How Cell Phones Work

Inside this Article

1. Introduction to How Cell Phones Work

2. Cell-phone Frequencies

3. Cell-phone Channels

4. Cell-phone Codes

5. Analog Cell Phones

6. Along Comes Digital

7. See more »

A Parent's Guide To Cell Phones

Millions of people in the world use cellular phones. They are such great

gadgets -- with a cell phone, you can talk to anyone on the planet from just about anywhere!

These days, cell phones provide an incredible array of

functions, and new ones are being added at a breakneck pace. Depending on the cell-phone model, you can:

· Store contact information

· Make task or to-do lists

· Keep track of appointments and set reminders

· Use the built-in calculator for simple math

· Send or receive e-mail

· Get information (news, entertainment, stock quotes) from theInternet

· Play games

· Watch TV

· Send text messages

· Integrate other devices such as PDAs, MP3 players andGPS receivers

But have you ever wondered how a cell phone works? What makes it different from a regular phone? What do all those terms like PCS, GSM, CDM

A and TDMA mean? In this article, we will discuss the technology behind cell phones so that you can see how amazing they really are. If you are thinking about buying a cell phone, be sure to check outHow Buying a Cell Phone Works to learn what you should know before making a purchase.

To start with, one of the most interesting things about a cell phone is that it is actually aradio -- an extremely sophisticated radio, but a radio nonetheless. The telephonewas invented by Alexander Graham Bell in 1876, and wireless communication can trace its roots to the invention of the radio by Nikolai Tesla in the 1880s (formally presented in 1894 by a young Italian named Guglielmo Marconi). It was only natural that these two great technologies would eventually be combined.