Cellphones: Beyond calls and SMSs

The first cellphone was a hefty and clumsy box of circuitry, wires and batteries weighing two pounds. And it could be used to make only calls. That was in 1973. Today, cellphones are sleek and smart. And they can be used to do things far beyond making calls and sending SMSs. What are these hidden features and how can we enable and use them. Find out in this story

It was in 1973 that Martin Cooper, the then director of research and development in Motorola, beat Bell Labs (an arm of AT&T) in the race of inventing a device capable of portable wireless communication. Ninety-seven years after Graham Bell became the first person to speak on a telephone line, Cooper hauled a hefty and clumsy 2-pound box of circuitry, wires and batteries, while walking down a street in Manhattan and made the first ever private cellular phone call.

	Shrt n swt msg SMS, the happening thing in communication today, is now not just a service of sending simple text messages, but also encompasses message broadcasting, chatting and even e-mail Stay Connected Cheat Codes Tips on accessing some unknown stuff on most cellphones Make it Secure Cellphones come with a lot of security features that restrict the use of the phone to unauthorized people and unwanted calls. The phone’s serial number, lock code, PIN, PIN2, PUK, PUK2, SIM lock are a few of these great features The Cellphone Meets the PC Use a PC to manage your phone’s address books, send SMSs, create ring tones and more Managing Calls You can do a whole lot more with your cellphone than make and receive regular phone calls. Together with your service provider, you can perform a range of call-management operations Extend your Persona All about cellphone logos, screensavers and ring tones Cellular Networks — Inside Out What the different parts of the cellphone network are and how they work

We have definitely come a long way since that first 2-pound cellphone. Cellphones are now sleek gizmos, much more than just wireless phones–they are a utility, an extension of your office, a fashion statement and virtually an indispensable extension of the body! 

In this story, we will introduce you to functions of your cellphone beyond just making and receiving calls and sending SMSs. We’ll talk of how you can manage your calls and secure your cellphone. SMS is the buzzword, which has gone beyond plain one-to-one text messaging; we’ll look at the new SMS-based services that cellular operators provide. For the techno-savvy, we have insiders on the technology that goes behind cellular networks. And, for you geeks out there, who want something more, we have a list of some ‘common’ cellphone codes. And, of course, even cellular technology uses quite a bit of IT, so we have added that perspective as well.

Ashish Sharma