Cell Phones Trivia Quiz

Answer: A nearby base station

A cellular, or mobile, phone is basically a small portable radio phone. It operates by communicating with a "cell" (nearby base station) which connects it to a large phone network. A cell phone offers us convenient conversation over long distances because it operates without wires. Is this a curse or a blessing? I'm not sure.

Answer: A car

Lars Magnus Ericsson created one of the earliest mobile phones in history when he installed a telephone inside his automobile. He utilized a pair of long electrical wires and connected them to a national phone network as he drove his automobile across Sweden. Ericsson lived from 1846 to 1926 and quietly amassed a monetary fortune during his lifetime.

Answer: Canadian

The Walkie-Talkie proved to be a major development in the realm of wireless communication and became extremely useful to soldiers in battle. Donald Hings was born in Britain but grew up in Canada. In the 1930s, Hings created a portable radio signaling system which eventually became known as a "Walkie Talkie." During World War II, Hings worked in Ottawa in order to improve his device for military use. Hings was inducted into the Telecommunications Hall of Fame in 2006.

Another Canadian scientist, Alfred J. Gross, is also credited with the development of the Walkie-Talkie, and he developed a telephone pager system as well.

Answer: Leonid Kupriyanovich

A Soviet radio engineer, Leonid Kupriyanovich, developed a portable mobile phone and named it after himself- thus "LK-1." This phone weighed about 3 kgs and was operable within a 20-30 kilometer area. Leonid was able to connect his device to a local telephone network.

In subsequent years, Kupriyanovich succeeded in making his "radiophone" smaller, thus easier to carry. Douglas Ring, W. Rae Young and Philip Porter were scientists who worked for Bell Labs during the 1940s; they did extensive research on cell phone development.

Answer: Call handoff

The "call handoff" system was an extremely important development in the advancement of cell phone technology. Prior to 1970, mobile phones had to stay within the area provided by one base station; thus, mobile phone service could not continue through several cell areas. Amos Joel, an engineer for Bell Labs, created a system whereby a single mobile phone conversation could continue without loss of signal.

The term "zero generation" refers to "primitive" mobile devices or cellular networks which were developed before 1971.

Answer: Motorola

Morton Cooper impressed newspaper reporters in April 1973 when he made a phone call to another scientist while strolling on the streets of New York City. The phone which he used was a large analog mobile device. Motorola was founded in 1928 in Chicago, Illinois. Samsung has its headquarters in Korea, Sony is a Japanese corporation, and AT&T has its headquarters in Dallas, Texas.

Answer: The Brick

In 1983, Motorola introduced the DynaTAC 8000X, and it revolutionized the cell phone business. It was a lightweight device which only weighed about 30 ounces. It was called "The Brick" because it closely resembled a brick used for construction- it had the same shape as a brick.

Answer: Second generation

When historians and scientists refer to the development of cellular phones, they often use the letter "G", or generation, to mark technological progress. The term "2G" means "second generation" mobile phones. In high-tech terms, 2G refers to cell phones which were developed during the 1990s. 2G phones had become more portable and more powerful than previous 1G generation phones such as "The Brick."

Answer: 2G technology led to the popularity of text messaging.

2G phones made tremendous technological breakthroughs, switching from analog networks to digital networks. This switch to digital made cellular communication faster and much more reliable than in earlier generations. Computer chips replaced large batteries as power sources and allowed the phones to do more functions, such as text messaging. 2G research and development took place in several countries around the globe, including Finland and the USA.

Answer: A device which allows users to install and run applications of their choice.

Smartphones have proved to be a tremendous technological advancement because they are small, compact and powerful. Smartphones, equipped with 3G technology, allow users to do a wide variety of tasks: downloading, taking photos, calculating, Internet access, etc. Smartphones have PDA (personal digital assistance) capability; they are the wave of the present and of the future.