By As the opening of the clip accurately explains, we all know the inventor of the telephone (Alexandar Graham Bell) but what about the cell/mobile phone? The man credited with that feat was Marty Cooper who worked for Motorola and is named on the patent for the first portable telephone. A few days ago this wonderful gentlemen who is responsible for one of my obsessions sat down with C-SPAN and discussed the history and future of cell phones.
The 30-minute video is pretty fascinating in its entirety but one small portion we should be keenly aware of comes at JUST after the 30-minute mark:
Question: What kind of cell phone do you have?
Cooper: “It depends when you ask me. I uh, always have the latest cell phone, and I try every cell phone out, only because people like you keep asking me. Right now I’m using the Droid, because I want to get some experience with the Android operating system, and I, so far, have some favorable results. I’ve had an iPhone, which I gave to my grandson, which he used for three months and then I had to upgrade to a – better version. And I’ve tried many other phones. For my day to day conversations I actually use the Jitterbug. So I carry two phones – one very simple phone that I can flip open that has a very simple phonebook and nothing else. But when I want to twitter… tweet… then, I use my Droid.”
If you’re not familiar with Jitterbug it’s actually a company that Marty Cooper co-founded with his wife in 2006 that is targeted at elderly mobile users who care only about making phone calls – the rest of the stuff just gets in their way.
Another interesting discussion I found was about battery life. We complain when our mobile phones don’t last the entire day but guess how much battery life the first one – the one made by Cooper – got? Twenty minutes. But Cooper explains: “The cell phone weighed 2 and a half pounds. Uh… it was huge. (continues) The battery lasted for twenty minutes, but that was not a problem because you could not hold it up for twenty minutes it was so heavy.”
And you thought the Droid was heavy!
[C-SPAN via AndroidCentral]
I would figure he uses a droid, he was a Motorola employee after all.
I would figure that much to,but given the benefit of the doubt he tries out knew cellphones a lot.
The inventor of the telephone is Antonio Meucci, not Bell, who just patented it 5 years later than Meucci.
Then he should sue Apple for infringing on his patent to make a cell phone!!! Payback’s a B—H, isn’t it Apple!
Well the droid is better than the iPhone :D
Beaten to it, just wanted to point out that in 2002 the US joined us in Europe in officially recognising Antonio Santi Giuseppe Meucci as the real inventor of the phone (poor guy just couldn’t afford to pay for the patent).
I think it’s interesting that he carries two phones. A reliable, small calling device and a powerful companion device. And I’ve heard other technophiles carrying dual powerhouse devices.
It’s an interesting paradigm with the upcoming larger-form devices, like the Mini5. One that I’d be open to. Of course, I’d need the two devices to be symbiant; and handle information routing in some elegant, useful manner.
According to his sayings I’ve a prediction what the next headline would be (around july): The inventor of the cellphone ditches the Droid for the iPhone 4. … he gaves the Droid to a close friend who needs a new phone.
@Brodie
thats true, he does say he tries everything out. Though I think its great he thinks Android is “favorable” right now.
So am I crazy??? I carry Bold 9700 for work, Iphone3gs for play and Droid for websurfing. Yes I do think I have a problem…
I guess since he tries all the new phones, he’ll be a “Windows Phone 7 Series” owner later this year. :-D
to quote Jeff Foxwrothy “there’s your sign”
LMAO! The guy only mentioned the Jitterbug phone as a way to plug it. It’s HIS phone!
I have a apple iphone…friend who does not want me to email him info and…I am sure articles like this is why…ha!
Greg… it was actually Bill Engvall who said that. Not Jeff Foxworthy.
@Justin, Well, maybe. But he did disclose that himself, and.. it’s C-Span. :P. If he wanted to plug his phone, it sure as hell wouldn’t be on C-Span, and certainly not after 30 minutes of technical inside baseball. I think he honestly does use the Jitterbug. He and his wife came up with the Jbug because, necessity being the mother, they knew and experienced the need for it, I’d bet.
well i prefer the iphone over the droid but it doesnt surprise me he has the latest and greatest lol