Cell phone technology has gotten so popular, it is taken for granted by most people who use it. But did you know that it was only forty years ago that the first phone call was made? And ever since it has shaped culture in ways that the person who made the initial call never imagined.
Today is the fortieth birthday of cell phone technology. In less than half a century, cell phone technology has shaped modern culture and communication more than it was imagined when the first phone call was made.
In April 3, 1973, Martin Cooper, then a senior engineer at Motorola, made the first cell phone call ever.
Now at age 85, Cooper opened up about his experience with news reporters. The call was made in the presence of a journalist. It was to his chief competitor Dr. Joel S. Engel, who was head of Bell Labs at the time. He told Engel: "Joel, this is Marty. I'm calling you from a cell phone, a real handheld portable cell phone."
Although the first call was made to show off a new technology, it marked an important period in technology. Years later, Engel tells Cooper that he doesn't remember the call, however.
In an interview Cooper discussed various ways in which mankind could benefit from the use of mobile phones. Even though Motorola gave him only $1 million at the time for all of his inventions relating to the invention of the mobile phone, the company treated him well, he told reporters.
A major sector where modern mobile carriers could improve on is on reliability of coverage rather than market speed, according to Cooper. "The emphasis of the carriers has been to market speed, and yet the technology exists today, and it's being adopted slowly ... that would give us really solid coverage and increase the capacity of the system."
If you are out celebrating the 40th birthday of the first cell phone call ever made, make sure to do it somewhere it won’t distract you from driving. As it turns out, April is the nations’ distracted driving awareness month. Some states, such as California, are issuing citation for those who are out driving a vehicle and using a cell phone at the same time. These fines run upwards of $150 minimum for the first offence and drivers violating this law will not be let off with a warning. Subsequent offences will end up running about $100 more.
Authorities deem distracted driving dangerous. When the person operating the vehicle shifts their focus from the road and towards their phone a slew of things can happen. Moving at highway speeds, drivers can cover a football field in a matter of seconds. This then could lead to car accident, which then cause serious and unnecessary injuries and deaths. These end up costing people lots of pain both financial and emotional.
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