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The history of cell phones is not long. Work on the development of the first portable device of this type has been going on since the beginning of the 20th century. In fact, the history of telephones in earnest began only in its second half. Who invented this device? What are the most important interesting facts about cell phones?
Cell phones – interesting facts that may surprise you
The smartphones we have at our disposal today are the result of many years of work. Once the first phones were invented, there was an express progression in their development. In 2022, the International Telecommunications Union reported that there are more than 6.5 billion phones in the world, 3.2 of which are smartphones. What is worth knowing about these devices?
The first prototype phone was unveiled in 1973.
The device was invented by Martin Cooper. The former Motorola DynaTAC. It was inspired by the equipment used by Kirk in the space series “Star Trek”. It is interesting to note that work on this model lasted only three months. While presenting the device, Cooper called the head of Bell Labs – Joel Engel. The first prototype of a cell phone was created much earlier by Ericsson, and it happened in 1956. On the other hand, it would have been difficult to carry around – it weighed about 40 kg.
Nokia 1100 best-selling phone ever
Those who bought their first phones in the 1990s and early 2000s are certainly very familiar with the Nokia brand. Its phones were very popular at the time, and were famous for their durability. Today, dropping a smartphone without proper protection on a hard surface means costly repairs. Nokia was able to survive a lot, and even if it fell apart, it usually continued to work flawlessly after being reassembled.
The number of copies of the device sold is estimated at 250 million. The phone appeared on the market in 2003. It had dimensions of 106 × 40 × 20 mm and weighed 93 g. A model that achieved similar sales was the Nokia 1110. Interestingly, the Nokia 1100 is still available for purchase online!
Source: https://pl.aliexpress.com/item/4001250540797.html?pdp_npi=2%40dis%21PLN%21150%2C06%20z%C5%82%21126%2C03%20z%C5%82%21%21%21%21%21%40211b5e2316759387547546974e0b9e%2110000015467430358%21btf&_t=pvid%3A6951ef88-d634-4cb6-95f5-701943760821&afTraceInfo=4001250
Smartphones are… dirtier than a toilet
This information may surprise you. Phones are a place where a lot of bacteria accumulate. Research on this issue has been conducted by the British consumer organization Which, among others. The analysis showed that smartphones have fecal bacteria, staphylococci, streptococci and more. On the dirtiest iPad they checked, 600 units of staph were detected. What can you do to prevent this? First of all, don’t carry your phone with you to the toilet. Surveys show that more than 60% of Americans do this. Experts say that taking the device with you to the toilet means about the same as leaving it without washing your hands. Why? Well, a smartphone in the toilet is in the field of fire of the fountain of flushing water.
Throwing a phone is… a sport.
Is it hard to believe? But it’s true! The origins of the sport date back to the 1980s. In 2000, the Finns held the world championship in this sport for the first time. Later, other such competitions were held, not only in Finland, but also in Switzerland, among others. The record holder when it comes to the long-distance telephone throw is Dries Feremans, who achieved a result of more than 110 meters. The result was entered in the Guinness Book of Records.
Android the clear market leader in mobile operating systems
More than 70% of mobile devices have Android installed, which has remained the undisputed leader for more than 10 years, with iOS in second place. The share of the others is small, even symbolic – less than 1%. What is the reason for such dominance of Android? Well, it is installed on the devices of most popular brands that offer smartphones.
Source: mobile-operating-systems-since-2009/
The first smartphone went on sale in 1994
A prototype of this device was presented by IBM in 1992 and went on sale two years later. It was the IBM Simon Personal Communicator. It is considered the world’s first smartphone, and it appeared 15 years before the launch of the iPhone. With a contract with an operator, its cost started at $899. The device was equipped with a touchscreen LCD display, but a stylus was required for operation. The equipment allowed sending e-mails and faxes. It had quite a few features, including a calendar and appointment scheduler. The smartphone was not a sales success – buyers found about 50,000 of these devices.
Chinese have special sidewalks for… smartphone users
The sight of people walking staring at their phones is not surprising. In the Chinese city of Chongqing, a stretch of sidewalk, about 50 meters, has been divided – one side is for standard pedestrian traffic, and the other is for pedestrians who are staring at their phones. Organizing the route was intended to draw attention to risky behavior – people who look at their phones while walking pose a danger to themselves and other people.
In the U.S., smartphone use while driving and crossing lanes was identified in 2016 as the cause of a huge increase in pedestrian deaths. This was the highest result in 20 years.
Smartphones have more power than the computers that guided the Apollo 11 mission
Today, the average smartphone has more computing power than the onboard computers on the Apollo 11 expedition – this is, of course, about the manned mission to the moon that took place in the 1950s. Not much else. In 2020, a programmer who introduces himself as Forrest Heller determined that C-loaders, equipped with simple microprocessors, have power far superior to the most advanced units of the time.
There is a disorder involving fear of… not having a cell phone
The smartphone is addictive and it is one of humanity’s problems. For many, it means spending their free time exclusively in front of the screen, avoiding meetings, playing sports. In 2008, the term nomophobia first began to be used, which means the fear of not having access to a phone. The development of this phenomenon is linked to the popularization of the Internet. We used to use it only on computers – now we can do it almost anywhere. A person affected by this disorder has panic attacks at the mere thought that he or she might be without a phone, unable to access the network or have low battery power in the equipment.
World’s most expensive phones cost millions of dollars
The most expensive is Falcon Supernova iPhone 6 Pink Diamond – about $48.5 million. Why? Mainly because of the 24-karat gold with which it is covered. The device is decorated with a gemstone, and it also has built-in anti-theft protection.
Other phones that cost a fortune include the iPhone 4s Elite Gold ($9.4 million), iPhone 4 Diamond Rose Edition ($8 million) and Goldstriker iPhone 3GS Supreme (3.2 million).