Charlie Chaplin and the 1928 mystery mobile phone

Charlie Chaplin and the 1928 mystery mobile phone

Regular visitors to my webblog are already aware, however if you are a first time visitor you may care to know that I am not simply involved with forensics and evidence for over two decades but that I am also an active campaigner to bring to the fore and make revelation about the amazing world of mobile communications and the very poor promotion of its incredible historical roots, not just in scientific discovery but as an advanced technological communications masterpiece, also.

Here is another interesting piece of information that recently emerged, recorded in the Daily Mail online:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1324132/1928-Charlie-Chaplin-film-mobile-phone-time-travelling-mystery.html

Related article on mobile telephone historical developments:
http://trewmte.blogspot.com/2010/08/vision-of-mobile-phones-in-1976.html
http://trewmte.blogspot.com/2009/01/mobile-forensics-and-evidence-degrees.html
http://trewmte.blogspot.com/2010/01/victorian-texting.html

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In 2009 I set out historical reference relevant to mobile communications and telephones and in it referred to a particular important historical event, that being the first patented wireless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.

Mobile Phones and GPS Forensics & Evidence

Mobile Phones and GPS Forensics & Evidence

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Mobile telephones are the predominate wireless telecommunications device throughout the world and most certainly in the UK they predominate other technologies, where ownership has reached well over saturation level when compared to the population number and mobile phone usage is embedded in UK culture. Global Positioning Systems (GPS) falls into the category of wireless communications that provides a 'beacon' service from which information can be derived, such as a reference clock and location coordinates. GPS is fast becoming an integrated service in mobile telephones and forms part of the forensics and evidence examination process.

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I have been in talks with Professor David Last, a specialist and expert in GPS forensics and evidence, for some while on the cross-connection between wireless modules that can be integration into mobile telephones and, in particular, GPS being such a module. The discussion has been directed towards interpretation of GPS data and the importance that once data has been extracted and harvested it is vital that interpretation of the GPS data needs to be accurate.

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I have similar thoughts regarding mobile telephone evidence and I have raised them, in the past at this webblog, and recently published here discussion about Cell Site Analysis and at Forensic Focus:

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http://trewmte.blogspot.com/2008/11/csa-from-ockhams-occams-razor-to.html

http://trewmte.blogspot.com/2008/11/mobile-phones-and-fringe-coverage.html

http://trewmte.blogspot.com/2009/01/checking-masts-csa.html

http://trewmte.blogspot.com/2009/01/checking-masts-csa-2.html

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There are many other discussions, too, at my webblog about SIM and mobile telephone examination where help and assistance has been given (free of charge and free of advertising I might add) to aid comprehension about mobile telephone evidence. Similarly, GPS must be taken seriously as people can lose their liberty and a whole lot more where evidence like this can add a contributory factor to the case against them. This matter will become more prevalent in the future as GPS modules are increasely being included in mobile telephones.

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Market research from ABI indicates that shipments of GPS-enabled mobile phones will hit a speed-bump in 2009, but will still manage to post year-to-year unit growth through the current economic downturn. While global handset shipments are expected to drop by 4—5% in 2009, prior to 2009 GPS-enabled phones will show a climb to 240 million units, an increase of 6.4% for 2008. Moroever, Smartphones are expected to increase at an average 19% from 2009 to 2014 and it is predicted nine of every ten smartphones will contain GPS ICs in 2014, compared with one in three for 2008.

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Given these latest GPS statistics that have been released it is timely that Professor Last, the immediate past president of the Royal Institute of Navigation (RIN), should have his GPS forensics and evidence article 'Silent Witness' published in Navigation News (an RIN publication). I like the way David has woven in the use of computer forensics, which like mobile telephones, provides a complementary service to GPS devices for the data recovery process. Copying data though is simply not enough and the 'Silent Witness' article is strong on the importance of accurate interpretation of GPS data. A principle I wholehearted agree and why I have been promoting the importance of Mobile Telephone Forensics and Evidence Degrees.

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David has kindly provided a copy of his 'Silent Witness' article that can be downloaded from Mobile Telephone Evidence at the link below:

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http://www.filebucket.net/files/10614_ggvgt/pub356_scanned.pdf

Professor David Last 'Silent Witness'

Navigation News January/February 2009

Pages 10-13

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Thanks also to the RIN (www.rin.org.uk).