What is a mobile phone?
Q: What is a mobile phone?
A: A mobile phone is a small portable radio telephone that can be used to communicate over long distances without wires.
Q: How does a mobile phone work?
A: A mobile phone works by communicating with a nearby base station, also known as a "mobile tower", which connects it to the main phone network. When moving, if the mobile phone gets too far away from the cell it is connected to, that cell sends a message to another cell to tell the new cell to take over the call. This process is called a "hand off".
Q: How has the cost of owning a mobile phone changed over time?
A: As mobile phones became more popular, they began to cost less money and more people could afford them. Monthly plans became available for rates as low as US$30 or US$40 per month. Cell phones have become so cheap that they have mostly replaced pay phones and phone booths except in urban areas with many people.
Q: What type of phones are popular in the 21st century?
A: In the 21st century, smartphones have become very popular and more people use them than older types of mobile phones, which are called feature phones.
Q: What happens during a hand-off?
A: During a hand-off, when the mobile phone gets too far away from its current cell connection, that cell sends out a message telling another nearby cell to take over the call so that it can continue uninterruptedly without any disruption for the user.
Q: How do smartphones differ from feature phones?
A: Smartphones are much more advanced than feature phones and typically offer features such as internet access, email capabilities, digital cameras and GPS navigation systems whereas feature phones generally only offer basic calling functions.
