Portal:Telephones

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The Telephones Portal

A telephone is a telecommunications device that permits two or more users to conduct a conversation when they are too far apart to be easily heard directly. A telephone converts sound, typically and most efficiently the human voice, into electronic signals that are transmitted via cables and other communication channels to another telephone which reproduces the sound to the receiving user. The term is derived from Greek: τῆλε (tēle, far) and φωνή (phōnē, voice), together meaning distant voice. A common short form of the term is phone, which came into use early in the telephone's history.

In 1876, Alexander Graham Bell was the first to be granted a United States patent for a device that produced clearly intelligible replication of the human voice at a second device. This instrument was further developed by many others, and became rapidly indispensable in business, government, and in households. (Full article...)

A mobile phone (or cellphone) is a portable telephone that can make and receive calls over a radio frequency link while the user is moving within a telephone service area, as opposed to a fixed-location phone (landline phone). The radio frequency link establishes a connection to the switching systems of a mobile phone operator, which provides access to the public switched telephone network (PSTN). Modern mobile telephone services use a cellular network architecture, and therefore mobile telephones are called cellphones (or "cell phones") in North America. In addition to telephony, digital mobile phones support a variety of other services, such as text messaging, multimedia messaging, email, Internet access (via LTE, 5G NR or Wi-Fi), short-range wireless communications (infrared, Bluetooth), satellite access (navigation, messaging connectivity), business applications, payments (via NFC), multimedia playback and streaming (radio, television), digital photography, and video games. Mobile phones offering only basic capabilities are known as feature phones (slang: "dumbphones"); mobile phones that offer greatly advanced computing capabilities are referred to as smartphones. (Full article...)

A smartphone (often simply called a phone) is a mobile device that combines the functionality of a traditional mobile phone with advanced computing capabilities. It typically has a touchscreen interface, allowing users to access a wide range of applications and services, such as web browsing, email, and social media, as well as multimedia playback and streaming. Smartphones have built-in cameras, GPS navigation, and support for various communication methods, including voice calls, text messaging, and internet-based messaging apps. (Full article...)

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The Western Electric Company was an American electrical engineering and manufacturing company that operated from 1869 to 1996. A subsidiary of the AT&T Corporation for most of its lifespan, Western Electric was the primary manufacturer, supplier, and purchasing agent for all telephone equipment the Bell System from 1881 until 1984, when the Bell System was dismantled. Because the Bell System had a near-total monopoly over telephone service in the United States for much of the 20th century, Western Electric's equipment was widespread across the country. The company was responsible for many technological innovations, as well as developments in industrial management. (Full article...)

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Front face of the latest model, the iPhone 15 Pro

The iPhone is a line of smartphones produced by Apple that use Apple's own iOS mobile operating system. The first-generation iPhone was announced by then–Apple CEO Steve Jobs on January 9, 2007. Since then, Apple has annually released new iPhone models and iOS updates. As of November 1, 2018, more than 2.2 billion iPhones had been sold.

The iPhone was the first mobile phone to use multi-touch technology. Since the iPhone's launch, it has gained larger screen sizes, video-recording, waterproofing, and many accessibility features. Up to the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus, iPhones had a single button on the front panel, with the iPhone 5s and later integrating a Touch ID fingerprint sensor. Since the iPhone X, iPhone models have switched to a nearly bezel-less front screen design with Face ID facial recognition, and app switching activated by gestures. Touch ID is still used for the budget iPhone SE series.

The iPhone is one of the two largest smartphone platforms in the world alongside Android, and is a large part of the luxury market. The iPhone has generated large profits for Apple, making it one of the world's most valuable publicly traded companies. The first-generation iPhone was described as a "revolution" for the mobile phone industry and subsequent models have also garnered praise. The iPhone has been credited with popularizing the smartphone and slate form factor, and with creating a large market for smartphone apps, or "app economy". , Apple's App Store contained more than 2.2 million applications for the iPhone. (Full article...)

