Inventor of First Mobile Phone Looks back, Thinks about Future

Inventor of First Mobile Phone Looks back, Thinks about Future

The man who made the first call from a wireless¹ phone is now 94 years old.

The year was 1973. Martin Cooper operated a large, heavy new communication device on a street in New York City. The device was not physically² connected to phone lines. But, Cooper was able to make use of it --- he called a technology business competitor.

Fifty years later, the inventor says he hopes wireless phones can make life better but he also expresses some worries.

"My most negative opinion is that we don't have any privacy³ anymore because everything about us is now recorded someplace," Cooper said.

And, he says he is concerned about how easily young people can link to harmful online material on their cell phones.

Cooper spoke⁴ with the Associated Press from Barcelona, Spain, where he attended the Mobile World Congress, the biggest telecom industry trade show. Cooper received an award there for his lifetime of work.

Cooper says he is an optimist⁵. He believes the technology's best days may still be ahead in areas such as education and health care.

"Between the cellphone and medical technology and the internet, we are going to conquer disease," he said Monday, at the MWC.

Cooper was working for Motorola when he used the Dyna-Tac phone to make a call in April 1973. Things have changed greatly since then.

But, he said, "we had no way of knowing this was the historic⁶ moment."

Cooper said there are still ways for the mobile phone to change. The first one he used weighed over 1 kilogram. Today, they are small. But he thinks one day, they will be more like a part of our body than something we hold.

He said perhaps the human body can even power the phones.

"The human body is the charging station, right," he asked. The body makes energy from food, he argues, so it could possibly also power a phone. Instead of holding the phone in the hand, for example, the device could be placed under the skin.

Cooper said he also hopes there can be more protection for internet users concerned about privacy and for children.

Speaking about privacy concerns, he said: "it's going to get resolved, but not easily."

He also said there should be a special internet for children so they do not run into material made for adults.

Cooper said the idea for the mobile phone came from a communication device used by the comic book character Dick Tracy. The imaginary detective had a wristwatch from which he could make phone calls.

Words in This Story

negative –adj. centered on what is bad or unhopeful

optimist –n. a person who is inclined⁷ to be hopeful and to expect good outcomes⁸

conquer –v. defeat

comic book –n. a magazine that contains stories told in pictures mostly.

wristwatch –n. an electronic timekeeping piece worn on the arm near the hand.

1 wireless   

adj.无线的；n.无线电

参考例句：

• There are a lot of wireless links in a radio.收音机里有许多无线电线路。
• Wireless messages tell us that the ship was sinking.无线电报告知我们那艘船正在下沉。

2 physically   

adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律

参考例句：

• He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
• Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。

3 privacy   

n.私人权利，个人自由，隐私权

参考例句：

• In such matters,privacy is impossible.在这类事情中，保密是不可能的。
• She wept in the privacy of her own room.她在自己房内暗暗落泪。

4 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

5 optimist   

n.乐观的人，乐观主义者

参考例句：

• We are optimist and realist.我们是乐观主义者，又是现实主义者。
• Peter,ever the optimist,said things were bound to improve.一向乐观的皮特说，事情必定是会好转的。

6 historic   

adj.历史上著名的，具有历史意义的

参考例句：

• This is a historic occasion.这是具有重大历史意义的时刻。
• We are living in a great historic era.我们正处在一个伟大的历史时代。

7 inclined   

a.有…倾向的

参考例句：

• She was inclined to trust him. 她愿意相信他。
• He inclined towards the speaker to hear more clearly. 他把身体倾向发言人，以便听得更清楚些。

8 outcomes   

结果( outcome的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The two scenarios provide illustrations of consistent set of outcomes for range of possible policies. 这两个方案说明某一套可能采取的政策将会产生的一系列后果。
• We analyzed all the possible outcomes of your mission, Commander. 我们分析过所有可能的结果，指挥官。