Monday, August 30, 2010

Vision of Mobile Phones in 1976

Photo courtesy of www.paleofuture.com/

 Vision of Mobile Phones in 1976

I am glad to see more and more information popping up on the Internet that identifies and reaffirms the exciting history of mobile telephones, originally called wireless telephones. I am and I believe I shall always be an advocate of this scientific technological advanced development. If there are details defining our science that can help people understand the history and future of mobile telephones then I want to know about it and let you know too.

In 2009 I set out historical reference relevant to mobile communications and telephones and in it referred to a particular important historical event, that being the first patented wireless telephone. "1908: Nathan B. Stubblefield invented and patented the first mobile telephone a 100-years ago." http://trewmte.blogspot.com/2009/01/mobile-forensics-and-evidence-degrees.html

A technological fact worth noting about Stubblefield's invention is that it did not make use of a computer central processing unit (CPU) which was not invented in 1908 and was many decades away. Thus mobile telephones were scientifically and technically defined then, as they are today, by the science with which the devices are intended to make use - wireless (radio signals)/telecommunications.

The Washington Post (February 20th 1910) ran a story of a development for wireless telephones to use an umbrella as an antenna and the thought that wireless telephones could be used for sending aerograms (a fore-runner idea to text messages) containing Valentine messages? http://www.paleofuture.com/blog/2007/5/29/your-own-wireless-telephone-1910.html

The aerogram idea would not be an idea that would be far fetched for 1910 given that previously technology was already in use for sending text messages. One hundred years on, I wrote in 2010 about Victorian Texting and its origins. "Victorian Texting was made possible with the use of the Wheatstone's ABC Telegraph originated in 1842 developed by the English physicist and inventor Sir Charles Wheatstone (1802-1875)." http://trewmte.blogspot.com/2010/01/victorian-texting.html

Wheatstone's invention of 1845 may fit with the notion for the possibility in 1910 of an aerogram (instead of a telegram) to be communicated over-the-air and again re-enforces the point how the concept of features originating from telecommunications could be used with wireless technology.

Sixty years on from 1910 our common understanding of mobile telephones started to come to fruitition. In 1976 a design (see image above) for the first portable telephone, so we are told, was not far off the design of mobile handsets used in the 1980s. http://www.paleofuture.com/blog/2009/8/30/portable-telephones-1976.html

Through out the last century and up-to-date wireless telephones (mobile phones/smart phones) utilise a natural science that remains the kernal for and primary concept of mobile telephones that appears unchangeable position and that is mobiles use radio signals. Today we speak of cellular radio, but the natural waveform of radio signals is still analogue in nature, irrespective of the modulation treatment applied to the analogue signals. Mobile telephones today have analogue-to-digital (A/D) signal processors to convert the radio signal into a digital format. Naturally, mobiles equally use a digital-to-analogue signal prcessor. I guess the day mobile telephones no longer need or use radio signals for over-the-air communications then that is the day when when we might re-name them as smart electronic devices. Until then, mobile telephones are here to stay and, as far as I can see, for many decades to come.

Monday, August 23, 2010

Apple's Killer Patent for Jailbreakers

Apple's Killer Patent for Jailbreakers

Apple has used the route of a patent to institute a series of measures to protect its devices from Jailbreakers, thieves and unauthorised users.

http://forensicmobex.blogspot.com/2010/08/apples-killer-patent-for-jailbreakers.html

Friday, August 13, 2010

US Case: Daubert and Cell Site Analysis Maps

US Case: Daubert and Cell Site Analysis Maps

I having been an advocate, as many of you know, for many years for the use in evidence of network operator generated analogue and digital cellular radio maps (eg best server plots/density maps & single cell prediction plots/density maps). That is because they are a composite compiled from collection of visible and discrete detail relevant to the operator's predication. They illustrate, if you will, a visual demonstration of a radio coverage strategy in an area. A recent US Case dealt with cell site maps as part of the evidence. The case of the US v Benford discussed by Law Professor Susan Brenner, at her webblog, makes interesting reading indeed:

http://cyb3rcrim3.blogspot.com/2010/08/daubert-and-cell-site-data.html

There are examples of cell site maps here at Mobile Telephone Evidence (link below):

http://trewmte.blogspot.com/2009/08/cell-site-analysis-csa-images.html

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

US Case: Daubert and Cell Site Analysis Maps

US Case: Daubert and Cell Site Analysis Maps

I having been an advocate, as many of you know, for many years for the use in evidence of network operator generated analogue and digital cellular radio maps (eg best server plots/density maps & single cell prediction plots/density maps). That is because they are a composite compiled from collection of visible and discrete detail relevant to the operator's predication. They illustrate, if you will, a visual demonstration of a radio coverage strategy in an area. A recent US Case dealt with cell site maps as part of the evidence. The case of the US v Benford discussed by Law Professor Susan Brenner, at her webblog, makes interesting reading indeed:

http://cyb3rcrim3.blogspot.com/2010/08/daubert-and-cell-site-data.html

There are examples of cell site maps here at Mobile Telephone Evidence (link below):

http://trewmte.blogspot.com/2009/08/cell-site-analysis-csa-images.html

More on Cell Site Analysis: http://cellsiteanalysis.blogspot.com

Tuesday, August 03, 2010

SMS 25 Years Old Today

SMS 25 Years Old Today

Today, SMS (short message service) text messaging cellebrates its birthday. The service was technically created in 1985, however the use of this communications technological advantage containing the message "Happy Christmas" sent in the UK over the Vodafone network was not seen until the first was message was transmitted on 3rd December 1992.

The ubiquitous use of SMS generated global revenues, researched has shown, over $150 billion for 2009 and is forecast to reach $233 billion by the end of 2014, according to Sheri Wells of SMS Media Group.

SMS texting is used by the rich and famous, film stars, singers to the general populus and it is hard to think of anywhere in the world that hasn't used the SMS service. But there are Countries that do not have SMS currently. Do you know the names of those countries and what are their population sizes?

SMS 25 Years Old Today

SMS 25 Years Old Today

Today, SMS (short message service) text messaging cellebrates its birthday. The service was technically created in 1985, however the use of this communications technological advantage containing the message "Happy Christmas" sent in the UK over the Vodafone network was not seen until the first was message was transmitted on 3rd December 1992.

The ubiquitous use of SMS generated global revenues, researched has shown, over $150 billion for 2009 and is forecast to reach $233 billion by the end of 2014, according to Sheri Wells of SMS Media Group.

SMS texting is used by the rich and famous, film stars, singers to the general populus and it is hard to think of anywhere in the world that hasn't used the SMS service. But there are Countries that do not have SMS currently. Do you know the names of those countries and what are their population sizes?

One-Size-Fits-All Power Charger

One-Size-Fits-All Power Charger

Manufacturers have agreed to create a single one-size-fits-all power charger, thus the expectation of a standard PSU interface will be used. The approach is being applied to data-enabled mobile phones for models to be distributed in 2011 according to the EU, as reported by Business Week:

http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9H9F7H00.htm?

Business Week identify the manufacturers as Apple, Emblaze Mobile, Huawei Technologies, LGE, Motorola, NEC, Nokia, Qualcomm, Research in Motion (RIM), Samsung, SonyEricsson, TCT Mobile, Texas Instruments.

The news of a single charger has been around for a while but is a useful reminder as apparently the 2011 handsets wont be supplied with charger according to the Business Week article.

Handsets with the new charger design could prove helpful when we are examining mobile phones where there is no charger supplied with the 'exhibit' or the customer's DFE.