second 50 years

Katy Rankin
History of Design
Group product web assignment
11/23/08

Up until the second half of the twentieth century, the telephone’s prominent success had been generated through the construction of the dial switch, although by the start of the early 1960’s the history of the telephone’s progress made an incredible turning point by the introduction of the touch-tone system. Before hand, the dial switch used power in which was supplied to every subscriber line by central office batteries rather than a local battery. This procedure resulted in required periodical services. After this point, networking and persistent employees behind the telephone developed this new and improved method, which increased the speed of dialing.
“The first touch-tone system - which used tones in the voice frequency range rather than pulses generated by rotary dials - was installed in Baltimore, MD, in 1941. Operators in a central switching office then pushed the buttons.” (The Great Idea Finder). At this time, the process had been declared too expensive for general use but was finally made possible by the use of low-cost transistors and associated circuit components in 1962. This innovative concept made it possible for users to push buttons, which produced a specific tone for each number. “Extensive human factors tests determined the position of the buttons to limit errors and increase dialing speed even further” (The Great Idea Finder).
While the ever-growing lifestyle of touch tone telephones continued to fabricate the all American dream and current trends in home appliances, so did the development of the mobile telephones. The whole overall concept of the mobile phone originated back to the two-way radio that was installed in specific vehicles such as taxi cabs, police cruisers and trains. “Later versions such as the so-called transportables or (bag phones) were equipped with a cigarette lighter plug so that they could also be carried, and thus could be used as either mobile two-way radios or as portable phones by being patched into the telephone network” (The Great Idea Finder). By continuing extensive research of cellular technology during the 1960’s, Richard H. Frenkiel and Joel S. Engel of Bell Labs established the necessary electronics for cellular towers. On April 3, 1973 a Motorola manager by the name of Martin Cooper placed the first cellular phone call to Joel Engel, head of research at AT&T's Bell Labs. This astonishing breakthrough launched the familiar era of hand held cell phones we use today.
As the years progressed, cable television companies began using fast-developing cable networks to provide telephone services connected with major telephone companies. “One of the early cable operators in the UK, Cable London, connected its first cable telephone customer in about 1990” (The Great Idea Finder). Cellular technology continues to advance from broadband Internet connection, to picture phones, while society has become an even more connected world than ever before. The idea of the common phone is much more than a communication device; it’s a personalized essential commodity, which shapes our everyday lives.



Works Cited

“The Great Idea Finder.” Invention of the telephone. 23 Nov. 2008
http://www.ideafinder.com/home.htm