Mobile phone

features

Hardware-side view of a typical smartphone

The features of mobile phones are the set

of capabilities, services and applications
that they offer to their users. Mobile
phones are often referred to as feature
phones, and offer basic telephony.
Handsets with more advanced computing
ability through the use of native code try to
differentiate their own products by
implementing additional functions to
make them more attractive to consumers.
This has led to great innovation in mobile
phone development over the past 20
years.

The common components found on all

phones are:
A battery, providing the power source for
the phone functions.
An input mechanism to allow the user to
interact with the phone. The most
common input mechanism is a keypad,
but touch screens are also found in
smartphones.
Basic mobile phone services to allow
users to make calls and send text
messages.
All GSM phones use a SIM card to allow
an account to be swapped among
devices. Some CDMA devices also have
a similar card called a R-UIM.
 Individual GSM, WCDMA, iDEN and
some satellite phone devices are
uniquely identified by an International
Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI)
number.

All mobile phones are designed to work on

cellular networks and contain a standard
set of services that allow phones of
different types and in different countries to
communicate with each other. However,
they can also support other features
added by various manufacturers over the
years:

roaming which permits the same phone

to be used in multiple countries,
providing that the operators of both
countries have a roaming agreement.
send and receive data and faxes (if a
computer is attached), access WAP
services, and provide full Internet
access using technologies such as
GPRS.
applications like a clock, alarm,
calendar, contacts, and calculator and a
few games.
Sending and receiving pictures and
videos (by without internet) through
MMS, and for short distances with e.g.
Bluetooth.
 In Multimedia phones Bluetooth is
commonly but important Feature.
GPS receivers integrated or connected
(i.e. using Bluetooth) to cell phones,
primarily to aid in dispatching
emergency responders and road tow
truck services. This feature is generally
referred to as E911.
Push to talk, available on some mobile
phones, is a feature that allows the user
to be heard only while the talk button is
held, similar to a walkie-talkie.

Software, applications and

services
 This section needs additional citations for
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Software-side view of a typical smartphone

In early stages, every mobile phone

company had its own user interface, which
can be considered as "closed" operating
system, since there was a minimal
configurability. A limited variety of basic
applications (usually games, accessories
like calculator or conversion tool and so
on) was usually included with the phone
and those were not available otherwise.
Early mobile phones included basic web
browser, for reading basic WAP pages.
Handhelds (Personal digital assistants like
Palm, running Palm OS) were more
sophisticated and also included more
advanced browser and a touch screen (for
use with stylus), but these were not
broadly used, comparing to standard
phones. Other capabilities like Pulling and
Pushing Emails or working with calendar
were also made more accessible but it
usually required physical (and not
wireless) Syncing. BlackBerry 850, an
email pager, released January 19, 1999,
was the first device to integrate Email.
A major step towards a more "open"
mobile OS was the symbian S60 OS, that
could be expanded by downloading
software (written in C++, java or python),
and its appearance was more
configurable. In July 2008, Apple
introduced its App store, which made
downloading mobile applications more
accessible. In October 2008, the HTC
Dream was the first commercially released
device to use the Linux-based Android OS,
which was purchased and further
developed by Google and the Open
Handset Alliance to create an open
competitor to other major smartphone
platforms of the time (Mainly Symbian
operating system, BlackBerry OS, and iOS)-
The operating system offered a
customizable graphical user interface and
a notification system showing a list of
recent messages pushed from apps.

The most commonly used data application

on mobile phones is SMS text messaging.
The first SMS text message was sent from
a computer to a mobile phone in 1992 in
the UK, while the first person-to-person
SMS from phone to phone was sent in
Finland in 1993.

The first mobile news service, delivered via

SMS, was launched in Finland in 2000.
Mobile news services are expanding with
many organizations providing "on-demand"
news services by SMS. Some also provide
"instant" news pushed out by SMS.

Mobile payments were first trialled in

Finland in 1998 when two Coca-Cola
vending machines in Espoo were enabled
to work with SMS payments. Eventually,
the idea spread and in 1999 the
Philippines launched the first commercial
mobile payments systems, on the mobile
operators Globe and Smart. Today, mobile
payments ranging from mobile banking to
mobile credit cards to mobile commerce
are very widely used in Asia and Africa,
and in selected European markets. Usually,
the SMS services utilize short code.

