November 16, 2009

The Mobile Communication.

I remember my first cellular phone. Or cellphone. I purchased it in 1994 while living in North Carolina. It was a state of the art technology that was suddenly available to the public, the second best thing after the Internet. It was huge, bulky and I grew very quickly tired of it. And angry with it as well. It used to run out of battery in no time and efficiently consumed my money.

The first time ever that I used it was on a trip out of state. Of course, this was when I thought it to be a marvelous idea - being able to call someone while traveling. It was a call to my neighbor who was taking care of my cat and as he was not at home, I made several calls. The bill later that month almost ruined me.

When I look at my iPhone today it makes me so brutally aware how fast the technology has evolved. This elegant, sleek, endlessly sophisticated item that I seem no longer to be able to live without. It can do pretty much anything I can think off, short of actually breathing. It can tell me the time, the date, the weather, my location in the world, both in numbers and show it to me on the map. It can show me how to get places, calculating the best route, navigating me through cities in Denmark and outside it, keep me updated on the news, let me send emails and text messages. I can use it to listen to music or radio and watch movies. It can make me relax, helps me pass the time by playing games. I can surf the net, pay the bills, purchase items, take photos, film movie clips. See where the inexpensive gas is, where the best offers are in my neighbourhood. It helps me keep track of my appointments, it reminds me of things to do, it wakes me up in the morning.
And, it is also a phone.
Making any landline obsolete. In fact I have not had a landline phone for almost ten years.

If I go back just a decade, the cellphones, or mobile phones as they are called in Europe, looked very different than they do now. It is amazing how quickly the design has changed and most of all, their intended use and the concept in which they are used as well. Still, when I moved back to Europe in 1999 with that bulky dinosaur of mine, I could not believe the beautiful design of the multitude of tiny Nokias and Sony Ericsson's around me. And I also marveled about the ease of their use. Everyone around me was on the phone, using their cellular constantly, to a fraction of the cost I was accustomed to.

My first European mobile was a flip Sony Ericsson, sapphire blue, with a little antenna and tiny, non colour display. It was a phone only and could fit into the palm of my hand. I got it for free when I signed up for a service with the company that offered it. Since then I have had many phones, but thinking back, the purchasing of my very first Ericsson was the most exciting buy ever. Even though it today looks very old fashioned and obsolete...

If you are like me and store all your discarded cellphones in your drawer, it might be useful to know that these can be donate or recycled.
There are many sites on the net that share information about this subject, here are a few examples:
recellular.com
about.com
msn.com

23 comments:

MsTypo said...

Gotta love it when you see people using those old brick phones on tv. I haven't had a landline in years and prefer my cell. In Kenya people used their cell phones to transfer money from working spouses in the city to their family at home.

Sumandebray said...

Great! Congratulation on your new iphone 3gs
Yes technology changes very fast.
My first mobile looks exactly the same as your blue erricson phone. Mine was Black and it was T29. I was very proud with that flaunting the active flap at every opportunity and it did cost me a fortune at that time.

Brian Miller said...

it astounds me what phones can do today...things we only ever dreamed of as kids. have not had a land line in about 10 years myself...though i can not remember that first call to be honest...

Betsy Brock said...

My first cell phone was a huge monster that barely fit in my purse! LOL!

Claus said...

That huge "dinosaur" of yours, used to be called "ladrillo" here in Guatemala back in the day. Ladrillo in Spanish = brick in English, as they looked a lot like one :-) My first one was a slightly smaller brick, but it made me feel so "in". My actual cellphone is not as modern as an iPhone. I barely use the cellphone - probably one of the few out there - so I see no point in changing to a sophisticated one, which features are not available in countries like mine. It took me a lot of years to change my home PC, so it will probably take me as long to change my mobile. I'm in no hurry :-))

Keith said...

It is really cool to see how much technology has changed in such a short time. I've actually only had a cellphone for the last few years. I'm not a big phone talker so I have it more for emergencies.

Unknown said...

I remember when cell phones were bag phone at $3,000 (US). In many ways they are good and other ways they detract from the Human Touch of meeting a friend for coffee or a drink to catch up with all the texting going on. lol to you today Protege! :)

Jill from Killeny Glen said...

It is truly amazing how quickly the technology has evolved! LIGHTNING speed! I STILL have a land line...I hold on to it for ???? reasons...I am one to turn OFF my cellphone for long periods of time!

Rosezilla (Tracie Walker) said...

I'm still not too in to the whole cell phone thing. I used to love being able to get off somewhere with someone just the two of us, and now, they are on the phone with someone else the whole time. I barely use mine. I am blessed that my husband doesn't either, but I see so many children and spouses ignored because of cell phones. But having said that, it can certainly be a useful tool as well. We have our land line though, mostly because that's the same way we get computer internet service.

Margie said...

Such an interesting post!
I can just imagine it was a big phone bill you had to pay after that first call but it was for your cat so worth it, huh?
Whenever I leave my dog when I go away I am always calling and checking on him.

Amazing how cell phones have changed.
You have had a lot but must so enjoy your i phone.
My son and hubby have i phones and love them!
I'm not much into cell phones and only use mine when I have to.

I actually could never do without my land line as I talk to lots of family and friends daily ...me a chatter box .... LOL!
Just like to keep in touch,

My son does nothing but text ... I have only texted a few times as I much prefer to hear someone's voice.

Thank you for the kind comments you leave on my blog ...they are so appreciated.

Have a most wonderful day Zuzana!

Margie
xo

Reading Tea Leaves said...

