Cell phones and iPods
Millions of Americans and other people around the world use cellular phones and iPods and these gadgets have increasingly become one great human companion used for various tasks. A cell phone is an electronic device commonly used for communication purposes. Also known as mobile phones or hand phones, cell phones can be used for transmission of voice and text data. Cellular phones have a capacity for data storage which includes storing contacts in a safe place in the phone book instead of the traditional method of writing contacts on a paper. More formats of data storage are supported in cell phones. Data can range from audio and video files, text files, PDF, html and many more supported formats. With cell phones, people can make to-do lists or tasks which have also reminders. This ensures that tasks are performed in a timely and organized manner and there is not a time a task is missed to be done because of forgetting. Cell phones have in-built calculators which can be used for computational purposes. Simple math problems can be solved using most phones with this in-built feature (Ramaswani, 2008). It is a mobile generation. You can send and receive e-mail right from you cell phone, thanks to the technology. More still, information access through the internet is made easier through the mobile technologies which support internet access. Playing games, dating, watching TV, sending texts and doing business online has not been easier on the go. With portable devices like cell phones, these tasks can be done even when one is traveling Probably, one may have wondered how the cell phones and i pods work. Or still, what makes a cell phone different from the regular phone. Perhaps, synonyms like PCS, CDMA, GSM and TDMA have stirred the whole confusion and one is just left in a different world-a world of perplexity. It is no more. In this paper, I will discuss more about cell phones and i pods, how they work and the transformations they have caused in the society in which we live.
Basically, a cell phone is simply a radio which is a bit sophisticated, though, it still remains a radio. Telephones were invented in 1876 by Graham Bell while the wireless phones have their ancestry on radio invention done by Nikolai Tesla back in 1880s. The combination of these two great technologies, telephone and radio, gave birth to the trendy cell phones we see today. The cell phones, though having an origin from cordless telephones, cellular phones have a variety of features which differ from their ancestors. Radio telephones were commonly used in cars before the advent of cell phones. The radio telephones would be used for mobile communication with the aid of a central antenna tower in every city and about 25 channels on the tower (Joseph, 2006). The major drawback from this system of communication was that the central antenna required a powerful transmitter that could transmit up to 50 miles and required a small number of users. After this painful drawback, came the genius cellular system which divided a city into small cells and allowed extensive reuse of frequencies across the city. Today, millions of people can effectively use cell phones at the same time.
Cell phones have distinct codes specially associated to them. The codes are used to identify the gadget, its owner and the service provider. The moment the cell phone is turned on, it will listen for an SID (System Identification Code) on the control channel which is a special frequency that the cell phone and the base station apply to communicate to each other. This communication between the cell phone and the base station will establish the call setup and the channel changing. Incase the control cell phone doesnt find any control channel to listen to, then the cell phone will know that it is out of range and on the screen, it will display a message, no service. After the cell phone has established an SID, the phone will compare it to the SID programmed into it and if the SIDs match, then the phone will establish that the communication is from the home system (TipBits.com, 2010). The cell phone will also transmit a registration request and the MTSO (Mobile Telephone Switching Office) will keep track of the location of the phone in a database and through this, the MTSO will know which cell you are located in when it needs to ring your cell phone. The MTSO gets the call and it attempts to find you picking a frequency pair that your phone will use in the cell to take the call. The MTSO will communicate with your cell phone over the control channel to establish which frequency to be used. The call is connected when the phone and the tower switch on the frequencies. At this stage, you and your friend can communicate to each other.
