It's 2016 and the question is: "Do you have a cell phone?" - sounds as stupid as ever. Why is there a phone - everyone has been walking with smartphones for a long time, and the fact that earlier with the help of the device it was only possible to talk is puzzling to many. It used to be a little different. People were also embarrassed that the phones could ring, it was no less surprising, but it happened without a share of contempt, but with sincere admiration.
The history and evolution of phones is quite bright and fast. Few technical means have developed at such a rapid pace. The evolution of cell phones turned out to be even more rapid. Just a few leaps in the last 30 years have turned a communication device into a perfect computer.
It's time to remember and nostalgic. In this material, we will return to the main historical events in the world of cell phones, consider such an entity as the “evolution of mobile phones”, photos of the first such devices and look into the future…
The Pioneers…
Device Nokia Mobira Senator. 1982
If we talk about the origins, it is worth turning your attention to the first experiment of engineers from Finland. The evolution of cell phones and cellular networks began precisely with thismiracle. It was one of the first phones to support first generation cellular networks.
Mobira Senator was not really a mobile phone, but a so-called category of car phones. The weight of the device was almost 10 kg - and really far from the mobile phone. But this was only the first building block from which the evolution of phones was based.
Truly mobile
Motorola DynaTAC 8000X device. 1984
The first compact device appeared to the world 2 years later, when Motorola made its first breakthrough. It was a truly unique product, which is an engineering find. The problem was only in commercial implementation. Despite the fact that the gadget was very convenient and compact (weight 800 grams and length 25 centimeters), it failed. The reason for the failure was: a huge cost - $ 4,000, and low battery life. You could talk on the phone for no more than an hour.
Even more compact
Nokia Cityman; Motorola MicroTAC. 1987-1989.
Surprisingly, but already in the 80s, developers wanted to spit on autonomy and began a crazy race for millimeters and grams. Two seminal devices came out between 1987 and 1989.
An engineering novelty from Nokia impressed with its dimensions: there were no such compact devices (even taking into account the antenna). The phone became a real legend, shone in various films, becoming an icon among mobile communications.
Two years later, engineers from Motorola stepped in to make an even more compact device. The tiny MicroTac weighed only 300 grams, which certainly affected the battery life of the phone, it was reduced by half an hour compared to the previous generation.
GSM era
Orbitel 901, Nokia 1011. 1992.
The evolution of phones is inextricably linked with the development of mobile networks. Back in 1991, the first GSM network was launched in Finland.
After some time, a device capable of working with it appeared. The first sign was Orbitel 901, which resembles a modern home phone with its appearance. The phone weighed over 2 kg. This, of course, is not 10, but still enough for the phone to forever migrate to the car and die there safely.
Dramatic changes came with Nokia. The evolution of phones in general is inextricably linked with this company, but in 1992 the company took a step forward by introducing an incredibly compact phone with support for the modern GSM standard.
Antennaless design, games and ringtones
Hagenuk MT-2000, Nokia 2110. 1994.
The evolution of phones, like any other kind of progress, is merciless and will swallow up anyone who does not fight for their position, even if he introduced something new that seriously affected the market. The same happened with the Hangenuk brand. Perhaps the only currently known gadget from a German company is the MT 2000, which became the firsta phone that has a video game added to it. At its core, the game resembled Tetris. Another distinctive feature of the device was a new unique design - the antenna was hidden in the case itself.
The Nokia brand, already well-known at that time, continued the procession of multimedia functions, introducing the ability to listen to melodies in its phones.
The world's first smartphone
Simon Personal Computer. 1994
Everyone who is young in soul and body will not believe, but the first PDA was developed back in 1994 by IBM. By today's standards, the specifications of the Simon Personal Communicator seem ridiculous, but at that time it was a bomb (but not like the Galaxy Note 7).
Large, 4.5-inch, monochrome, resistive display with a tiny resolution of 300 by 160 dots. The smartphone had a decent set of programs that together turned it into a good organizer. The phone, in addition to calls, could answer emails, make calculations on a calculator, create calendar events, and so on.
Super-STAR 90s
Motorola StarTAC. 1996
The evolution of Motorola phones is closely associated with flip phones, a sea of pathos and advertising.
So, for example, the company liked to create phones in original design. One of these was StarTAC, which did not have decent characteristics, did not even work with GSM at first, but at the same time became wildly popular due to its external characteristics.
The phone was 19 centimeters long, compact and considered very stylish.
First smart watch and GPS in mobile phones
Samsung SPH-SP10, Benefon ESC. 1999.
In 2015, we were introduced to the Apple Watch as a wrist phone. It turns out that a similar one had already been developed more than 15 years before. A phone in the form factor of a watch was introduced by a Korean corporation back in 1999.
It was also during this period that the first phone supporting GPS navigation services entered the market.
Hi Snake & MP3
Nokia 3310, Samsung UpRoar. 2000.
The evolution of mobile phones at the beginning of the 21st century has entered a new phase and has become directly dependent on what multimedia capabilities will be added to the device.
