For the topic of my essay I have decided to cover the iPhone and BlackBerrys in their places in today’s communication filled world. I am going to be looking at the advancement of mobile technology since its creation. And I will also be asking the question of whether or not iPhones and BlackBerrys have helped society or hurt it. I will be looking at the history or mobile communication and compare the early stage mobile phones to the PDAs of today. I will also look at the impact that mobile phones have had on society.

Mobile technology started out as wireless radios that police and ambulances used to communicate with each other. Then in the 1940s Motorola developed a portable two way radio that could be worn on the back. This technology was developed for the US military and was large and bulky even by the standards of yesteryear. In the 60’s car phones were invented but would weigh up to 40kg and be very expensive.

Mobile communication later progressed to the first generation of handheld mobile phones. The first mobile phones were produced in Japan in the early 70’s from the earlier invention of the bag phone. The inventors of Japan examined the prior technology of he bag phone and condensed it into a hand held version. Even though the phone companies had reduced the mobile phone’s size and weight it was still a bulky and very expensive piece of technology. These phones didn’t become available in the United States until 1983 when Motorola designed and released the DanaTAC 8000X weighing 1kg. This phone weighed a considerable amount less when looking at the vast comparison to some of the car phones of the 60’s. Although a mobile phone weighing 1kg today would be extremely uncomfortable and awkward to handle by today’s standards.

Then came the second generation. The second generation was a faster more advanced way of signaling. This upgrade in generation also came with the improvement into smaller, lighter (100g-200g) phones. The advancement of batteries and electronics that were more energy friendly were the main reasons that mobile phones became smaller and lighter. The second generation also came with the introduction to SMS, the first person to person SMS was sent in 1993 with a second generation mobile phone.

And today mobile phones have become lighter, faster, more reliable, and have more features than could have ever been imagined at the time of their creations. Today’s ultimate phones are more along the lines of mobile workstations. Mobile phones have turned into Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) and have completely revolutionized today’s business world. The iPhone and Blackberry brand PDAs are a near flawless synchronization of form and function. The iPhone weighs a mere 135g compared to the original 1kg for the first generation phones. The iPhone and Blackberry have the ability to make calls, send SMS messages, take photos and video, play music and videos, connect to the internet from anywhere, locate your exact location, along with many other features.

Since the creation of the mobile phone, society has changed. Accessibility has increased beyond belief, the business world has become more streamline than ever, and communication is at its pinnacle of simplicity and availability. Mobile phones have been used to keep in touch and stay connected with friends and family under nearly any situation. |Under traditional no-tech conditions, the difference between socially integrated and socially isolated individuals is levelled by the fact that even very highly integrated individuals are "lonely" during certain times: e.g. when they are on the move or physically distant from their kin and friends. Today, mobile phones allow these well-integrated people to display their social contacts even under such conditions of mobility and absence: standing thus out against socially isolated, marginal individuals at all times and places.| (Geser, 8). Without mobile phones socially integrated and isolated people are in fact the same in the situations where socially integrated people are away from their familiar surroundings. The mobile phone allows the socially integrated person to stay connected with friends and family thus amplifying the differences between the two different types of people. The mobile phone also lets us keep ties that may otherwise fall apart due to the lack of physical contact or the inability to communicate in person. It also strengthens our peripheral relationships because of its convenience and ease of use.

With the advantages of the mobile phone, there are also disadvantages. With all of the positives of the mobile phone, being its convenience, its convenience can also be a downfall. Mobile phones have been the cause of more and more traffic accidents since their creation. Studies have shown that drivers that are using their mobile phone have a much greater risk of having a traffic accident compared to those drivers that are not using their mobile phones. The number of traffic accidents due to mobile phones also correlates with the number of people who own mobile phones. |The percentage of accidents increased from 19% of all cellular phone involved accidents in 1992 to 32% in 1995. This result suggests that increased presence of cellular phones from 1992-1995 led to a higher percentage of accidents among drivers with phones.| (JM Violanti, 424-425). Drivers that were using their mobile phones at the time of their accidents accounted for 2,600 deaths and 330,000 injuries in the United States in 2002. |Drivers talking on cell phones were 18 percent slower to react to brake lights, the new study found. In a minor bright note, they also kept a 12 percent greater following distance. But they also took 17 percent longer to regain the speed they lost when they braked.| (Britt)

Although the disadvantages seem to be very harsh and serious, they are specific to certain situations and are few and far between in the grand scheme of the mobile phone. Mobile phones have had a bright and positive impact on society that has overshadowed the negatives beyond a reasonable doubt.

Beaton, John, and Judy Wajcman, comps. The Impact of the Mobile Telephone in Australia. Vers. 1. Sept. 2004. Australian Mobile Telecomunications Association. 04 May 2008 .

Britt, Robert R., comp. Drivers on Cell Phones Kill Thousands, Snarl Traffic. Vers. 1. 01 Feb. 2005. Live Science. 03 May 2008 .

Geser, Hans, comp. Towards a Sociological Theory of the Mobile Phone. Vers. 3.0. May 2004. University of Zurich. 02 May 2008 .

May, Harvey, and Greg Hearn, comps. The Mobile Phone as Media. Vers. 8.2. July-Aug. 2005. Queensland University of Technology. 04 May 2008 .

Violanti, J M., comp. Cellular Phones and Traffic Accidents. Vers. 1. 9 June 1997. State University of New York - Buffalo. 02 May 2008 .