Mobiles: Connecting the World

Cell phones tend to bring us more inside of our lives

Topic Outline
 Introduction
 History of mobiles
 Definition of a mobile and its components
 Functions of a modern mobile
 Mobiles: advantages and disadvantage

Introduction. Mobile phones have taken over our modern world. It seems almost
every person (even children from their early age) has got not just one but several ones at
the disposal. These small computer-like phones can access the internet, do countless tasks
through applications, and of course make calls and send text messages. Mobile phones like
any other invention have their history of invention.
History of mobiles. Mobile phones, particularly the smart phones, that have
become our inseparable companions today, are relatively new. However, the history of
mobile phones goes back to 1908 when a US Patent was issued in Kentucky for a wireless
telephone. Mobile phones were invented as early as the 1940s when engineers working at
AT&T developed cells for mobile phone base stations. The very first mobile phones were
not really mobile phones at all. They were two-way radios that allowed people like taxi
drivers and the emergency services to communicate. Instead of relying on base stations
with separate cells (and the signal being passed from one cell to another), the first mobile
phone networks involved one very powerful base station covering a much wider area.
Motorola, on 3 April 1973 were first company to mass produce the first handheld mobile
phone. Since then there have been several stages in the development of the devices until
they resemble the ones which we have at our disposal.
Thus, the most important are the following. In 1926 the first successful mobile
telephony service was offered to first class passengers on the Deutsche Reichsbahn on the
route between Berlin and Hamburg. Then in 1946 the first calls were made on a car
radiotelephone in Chicago. Due to the small number of radio frequencies available, the
service quickly reached capacity. The first public mobile phone call on a device that
weighed 1.1Kg was made in 1973. The world’s first ever SMS message was sent in the
UK in 1992. And of course there are several landmark phone handsets that made the
history. The iconic Nokia handsets are some of the phones that pushed the boundaries of
what was possible and paved the way for today’s smart phones. It was The Nokia 1100
that was launched in 2003 as a basic phone for developing-world countries. In 2007 the
iPhone debuted. In 2008 the first Android phone turned up. When text messages first
arrived in 2012, most people didn’t think they’d catch on.
Definition of a mobile and its components. A mobile phone (also known as a
hand phone, cell phone, or cellular telephone) is a small portable radio telephone.
The mobile phone can be used to communicate over long distances without wires. It works
by communicating with a nearby base station (also called a “cell site”) which connects it
to the main phone network. The hardware components of mobile devices include Central
Processing Unit (CPU), batteries, Random Access Memory (RAM), Read Only Memory
(ROM), removable storage such as memory cards, input components such as mouthpiece
or keyboard, and output components such as earpiece or screen. In general the main
components of a mobile phone are: a circuit board containing the brains of the phone, an
antenna, a liquid crystal display (LCD), a keyboard (not unlike the one you find in a TV
remote control), a microphone, a speaker and a battery.
Functions. Like traditional landline phones, mobile phones allow one user to call
another and talk from afar. Functions related to voice communications include automatic
redial, last number recall, caller ID, logging of incoming and outgoing calls, speakerphone
or hands-free capabilities, and speed dialing.
Mobiles: advantages and disadvantages. The major advantages to having
a mobile phone is that it is easier to express oneself through communication and creativity,
to access entertainment, to be safe, and to connect to the internet. Communicating with
loved ones, colleagues, friends, and more has never been simpler.
 Besides an ease of expression, the entertainment aspect of mobile phones is
substantial. Entertainment presupposes video and audio players which play a variety of
formats – such as remote control applications which play music tracks on your computer,
applications (app) that let you buy and sync music from the online stores and other
devices, compose and record songs, personalized radio, digital TV, streaming of live
scores and so on. Music and video applications are perhaps the most glaring example of
the rise of multimedia in entertainment, and include notable examples such as TuneIn
Radio, Apple Music, Play Music, Groove Music, Pandora, etc. Basically, the mobile
phone has become a miniature laptop computer in terms of its entertainment capabilities.
Mobile phones are not only fantastic for increasing communication, creativity, and
