These days, cell phones can be found everywhere from elementary schools to retirement communities. With over 100 million American cell phone subscribers, it is safe to say that most of us know what a cell phone is.

But where did they come from?

The basic concept of the cell phone has been around since 1947, although it took decades for the technology to become public.

The man credited with being the “father of the cell phone” was Martin Cooper. He was hired by Motorola in 1954 when he worked towards the development of portable technology.

In April of 1973 at a public demonstration in the streets of New York, Cooper introduced the 2.5-pound “DynaTAC,” the first working prototype of a cellular telephone. The first call was placed to AT&T Bell Labs, the main competitor in the race for cellular technology.

The first “DynaTAC” was made available to the public in 1983. It weighed one pound and cost $3,500, and its capabilities included talking, listening and dialing.

Today, cell phones weigh as little as three ounces and with certain cell phone contracts, can literally cost nothing.

Some of the newest cell phone features include internet browsing, MP3 playback, e-mail, video recording capabilities, TV access and satellite radio.

In the near future we can expect to see phones with faster internet capabilities, hard drives as large as 10 GB and integrated GPS chips.

As the cell phone evolves, our ability to customize them evolves as well.

Cell phone users can now download custom ring tones from every artist from 50 Cent to Hanson.

As for the phone’s appearance, from basic black leather to Swarovski crystals, covers now come in a wide variety of styles. Thanks to a company called Cellfan.com, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee students can show their school pride with a custom Panther cell phone skin.

So, after learning all about the history of cell phones, perhaps next time you’re sitting in class text messaging your best friend who’s away at college across the country, you’ll take a minute to sit back and appreciate how far the technology has come.

Sources: thehistoryof.net, cingular.com

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