| A mobile or cell(ular) (tele)phone is a
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| | become widespread. According to the CIA
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| long-range, portable electronic device
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| | World Factbook the UK now has more mobile
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| for personal telecommunications over long
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| | phones than people.
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| distances.
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| | With high levels of mobile telephone
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| Most current mobile phones connect to a
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| | penetration, a mobile culture has
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| cellular network of base stations (cell
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| | evolved, where the phone becomes a key
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| sites), which is in turn interconnected
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| | social tool, and people rely on their
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| to the public switched telephone network
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| | mobile phone address book to keep in
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| (PSTN) (the exception are satellite
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| | touch with their friends. Many people
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| phones). Cellular networks were first
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| | keep in touch using SMS, and a whole
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| introduced in the early to mid 1980s (the
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| | culture of "texting" has developed from
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| 1G generation). Prior mobile phones
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| | this. The commercial market in SMS's is
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| operating without a cellular network (the
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| | growing. Many phones even offer Instant
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| so-called 0G generation), such as Mobile
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| | Messenger services to increase the
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| Telephone Service, date back to 1945.
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| | simplicity and ease of texting on phones.
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| Until the mid to late 1980s, most mobile
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| | Cellular phones in Japan, offering
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| phones were sufficiently large that they
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| | Internet capabilities such as NTT
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| were permanently installed in vehicles as
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| | DoCoMo's i-mode, offer text messaging via
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| car phones. With the advance of
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| | standard e-mail.
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| miniaturization, currently the vast
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| | The mobile phone itself has also become a
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| majority of mobile phones are handheld.
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| | totemic and fashion object, with users
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| In addition to the standard voice
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| | decorating, customizing, and
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| function of a telephone, a mobile phone
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| | accessorizing their mobile phones to
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| can support many additional services such
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| | reflect their personality. This has
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| as SMS for text messaging, email, packet
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| | emerged as its own industry. The sale of
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| switching for access to the Internet, and
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| | commercial ringtones exceeded $2.5
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| MMS for sending and receiving photos and
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| | billion in 2004
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| video.
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| | Mobile phone etiquette has become an
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| The world's largest mobile phone
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| | important issue with mobiles ringing at
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| manufacturers include Audiovox,
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| | funerals, weddings, movies, and plays.
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| BenQ-Siemens, High Tech Computer
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| | Users often speak at increased volume
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| Corporation, Fujitsu, Kyocera, LG,
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| | which has led to places like bookshops,
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| Motorola, NEC, Nokia, Panasonic
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| | libraries, movie theatres, doctor's
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| (Matsushita Electric), Pantech Curitel,
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| | offices, and houses of worship posting
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| Philips, Sagem, Samsung, Sanyo, Sharp,
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| | signs prohibiting the use of mobile
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| Siemens SK Teletech, Sony Ericsson, T&A
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| | phones, and in some places installing
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| Alcatel and Toshiba.
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| | signal jamming equipment to prevent usage
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| The world's largest mobile phone
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| | (although in many countries, e.g. the
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| operators include Orange SA, China Mobile
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| | United States, such equipment is
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| and Vodafone.
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| | illegal). Transportation providers,
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| There are also specialist communication
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| | particularly those doing long-distance
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| systems related to, but distinct from
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| | services, often offer a "quiet car" where
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| mobile phones, such as Professional
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| | phone use is prohibited, much like the
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| Mobile Radio. Mobile phones are also
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| | designated non-smoking cars in the past.
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| distinct from cordless telephones, which
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| | Mobile phone use on aircraft is also
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| generally operate only within a limited
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| | prohibited, because of concerns of
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| range of a specific base station.
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| | possible interference with aircraft radio
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| Technically, the term mobile phone
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| | communications . Most schools in the U.S
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| includes such devices as satellite phones
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| | prohibit cell phones due to the high
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| and pre-cellular mobile phones such as
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| | amount of class disruptions due to their
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| those operating via MTS which do not have
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| | use, and due to the possibility of
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| a cellular network, whereas the related
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| | photographing someone (without consent).
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| term cell(ular) phone does not. In
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| | Camera phones and videophones that can
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| practice, the two terms are used nearly
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| | capture video and take photographs are
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| interchangeably, with the preferred term
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| | increasingly being used by companies like
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| varying by location.
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| | Scoopt to cover breaking news. Stories
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| In fewer than twenty years, mobile phones
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| | like the London Bombings, the Indian
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| have gone from being rare and expensive
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| | Ocean Tsunami and Hurricane Katrina have
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| pieces of equipment used by businesses to
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| | been reported on by camera phone users on
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| a pervasive low-cost personal item. In
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| | photo sharing sites like Flickr.
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| many countries, mobile phones now
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| | In Japan, cellular phone companies
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| outnumber land-line telephones, with most
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| | provide immediate notification of
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| adults and many children now owning
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| | earthquakes and other natural disasters
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| mobile phones [citation needed]. In the
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| | to their customers free of charge. In the
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| United States, 50% of children own mobile
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| | event of an emergency, disaster response
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| phones.[2] It is not uncommon for young
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| | crews can locate trapped or injured
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| adults to simply own a mobile phone
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| | people using the signals from their
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| instead of a land-line for their
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| | mobile phones; an interactive menu
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| residence [citation needed]. In some
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| | accessible through the phone's Internet
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| developing countries, where there is
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| | browser notifies the company if the user
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| little existing fixed-line
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| | is safe or in distress.
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| infrastructure, the mobile phone has
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|
