The story behind the Smartphone’s

Story behing smartphone

In life, communication is the key to enabling successful human relationships. Whether in your place of work, business, or daily engagement with people, you need communication. Without it, humans would have found it very difficult to know what the next person or neighbour thinks or wants of them.

Back in the 19th century, before mobile phones came into existence, human beings connected more through one on one relationships. This also included sending letters through the mail courier service or simply making phone calls via a telephone booth.

At the time, it was hard to imagine human beings walking with phones from one place to another. The mobile phone is now here with us and has created a major shift in the way we relate and interact with one another.

A mobile phone’s primary function is to facilitate voice communication between two people who are a long distance apart. Mobile phones saved users the trouble of having to be in their office, house, or telephone booth to make a call.

In the 21 st century, we are not only talking about cell phones but smartphones as well. However, in between the mobile phone and the Smartphone also occurred the Personal digital assistant phone abbreviated as PDA.

Cell phones, PDAs and Smartphone’s Explained

Over the last 20 years, man’s communication devices have transitioned from only doing voice communications to performing computer and online tasks. How are these communication devices different from each other? Let’s find out.

The Cell phone

The cell phone is an extremely advanced radio. Just like a radio, it uses a frequency for communication. However, unlike radio, it uses two frequencies one for communication and one for listening. They connect to wireless communication networks through a satellite transmission or radio wave.

The word cell comes from the division of a geographical location, like let’s say a city or country into small units called a cell. One phone user in cell A, for example, can be able to communicate with another cell user in cell Z. This operation coined the name cell phone. A mobile phone/cell phone performs the following basic functions:

  • Enables voice communication
  • Enables the sending of messages (SMS) and
  • The Multi-media message service

With the continued growth in technology, there are mobile phones that can now send emails and browse the internet.

The Personal Digital Assistant Device

Personal Digital Assistant Device - PDA
Personal Digital Assistant Device – PDA

This device, also known as the hand-held PC was popular till 2000 when it was discontinued and overtaken by the Smartphone’s popularity. It was instrumental in managing the personal information of its users.

A PDA was more or less like a Smartphone. It could connect one to the internet with an electronic visual display that allowed a browser use. The basic functions of a PDA included:

  • Fax sender
  • Voice communication
  • Personal organizer
  • Web browser

The Smartphone

A Smartphone is an integration of the mobile phone and the features of a PC operating system. Apart from maintaining voice communication, it performs other complex functions that cannot be done by a cell phone. Now, the Smartphone uses an advanced system referred to as the mobile operating system.

This system plays a big part in helping App developers to develop Mobile Apps that increase the Smartphone user experience. Smartphone operating systems in the market today are the popular Android, IOS, and windows. Tasks a Smartphone can do include:

  • Store information
  • Allows you to send emails
  • Allows the installation of mobile application apps
  • Comes with a web-browser that connects you to the internet

In today’s social media age, the number of Smartphone users has enormously ballooned. This is partly fueled by social interactions online and the pressure to move with the technology trends. Desktop computer users are becoming fewer by the day as the Smartphone can perform simple computer functions.

A data analysis conducted in 2013, showed that 34% of online users in America accessed the internet using smartphones as compared to 27% who used desktops.

The Smartphone Addiction

Smartphone Addiction
Smartphone Addiction

Social media growth and the increased use of Smartphones appear to go hand in hand. With several social media streams such as Twitter, Instagram, and WhatsApp the pressure to have a Smartphone has never been so high.

In fact, not having a Smartphone today makes you socially awkward. More to this, you are bound to have no fulfilling social life as the majority of your friends, colleagues, and acquaintances are spending most of their time online.

Teenagers are the most affected lot. With their hyperactivity online, they tend to set the pace of things with endless conversations, photo uploads, and memes. Adults, knowingly or unknowingly also join the fray and the cycle continues.

Danger Lurks

While Smartphone developers are bent on building better phones that will ensure more excellent user experience, not many users are aware of the dangers that lie on the internet. Technology firms strive to build stronger security systems and encryptions in their gadgets to protect user data. However, this is not enough if you are oblivious to the risks that lie on the internet.

Every device that connects to the internet has an IP address that is provided by your internet services providers such as AT $ T. Your ISP has got your personal details such as your location and web activity. This means your personal information is not private online.

If you visit sites with weak security systems, hackers can access your information and use it for profit or malicious purposes. Your location could also be traced by cybercriminals. To stay safe, you want to use a VPN while online. If you have no idea about your data privacy online, here is a beginner’s guide to VPNs.

Conclusion

In the 18th century communication over long distances was slow and limited. Mobile phones were also still out of the picture. Most people relied on the mail courier service for communication through post mail. Telephone communications were mostly landline. However, as technology grew, new communication devices were introduced into the world such as Cellphones, PDAs, and smartphones.

Communication over long distances is now fast and global as you can virtually communicate with every person in the world. Smartphone use has skyrocketed and the internet is more accessible than ever before. However, with all these technological changes you still need to be wary of your security.

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