The Good Old Days
How fondly I remember my first cell phone. The year was 2012 and I had just received an amazing new phone with a 4.7 inch touchscreen. It had Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity. It used a burgeoning technology called near field communication which allowed us to transfer data by simply touching our phones together. The case was made of a plastic polymer which allowed it to be just around a quarter of a pound. The battery, get this, was made of a lithium ion which allowed it to last over 24 hours without recharging. That was one of the biggest selling points and I remember thinking that I could go to school without having to recharge it in my car at lunch. I was only 16 years old, so it was very uncool to have to charge your phone all the time. I remember how adept I was at sending text messages and not getting caught by my high school teachers.
Oh my, how times have changed. I was thinking about that phone that I loved so much just 30 short years ago. It seemed to me that I had the entire world at my fingertips, and I figured the amount of technology they could squeeze into a cell phone had reached its peak. Boy, was I wrong.
The Future is Here!
The first big invention to happen was when the organic led was mastered to allow flexible glass. I remember how often I would have to take my old glass-front phone in for repair when I would crack the screen. The other option was to use that big bulky case that made the phone barely fit in your pocket. Remember, I was only 16. Appearance was everything. The water resistant nanoparticles also went a long way to making my phone virtually indestructible.
Remember the Bluetooth headsets we once had to wear? Those things never looked cool, no matter who was wearing them. ClearEar 5.0 was the first one I remember actually getting injected into my inner ear; I was terrified. I remembered that I got my ears pierced at the mall, so then I wasn't too worried about getting my ClearEar injected at the cell phone kiosk. I've had the same one in for 3 years and it hasn't caused any issues at all. The speech recognition is flawless. When I was younger we used our fingers to input text and access applications.
One of the things I'll never miss is having to charge my phone again. Who would have guessed that near field technology would have progressed to the point that gravity can be used to create an electric charge? Although it only works safely now for smaller electronics, hopefully we can all be battery free in 2053!
I'm from a different era, so I still refer to this tiny thing as my phone. I actually used to have to carry that big bulky hunk of plastic around with me. Now this practically weightless wrist strap is all I have to worry about. The projected screen is so much more lifelike than the ones we had to carry around back when I was a kid.
I Must Be Getting Old
I guess I still have a fondness for my old cellphone. I suppose that is an antiquated term since cellular technology has been outdated for over 20 years. I'll always kinda miss having a almost-dead battery, a cracked screen and a $70 per month bill.
Life was a lot tougher back then.
About the Author
Roland Frampton is a freelance writer who focuses on gadgets, gadget insurance, cell phones, general technology, futurism and science fiction and other related topics. Those interested in procuring gadget insurance for your phone consider Protectyourbubble.com iphone insurance.
