Portal:Telephones

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A telephone is a telecommunications device that permits two or more users to conduct a conversation when they are too far apart to be easily heard directly. A telephone converts sound, typically and most efficiently the human voice, into electronic signals that are transmitted via cables and other communication channels to another telephone which reproduces the sound to the receiving user. The term is derived from Greek: τῆλε (tēle, far) and φωνή (phōnē, voice), together meaning distant voice. A common short form of the term is phone, which came into use early in the telephone's history. Nowadays, phones are almost always in the form of smartphones or mobile phones, due to technological convergence.

In 1876, Alexander Graham Bell was the first to be granted a United States patent for a device that produced clearly intelligible replication of the human voice at a second device. This instrument was further developed by many others, and became rapidly indispensable in business, government, and in households. (Full article...)

A mobile phone (or cellphone) is a portable telephone that can make and receive calls over a radio frequency link while the user is moving within a telephone service area, as opposed to a fixed-location phone (landline phone). The radio frequency link establishes a connection to the switching systems of a mobile phone operator, which provides access to the public switched telephone network (PSTN). Modern mobile telephone services use a cellular network architecture, and therefore mobile telephones are called cellphones (or "cell phones") in North America. In addition to telephony, digital mobile phones support a variety of other services, such as text messaging, multimedia messaging, email, Internet access (via LTE, 5G NR or Wi-Fi), short-range wireless communications (infrared, Bluetooth), satellite access (navigation, messaging connectivity), business applications, payments (via NFC), multimedia playback and streaming (radio, television), digital photography, and video games. Mobile phones offering only basic capabilities are known as feature phones (slang: "dumbphones"); mobile phones that offer greatly advanced computing capabilities are referred to as smartphones. (Full article...)

A smartphone (often simply called a phone) is a mobile device that combines the functionality of a traditional mobile phone with advanced computing capabilities. It typically has a touchscreen interface, allowing users to access a wide range of applications and services, such as web browsing, email, and social media, as well as multimedia playback and streaming. Smartphones have built-in cameras, GPS navigation, and support for various communication methods, including voice calls, text messaging, and internet-based messaging apps. (Full article...)

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A dirtbox (or DRT box) is a cell site simulator, a phone device mimicking a cell phone tower, that creates a signal strong enough to cause nearby dormant mobile phones to switch to it. Mounted on aircraft, it has been used by the United States Marshals Service since at least 2007 to locate and collect information from cell phones believed to be connected with criminal activity. It can also be used to jam phones. The device's name comes from the company that developed it, Digital Receiver Technology, Inc. (DRT), owned by the Boeing company. Boeing describes the device as a hybrid of "jamming, managed access and detection". A similar device with a smaller range, the controversial StingRay phone tracker, has been widely used by U.S. federal entities, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). (Full article...)

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Grillo telephone designed by Richard Sapper and Marco Zanuso

The Grillo telephone is a 1960s flip phone telephone from Italy. It was designed by Richard Sapper and Marco Zanuso, and introduced in 1967. The "Grillo" was manufactured by Italtel, a subsidiary former state-owned telecommunications company SIP (now part of Telecom Italia), and remained in production until 1979. It was a popular and iconic symbol of 1960s Italian design. (Full article...)

List of phone types
Payphone Courtesy telephone Emergency telephone Secure telephone Smartphone Mobile phone Satellite phone Phablet Car phone Windows Phone Camera phone Feature phone VoIP phone iPhone Tin can telephone Sound-powered telephone Golden telephone Reis telephone Cordless telephone Shoe phone Field telephone IBM Simon Mobile radio telephone Foldable smartphone Modular smartphone Prepaid mobile phone

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UK, Ireland, and NZ audible ringing tone

A ringing tone from the United Kingdom, Ireland, and New Zealand

Australian ringing tone

Australia audible ringing tone

European ringing tone

A European ringing tone per ETSI standard

Japanese ringing tone

French ringing tone

A French ringing tone

North American ringing tone

Audible ringing tone from North America

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Ringing tone (audible ringing, also ringback tone) is a signaling tone in telecommunication that is heard by the originator of a telephone call while the destination terminal is alerting the receiving party. The tone is typically a repeated cadence similar to a traditional power ringing signal (ringtone), but is usually not played synchronously. Various telecommunication groups, such as the Bell System and the General Post Office (GPO) developed standards, in part taken over by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) and other standards bodies. With modern cell phone and smartphone technology ringing tone can be customized and even used for advertising. (Full article...)

