Untitled Document
 It’s
hard to imagine that only 20 years ago, cell phones were considered
luxury items.
They may have been expensive, but they weren’t the sleek, convenient devices we see today. They
were big, heavy, and could only send and receive calls.
In fact, the world’s first commercial cell phone was
released to the public in 1983 by Motorola. The model was named DynaTAC
8000X but was appropriately nicknamed “The
Brick.” That’s because it was about 22 centimeters tall, weighed a
little more than a kilogram, and cost an astounding $3,995!
And, because of its inefficient battery, it could
only be used for 35 minutes before it had to charged, which took 10
hours!
 Thankfully, technology has
advanced rapidly since then. Today,
people depend on their cell phones for everything: communicating with friends
and family, taking photos, playing games, and surfing the Web. There’s
no doubt that cell phones have become an important part of lives,
and in this day and age, they’re a dime a dozen. At the end of 2011,
the latest figures available, the world had
6 billion cell phone subscribers, according to
a report released by the United Nations last year.
Although everyone can make phone calls now, do you know who placed
the first known cell phone call in history? That would be Motorola
Vice President Martin Cooper. The scene was a New York sidewalk on April 3, 1973.
Who did Mr. Cooper call? Surprisingly, he made the world’s first call
to his rival Joel Engel from another telecommunication company.
 “I called
Joel to tell him that the race to perfect cellular tech was over ?
Motorola had done it first,” Mr. Cooper said. Although his exact words weren’t recorded,
Mr. Cooper remembers saying something like, “I’m ringing you just
to see if my call sounds good at your end.”
Mr. Cooper remembers that many New Yorkers stopped to watch him as
he walked along the city’s streets, making phone calls to many people.
He made a phone call to a New York Times reporter while crossing a
street, which he calls “the most dangerous thing I’ve ever done.”
On April 3, 2013, the cell phone turned 40 years old. Even though
you may be happy with your current cell phone or smartphone,
can you imagine what they will look like in another 40 years? |
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