Smartphones are one of the most rapidly developing pieces of consumer technology to exist in the 21st century. We’re here to analyse the evolution of phones so far and what we can expect to see in the future.
First phones
The first phone was invented in 1876 by Alexander Graham Bell. Prior to this, the printing press was a huge phenomenon in communications until the telegraph was developed.
As printing was the key format for mass messages, the telegraph allowed instant communication over long distances for the first time in history. The telephone then quickly became the fastest way to communicate person-to-person, completely revolutionising the world of communicating.
First mobile phone
The first mobile phone was released over 100 years later in 1984, weighing over a kilogram. Engineers had raced to build a cellular phone network from scratch, in order to completely change the way we communicate forever.
Initially, two-way radiophones were only used by the police and military personnel to stay in contact during ever-changing situations. However, these private networks required heavy-duty equipment and were inaccessible to the public.
That’s when Martin Cooper, the engineer from Motorola, developed the first hand-held portable phone that could connect over mobile networks. It was incredibly expensive and was the must-have accessory for wealthy entrepreneurs and wealthy finance workers.
Development of smartphones
Smartphones were developed from the 1990s to 2010s, with leaders like Apple and Samsung releasing popular smartphone devices that quickly became the norm.
These gadgets outdated previous models, allowing users to access the internet on their mobile device, as well as being able to download applications and watch video streaming services at the touch of a finger.
Present day
In today’s modern era, we have come leaps and bounds from the very first smartphone, with huge amounts of development in storage and camera quality.
We’ve also had developments in ultra-fast USB connections, meaning charging your phone has become increasingly faster than ever before. We now have wireless earphones that easily connect to your smartphone, as well as smart watches that can easily sync up with your contacts, messages and other applications in just a few seconds.
Future of smartphones
With the trend in development of mobile phones and smartphones constantly emerging, we don’t see this slowing down anytime soon.
The race to create new technologies for smartphones between competitors is certainly on, with new future features potentially including virtual and augmented reality and holographic display technology. This means your future phone could render 3D images and videos that could float above your device and can be viewed from multiple angles, without the need for you to wear 3D glasses.
