Mobile Phone Creator Reflects on How We Use Our Portable Devices

While I was at the Brooklyn 5G Summit, I had the chance to catch up with Martin Cooper, who while working for Motorola led the team that created the first portable mobile phone in 1973 and, using that device, made the first mobile call. Cooper was at the event to deliver a keynote, and, as he put it, remind the engineers to put people first when creating new technology.

I asked him if he ever anticipated the sheer amount of data that moves through today’s mobile phone networks, and he said he never envisioned many of the ways we all use our phones today. He reminded me that in 1973 we had no Internet, no PCs, and no digital cameras. Instead, the mobile phone was created with just voice and a bit of texting in mind.

Read the full article on PCmag.com.