Cell+Phones

Overview
Cell phones are one of the most popular hand held technologies in use today. Though it seems impossible to imagine a world without them, not so long ago a world actually existed when every parent didn't ship their children off to kindergarten with a shiny, new distraction system. Cellular phone technology dates back to the 1920s, when radios were recognized as a possible communication method, not just an audio transmission system. It's important to note that while we understand "cell" phones and "mobile" phones to be pretty much synonymous today, this was definitely not always the case.

The first official cellular phones were used by the Swedish police in 1946. From our current perspective, these early cell phones were more akin to a walkie-talkie radio type of transmission, with a grainy signal and a minute range of operation. Though the technology for today's cell phones existed in the 1960s, cell areas (or what we think of as service areas) were very small. Small means only a couple of residential blocks. Producing cell phones, then, wasn't a very functional idea since you'd be out of service very quickly. This cell area flaw was modified by Amos Edward Joel at Bell Labs., when we created the "handoff" system, which allowed users to move between service areas without losing service.

The first real portable cell phone was produced by Motorola, and looked something like this. It took 15 years to develop, and at a hefty 13 inches tall was considered to be compact, lightweight and extremely hi-tech. "Portable" phones were a matter of interpretation for a while though, as they tended to be attached to these convenient carriers.The second generation cell phones (2G) were were considerably faster than their predecessors, which meant they operated faster and dropped fewer calls than ever before. The technology continued (and continues today) to advance at a rapid pace, with such necessities as Short Messaging Service (aka texting) becoming available in 2001. By 2006, there were 2.5 billion cell phone subscribers worldwide. That means that you probably think people without cell phones are weirdos.

History
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**Data/Research**
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**History**
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**Opinion**
Spring break about a month ago I went on a trip to Florida. About two days in my cousin and I decided to go to Universal Studios. One of their main attractions is The Hulk roller-coaster. If you have anything in your pockets while you ride this you will lose it to the mucky pond below filled with sodas and fried dough. I happened to have my new cell phone in my pocket that I purchased a week before my trip and lost it in the pond. My cousin's friend also lost his phone in the pond. While he was extremely upset, calling it and freaking out I felt that a burden was lifting off my shoulders. The rest of my vacation was great. No phone calls from Vermont telling me about the three feet of snow we got. No text messages from friends telling me how drunk they were. No ringing in my ear while I relaxed on the beach. Having no phone while on vacation was wonderful. When I came back to Vermont I didn't feel the need to get a new phone. I thought, "they didn't have cell phones 20 years ago, so I can survive." The first few days were not terrible. I had to finds other means of communication, which was sort of fun. People had to come over to my apartment if they wanted to speak to me. I used a pay-phone! After a week of this I started to miss out on things and felt anti-social. I had to buy a new phone. So this is coming from somebody who always buys the cheapest phones and views them as only a means of communication. I've never been a big fan of cell phones but I can officially say, to live comfortably, I need a cell phone. That is just how society primarily communicates today and if you do not have one then you are left out of the loop and in some cases, miss important opportunities or events. (nfoltz).

**Future Trends?**
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