Some network operators have utilized

USSD for information, entertainment or
finance services (e.g. M-Pesa).

Other non-SMS data services used on

mobile phones include mobile music,
downloadable logos and pictures, gaming,
gambling, adult entertainment and
advertising. The first downloadable mobile
content was sold to a mobile phone in
Finland in 1998, when Radiolinja (now
Elisa) introduced the downloadable
ringtone service. In 1999, Japanese mobile
operator NTT DoCoMo introduced its
mobile Internet service, i-Mode, which
today is the world's largest mobile Internet
service.

Even after the appearance of

smartphones, network operators have
continued to offer information services,
although in some places, those services
have become less common.

Power supply
Mobile phone charging service in Uganda

The world's five largest handset makers introduced a

new rating system in November 2008 to help
consumers more easily identify the most energy-
efficient chargers.[1]

Mobile phones generally obtain power

from rechargeable batteries. There are a
variety of ways used to charge cell phones,
including USB, portable batteries, mains
power (using an AC adapter), cigarette
lighters (using an adapter), or a dynamo. In
2009, the first wireless charger was
released for consumer use.[2] Some
manufacturers have been experimenting
with alternative power sources, including
solar cells.[3]

Various initiatives, such as the EU

Common External Power Supply have
been announced to standardize the
interface to the charger, and to promote
energy efficiency of mains-operated
chargers. A star rating system is promoted
by some manufacturers, where the most
efficient chargers consume less than 0.03
watts and obtain a five-star rating.
Get to know about the best and fastest
phone chargers.

Battery

A popular early mobile phone battery was

the nickel metal-hydride (NiMH) type, due
to its relatively small size and low weight.
Lithium ion batteries are also used, as they
are lighter and do not have the voltage
depression due to long-term over-charging
that nickel metal-hydride batteries do.
Many mobile phone manufacturers use
lithium–polymer batteries as opposed to
the older lithium-ion, the main advantages
being even lower weight and the possibility
to make the battery a shape other than
strict cuboid.[4]

SIM card

Typical mobile phone SIM card

GSM mobile phones require a small

microchip called a Subscriber Identity
Module or SIM card, to function. The SIM
card is approximately the size of a small
postage stamp and is usually placed
underneath the battery in the rear of the
unit. The SIM securely stores the service-
subscriber key (IMSI) used to identify a
subscriber on mobile telephony devices
(such as mobile phones and computers).
The SIM card allows users to change
phones by simply removing the SIM card
from one mobile phone and inserting it
into another mobile phone or broadband
telephony device.

A SIM card contains its unique serial

number, internationally unique number of
the mobile user (IMSI), security
authentication and ciphering information,
temporary information related to the local
network, a list of the services the user has
access to and two passwords (PIN for
usual use and PUK for unlocking).

SIM cards are available in three standard

sizes. The first is the size of a credit card
(85.60 mm × 53.98 mm x 0.76 mm,
defined by ISO/IEC 7810 as ID-1). The
newer, most popular miniature version has
the same thickness but a length of 25 mm
and a width of 15 mm (ISO/IEC 7810 ID-
000), and has one of its corners truncated
(chamfered) to prevent misinsertion. The
newest incarnation known as the 3FF or
micro-SIM has dimensions of 15 mm ×
12 mm. Most cards of the two smaller
sizes are supplied as a full-sized card with
the smaller card held in place by a few
plastic links; it can easily be broken off to
be used in a device that uses the smaller
SIM.

The first SIM card was made in 1991 by

Munich smart card maker Giesecke &
Devrient for the Finnish wireless network
operator Radiolinja. Giesecke & Devrient
sold the first 300 SIM cards to Elisa (ex.
Radiolinja).
Those cell phones that do not use a SIM
card have the data programmed into their
memory. This data is accessed by using a
special digit sequence to access the
"NAM" as in "Name" or number
programming menu. From there,
information can be added, including a new
number for the phone, new Service
Provider numbers, new emergency
numbers, new Authentication Key or A-Key
code, and a Preferred Roaming List or PRL.
However, to prevent the phone being
accidentally disabled or removed from the
network, the Service Provider typically
locks this data with a Master Subsidiary
Lock (MSL). The MSL also locks the
device to a particular carrier when it is sold
as a loss leader.