I've only had a mobile phone for the past couple of years! My partner bought me one as he insisted I needed one for emergencies but I have to say I use it more for sending texts really. It's amazing how technology has changed, and is changing, in so very a short time. It has enabled me to work from home so that's great!
I loved your facts about the sun, in particular that the sun makes our nails go yellow - and I was blaming my nail-varnish!!

Jeanne x

Helen McGinn said...

In 1986, I worked for a week at the Scottish Exhibition Centre selling the first mobile phones; the battery pack was a heavy suitcase and the phone like a brick. They were around £2000-£3000 each....can you imagine!....and I got £10 commission per phone...robbing beeeeps..... ;O)

Brenda Pruitt said...

Those old phones were so cumbersome!
Brenda

Stacey J. Warner said...

It is amazing how quickly things changed! But it is all for the good, information is power.

much love

Blogaire said...

Great post Protege, and I love the photos of the old phones. Do they have them in Museums yet I wonder?
I am not really a phone person and I just have a very basic Nokia that just cost 49 Euro, but I have a friend who spends a fortune on always buying the latest and best phone on the market. I use mine mostly for texting but I could never compete with the teenagers of today who are text mad. There is even a national texting championship here in Ireland and it was one by a Galway teenager.
But you are right Protege - they can do amazing things and it's impossible to imagine life without them. But I am wondering if they can really advance the technology any further? What will they be like 10 years from now?

Holly said...

My husband LOVES his i phone! You will surely use and use and use that phone. My phone has been giving me grief for quite a while now and I am trying to decide what to replace it with. It is crazy that there ars so many choices now and that each electronic device is capable of so many things!!

sprinkles said...

I don't have a cell phone. When people learn that I don't have one, they're usually quite shocked. I even had one person try and talk me into getting one. And this is someone I really didn't know on a personal level, just a co-worker.

I figure no one calls me on my landline so why pay more for a cell phone where no one will call on that?!

If I were to ever get one though, I'd probably go with the i-phone.

Nessa said...

I can't keep up with most of the changes. It makes me panic if I think about it.

Tuesday's Tales in Two Hundred - Going In Circles

Hilary said...

Would you believe that I've never had a cell phone? True. :) Working from home, I don't have the need. But yes, very interesting to see how they've changed.

Zuzana said...

=Cairo,
ah, yes, the old movies make me laugh.;) I think people that travel the world appreciate the benefits of the modern cellphone the most.;) xo

=Sumandebray,
yes, it was indeed cool to flip the phone open, right? I was very reluctant to get a new non-flip phone.;)

=Brian,
so right you are, the technology has evolved with light speed indeed.;)

=Betsy,
yes, I could not carry mine in the purse either.;) xo

=Claudia,
yes, I think it is called brick in many languages.;)Some people feel no need to have sophisticated toy that can do everything - a simple phone will do.;) So I do understand you completely.;)Always so happy when you stop by.;) xo

=Keith,
I totally understand, as long as you can make a call, that is what counts.;)

=Michael,
I agree, perhaps the new generations views the cellphone entirely differently than we do.;)

=Jill,
yes, that is the curse of the cellphone; you can always be reached.;)xo

=Rosezilla,
I feel that as there are table manners, there are cellphone manners as well. I would hate being with someone who could not put the phone down, so I share that sentiment.;) xo

=Margie,
I love your cheerful comments.;) And I agree with you, I prefer talking to people - but even better face to face. I think some aspects of the cellphone use is just lost on us, the older generation.;) So enjoy having you visit, sorry it will not be for a while.;) xo

=Jeanne,
I think I can relate to the texting; I text a lot with my parents to safe money on long distance calls;) Glad you enjoyed the sun facts.;) xo

=Helen,
wow, that was some pricey phones.;)) And yes, the commission war terrible.;) I guess you did not work for them too long.;) xo

=Brenda,
yes, they sure were.;) xo

=stacey,
yes, there is no stopping the technology.;) xo

=Blogaire,
I am with you; I use my phone mostly for texting and almost everything else than what it is intended too.;) It is like my personal assistant.;) Yes, I have seen the young using it for SMS as we call it; they are amazing. But I have never heard of contests.;)
Good question about the future look of cellphones; I was discussing this recently with a colleague. He said that most likely iPhone or the likes of it will become the personal computer. So the size will most likely not decrease, but the ability of what it can do might.;)

=Holly,
I already love that phone, even if I was skeptical in the beginning. It was a bit difficult to get used to it after I have had Sony for a decade.;) But now, I can only recommend it to you.;) xo

=sprinkles,
I guess what we do not have, we do not need.;) I think can understand you, you might not have any need to call or text people from strange places.;)) xo

=Nessa,
yes, sometimes panic is the right term.;)xo

=Hilary,
yes, I can believe that.;) I guess my cell was my landline to begin with and now it is so much more and I simply can not go back.;) But if I never had one, I think I would not need it either.;)xo

Bhushavali said...

Nostalgic memories... Reminds me of my old Nokia 1100....

Poetry in Stones Part TWO at My Travelogue
My Travelogue, Savoir-Faire

Beverlydru said...

My husband is a buidler and got a cell phone early on- probably 1991. It was gigantic. About as long a shoebox and tough as nails. He dropped it on the concrete and no problem. He loved it and kept it until digital signals forced him to replace it. (it was an analog phone)
We all teased him about that ridiculous phone.

Zuzana said...

=Mitr,
glad I could bring back some sweet memories.;) Thank you for stopping by.;) xo

=Beverlydru,
yes, they were huge.;) I guess your husband developed a sentimental tie to it.;) Always glad when you stop by.:)xo