Mobile phone Wikipedia
Mobile phones are considered an important human invention as it has been one of the most widely used and sold pieces of consumer technology. A study by the London School of Economics found that banning mobile phones in schools could increase pupils’ academic performance, providing benefits equal to one extra week of schooling per year. They also stated that with the lack of data for the research and the usage periods of 15 years will warrant further research for smartphones and the cause of brain tumors. In most jurisdictions, prison inmates are forbidden from possessing mobile phones due to their ability to communicate with the outside world and other security issues.
Today, mobile phones are globally ubiquitous, and in almost half the world’s countries, over 90% of the world population, or approximately 7.2 billion people, owns at least one. Mobile phones also support a variety of multimedia capabilities, such as digital photography, video recording, and gaming. Modern mobile telephony relies on a cellular network architecture, which is why mobile phones are often referred to as ‘cell phones’ in North America.
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.
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 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. Demand for metals used in mobile phones and other electronics fuelled the Second Congo War, which claimed almost 5.5 million lives. Even so, mobile phones typically have less value on the second-hand market if the phones original IMEI is blacklisted.
Software
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.
The first GSM phones and many feature phones had NOR flash memory, from which processor instructions could be executed directly in an execute in place architecture and allowed for short boot times. Capacity was further increased when phone companies implemented digital networks. Due to bandwidth limitations each cell will have a maximum number of cell phones it can handle at once. The cell towers are usually interconnected to each other and the phone network and the internet by wired connections.
Screen time, the amount of time using a device with a screen, has become an issue for mobile phones since the adaptation of smartphones. As of 2007, some hospitals had banned mobile devices due to a common misconception that their use would create significant electromagnetic interference. 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. Japan prohibits all mobile phone use while driving, including use of hands-free devices.
- The race to create truly portable telephone devices began after World War II, with developments taking place in many countries.
- Early predecessors of cellular phones included analog radio communications from ships and trains.
- There are a huge variety of apps, including video games, music products and business tools.
- Most modern mobile phones use lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries, which are designed to endure between 500 and 2,500 charge cycles.
- Some audio-quality enhancing features, such as Voice over LTE and HD Voice, have appeared and are often available on newer smartphones.
- Mobile phone use while driving, including talking on the phone, texting, or operating other phone features, is common but controversial.
Battery
This was followed by 3.5G or 3G+ enhancements based on the high-speed packet access (HSPA) family, allowing UMTS networks to have higher data transfer speeds and capacity. In 2001, the third-generation (3G) was launched in Japan by NTT DoCoMo on the WCDMA standard. Cooper made the first ever call on a cell phone when he called Joel S. Engel, a rival cash lounge casino of his who worked for AT&T, saying, “I’m calling you on a cell phone, but a real cell phone, a personal, handheld, portable cell phone.”
Software
Some mobile phones can make mobile payments via direct mobile billing schemes, or through contactless payments if the phone and the point of sale support near field communication (NFC). Eventually, the idea spread and in 1999, the Philippines launched the country’s first commercial mobile payments systems with mobile operators Globe and Smart.citation needed Recently, unique content for mobile phones has been emerging, from ringtones and ringback tones to mobisodes, video content that has been produced exclusively for mobile phones.citation needed
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.
- 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.
- Capacity was further increased when phone companies implemented digital networks.
- Due to the increasing complexity of mobile phones, they are often more like mobile computers in their available uses.
- In 1979, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone (NTT) launched the world’s first cellular network in Japan.
- 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.
- Due to bandwidth limitations each cell will have a maximum number of cell phones it can handle at once.
- Recently, unique content for mobile phones has been emerging, from ringtones and ringback tones to mobisodes, video content that has been produced exclusively for mobile phones.citation needed
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.