The MSL applies only to the SIM, so once

the contract has expired, the MSL still
applies to the SIM. The phone, however, is
also initially locked by the manufacturer
into the Service Provider's MSL. This lock
may be disabled so that the phone can use
other Service Providers' SIM cards. Most
phones purchased outside the U.S. are
unlocked phones because there are
numerous Service Providers that are close
to one another or have overlapping
coverage. The cost to unlock a phone
varies but is usually very cheap and is
sometimes provided by independent
phone vendors.

A similar module called a Removable User

Identity Module or RUIM card is present in
some CDMA networks, notably in China
and Indonesia.

Multi-card hybrid phones

A hybrid mobile phone can take more than

one SIM card, even of different types. The
SIM and RUIM cards can be mixed
together, and some phones also support
three or four SIMs.[5][6]
From 2010 onwards they became popular
in India and Indonesia and other emerging
markets,[7] attributed to the desire to
obtain the lowest on-net calling rate. In Q3
2011, Nokia shipped 18 million of its low
cost dual SIM phone range in an attempt
to make up lost ground in the higher end
smartphone market.[8]

Display
Mobile phones have a display device,
some of which are also touch screens. The
screen size varies greatly by model and is
usually specified either as width and
height in pixels or the diagonal measured
in inches.

Some mobiles have more than one display,

for example the Kyocera Echo, an Android
smartphone with a dual 3.5 inch screen.
The screens can also be combined into a
single 4.7 inch tablet style computer.[9]

Central processing unit

Mobile phones have central processing
units (CPUs), similar to those in
computers, but optimised to operate in low
power environments.
Mobile CPU performance depends not
only on the clock rate (generally given in
multiples of hertz)[10] but also the memory
hierarchy also greatly affects overall
performance. Because of these problems,
the performance of mobile phone CPUs is
often more appropriately given by scores
derived from various standardized tests to
measure the real effective performance in
commonly used applications.

Miscellaneous features
Other features that may be found on
mobile phones include GPS navigation,
music (MP3) and video (MP4) playback,
RDS radio receiver, built-in projector,
vibration and other "silent" ring options,
alarms, memo recording, personal digital
assistant functions, ability to watch
streaming video, video download, video
calling, built-in cameras (1.0+ Mpx) and
camcorders (video recording), with
autofocus and flash, ringtones, games,
PTT, memory card reader (SD), USB (2.0),
dual line support, infrared, Bluetooth (2.0)
and WiFi connectivity, NFC, instant
messaging, Internet e-mail and browsing
and serving as a wireless modem.

The first smartphone was the Nokia 9000

Communicator in 1996 which added PDA
functionality to the basic mobile phone at
the time. As miniaturization and increased
processing power of microchips has
enabled ever more features to be added to
phones, the concept of the smartphone
has evolved, and what was a high-end
smartphone five years ago, is a standard
phone today.

Several phone series have been introduced

to address a given market segment, such
as the RIM BlackBerry focusing on
enterprise/corporate customer email
needs; the SonyEricsson Walkman series
of musicphones and Cybershot series of
cameraphones; the Nokia Nseries of
multimedia phones, the Palm Pre the HTC
Dream and the Apple iPhone.

Nokia and the University of Cambridge

demonstrated a bendable cell phone
called the Morph.[11] Some phones have an
electromechanical transducer on the back
which changes the electrical voice signal
into mechanical vibrations. The vibrations
flow through the cheek bones or forehead
allowing the user to hear the conversation.
This is useful in the noisy situations or if
the user is hard of hearing.[12]

As of 2018, there are smartphones that

offer reverse wireless charging.[13]
Multi-mode and multi-band
mobile phones
Most mobile phone networks are digital
and use the GSM, CDMA or iDEN standard
which operate at various radio
frequencies. These phones can only be
used with a service plan from the same
company. For example, a Verizon phone
cannot be used with a T-Mobile service,
and vica versa.