The cell phones used today are of two types the analog cell phones and those phones that are digital. The standard for analog cell phones called the Advanced Mobile Phone System (AMPS) was approved and used in Chicago in 1983. For analog cell phones, the AMPS uses a range of frequencies from 824 to 894 MHz. however, the US government encouraged the presence of at least two carriers in the market so as to encourage competition and ensure that prices are lowered. The digital cell phones are what we can call the second generation (2G) of cellular technology. These phones use the similar radio technology just like the analogy cell phones which integrate some digital aspects of digital technology. The difference between digital and analog systems is that in analog systems, the signals between the cellular network and phones are not fully utilized (Ciao.co.uk, 2010). This means that the analog signals cannot be compressed or manipulated easily like the digital signals. It is for this reason that most cable companies are switching to digital technology so as to fit more channels within a particular bandwidth. The digital phones have a potential of converting your voice into binary format comprising of 0s and 1s. This information is then compressed to allow from3-10 digital cell phones to occupy the space which only a single analog call can occupy.
The basic digital cell phone is made up of individual parts. The circuit board which carries the brain of the phone, the antenna, the LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), the keyboard, a microphone, a speaker and a battery. The circuit board controls all the activities in the phone. What you type on the keyboard, the voice commands are all conveyed to the circuit board which can handle millions of calculations per second to produce an effect.
The world of cell phones has made an array of transformations. For music lovers, phones can really be fun to use. Nowadays, phones have integrated features which can enable phones to be used as audio and video music players. Perhaps, other music lovers can choose to go out of the line and purchase gadgets like iPods which play high quality music. iPods are palm-sized electronic gadgets which are primarily made for playing music. What makes iPods different from cell phones is the capability for handling communication, sending and receiving voice, video or text data. Cell phones can handle all the functions including the playing of music. Traditional potable CD players and Walkmans can also play music but they do not have a potential to store.
The iPods can play music for along time with a single battery charge unlike walkman and CD players which require some supply of power each time you are playing music. One may ask how this is managed in storing numerous music files and at the same time charging the battery to support long length playing. The answer mainly lies on the developer, Apple, who integrated the digital media player with a hard disk drive from Apple Computer. The original versions which were in the market had a capacity of 5 GB but today they come with the capacity of up 160 GB and can store quite a number of music files of any format (TipBits, 2010). For instance, in 2007, Apple released the 6G iPod classic which was a digital audio and video player and could view photos. The iPod had a portable hard drive which made it a real media center. The iPods come with an LCD screen to enhance perfect resolution of picture files.
It is possible to connect an iPod to the PC (Personal Computer) through a USB (Universal Serial Bus) or a FireWire. These connections can enable the transfer of music and videos which are located on your computer to the hard disk drive or the iPod. On the part of usability, iPods are very user friendly with a touch wheel which is centrally placed and can be operated with a single hand.
Like cell phones, popular iPods come with in-built feature like address books, calendars, alarm clock, to-do lists, text readers and games. Keen iPod users have probably known more about the iPod peripherals (Ramaswani, 2008). There are a number of peripherals which come with iPods. The docks for digital cameras, radio stations and digital voice recorder exist. In addition, you can plug the iPod to powerful speakers and automobile entertainment systems so that you can enjoy music on the go The first iPods to be developed worked on specific platforms and could not be used across different OS (Operating Systems). However, from July 2004 and beyond, iPods could be used on either Windows or Mac. The operating system and the excellence of the iPods, it is possible to transfer the entire CD content of even 750 MB within ten seconds. The transfer rates have really encouraged most users to purchase iPods and use them for playing their favorite music. Users can also organize their music playlists comprising of thousands of songs into their favorite playlists. It is possible for the iPod users to purchase music online and store the files in their hard disk drive. Users can also subscribe to podcast which can add to their potential of access to music and other contents (Ciao.co.uk, 2010). The file types that iPods support include the MP3, AAC and wav.
The integration of the iPods and the iTunes probably made every iPod user to love the product. iTunes is a software which integrates jukebox and media-player and it always comes with all iPods. Apart from the software being used in iPods, the software can be used to organize music files in your computer, import music from digital portable devices and export the music to the iPods and other digital devices. Whats more, the iPod users have an in-built ITunes Store which enables them to visit Apple in a regular manner for shopping. The shopping is made possible for the users with iPod touch or iPhones which support Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity) connection (Ramaswani, 2008).
