An Introduction

It has been four decades since Dr. Martin Cooper (who was then the general manager of Motorola’s communications systems division) made the world’s first cellular mobile phone call. This year marks the 41^st year when that call was made, and with it, it is also the 41^st year of the mobile phone’s existence. With that being said, compared to other communications-related inventions, the mobile phone (or hand phone, or cell phone, depending on where you come from) is still a relatively young invention, although it has made rapid progress in its design and technology.

Today, most of our mobile phones have become what we call “smartphones.” We use them for virtually everything. From the basic functions of communicating with one another via phone calls or text messages to online communication applications (or apps) such as Skype and Whatsapp, we use our mobile phones today to explore social media, do our online shopping, book appointments, and play games. We also use them as our alarm clocks, to watch videos, view photos, and listen to music. But what were mobile phones like back then? I am sure that for many of us at least, we have used some of these older mobile phones, but are we still able to remember what kind of functions these older models had, or its limitations?

This report will trace the development of the mobile phone, from when Dr. Martin Cooper made that very first call, to the 4G smartphones that are so commonly available to all of us today. In this report, I will present significant milestones and phone models and how each of them have shaped and made an impact on mobile phone culture and technology today.

So, let us begin!