entertainment opportunities, but also for keeping us safe. Mobile phones allow us to call
for help, aid us in finding our cars, give us the opportunity to employ GPS to make sure
we do not get lost, and give us a hard weapon in hand. The more applications you have,
the greater chance you are safe. You might have a flashlight app, an emergency call app,
find your home app, and much more. The key is to have these apps handy in case a
difficult situation arises, instead of filing them away on your phone.
Mobile phones have a huge advantage over non-smart phones: the opportunity to
use the internet. The internet allows you to search for information so quickly, that even
competent people are often slower at recalling and coming up with the information you
need. Even with an internet connection based on data, a Google search takes little time.
You can search for the restaurant you want to go to, a word that you forgot, the location of
the nearest police office for aid, and find any other pertinent information. With its help, we
can be as smart and informed as we want to be at any given moment. It is hard to imagine,
but we have all the data and information we will ever need on our mobile phone, that is a
benefit that cannot be overlooked.
Moreover, mobiles have become a means of education both for schoolchildren and
students who can’t attend educational establishments. In this case they download
necessary apps to take online classes, receive and send tasks, do the assignments, etc.
Mobile devices have become some of the fastest advancing communication gadgets.
Students use their mobiles mostly for arranging meetings with their classmates and being
mutually informed about courses. They consider as most important the access to exam
results, exams’ timetable and previous exams. Furthermore, they would mostly like to use
their mobiles for acquiring information about lessons and exams.
No one can imagine a day without looking at their mobile screen.
But excessive mobile phone usage has a negative effect on the society. Spending too much
time on a mobile screen affects children’s development and education, social interaction,
and family relationships.
Giving mobile phones to children is an easy way to keep them occupied. A lot of
parents use this strategy to stop their children from nagging them all the time. However,
this approach can have disastrous results on the children who are engrossed on mobile
screen for hours. It impacts psychology and development of a child. The use of mobile
phones by children interferes with parental bonding. The use of the internet on cell phones
exposes children to inappropriate behaviors. They can easily access sites showing age
inappropriate content. This can have a negative impact on the psyche of the children,
leading to disturbing behavior.
The increasing usage of mobile phone negatively impacts health.
The researchers have also found that the use of mobile phone leads to changes in sleep
patterns, leading to insomnia. Spending time staring on the screen has been associated
with poor sleep efficiency and shorter sleep duration. Moreover, especially among
children, cell phones can be very distracting from more important events they should do,
such as studying, doing homework or even crossing the street. Research shows that
children are more likely to be hit by a vehicle if they are texting or talking on a cell phone
while crossing the street. Since these gadgets can connect them to the internet easy, they
would be taken away from their study or homework.
Addiction is another negative issue. It is easy to become addicted to mobile phones,
and the idea of leaving them at home or turning them off gives instant anxiety. This is also
due to the fact that making an actual voice phone call can cause nervousness so many
people would just prefer to converse in short text messages. And again, many people are
obsessed with checking in on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and other social media
networks.
 One more negative aspect that should be mentioned is dangerous driving. Despite
the fact that using mobile phone while driving is illegal, most people can’t resist the urge
to reply. Using mobile phone distracts the attention of the driver. Drivers who use mobile
phone while driving have reduced visual information of the road ahead which increases
the risk of accidents that might even prove fatal.
Of course mobiles as any technological innovation has its advantages and
disadvantages, and there are always people who misuse them.
Nowadays the situation has drastically changed with the beginning of the pandemic and
the necessity for people to be isolated for a rather long period of time. Mobiles have
become an access to the outer world, so texting and using social networks via mobiles is
perceived more as a benefit and blessing than a downside. Moreover, there has been noted
a tendency for values to be changed. Being isolated people started to appreciate face to
face communication and cherish personal moments with others more than ever since the
invention of this device.