On 31/03/2012 03:36, Bruce wrote:
Charles wrote:
On Fri, 30 Mar 2012 20:08:36 +0000 (UTC), "Adam H. Kerman"
wrote:

Graham wrote:
On 30/03/2012 18:40, Adam H. Kerman wrote:
Guy wrote:

What is a cell phone? Used in prisons?

Oh, good grief. You use the concept in your country.

You aren't aware that mobile phones use a cellular network?

I expect he is. Guy is pointing out that you are cross-
posting to two newsgroups where we call such devices
mobiles.

So if "cellular" is an international concept, is it acceptable to everyone
else for Guy to pretend to be obtuse?

In the United States, they are called cell phones and mobile phones.

Ditto in the UK with "cell phone" often used to distinguish them from
"cordless" telephones, both being mobile.


I had a very early Vodafone mobile phone in 1986, a Motorola with a
handset that clipped to the top of a lead/acid battery about the size
of one on my 1150cc motorcycle. It was marketed as a "cellular
telephone" or "cell phone" for short.

Those batteries almost weighed a tonne, did they not?

To make and receive calls was also not cheap, IIRC.


There were only two UK networks at that time, Vodafone and Cellnet.
Cellnet was of course a contraction of "cellular network".

So the term "cell phone" has been in use in the UK for more than a
quarter of a century.

I thought that the US military had coined and started using the
cellphone concept during World War II. Mind you, they were completely
different and nothing even like the bricks or dead-weights that one saw
in the 80s.

On 31/03/2012 10:12, Graham Murray wrote:
Graham writes:

IIRC they were also called cell phones in the UK back when analogue
cellular systems were new, complete with diagrams of hexagonal cells
covering the countryside. Mention of cell or cellular has fallen out
of use in the UK to be replaced by "mobile".

Possibly because at that time, the term 'mobile phone' was often used
for a phone permanently fitted in a car or other vehicle. ISTR that if
you wanted to call one (from a landline) you had to go via the 'mobile
operator'.

That reminds of the 1954 film ***Sabrina*** Himphrey Bogart's character
made a phone call from his chauffer-driven automobile.

Can't find that clip, though.

On Sat, 31 Mar 2012 01:02:58 +0100, Graham Nye
wrote:

On 30/03/2012 21:08, Adam H. Kerman wrote:
Graham Nye wrote:

Guy is pointing out that you are cross-
posting to two newsgroups where we call such devices
mobiles.

So if "cellular" is an international concept, is it acceptable to everyone
else for Guy to pretend to be obtuse?

It's fine with me. If you're not interested in how things are done
in the UK why are you cross-posting to UK newsgroups?

In the United States, they are called cell phones and mobile phones.
Some networks marketed the service with one term or the other. I believe
"cell" was the marketing term by some networks in early days...

IIRC they were also called cell phones in the UK back when analogue
cellular systems were new, complete with diagrams of hexagonal cells
covering the countryside. Mention of cell or cellular has fallen out
of use in the UK to be replaced by "mobile". But language keeps
moving on and for younger people (say, teens and twenties) mobiles
may just be referred to as "phones" now, as landline phones are
something only their parents will have.

The young may not even know what mobiles were before the
communications industry took over the word. There is still, though, a
good chance that their very young minds were entertained by one or
more of them.

Guy Gorton

" wrote:
On 31/03/2012 03:36, Bruce wrote:
Charles wrote:
On Fri, 30 Mar 2012 20:08:36 +0000 (UTC), "Adam H. Kerman"
wrote:

Graham wrote:
On 30/03/2012 18:40, Adam H. Kerman wrote:
Guy wrote:

What is a cell phone? Used in prisons?

Oh, good grief. You use the concept in your country.

You aren't aware that mobile phones use a cellular network?

I expect he is. Guy is pointing out that you are cross-
posting to two newsgroups where we call such devices
mobiles.

So if "cellular" is an international concept, is it acceptable to everyone
else for Guy to pretend to be obtuse?

In the United States, they are called cell phones and mobile phones.

Ditto in the UK with "cell phone" often used to distinguish them from
"cordless" telephones, both being mobile.


I had a very early Vodafone mobile phone in 1986, a Motorola with a
handset that clipped to the top of a lead/acid battery about the size
of one on my 1150cc motorcycle. It was marketed as a "cellular
telephone" or "cell phone" for short.

Those batteries almost weighed a tonne, did they not?


I had a sprained shoulder and wrist (at different times) to prove it!


To make and receive calls was also not cheap, IIRC.


True, but it probably saved my company a fortune. I was managing
between 3 and 7 construction sites at any one time and spent half of
my week driving between them. The ability to make and receive phone
calls out of my office was a Godsend.


There were only two UK networks at that time, Vodafone and Cellnet.
Cellnet was of course a contraction of "cellular network".

So the term "cell phone" has been in use in the UK for more than a
quarter of a century.

I thought that the US military had coined and started using the
cellphone concept during World War II. Mind you, they were completely
different and nothing even like the bricks or dead-weights that one saw
in the 80s.


Vodafone was the first in the UK and started up in 1985. I don't know
where the technology might have been used before, but I would be
sceptical about anything so much older being similar.

