Cell phones are more than just communication devices. They can now show us directions, capture memories, entertain us, and so much more. In fact, they are part of life. It would be hard to imagine a world without these devices.
The Mobile Phone Revolution
The cellphone roll started in 1973, when Dr Martin Cooper, a Motorola employee, made a portable phone which weighed a whopping one kilogram. But it wasn’t until 1979, that Japan developed the first commercially available automated cellular network, that made way for the mobile revolution.
In 1983, the first ever mobile phone went on sale. It was made by Motorola and cost an eye-watering $4000. That meant it was reserved for the elite club and people working for big businesses. However, things got a little bit better in 1989, when more companies made cheaper and smaller phones.
Touch screens were first introduced by IBM in 1994 when they released the Simon Personal Communicator. It was an early form of the smartphone, complete with “apps” and cost $899 a piece. Nokia followed suit and created a small Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) phone which did particularly well in Europe.
At this point, phones had already become significantly smaller, lighter and faster. The only thing which was not quite there yet was the software aspect. And phone manufacturers knew this all too well.
In 1997, the iconic snake game was launched on the Nokia 6110, which marked the start of mobile gaming. Now, people can play interactive games on sites such as Mobile Unibet at their convenience. The same site has now an Unibet welcome offer for you to check out.
The first smartphone to ever hit the market was the first generation iPhone. It featured a capacitative touch screen with limited input and could ignore minor touches.
Soon after that, the first Android phone was launched; the T-Mobile G1. Then, every other phone manufacturer jumped on the smartphone trend, and things have only gotten better. Phones are lighter, more powerful and can do so much more than just take pictures.
Current Trends in the Smartphone Space
Foldable Phones
People have always been torn between going for a bigger screen and having a practical phone. And this has been one of the biggest hurdles the industry had to face since the cellular network, but they’ve finally cracked it.
Foldable phones are expected to be the most significant trend in 2019. Samsung will bring the Galaxy Fold to the Mobile World Congress. Huawei will also present a phone which extends to eight inches. And other players such as LG, Oppo and Royole, also have something to show.
Better Cameras
In their quest to make screens bigger and distraction-free, mobile manufacturers are working on displays with laser drilled holes and sliders to hide selfie cameras. The idea is to remove the notch which sits at the top of every smartphone, and hopefully start a trend.
However, most of the camera action is at the back. Phone makers are now adding more camera lenses and sensors in a bid to create better photos. For example, Samsung and Apple are set to launch triple camera phones next year. The third camera will be a 3D-sensing lens for AR and gesture recognition.
Dual Screens
A section of phone manufacturers are not making foldable phones or punching laser holes on screens; they prefer avoiding technical issues which may come with new technologies. So, they decided to add another display at the back.
Having a display at the back leaves a clean front screen and lets you take selfies with the primary camera. Besides that, these phones come with more computing power than some laptops, and mobile developers are doing such a great job in making it useful.