A multi-mode phone operates across

different standards whereas a multi-band
phone (also known more specifically as
dual, tri or quad band) mobile phone is a
phone which is designed to work on more
than one radio frequency. Some multi-
mode phones can operate on analog
networks as well (for example, dual band,
tri-mode: AMPS 800 / CDMA 800 / CDMA
1900).

For a GSM phone, dual-band usually

means 850 / 1900 MHz in the United
States and Canada, 900 / 1800 MHz in
Europe and most other countries. Tri-band
means 850 / 1800 / 1900 MHz or 900 /
1800 / 1900 MHz. Quad-band means 850 /
900 / 1800 / 1900 MHz, also called a
world phone, since it can work on any GSM
network.
Multi-band phones have been valuable to
enable roaming whereas multi-mode
phones helped to introduce WCDMA
features without customers having to give
up the wide coverage of GSM. Almost
every single true 3G phone sold is actually
a WCDMA/GSM dual-mode mobile. This is
also true of 2.75G phones such as those
based on CDMA-2000 or EDGE.

Challenges in producing multi-

mode phones

The special challenge involved in

producing a multi-mode mobile is in
finding ways to share the components
between the different standards.
Obviously, the phone keypad and display
should be shared, otherwise it would be
hard to treat as one phone. Beyond that,
though, there are challenges at each level
of integration. How difficult these
challenges are depends on the differences
between systems. When talking about IS-
95/GSM multi-mode phones, for example,
or AMPS/IS-95 phones, the base band
processing is very different from system to
system. This leads to real difficulties in
component integration and so to larger
phones.
An interesting special case of multi-mode
phones is the WCDMA/GSM phone. The
radio interfaces are very different from
each other, but mobile to core network
messaging has strong similarities,
meaning that software sharing is quite
easy. Probably more importantly, the
WCDMA air interface has been designed
with GSM compatibility in mind. It has a
special mode of operation, known as
punctured mode, in which, instead of
transmitting continuously, the mobile is
able to stop sending for a short period and
try searching for GSM carriers in the area.
This mode allows for safe inter-frequency
handovers with channel measurements
which can only be approximated using
"pilot signals" in other CDMA based
systems.

A final interesting case is that of mobiles

covering the DS-WCDMA and MC-CDMA
3G variants of the CDMA-2000 protocol.
Initially, the chip rate of these phones was
incompatible. As part of the negotiations
related to patents, it was agreed to use
compatible chip rates. This should mean
that, despite the fact that the air and
system interfaces are quite different, even
on a philosophical level, much of the
hardware for each system inside a phone
should be common with differences being
mostly confined to software.

Data communications
Mobile phones are now heavily used for
data communications. such as SMS
messages, browsing mobile web sites, and
even streaming audio and video files. The
main limiting factors are the size of the
screen, lack of a keyboard, processing
power and connection speed. Most
cellphones, which supports data
communications, can be used as wireless
modems (via cable or bluetooth), to
connect computer to internet. Such
access method is slow and expensive, but
it can be available in very remote areas.

With newer smartphones, screen

resolution and processing power has
become bigger and better. Some new
phone CPUs run at over 1 GHz. Many
complex programs are now available for
the various smartphones, such as
Symbian and Windows Mobile.

Connection speed is based on network

support. Originally data transfers over
GSM networks were possible only over
CSD (circuit switched data), it has
bandwidth of 9600 bit/s and usually is
billed by connection time (from network
point of view, it does not differ much from
voice call). Later, there were introduced
improved version of CSD - HSCSD (high
speed CSD), it could use multiple time
slots for downlink, improving speed.
Maximum speed for HSCSD is ~42 kbit/s,
it also is billed by time. Later was
introduced GPRS (general packet radio
service), which operates on completely
different principle. It also can use multiple
time slots for transfer, but it does not tie
up radio resources, when not transferring
data (as opposed to CSD and like). GPRS
usually is prioritized under voice and CSD,
so latencies are large and variable. Later,
GPRS was upgraded to EDGE, which
differs mainly by radio modulation,
squeezing more data capacity in same
radio bandwidth. GPRS and EDGE usually
are billed by data traffic volume. Some
phones also feature full Qwerty keyboards,
such as the LG enV.

