After the creation of the first successful mobile phone in 1973, AT&T released a proposal for cellular coverage of the city of Chicago in 1974, which was the first attempt at publicizing the cellphone. The FCC, which remained skeptical about the promotion of the use of cellphones, rejected the idea until 1977, when it finally allowed for the testing of cellphones to the public, at which point the technology took off. The concept of data usage, now a part of almost every cellphone on the market, was introduced in 1992, when AT&T released the Pocketnet, a device that could connect to the Internet via a three-line screen. Now that the cellphone has become a staple in the lives of people around the world, it is worthwhile to trace the development of the cellphone since its creation. The different models of the cellphone reflect the changing needs and interests of the public, and show the impact that society has had on the development of the cellphone.
When the first model was created, cellphones were so large that they were mainly confined to cars, often fixed to the floor of the car so that they could not be taken out. Furthermore, many consumers were worried about other people listening in on their conversations if they were to speak in public, so there was no real demand for a phone that could be carried around as one walked down the street. At this time, cellphones were expensive enough that they were not readily available for personal use. Most of them were purchased by business, and were company phones, or possessions of the very wealthy. However, they were huge icons in pop culture, and began to pop up in all large movies from the time such as Wall Street. Based on the public interest towards cellphones, manufacturers understood that the logical next step in the design of the cellphone was to reduce their size and weight, and make them devices that could easily be carried. Their first goal was to make the cellphone an object that could “fit in one’s jacket pocket”.
From 1994-1996, the main changes to the design of the cellphone were the shortening of the antennae. In 1996, the antenna was removed completely from the design (apart from a few models, which left the antenna for aesthetic purposes). Once this was achieved, the next two years were spent making the cellphone more compact. By the end of 1997, a relatively convenient to carry model existed, and it was time to think of additions that would make the cellphone more attractive to consumers. In 1998, the first cellphone with an interactive screen was created, including basic features such as an alarm clock, and some entertainment applications such as games (Snake was the first game available on most phones). In 2000, the first phone with a touch screen was released, and was a huge crowd favorite. Although a much more primitive version of today’s touch screen phones, this allowed for a more interactive experience for users. The full QWERTY keyboard was also implemented for the first time on cellphones in the late 2000s. In 2002, due to changing consumer demands, Nokia released a phone, equipped with a 0.3 MP camera that allowed users to snap pictures on the go.
Beginning in 2003, the first phones that somewhat resemble the ones from today began to appear. First, the first dual screen cellphone was manufactured, with one small screen on the outside for alerts and notifications such as incoming messages, and a second, larger, screen on the inside to allow for the typing and reading of text messages. In 2004, Sony released the Walkman Phone, which allowed for the playback of music on the phone, something that has remained an important feature of phones until this day. In 2007, the first iPhone was invented, and it was the first phone featuring an operating system, which allowed for the creation of apps for the phone. At this point, a compact and easy to use phone with many additional features was already available. However, in 2008, when people’s work became more dependent on the use of computers, the cellphone had to change once again: People were now interested in being able to work from their phones, and the manufacturers who had worked so hard to make the cellphone a compact object were forced to once again expand it. It became more commonplace for phones to have a full QWERTY keyboard hidden underneath the screen, which would flip out to create a double paneled phone. Now that the cellphone was a more than just a device used to communicate with people on the go, more computing power was necessary, and a larger screen was also necessary to allow the cellphone to function as a viable working environment. By 2012, cellphones were fully equipped with high-speed internet, a GPS, a large amount of memory and data storage, and extremely high level cameras. In essence, users had the opportunity to carry a computer, landline, GPS, radio, and access to the Internet in their pockets!
We can clearly see how the cellphone was shaped by the needs of the people: Beginning as something that was necessary to make it more convenient for people to make arrangements while they were away from home, the cellphone developed to a more convenient replacement for landlines. The function of cellphones quickly shifted away from solely being a voice-calling device, with the invention of text messaging, and the ability to connect, albeit slowly, to the internet. In the mid 2000s, the cellphone was taken to another level when designers began the shift towards making cellphones mini-computers. This demand for the ability to perform complicated tasks on the cellphone increased the intricacy of the design, ultimately leaving us with one small device capable of a vast array of functions.
When the first model was created, cellphones were so large that they were mainly confined to cars, often fixed to the floor of the car so that they could not be taken out. Furthermore, many consumers were worried about other people listening in on their conversations if they were to speak in public, so there was no real demand for a phone that could be carried around as one walked down the street. At this time, cellphones were expensive enough that they were not readily available for personal use. Most of them were purchased by business, and were company phones, or possessions of the very wealthy. However, they were huge icons in pop culture, and began to pop up in all large movies from the time such as Wall Street. Based on the public interest towards cellphones, manufacturers understood that the logical next step in the design of the cellphone was to reduce their size and weight, and make them devices that could easily be carried. Their first goal was to make the cellphone an object that could “fit in one’s jacket pocket”.
From 1994-1996, the main changes to the design of the cellphone were the shortening of the antennae. In 1996, the antenna was removed completely from the design (apart from a few models, which left the antenna for aesthetic purposes). Once this was achieved, the next two years were spent making the cellphone more compact. By the end of 1997, a relatively convenient to carry model existed, and it was time to think of additions that would make the cellphone more attractive to consumers. In 1998, the first cellphone with an interactive screen was created, including basic features such as an alarm clock, and some entertainment applications such as games (Snake was the first game available on most phones). In 2000, the first phone with a touch screen was released, and was a huge crowd favorite. Although a much more primitive version of today’s touch screen phones, this allowed for a more interactive experience for users. The full QWERTY keyboard was also implemented for the first time on cellphones in the late 2000s. In 2002, due to changing consumer demands, Nokia released a phone, equipped with a 0.3 MP camera that allowed users to snap pictures on the go.
Beginning in 2003, the first phones that somewhat resemble the ones from today began to appear. First, the first dual screen cellphone was manufactured, with one small screen on the outside for alerts and notifications such as incoming messages, and a second, larger, screen on the inside to allow for the typing and reading of text messages. In 2004, Sony released the Walkman Phone, which allowed for the playback of music on the phone, something that has remained an important feature of phones until this day. In 2007, the first iPhone was invented, and it was the first phone featuring an operating system, which allowed for the creation of apps for the phone. At this point, a compact and easy to use phone with many additional features was already available. However, in 2008, when people’s work became more dependent on the use of computers, the cellphone had to change once again: People were now interested in being able to work from their phones, and the manufacturers who had worked so hard to make the cellphone a compact object were forced to once again expand it. It became more commonplace for phones to have a full QWERTY keyboard hidden underneath the screen, which would flip out to create a double paneled phone. Now that the cellphone was a more than just a device used to communicate with people on the go, more computing power was necessary, and a larger screen was also necessary to allow the cellphone to function as a viable working environment. By 2012, cellphones were fully equipped with high-speed internet, a GPS, a large amount of memory and data storage, and extremely high level cameras. In essence, users had the opportunity to carry a computer, landline, GPS, radio, and access to the Internet in their pockets!
We can clearly see how the cellphone was shaped by the needs of the people: Beginning as something that was necessary to make it more convenient for people to make arrangements while they were away from home, the cellphone developed to a more convenient replacement for landlines. The function of cellphones quickly shifted away from solely being a voice-calling device, with the invention of text messaging, and the ability to connect, albeit slowly, to the internet. In the mid 2000s, the cellphone was taken to another level when designers began the shift towards making cellphones mini-computers. This demand for the ability to perform complicated tasks on the cellphone increased the intricacy of the design, ultimately leaving us with one small device capable of a vast array of functions.