In 1973, Martin Cooper made the first cellular phone call, standing in front of a hotel on a busy New York street. Today, Mr. Cooper, a CEO for ArrayComm wireless software company, says he buys a new cell phone every two months. Why so often? He says that is what it takes to keep up with the technology.
So what types of cell phones does Mr. Cooper prefer? His most recent purchase was an LTE-capable HTC Thunderbolt. Before that, it was a Motorola Droid X. He also owned an iPhone 4 briefly; but he says he gave it to his grandson after upgrading.
Despite the introduction in the early 1970s, it wasn’t until around 1983 that the first cell phones started becoming available commercially to the wider public. Before that, most consumer cell phones were installed into cars and two types of people used them – those seeking (and able to afford) status and those looking for a new way to conduct business.
According to Mr. Cooper, we can credit the portable cell phone to two primary factors: 1) the need for more portable devices by police departments, fire departments, and businessmen and 2) to prevent AT&T from building up a retrograde system that would tie cellular technology to a car.
If you are interested in reading more about Mr. Cooper; most specifically, his insights and opinions into today’s cell phone and smartphone market, you can find an interview with him on the Computerworld website.