As of April 2006, several models, such as

the Nokia 6680, support 3G
communications. Such phones have
access to the Web via a free download of
the Opera web browser. Verizon Wireless
models come with Internet Explorer pre-
loaded onto the phone.
Vulnerability to viruses
As more complex features are added to
phones, they become more vulnerable to
viruses which exploit weaknesses in these
features. Even text messages can be used
in attacks by worms and viruses.
Advanced phones capable of e-mail can
be susceptible to viruses that can multiply
by sending messages through a phone's
address book. In some phone models, the
USSD was exploited for inducing a factory
reset,[14] resulting in clearing the data and
resetting the user settings.

A virus may allow unauthorized users to

access a phone to find passwords or
corporate data stored on the device.
Moreover, they can be used to
commandeer the phone to make calls or
send messages at the owner's expense.

Mobile phones used to have proprietary

operating system unique only to the
manufacturer which had the beneficial
effect of making it harder to design a
mass attack. However, the rise of software
platforms and operating systems shared
by many manufacturers such as Java,
Microsoft operating systems, Linux, or
Symbian OS, may increase the spread of
viruses in the future.
Bluetooth is a feature now found in many
higher-end phones, and the virus Caribe
hijacked this function, making Bluetooth
phones infect other Bluetooth phones
running the Symbian OS. In early
November 2004, several web sites began
offering a specific piece of software
promising ringtones and screensavers for
certain phones. Those who downloaded
the software found that it turned each icon
on the phone's screen into a skull-and-
crossbones and disabled their phones, so
they could no longer send or receive text
messages or access contact lists or
calendars. The virus has since been
dubbed "Skulls" by security experts. The
Commwarrior-A virus was identified in
March 2005, and it attempts to replicate
itself through MMS to others on the
phone's contact list. Like Cabir,
Commwarrior-A also tries to communicate
via Bluetooth wireless connections with
other devices, which can eventually lead to
draining the battery. The virus requires
user intervention for propagation however.

Bluetooth phones are also subject to

bluejacking, which although not a virus,
does allow for the transmission of
unwanted messages from anonymous
Bluetooth users.
Cameras
Most current phones also have a built-in
digital camera (see camera phone), that
can have resolutions as high as 48M
pixels. [15] This gives rise to some concern
about privacy, in view of possible
voyeurism, for example in swimming
pools. South Korea has ordered
manufacturers to ensure that all new
handsets emit a beep whenever a picture
is taken.

Sound recording and video recording is

often also possible. Most people do not
walk around with a video camera, but do
carry a phone. The arrival of video camera
phones is transforming the availability of
video to consumers, and helps fuel citizen
journalism.

See also
Mobile game
Ringtone
Smartphone
Mobile phone form factor
Wallpaper

References
1. Sheen, James (22 October 2009).
"Meeting 30mW Standby in Mobile
 Phone Chargers" . Electronic Products.
Retrieved 4 November 2009.
2. goingcellular.com  — Powermat
wireless charger now available
3. Charge Use Mini Solar Panel | Android
Phones .
4. "Cell Phone Battery Guide" . Retrieved
16 June 2010.
5. Example of a Triple SIM hybrid phone .
6. The Latest F160 Quad Sim Quad
Standby TV Java Phone with Qwerty
Keyboard | Tri Sim Phones .
7. https://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110
429/wr_nm/us_handsets Archived
May 8, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
 8. "Nokia boosted by sales of cheap
handsets" . October 20, 2011.
9. Kyocera Echo Phone Review |
PCWorld .
10. "CPU Frequency" . CPU World
Glossary. CPU World. 25 March 2008.
Retrieved 1 January 2010.
11. Reardon, Marguerite. "Nokia demos
bendable cell phone" . CNET News,
February 25, 2008. Retrieved 20 July
2009.
12. Mito 228: Unique Handphone, Can
Hear with the cheek , IeuMart.com
 13. Huawei Takes a Jab at Apple – Says
Its Mate 20 Pro Will Be Able to Charge
iPhones Wirelessly
14. https://www.engadget.com/2012/09/
25/dirty-ussd-code-samsung-hack-
wipe/
15. https://m.gsmarena.com/oppo_reno_1
0x_zoom-9654.php

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