From Stone Age communication to 2009: the Ever-Changing Mobile PhoneIn 1876, Alexander Graham Bell filed for a patent for his famous telephone. More than a century later the telephone has gone mobile, and what was once simply a communication device has become much more. In truth, there are few technological gadgets that have undergone the number of changes and been available in so many interesting permutations as the modern mobile phone. It certainly seems that mobiles have gone from stone age communication to 2009 in a very short time. But where is the industry headed? Today the undeniable trend is for more mobile phone options and accessories and above all for apps. If you somehow missed it, an app is like a mini computer program that lets users perform a variety of important functions. And lately apps (applications) have become a legitimate industry as their popularity has exploded on the internet. This trend began in earnest when Apple announced that their famous App Store had recently performed its one billionth download. While industry insiders had been keeping close track of the popularity of apps, they had no idea users were downloading so many of them. In no time at all, companies redirected their research and development budgets toward the production of applications. With the App Store out to a big lead, every other mobile phone maker is playing catch up. Though most are presently obsessed with apps, there are other interesting improvements in the future. For example, Motorola received a patent for solar cell technology and has been working on it for a couple of years now. Solar cells, as you might expect, are mobile phones that quickly and easily recharge themselves while in the sun. The company hopes to release a new line of phones sometime in the near future. |