A mobile phone, cell phone or hand phone, sometimes shortened to just mobile, cell or simply hand phone, can easily make and receive calls on a frequency signal that is transmitted by a base station. This signal is usually received by a base station in the vicinity of the phone’s destination. This service is provided by a number of wireless companies and it is becoming increasingly popular. Many people prefer to use a mobile phone since it is convenient, easy to carry, and is inexpensive to purchase and to operate.
In many countries surveyed, majorities (at least 90%) say that they have a cell phone. In other countries, fewer than a minority (roughly 25%) report having a hand-held device. Where the cell telephone is used for business purposes, more individuals (roughly two-thirds) say they own a business cell phone. This is particularly the case in developed countries. In developing countries, a majority of the population owns at least one hand-held unit. These countries typically have low Internet access rates, so most adults say they still use their cell phones for making and receiving calls on the Internet, as well as making and receiving calls in other countries.
In several developed countries, people say they now use their mobile phones for web browsing: this is especially true in Europe, where mobile phones are much more prevalent than in the U.S. In some countries, people could hardly find a handset weighing less than seven ounces. In developed countries, people could barely find a handset weighing anything lower than five ounces. Most people would not want a device weighing more than twenty pounds. For the typical adult, a typical mobile phone should weigh no more than fifteen pounds.
Smartphones are quickly gaining in popularity: it has become common to see young people carrying smartphones. In developed countries, smartphone users are younger than older generations. The younger generations have embraced smartphone apps more enthusiastically than older generations. As smartphones gain in popularity, developers will continue to improve their mobile apps in order to support a variety of consumers. As time goes on, smartphone apps may also incorporate camera functions or allow users to access maps through their smartphones.
Some developing countries have lower Internet access rates and fewer people could access mobile phone services unless they have a very expensive mobile phone plan. This means that people in these regions could make calls and receive calls at higher costs than others. If people in these regions do not have a mobile phone service, they would be limited in their ability to make calls and to receive calls cheaply. This would be a bad development for the local economy. Fortunately, developers have developed ways to offer cheap mobile phone services in these regions.
The final type of mobile phone technology is wireless cellular service (or sometimes known as CDMA). Cellular service operates on a few channels, which means that different cellular phones will be able to connect to different base stations. If you move from point A to point B, then your cellular phone will pick up your signal and go to point B. Your cellular phone will only work on a selected base station until another signal activates. The benefits of wireless cellular service are fairly obvious: people can stay in touch without worrying about bad reception or losing their connection.