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Example of a North American Off-hook tone

Listen to an off-hook tone from North America.

High Tone

Some central office switches in the United States, notably older GTD-5 EAX systems, utilize a single frequency tone, 480 Hz, known as High Tone for this purpose. Listen to an older 480Hz off-hook tone.

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The off-hook tone (also off-hook warning, howling tone, or howler tone) is a telephony signal for alerting a user that the telephone has been left off-hook without use for an extended period, effectively disabling the telephone line. (Full article...)

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The following are images from various telephone-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1People using phones while walking (from Mobile phone)
Image 2Old Receiver schematic, c.1906 (from History of the telephone)
Image 3Inserted memory and SIM cards (from Smartphone)
Image 4A New York City driver holding two phones (from Smartphone)
Image 5The LG Prada with a large capacitive touchscreen introduced in 2006 (from Smartphone)
Image 6A sign along Bellaire Boulevard in Southside Place, Texas (Greater Houston) states that using mobile phones while driving is prohibited from 7:30 am to 9:00 am and from 2:00 pm to 4:15 pm. (from Smartphone)
Image 7Several BlackBerry smartphones, which were highly popular in the mid-late 2000s (from Smartphone)
Image 8Personal Handy-phone System mobiles and modems, 1997–2003 (from Mobile phone)
Image 9The original Apple iPhone; following its introduction the common smartphone form factor shifted to large touchscreen software interfaces without physical keypads (from Smartphone)
Image 10A Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus, featuring a "hole-punch" camera (from Smartphone)
Image 11Actor portraying Alexander Graham Bell in a 1932 silent film. Shows Bell's second telephone transmitter (microphone), invented 1876 and first displayed at the Centennial Exposition, Philadelphia. (from History of the telephone)
Image 12Optical track pad sensor of an HTC Legend, 2010. (from Smartphone)
Image 13Antonio Meucci, 1854, constructed telephone-like devices. (from History of the telephone)
Image 14A user consulting a mapping app on a phone (from Smartphone)
Image 15E-waste in Agbogbloshie (from Smartphone)
Image 16Tooltip in Kiwi Browser, a Google Chromium derivative, reveals the full URL by hovering over the tab list using the stylus on a Samsung Galaxy Note 4. (from Smartphone)
Image 17A driver using two handheld mobile phones at once (from Mobile phone)
Image 18Historical marker commemorating the first telephone central office in New York State (1878) (from History of the telephone)
Image 19A sign in the US restricting cell phone use to certain times of day (no cell phone use between 7:30–9:00 am and 2:00–4:15 pm) (from Mobile phone)
Image 201896 Telephone (Sweden) (from History of the telephone)
Image 21Alexander Graham Bell was awarded the first U.S. patent for the invention of the telephone in 1876. (from History of the telephone)
Image 22Martin Cooper of Motorola, shown here in a 2007 reenactment, made the first publicized handheld mobile phone call on a prototype DynaTAC model on 3 April 1973. (from Mobile phone)
Image 23A Meizu MX4 with Flyme OS (from Smartphone)
Image 24Mobile phone subscribers per 100 inhabitants. 2014 figure is estimated. (from Mobile phone)
Image 25Mobile payment system (from Mobile phone)
Image 26A text message (SMS) (from Mobile phone)
