Different types of phones
Rotary Phones
The earliest telephones were large boxes that attached to the wall. It was impossible to make calls through them without speaking to an operator first. In the early 1900s, a new type of telephone became available. This phone was much smaller and allowed people make calls to each other directly. It became known as the rotary phone because of the round dial at its centre. At first, rotary phones could only hang on the wall. Later on, it became possible to place them on desks, countertops, and tables. Rotary phones were popular in homes and offices through the 1970s. |
Touch-Tone Phones
Touch-tone phones first became available in 1963, but they were not common in households and businesses until the 1980s. Telephone companies only made a small number of touch-tone phones at first because they did not think that most people would want to pay such high prices for them. Touch-tone phones became more affordable after a few years, and companies began manufacturing more of them. Once this happened, the rotary phone became a lot less popular. People liked touch-tone phones better because they were much easier to use. |
Cellular Telephones
After the touch-tone phone became standard in homes and offices , people and companies became interested in creating telephones that could work from anywhere. The first cellular phones appeared in the early 1980s, but they were so bulky that most people either carried them in their briefcases or kept them in their cars. Early cell phone users did not think of their telephones in the same way that today’s cell phone users do. By the early 2000s, though, this was no longer the case. Cell phones became smaller and more popular. People began to use them for personal calls. Within a few years, users could send text messages and take pictures and videos with their phones. |
Smartphones
Now, cell phones are even more advanced. Many people own cellular phones that allow them to connect to the Internet, check and write emails, find directions to places, and scan their tickets for concerts and sporting events. Children can play educational games on these types of phones, and high school and college students can use them to do quick research. Some people even download programs that allow them to start their cars and open their garage doors from their phones! Phones that can do all of these helpful things are known as “smartphones.” So far, the Apple iPhone and the Android have been the most popular types of smartphones. |