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The following are images from various telephone-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 11896 Telephone (Sweden) (from History of the telephone)
Image 2A user consulting a mapping app on a phone (from Smartphone)
Image 3Personal Handy-phone System mobiles and modems, 1997–2003 (from Mobile phone)
Image 4A sign along Bellaire Boulevard in Southside Place, Texas (Greater Houston) states that using mobile phones while driving is prohibited from 7:30 am to 9:00 am and from 2:00 pm to 4:15 pm. (from Smartphone)
Image 5Mobile phone subscribers per 100 inhabitants. 2014 figure is estimated. (from Mobile phone)
Image 6People using phones while walking (from Mobile phone)
Image 7A Moto G7 Power; its display uses a tall aspect ratio and includes a "notch". (from Smartphone)
Image 8Elisha Gray, 1876, designed a telephone using a water microphone in Highland Park, Illinois. (from History of the telephone)
Image 9Android smartphones (from Mobile phone)
Image 10Thomas Edison invented the carbon microphone which produced a strong telephone signal. (from History of the telephone)
Image 11The original Apple iPhone; following its introduction the common smartphone form factor shifted to large touchscreen software interfaces without physical keypads (from Smartphone)
Image 12Antonio Meucci's telephone. (from History of the telephone)
Image 131917 wall telephone, open to show magneto and local battery (from History of the telephone)
Image 14Mobile payment system (from Mobile phone)
Image 15Historical marker commemorating the first telephone central office in New York State (1878) (from History of the telephone)
Image 16Cellular networks work by only reusing radio frequencies (in this example frequencies f1-f4) in non adjacent cells to avoid interference (from Mobile phone)
Image 17A smartphone displaying the homepage of the English Wikipedia (from Smartphone)
Image 18Mobile/desktop convergence: the Librem 5 smartphone can be used as a basic desktop computer (from Smartphone)
Image 19IBM Simon and charging base (1994) (from Smartphone)
Image 20A driver using two handheld mobile phones at once (from Mobile phone)
Image 21A French Gower telephone of 1912 at the Musée des Arts et Métiers in Paris (from History of the telephone)
Image 22A sign in the US restricting cell phone use to certain times of day (no cell phone use between 7:30–9:00 am and 2:00–4:15 pm) (from Mobile phone)
Image 23This layout of the camera viewfinder was first introduced by Apple with iOS 7 in 2013. Towards the late 2010s, several other smartphone vendors have ditched their layouts and implemented variations of this layout. (from Smartphone)
Image 24Martin Cooper of Motorola, shown here in a 2007 reenactment, made the first publicized handheld mobile phone call on a prototype DynaTAC model on 3 April 1973. (from Mobile phone)
Image 25"Device options" menu of Samsung Mobile's TouchWiz user interface as of 2013, accessed by holding the power button for a second (from Smartphone)
Image 26The master telephone patent granted to Bell, 174465, March 10, 1876 (from History of the telephone)
Image 27Tivadar Puskás proposed the telephone switchboard exchange in 1876. (from History of the telephone)
Image 28Active mobile broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants (from Mobile phone)
Image 29A New York City driver holding two phones (from Smartphone)
Image 30Smartphone with infrared transmitter on top for use as remote control (from Smartphone)
Image 31Two decades of evolution of mobile phones, from a 1992 Motorola 8900X-2 to the 2014 iPhone 6 Plus (from Mobile phone)
Image 32The back of a Huawei P30. It features three rear-facing camera lenses with Leica optics. (from Smartphone)
Image 33A German rotary dial telephone, the W48 (from History of the telephone)
Image 34Inserted memory and SIM cards (from Smartphone)
Image 35The Nokia 9110 Communicator, opened for access to keyboard (from Smartphone)
Image 36Several BlackBerry smartphones, which were highly popular in the mid-late 2000s (from Smartphone)
Image 37A 19th century acoustic tin can or "lovers' telephone" (from History of the telephone)
Image 38Optical track pad sensor of an HTC Legend, 2010. (from Smartphone)
Image 39Actor portraying Alexander Graham Bell in a 1932 silent film. Shows Bell's second telephone transmitter (microphone), invented 1876 and first displayed at the Centennial Exposition, Philadelphia. (from History of the telephone)
Image 40Private conversation, 1910 (from History of the telephone)
Image 41E-waste in Agbogbloshie (from Smartphone)
Image 42Scrapped mobile phones (from Mobile phone)
Image 43The Motorola DynaTAC 8000X. In 1983, it became the first commercially available handheld cellular mobile phone. (from Mobile phone)
Image 44A Meizu MX4 with Flyme OS (from Smartphone)
Image 45Typical mobile phone mini-SIM card (from Mobile phone)
Image 46Tooltip in Kiwi Browser, a Google Chromium derivative, reveals the full URL by hovering over the tab list using the stylus on a Samsung Galaxy Note 4. (from Smartphone)
Image 47Alexander Graham Bell was awarded the first U.S. patent for the invention of the telephone in 1876. (from History of the telephone)
Image 48Philipp Reis, 1861, constructed the first telephone, today called the Reis telephone. (from History of the telephone)
Image 49Old Receiver schematic, c.1906 (from History of the telephone)
Image 50Apple iPhone smartphone (from History of the telephone)
Image 51Top of cellular telephone tower (from History of the telephone)
Image 52The LG Prada with a large capacitive touchscreen introduced in 2006 (from Smartphone)
Image 53The back of a Nokia 9 PureView. It features a five-lens camera array with Zeiss optics, using a mixture of color and monochrome sensors. (from Smartphone)
Image 54
Bell prototype telephone stamp
Centennial Issue of 1976
(from History of the telephone)
Image 55A high-capacity portable battery charger (power bank) (from Smartphone)
Image 56Antonio Meucci, 1854, constructed telephone-like devices. (from History of the telephone)
Image 57Dupuis and Haug during a GSM meeting in Belgium, April 1992 (from Mobile phone)
Image 58The HTC Desire, a 2010 smartphone with optical trackpad and search button (from Smartphone)
Image 59A Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus, featuring a "hole-punch" camera (from Smartphone)
Image 60Mobile payment system. (from Smartphone)
Image 61A text message (SMS) (from Mobile phone)
Image 62A smartphone touchscreen (from Smartphone)