Summarily therefore, cell phones and iPods have changed our way of communication and entertainment. They have even gone beyond to make business operations easier. With superior features in both the cell phones and iPods, organizing activities and events has been made very easy. However, there is that dark side of iPods and cell phones which though can be avoided with responsible application of the technology. Drawbacks from using iPods and cell phones for listening music drew a debate on the health concern when it came to the inquiry over the decibels exposure to the ears (Joseph, 2006). Another effect can relate to the social aspect which seems to decompose over time. The cheating of the couples, sending of threatening messages through cell phones is one such aspect which can easily be controlled by an individual and not to be blamed on the technology.
Basically, a cell phone is simply a radio which is a bit sophisticated, though, it still remains a radio. Telephones were invented in 1876 by Graham Bell while the wireless phones have their ancestry on radio invention done by Nikolai Tesla back in 1880s. The combination of these two great technologies, telephone and radio, gave birth to the trendy cell phones we see today. The cell phones, though having an origin from cordless telephones, cellular phones have a variety of features which differ from their ancestors. Radio telephones were commonly used in cars before the advent of cell phones. The radio telephones would be used for mobile communication with the aid of a central antenna tower in every city and about 25 channels on the tower (Joseph, 2006). The major drawback from this system of communication was that the central antenna required a powerful transmitter that could transmit up to 50 miles and required a small number of users. After this painful drawback, came the genius cellular system which divided a city into small cells and allowed extensive reuse of frequencies across the city. Today, millions of people can effectively use cell phones at the same time.
Cell phones have distinct codes specially associated to them. The codes are used to identify the gadget, its owner and the service provider. The moment the cell phone is turned on, it will listen for an SID (System Identification Code) on the control channel which is a special frequency that the cell phone and the base station apply to communicate to each other. This communication between the cell phone and the base station will establish the call setup and the channel changing. Incase the control cell phone doesnt find any control channel to listen to, then the cell phone will know that it is out of range and on the screen, it will display a message, no service. After the cell phone has established an SID, the phone will compare it to the SID programmed into it and if the SIDs match, then the phone will establish that the communication is from the home system (TipBits.com, 2010). The cell phone will also transmit a registration request and the MTSO (Mobile Telephone Switching Office) will keep track of the location of the phone in a database and through this, the MTSO will know which cell you are located in when it needs to ring your cell phone. The MTSO gets the call and it attempts to find you picking a frequency pair that your phone will use in the cell to take the call. The MTSO will communicate with your cell phone over the control channel to establish which frequency to be used. The call is connected when the phone and the tower switch on the frequencies. At this stage, you and your friend can communicate to each other.
The cell phones used today are of two types the analog cell phones and those phones that are digital. The standard for analog cell phones called the Advanced Mobile Phone System (AMPS) was approved and used in Chicago in 1983. For analog cell phones, the AMPS uses a range of frequencies from 824 to 894 MHz. however, the US government encouraged the presence of at least two carriers in the market so as to encourage competition and ensure that prices are lowered. The digital cell phones are what we can call the second generation (2G) of cellular technology. These phones use the similar radio technology just like the analogy cell phones which integrate some digital aspects of digital technology. The difference between digital and analog systems is that in analog systems, the signals between the cellular network and phones are not fully utilized (Ciao.co.uk, 2010). This means that the analog signals cannot be compressed or manipulated easily like the digital signals. It is for this reason that most cable companies are switching to digital technology so as to fit more channels within a particular bandwidth. The digital phones have a potential of converting your voice into binary format comprising of 0s and 1s. This information is then compressed to allow from3-10 digital cell phones to occupy the space which only a single analog call can occupy.
