when, in fact, they were using the device legally, for example, when using the phone’s incorporated controls for car stereo, GPS or satnav. This is more apparent in countries which ban both handheld and hands-free usage, rather than those which ban handheld use only, as officials cannot easily tell which function of the mobile phone is being used simply by looking at the driver. Due to the increasing complexity of mobile phones, they are often more like mobile computers in their available uses. In March 2011, a US insurance company, State Farm Insurance, announced the results of a study which showed 19% of drivers surveyed accessed the Internet on a smartphone while driving. In September 2010, the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported that 995 people were killed by drivers distracted by cell phones.
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- Handsets with more advanced computing ability through the use of native software applications are known as smartphones.
- These first-generation (1G) systems could support far more simultaneous calls but still used analog cellular technology.
- This database of laws provides a comprehensive view of the provisions of laws that restrict the use of mobile communication devices while driving for all 50 states and the District of Columbia between 1992 when first law was passed, through 1 December 2010.
- Mobile processors commonly use heterogeneous multicore architectures, combining cores with different performance and power characteristics so that computational workloads can be distributed according to their processing requirements and energy constraints.
- Restrictions on the use of mobile phones are applied in a number of different contexts, often with the goal of health, safety, security or proper functioning of an establishment, or as a matter of etiquette.
- In the U.S., the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulations prohibit the use of mobile phones aboard aircraft in flight.
- A pilot project in Bali was launched in 2011 by the International Finance Corporation and an Indonesian bank, Bank Mandiri.
Smartphones are defined by their advanced computing capabilities, which include internet connectivity and access to a wide range of applications. Mobile phone technology has progressed significantly since its origins, evolving from large car-mounted systems to compact, handheld devices. Furthermore, mobile phones offer satellite-based services, such as navigation and messaging, as well as business applications and payment solutions (via scanning QR codes or near-field communication (NFC)). The Motorola Razr V3 and LG Chocolate are two examples of devices that were popular for being fashionable while not necessarily focusing on the original purpose of mobile phones, i.e. a device to provide mobile telephony.
Software
A common data application on mobile phones is Short Message Service (SMS) text messaging. Feature phones have basic software platforms whilst smartphones have a fully-featured operating system (commonly abbreviated to an OS), with the two most-used platforms being Android and iOS. The exact number of cycles depends on factors such as charging habits, operating temperature, and battery management systems. The small speakers can also be used to listen to digital audio files of music or speech or watch videos with an audio component, without holding the phone close to the ear. Because of these problems, the performance of mobile phone CPUs is often more appropriately given by scores derived from various standardized tests to measure the real effective performance in commonly used applications.
In the earliest mobile phone systems by contrast, all control was done manually; the customer would search for an unoccupied channel and speak to a mobile operator to request connection of a call to a landline number or another mobile. A cellular network mobile phone system gets its name from dividing the service area into many small cells, each with a base station with (for example) a useful range on the order of a kilometer (mile). As well, technical limitations such as antenna efficiency and receiver design limit the range of frequencies a customer unit could use. The critical advantage that modern cellular networks have over predecessor systems is the concept of frequency reuse allowing many simultaneous telephone conversations in a given service area. Feature phones and basic mobile phones tend to use a proprietary, custom-designed software and user interface.
The introduction of Apple’s App Store for the iPhone and iPod Touch in July 2008 popularized manufacturer-hosted online distribution for third-party applications (software and computer programs) focused on a single platform. A mobile app is a computer program designed to run on a mobile device, such as a smartphone. Of the two, Android has been the best-selling system worldwide on smartphones since 2011, and as of March 2025, Android had 71.9% of the overall market share, while iOS had 27.7%. SIM and R-UIM cards may be mixed together to allow both GSM and CDMA networks to be accessed.
Software
Most early content for mobile phones tended to be copies of legacy media, such as banner advertisements or TV news highlight video clips. There are a huge variety of apps, including video games, music products and business tools. The first mobile news service, delivered via SMS, was launched in Finland in 2000, and subsequently many organizations provided “on-demand” and “instant” news services by SMS.
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Feature phones typically provide voice calling and text messaging functionality, in addition to basic multimedia and Internet capabilities, and other services offered by the user’s wireless service provider. Feature phone is a term typically used as a retronym to describe mobile phones which are limited in capabilities in contrast to a modern smartphone. The International Telecommunication Union measures those with Internet connection, which it calls Active Mobile-Broadband subscriptions (which includes tablets, etc.). The term “5G” was originally used in research papers and projects to denote the next major phase in mobile telecommunication standards beyond the 4G/IMT-Advanced standards. The first publicly available LTE service was launched in Scandinavia by TeliaSonera in 2009. By 2009, it had become clear that, at some point, 3G networks would be overwhelmed by the growth of bandwidth-intensive applications, such as streaming media.
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