Mobile technology encompasses devices, software and networks that allow for online connections and communication from anywhere. Smartphones, tablets and iPods fall into this category as do wearables like fitness trackers that monitor your steps, heart rate and more.
Why Do Cellphones Need Cells?
If a few people in your area use cellphones at the same time using the same kind of radio waves, their signals would interfere with one another and be scrambled together. But if each call uses a slightly different frequency (the number of up-and-down undulations in the radio wave in a second), it’s easy to keep the calls separate. That’s what the cells in your cellphone do.
More Than Just Phones
Cellphones weren’t always called mobile phones, but the name stuck as these devices became more and more capable. Today’s smartphones are essentially pocket computers that just happen to make phone calls.
These devices are more than just phones, though — they’re business tools that enhance productivity and enable new work forms. For example, smartphones can help teams keep projects organized with apps that assign tasks, set deadlines and track progress. They can also optimize workflows by allowing users to communicate regardless of their physical location and by creating more efficient routes.
The cellular network that makes all this possible relies on packet switching technology, which divides up data into tiny parts for transmission and then reassembles it at the other end. The current cellular standard is 4G, but a faster network called 5G is coming soon.