There is hardly a person now who does not know about the “Snake” (in the original Snake). A simple but addictive game came into this world with the new Nokia phones released in 2000.
Then the music world started to move, something was wrong with MP3 players, and Samsung decided to strike. The history of this company and the evolution of Samsung phones have shown more than once that the company is better than others at copying and making failed experiments. In 2000, a year before the release of the iPod, the Koreans decided to add the ability to listen to MP3 music to their phones. It would seem brilliant, but, alas, the phone did not gain much popularity, while it became a significant detail in the mechanism of progress.
New flow of communicators
Nokia Communicator 9500, Blackberry 6210. 2003-2004.
The first prerequisites for transforming phones into compact computers appeared long before the Nokia Communicator and Blackberry, but these models greatly influenced this process. Both phones were widely used in corporate environments, where a full feature rich physical keyboard was key.
Coup. The first smartphone to impress
iPhone 2G. 2007.
One of the symbols of the decade was introduced to the world by the legendary Steve Jobs almost 10 years ago. The product of the California corporation became a real triumph, because it was the first smartphone with a capacitive “multi-touch” screen capable of recognizing gestures. The first iPhone was not equipped with any powerful hardware, it had a mediocre camera, it was very expensive, but surprising, and this was the decisive factor.
The evolution of Apple's phone further set the tone for the entire industry and irrevocably influenced the development of the market.
Despite the fact that only the lazy did not laugh at the iPhone at the time of its release, it was this product that ruined several large companies and allowed the "apple" office to get rich.
The Birth of Android
HTC Dream. 2008.
The emergence of such a mastodon as the iPhone, could not but give rise to the same serious competitors. In 2008, the first smartphone based on the new operating system was introduced,developed by an alliance of companies led by Google.
HTC Dream was a kind of compromise between classic PDAs (the phone had a physical keyboard) and modern smartphones with touch screens. It was the first uncertain step in the development of the most popular mobile system.
The stillborn Windows Phone phenomenon
LG Optimus 7. 2010.
After a few years, Apple was already bathed in luxury, and Android was rapidly gaining momentum. At this time, Microsoft finally realized that it was time to take action, and they entered the market with Windows Phone, which was notoriously a failed product. Collaboration with LG proved disastrous for both parties.
The tiled, awkward interface, lack of third-party support put Microsoft in the catch-up position they hold to this day.
Hey, Siri
iPhone 4s. 2011.
The last brainchild of Steven Paul Jobs, which he could not present in person. A smartphone from Apple with the article 4s was the first in which real artificial intelligence settled. Siri was the first truly human voice assistant. "Living" in the bowels of the iPhone, the girl could tell the weather, read the mail, send a message and much more.
A year later, Google followed suit, releasing its analogue of the voice assistant, and a year later, the Koreans from Samsung joined them, once again failing in the field of software.
Samsung as the new mobile market leader
Samsung Galaxy S series. 2013-2016.
The next major player in the smartphone market was Samsung. The Koreans have overclocked very hard, their Galaxy line has gained worldwide popularity, and now they own the largest user base.
Samsung copied what Apple did for a long time, until it finally got on its way. Phones from Korea have acquired their own character, unique design, new features. The company has acquired a number of patented technologies, creating the best conditions in the market for itself. Today, Samsung is the most dangerous competitor for Apple, with the best Android smartphones. The evolution of Samsung phones is a great example of how you can build your own successful business on someone else's example.
Chinese expansion
The lines of Xiaomi, Oppo, OnePlus, Meizu. 2014.
When smartphones gained enough popularity and began to bring in a lot of money, the Chinese joined the race. The Chinese copy as well as the Koreans, but they do not have the pride of Samsung, and therefore they began to sell their gadgets at unimaginably dumping prices, thereby giving rise to a completely new market. A market where you could get a “top-end” smartphone for a measly $200.
During this dangerous period for flagships, many companies appeared that quickly disappeared from the radar, but still managed to grab their piece of the pie.
Wireless sound, frameless displays and the firstphone from Google
iPhone 7, LeEco, Xiaomi Mix, Google Pixel. 2016.
Despite the fact that many users are fed up and are rather skeptical about the novelties of the current year, it is worth noting that they are decisive for the future. There are no cardinal changes in the developments of 2016, this is just the evolution of phones, but very high quality and ambiguous.
For example, Apple released the most controversial smartphone in its history. Cupertino thought it was time to get rid of the headphone jack and "transplant" all users to wireless options. LeEco, based on rumors, did the same.
The Chinese from Xiaomi decided to make the dreams of their fans come true and presented a smartphone whose display occupies 91% of the front panel (an absolute record).
Surprised and Google, which this year finally decided to release its own smartphone with a completely new voice assistant. And this is just the beginning.
All these “boring” novelties will have a serious impact on the industry in the future, and users and potential buyers can only watch what engineers around the world have prepared for them, how these hard workers will surprise again, where the evolution of phones will turn, photos of which concepts already today excite consciousness…