Image 271917 wall telephone, open to show magneto and local battery (from History of the telephone)
Image 28Scrapped mobile phones (from Mobile phone)
Image 29Mobile/desktop convergence: the Librem 5 smartphone can be used as a basic desktop computer (from Smartphone)
Image 30Two decades of evolution of mobile phones, from a 1992 Motorola 8900X-2 to the 2014 iPhone 6 Plus (from Mobile phone)
Image 31IBM Simon and charging base (1994) (from Smartphone)
Image 32Typical mobile phone mini-SIM card (from Mobile phone)
Image 33Tivadar Puskás proposed the telephone switchboard exchange in 1876. (from History of the telephone)
Image 34Antonio Meucci's telephone. (from History of the telephone)
Image 35A smartphone touchscreen (from Smartphone)
Image 36Smartphone with infrared transmitter on top for use as remote control (from Smartphone)
Image 37The master telephone patent granted to Bell, 174465, March 10, 1876 (from History of the telephone)
Image 38A smartphone displaying the homepage of the English Wikipedia (from Smartphone)
Image 39The back of a Nokia 9 PureView. It features a five-lens camera array with Zeiss optics, using a mixture of color and monochrome sensors. (from Smartphone)
Image 40Active mobile broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants (from Mobile phone)
Image 41Thomas Edison invented the carbon microphone which produced a strong telephone signal. (from History of the telephone)
Image 42Cellular networks work by only reusing radio frequencies (in this example frequencies f1-f4) in non adjacent cells to avoid interference (from Mobile phone)
Image 43Dupuis and Haug during a GSM meeting in Belgium, April 1992 (from Mobile phone)
Image 44Apple iPhone smartphone (from History of the telephone)
Image 45Android smartphones (from Mobile phone)
Image 46The Nokia 9110 Communicator, opened for access to keyboard (from Smartphone)
Image 47The HTC Desire, a 2010 smartphone with optical trackpad and search button (from Smartphone)
Image 48Mobile payment system. (from Smartphone)
Image 49Philipp Reis, 1861, constructed the first telephone, today called the Reis telephone. (from History of the telephone)
Image 50The back of a Huawei P30. It features three rear-facing camera lenses with Leica optics. (from Smartphone)
Image 51"Device options" menu of Samsung Mobile's TouchWiz user interface as of 2013, accessed by holding the power button for a second (from Smartphone)
Image 52A high-capacity portable battery charger (power bank) (from Smartphone)
Image 53A German rotary dial telephone, the W48 (from History of the telephone)
Image 54This layout of the camera viewfinder was first introduced by Apple with iOS 7 in 2013. Towards the late 2010s, several other smartphone vendors have ditched their layouts and implemented variations of this layout. (from Smartphone)
Image 55A French Gower telephone of 1912 at the Musée des Arts et Métiers in Paris (from History of the telephone)
Image 56A Moto G7 Power; its display uses a tall aspect ratio and includes a "notch". (from Smartphone)
Image 57The Motorola DynaTAC 8000X. In 1983, it became the first commercially available handheld cellular mobile phone. (from Mobile phone)
Image 58A 19th century acoustic tin can or "lovers' telephone" (from History of the telephone)
Image 59Elisha Gray, 1876, designed a telephone using a water microphone in Highland Park, Illinois. (from History of the telephone)
Image 60
Bell prototype telephone stamp
Centennial Issue of 1976
(from History of the telephone)
Image 61Top of cellular telephone tower (from History of the telephone)
Image 62Private conversation, 1910 (from History of the telephone)