The basic digital cell phone is made up of individual parts. The circuit board which carries the brain of the phone, the antenna, the LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), the keyboard, a microphone, a speaker and a battery. The circuit board controls all the activities in the phone. What you type on the keyboard, the voice commands are all conveyed to the circuit board which can handle millions of calculations per second to produce an effect.
The world of cell phones has made an array of transformations. For music lovers, phones can really be fun to use. Nowadays, phones have integrated features which can enable phones to be used as audio and video music players. Perhaps, other music lovers can choose to go out of the line and purchase gadgets like iPods which play high quality music. iPods are palm-sized electronic gadgets which are primarily made for playing music. What makes iPods different from cell phones is the capability for handling communication, sending and receiving voice, video or text data. Cell phones can handle all the functions including the playing of music. Traditional potable CD players and Walkmans can also play music but they do not have a potential to store.
The iPods can play music for along time with a single battery charge unlike walkman and CD players which require some supply of power each time you are playing music. One may ask how this is managed in storing numerous music files and at the same time charging the battery to support long length playing. The answer mainly lies on the developer, Apple, who integrated the digital media player with a hard disk drive from Apple Computer. The original versions which were in the market had a capacity of 5 GB but today they come with the capacity of up 160 GB and can store quite a number of music files of any format (TipBits, 2010). For instance, in 2007, Apple released the 6G iPod classic which was a digital audio and video player and could view photos. The iPod had a portable hard drive which made it a real media center. The iPods come with an LCD screen to enhance perfect resolution of picture files.
It is possible to connect an iPod to the PC (Personal Computer) through a USB (Universal Serial Bus) or a FireWire. These connections can enable the transfer of music and videos which are located on your computer to the hard disk drive or the iPod. On the part of usability, iPods are very user friendly with a touch wheel which is centrally placed and can be operated with a single hand.
Like cell phones, popular iPods come with in-built feature like address books, calendars, alarm clock, to-do lists, text readers and games. Keen iPod users have probably known more about the iPod peripherals (Ramaswani, 2008). There are a number of peripherals which come with iPods. The docks for digital cameras, radio stations and digital voice recorder exist. In addition, you can plug the iPod to powerful speakers and automobile entertainment systems so that you can enjoy music on the go The first iPods to be developed worked on specific platforms and could not be used across different OS (Operating Systems). However, from July 2004 and beyond, iPods could be used on either Windows or Mac. The operating system and the excellence of the iPods, it is possible to transfer the entire CD content of even 750 MB within ten seconds. The transfer rates have really encouraged most users to purchase iPods and use them for playing their favorite music. Users can also organize their music playlists comprising of thousands of songs into their favorite playlists. It is possible for the iPod users to purchase music online and store the files in their hard disk drive. Users can also subscribe to podcast which can add to their potential of access to music and other contents (Ciao.co.uk, 2010). The file types that iPods support include the MP3, AAC and wav.
The integration of the iPods and the iTunes probably made every iPod user to love the product. iTunes is a software which integrates jukebox and media-player and it always comes with all iPods. Apart from the software being used in iPods, the software can be used to organize music files in your computer, import music from digital portable devices and export the music to the iPods and other digital devices. Whats more, the iPod users have an in-built ITunes Store which enables them to visit Apple in a regular manner for shopping. The shopping is made possible for the users with iPod touch or iPhones which support Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity) connection (Ramaswani, 2008).
Summarily therefore, cell phones and iPods have changed our way of communication and entertainment. They have even gone beyond to make business operations easier. With superior features in both the cell phones and iPods, organizing activities and events has been made very easy. However, there is that dark side of iPods and cell phones which though can be avoided with responsible application of the technology. Drawbacks from using iPods and cell phones for listening music drew a debate on the health concern when it came to the inquiry over the decibels exposure to the ears (Joseph, 2006). Another effect can relate to the social aspect which seems to decompose over time. The cheating of the couples, sending of threatening messages through cell phones is one such aspect which can easily be controlled by an individual and not to be blamed on the technology.
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