On 31/03/2012 12:29, Bruce wrote:
wrote:
On 31/03/2012 03:36, Bruce wrote:
Charles wrote:
On Fri, 30 Mar 2012 20:08:36 +0000 (UTC), "Adam H. Kerman"
wrote:

Graham wrote:
On 30/03/2012 18:40, Adam H. Kerman wrote:
Guy wrote:

What is a cell phone? Used in prisons?

Oh, good grief. You use the concept in your country.

You aren't aware that mobile phones use a cellular network?

I expect he is. Guy is pointing out that you are cross-
posting to two newsgroups where we call such devices
mobiles.

So if "cellular" is an international concept, is it acceptable to everyone
else for Guy to pretend to be obtuse?

In the United States, they are called cell phones and mobile phones.

Ditto in the UK with "cell phone" often used to distinguish them from
"cordless" telephones, both being mobile.


I had a very early Vodafone mobile phone in 1986, a Motorola with a
handset that clipped to the top of a lead/acid battery about the size
of one on my 1150cc motorcycle. It was marketed as a "cellular
telephone" or "cell phone" for short.

Those batteries almost weighed a tonne, did they not?


I had a sprained shoulder and wrist (at different times) to prove it!


To make and receive calls was also not cheap, IIRC.


True, but it probably saved my company a fortune. I was managing
between 3 and 7 construction sites at any one time and spent half of
my week driving between them. The ability to make and receive phone
calls out of my office was a Godsend.


There were only two UK networks at that time, Vodafone and Cellnet.
Cellnet was of course a contraction of "cellular network".

So the term "cell phone" has been in use in the UK for more than a
quarter of a century.

I thought that the US military had coined and started using the
cellphone concept during World War II. Mind you, they were completely
different and nothing even like the bricks or dead-weights that one saw
in the 80s.


Vodafone was the first in the UK and started up in 1985. I don't know
where the technology might have been used before, but I would be
sceptical about anything so much older being similar.


The technology was not similar at its very start and would have made the
bricks and dead-weights of the 1980s look like we just achieved
faster-than-light speed.

In message , at 12:29:00 on
Sat, 31 Mar 2012, Bruce remarked:
Vodafone was the first in the UK and started up in 1985. I don't know
where the technology might have been used before, but I would be
sceptical about anything so much older being similar.

Bear in mind that Vodafone's designs were by RACAL, whose main business
was building military radio equipment. Although 40 years from military
to civilian use is somewhat longer than normal.
--
Roland Perry

" wrote:
On 31/03/2012 12:29, Bruce wrote:
wrote:
I thought that the US military had coined and started using the
cellphone concept during World War II. Mind you, they were completely
different and nothing even like the bricks or dead-weights that one saw
in the 80s.


Vodafone was the first in the UK and started up in 1985. I don't know
where the technology might have been used before, but I would be
sceptical about anything so much older being similar.


The technology was not similar at its very start and would have made the
bricks and dead-weights of the 1980s look like we just achieved
faster-than-light speed.


Interesting.

I have been trying to find an image of the first Vodafone handset
type. I never thought to take a picture of mine.

Bruce wrote:

" wrote:
On 31/03/2012 12:29, Bruce wrote:
wrote:
I thought that the US military had coined and started using the
cellphone concept during World War II. Mind you, they were completely
different and nothing even like the bricks or dead-weights that one saw
in the 80s.


Vodafone was the first in the UK and started up in 1985. I don't know
where the technology might have been used before, but I would be
sceptical about anything so much older being similar.


The technology was not similar at its very start and would have made the
bricks and dead-weights of the 1980s look like we just achieved
faster-than-light speed.


Interesting.

I have been trying to find an image of the first Vodafone handset
type. I never thought to take a picture of mine.


Here's one:
http://www.scienceandsociety.co.uk/results.asp?image=10309778&screenwidth=1536

"Bruce" wrote in message
...
...

I had a very early Vodafone mobile phone in 1986, a Motorola
with a
handset that clipped to the top of a lead/acid battery about
the size
of one on my 1150cc motorcycle. It was marketed as a "cellular
telephone" or "cell phone" for short.

There were only two UK networks at that time, Vodafone and
Cellnet.
Cellnet was of course a contraction of "cellular network".

So the term "cell phone" has been in use in the UK for more
than a
quarter of a century.

If I take out the SIM from my latest 'phone, and insert it (with
an adaptor) into my old 1990's Motorola mobile phone, it shows
the connected network as "BT Cellnet".

--
MatSav

On 31-Mar-12 04:23, Roland Perry wrote:
In message , at 15:30:13 on Fri, 30 Mar
2012, Stephen Sprunk remarked:
to distinguish the technology from pre-cellular mobile telephones that
were built into automobiles and communicated with base stations with
much longer ranges than transponders on cell towers.

Are you referring to "radio telephones"?

There were cellular car phones as well, back before handheld models were
available.

My recollection is that the first cellular phones were handheld. But
they were heavy and nor very "portable". As a result it was helpful to
mount them in a car, which had other attractions like dealing with the
battery problem and making them less easy to steal.

There were a few handhelds like the DynaTAC, but most of the phones I
remember seeing back then were "bag phones" (the size of a lunch pail,
with a corded handset) that were more "luggable" than "portable".
Phones you could put in your pocket or wear on your belt didn't become
common until the mid-90s, IIRC.

S

--
Stephen Sprunk "God does not play dice." --Albert Einstein
CCIE #3723 "God is an inveterate gambler, and He throws the
K5SSS dice at every possible opportunity." --Stephen Hawking