Mobile+Technologies

Mobile technologies have been changing the way we live and access information for 30 years. It started with mobile phones in the 1980s. Never before were people able to communicate with others no matter where they were. Until then, people had to be in their homes to make or receive calls. In the '90s, cellphones became commonplace, meaning just about anyone ocould be reached away from home. In the early 2000s, features like multimedia messaging were added bringing new forms of communication to the cellphone platform. By the late 2000s, camera phones have become standard and features like wireless internet have been added. Along with the internet came technologies like Facebook and Twitter. These technologies already changed the way we interact with our friends and communicate with people, but now that it is possible to access these services anywhere, new paradigms have been opened. Technologies that have been successfully integrated with cellphones include:


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Facebook - it has already created and perfected the concept of "social networking", but with mobile integration, Facebookers can chat, post pictures, comment on people's posts, update their status, and find friends from wherever they are.

MSN Messenger - MSN was one of the first IM services to bridge the gap between computer/internet technologies and mobile communication.

Internet - Of course, none of these technologies would be possible without the integration of the Internet with the mobile network. That was the first step in bringing other successful technologies to the mobile platform.

Text Messaging - This allowed people to communicate with their cellphones without actually using their voices. Useful if you're in class and need to discreetly contact someone...

Mobile E-Mail - Every cellphone service provider has some kind of mobile e-mail service available.

GPS - GPS was integrated into cellphones originally so that people calling 911 would not have to give their location (if they didn't know where they were) because GPS information would be transmitted while a 911 call was in progress. Since the GPS receiver is already in the phone, service providers decided to milk all the money they could out of it and offer GPS mapping services for cellphones to replace car-based GPS.

Mobile TV - Many service providers offer some kind of mobile TV. You can watch certain shows or movies over your phone with this service, but the quality is atrocious due to the lack of bandwidth available and the small screen resolution on cellphones.

Mobile Music - Many service providers offer mobile music downloads, like the iTunes Store. Songs are usually very expensive though (around $2.00).

Multimedia Messaging - This is a relatively new service. Due to the commonplaceness of cameras in cellphones and video capabilities, many providers saw the opportuntity to profit from text messaging including pictures or videos.

Here is a link to a blog ([|my blog]) with lots of information on mobile technologies and how they're progressing

Now with new developments in high-speed wireless internet access on cellphones, any regular internet technology is subject to conversion to the mobile platform.