CELL PHONE TECHNOLOGY-THE PAST, THE PRESENT, THE FUTURE

When you peer into crystal ball of technology, the mist of the past reveals that the history of cell phones go back down into the year 1843,when Michael Faraday studied to see if space could conduct electricity. This concept evolved into transmitting messages using atmosphere as a conducting medium. In the past they were synonymous to thick masonry bricks being carried around in dubiously bright neoprene covers and were good only for making occasional, static-filled phone calls and now comes an era of cell phones with the slimmest phone in the world having a thickness of only 11.9 mm (NEC e949) and the device weighs only 96 grams.

Cell phones today have become so pervasive that many countries (and a number of states) have passed laws preventing motorists from using handsets as they drive, namely the eerie hands-free conversationalist who appears to be deeply involved in a conversation with himself. But then cell phones are like Swiss knives, there is always room for invention.

The third generation of mobile technology or 3G as its known is considered as the cell phone equivalent of broadband and is rumoured to be soon followed by 3.5G and 4G. Japan has been labelled as the leader of the pack, with other countries following. Here are lists of few things experts believe cell phones will be capable of doing in the near future.

• By 2010 or so, handsets will use flexible or holographic displays and could have processors that run at clock speeds up to 5GHz. In addition, they may pack up to 10GB of flash memory or hard disks that can hold 20GB of data or more
• Geolocation: This utilizes the GPS (Global Positioning System) and helps find the users' own location, finds friends and family and access practical mapping services. In Europe, Siemens has released a phone the SXG75) equipped with a GPS module and navigation software, and the Tomtom Mobile 5 Navigation System and Wayfinder Mobile Navigation System, both with Bluetooth wireless
• A new technology standard called "near-field communications," or NFC, will turn cell phones into credit or debit cards. A chip is embedded in a phone that allows you to make a payment by using a touch-sensitive interface or by bringing the phone within a few centimeters of an NFC reader. Your credit card account or bank account is charged accordingly.
• Many phones today are equipped with dual radios that let subscribers roam on differently configured cellular networks throughout the world, but in the next few years handset makers will also embed Wi-Fi technology into phones, allowing customers to use the devices in any Wi-Fi network hot spot. If it proves successful, Wi-Fi calling would be one factor that could help to decrease calling costs and shrink revenue at traditional carriers.
• Games on cell phones have gained popularity with masses over a period of time. With the new 3G playing against someone on the other side of the coast may be as feasible as playing against someone online.
• Mobile television is another feature which is envisioned to capture the market. Consumers will have access to a wide range of TV possibilities on their phones, from original and professionally produced content to repurposed clips to live broadcasts and user-generated clips. One British research firm predicts that in five years, some 125 million people will be watching TV on their mobiles.
• There's no question that mobile music is hot and will continue to grow in popularity. All of this is going to lead to the point where there’s no real line between mobile phone and PDA, or MP3 player. Motorola has introduced a phone, the much-heralded Rokr, that runs Apple’s iTunes .
• The picture perfect celluloid camera is always on the road of improvement. Not satisfied with 5 mega pixels, it is rumored that the 8 mega pixel will be the next on the list.
• The disposable cell phones! Randi Altschul, a toy inventor from New Jersey will be soon providing the world with her new invention: the disposable cell phone. The phone will be extremely small (about the thickness of three credit cards), and just as lightweight. More good news is the price; the phones are expected to sell for under $20, which will include 60 prepaid minutes of calling time.
The Apple iPhones released in the market on June 29, 2007 for a contracted price of US$499 for the 4 GB model and US$599 for the 8 GB model has created a hysteria unknown to the consumers electronic market( you may even called it the Harry Potter of the electronic market). For those who don’t know what the iPhone is (which is highly unlikely, but still here it goes), it is a multimedia and Internet-enabled quad-band GSM EDGE-supported mobile phone designed and sold by Apple Inc. The iPhone's functions include those of a camera phone and a multimedia player, in addition to text messaging and visual voicemail. It also offers Internet services including e-mail, web browsing, and local Wi-Fi connectivity. User input is accomplished via a multi-touch screen with virtual keyboard and buttons.
Soon the cell phone of the future will replace every other gadget in the market and will be the one device possessed by everyone (hopefully not possessing everyone though). It will be our electronic wallet; our keys to the car and home; our databank; our means of communicating and obtaining information. It may sound unbelievable but then thanks to Apple, we’re only starting to realize just how much more potential the cell phone possesses and how much more it can.