Selected biography

Thomas A. Watson

Thomas Augustus Watson (January 18, 1854 – December 13, 1934) was an assistant to Alexander Graham Bell, notably in the invention of the telephone in 1876. (Full article...)

List of selected biographies
Alexander Graham Bell Thomas Edison Innocenzo Manzetti Charles Bourseul Johann Philipp Reis Antonio Meucci Tivadar Puskás Douglas H. Ring W. Rae Young Martin Cooper (inventor) Thomas Cowherd Gardiner Greene Hubbard Anthony Pollok Elisha Gray George Sweigert Pat Fleet John Draper

Selected images

Image 1Foldable smartphones
Image 2Emergency telephones, on the Paris-Bordeaux railway line, Saint-Saviol station, Vienne, France
Image 3Rotary dial telephone, probably from Belgium; the circuit diagram inside is in Dutch and French
Image 4A historic telephone booth in Skansen, Stockholm
Image 5Wooden wall telephone with a hand-cranked magneto generator
Image 6Rotary dial telephone, probably from Belgium; the circuit diagram inside is in Dutch and French
Image 7Photograph of the interior of the Prairie Grove Airlight Outdoor Telephone Booth in Prairie Grove, Arkansas, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
Image 8Public telephone, Bucharest, Romania
Image 9An example of a K6, the most common red telephone box model, photographed in London in 2012
Image 10Apple iPhones
Image 11A traditional North American rotary phone dial. The associative lettering was originally used for dialing named exchanges but was kept because it facilitated memorization of telephone numbers.
Image 12Acoustic telephone ad, The Consolidated Telephone Co., Jersey City, New Jersey, 1886
Image 13Landline call blocking in use
Image 14Telephone booth box art outside the Tower of London, 2012
Image 15The AUTOVON was a worldwide American military telephone system that was built starting in 1963.
Image 16Push-button telephone
Image 17Automatic electric Rotary dial telephone
Image 18A police box outside Earl's Court tube station in London, built in 1996 and based on the 1929 Gilbert Mackenzie Trench design
Image 19An Italian gettone telefonico (telephone token) from 1945, which was used in Italian phone booths
Image 20Track-side emergency brake and emergency telephones at the platform of the metro station Aspern Nord, Donaustadt, Vienna, Austria
Image 21Historical telephone with the German imperial eagle and the heraldic shield of the House of Hohenzollern dynasty; Vollmer's Mill, Seebach, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
Image 22A Funke + Huster telephone inside the Idrija Mine, Slovenia
Image 23A cordless phone
Image 24A Northern Electric telephone, model number N415H, circa 1950 (probably)
Image 25A Bell Canada payphone with digital display
Image 26A Western Electric candlestick phone from the 1920s
Image 27Android smartphones
Image 28Mailbox and public telephone in Haßfurt, Germany

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Mobile phones

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v t e Telephony
Types	Landline Cable telephony Mobile phone Satellite phone Photophone
Accessories	Answering machine Caller ID
Connectivity	Cable protection system Communications satellites Fibre-optical Free-space optical ISDN Mobile phone signal POTS PSTN Submarine cables VoIP
Calls	Missed call Misdialed call Nuisance call Phone tag
Applications	Fax transmission Telephone calls Telephone newspapers Théâtrophone Video calls
Telecommunication portal Telephones portal

v t e Emergency telephone numbers
Emergency telephone Harmonised service of social value
000 (Australia) 102 (India) 106 (Australia) 108 (India) 110 (Iran, Japan, China) 111 (New Zealand) 112 (Europe and others, worldwide GSM mobile networks) 119 (parts of Asia and Jamaica) 120 (China) 122 (Austria, Egypt, and Bosnia and Herzegovina) 123 (Colombia, Egypt) 128 (Mercosur member states) 190 (Brazil) 911 (Iraq, North America E-911 system, Philippines) 988 (North America Suicide & Crisis Lifeline) 999 (Bangladesh, UK and others) 1122 (Pakistan)
Telephones portal Telecommunication portal List article Category Wikimedia Commons