Selected biography

Meucci in 1878

Antonio Santi Giuseppe Meucci (/meɪˈuːtʃi/ may-OO-chee, Italian: [anˈtɔːnjo meˈuttʃi]; 13 April 1808 – 18 October 1889) was an Italian inventor and an associate of Giuseppe Garibaldi, a major political figure in the history of Italy. Meucci is best known for developing a voice-communication apparatus that several sources credit as the first telephone.

Meucci set up a form of voice-communication link in his Staten Island, New York, home that connected the second-floor bedroom to his laboratory. He submitted a patent caveat for his telephonic device to the U.S. Patent Office in 1871, but there was no mention of electromagnetic transmission of vocal sound in his caveat. In 1876, Alexander Graham Bell was granted a patent for the electromagnetic transmission of vocal sound by undulatory electric current. Despite the longstanding general crediting of Bell with the accomplishment, the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities supported celebrations of Meucci's 200th birthday in 2008 using the title "Inventore del telefono" (Inventor of the telephone). The U.S. House of Representatives in a resolution in 2002 also acknowledged Meucci's work in the invention of the telephone, although the U.S. Senate did not join the resolution and the interpretation of the resolution is disputed. (Full article...)

List of selected biographies
Alexander Graham Bell Thomas Edison Innocenzo Manzetti Charles Bourseul Johann Philipp Reis Tivadar Puskás Douglas H. Ring W. Rae Young Martin Cooper (inventor) Thomas Cowherd Gardiner Greene Hubbard Anthony Pollok Thomas A. Watson Elisha Gray George Sweigert Pat Fleet John Draper

Selected images

Image 1Wooden wall telephone with a hand-cranked magneto generator
Image 2Landline call blocking in use
Image 3Rotary dial telephone, probably from Belgium; the circuit diagram inside is in Dutch and French
Image 4A cordless phone
Image 5An example of a K6, the most common red telephone box model, photographed in London in 2012
Image 6A police box outside Earl's Court tube station in London, built in 1996 and based on the 1929 Gilbert Mackenzie Trench design
Image 7Rotary dial telephone, probably from Belgium; the circuit diagram inside is in Dutch and French
Image 8A Northern Electric telephone, model number N415H, circa 1950 (probably)
Image 9Telephone booth box art outside the Tower of London, 2012
Image 10Acoustic telephone ad, The Consolidated Telephone Co., Jersey City, New Jersey, 1886
Image 11Mailbox and public telephone in Haßfurt, Germany
Image 12Historical telephone with the German imperial eagle and the heraldic shield of the House of Hohenzollern dynasty; Vollmer's Mill, Seebach, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
Image 13Automatic electric Rotary dial telephone
Image 14Public telephone, Bucharest, Romania
Image 15Push-button telephone
Image 16Emergency telephones, on the Paris-Bordeaux railway line, Saint-Saviol station, Vienne, France
Image 17Apple iPhones
Image 18Foldable smartphones
Image 19A Bell Canada payphone with digital display
Image 20The AUTOVON was a worldwide American military telephone system that was built starting in 1963.
Image 21A Western Electric candlestick phone from the 1920s
Image 22Photograph of the interior of the Prairie Grove Airlight Outdoor Telephone Booth in Prairie Grove, Arkansas, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
Image 23A Funke + Huster telephone inside the Idrija Mine, Slovenia
Image 24Track-side emergency brake and emergency telephones at the platform of the metro station Aspern Nord, Donaustadt, Vienna, Austria
Image 25A historic telephone booth in Skansen, Stockholm
Image 26An Italian gettone telefonico (telephone token) from 1945, which was used in Italian phone booths
Image 27A traditional North American rotary phone dial. The associative lettering was originally used for dialing named exchanges but was kept because it facilitated memorization of telephone numbers.
Image 28Android smartphones

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v t e Telephony
Types	Landline Cable telephony Mobile phone Satellite phone Photophone
Accessories	Answering machine Caller ID
Connectivity	Cable protection system Communications satellites Fibre-optical Free-space optical ISDN Mobile phone signal POTS PSTN Submarine cables VoIP
Calls	Missed call Misdialed call Nuisance call Phone tag
Applications	Fax transmission Telephone calls Telephone newspapers Théâtrophone Video calls
Telecommunication portal Telephones portal

v t e Emergency telephone numbers
Emergency telephone Harmonised service of social value
000 (Australia) 102 (India) 106 (Australia) 108 (India) 110 (Iran, Japan, China) 111 (New Zealand) 112 (Europe and others, worldwide GSM mobile networks) 119 (parts of Asia and Jamaica) 120 (China) 122 (Austria, Egypt, and Bosnia and Herzegovina) 123 (Colombia, Egypt) 128 (Mercosur member states) 190 (Brazil) 911 (Iraq, North America E-911 system, Philippines) 988 (North America Suicide & Crisis Lifeline) 999 (Bangladesh, UK and others) 1122 (Pakistan)
Telephones portal Telecommunication portal List article Category Wikimedia Commons