A handphone, short for “handheld phone,” cell phone or cell, sometimes shortened to just handphone, hand or cell phone, maybe a small portable phone that can make and receive telephone calls over a cellular signal line while the user is traveling within a public telephone service area while not using an attached handset to make telephone calls. The term “handphone” generally refers to any mobile handphone equipped with voice dialing capability that is capable of connecting directly to a cellular service provider. Today’s hand phones generally come in two varieties: digital and analog. Digital handsets are equipped with caller identification (CDR), or the digital signature of a specific telephone number, which allows the phone to be recognized by a caller ID. Analog handsets usually do not include any signature feature. Modern analog handsets usually incorporate the CDR feature as well as the latest technology such as GSM, CDMA, GPRS, EDGE, and WLL.
The typical hand-held mobile phone is generally equipped with a display screen, a keypad, a speaker, a receiver, and a microphone. Handphones may also include an integrated camera or video camera, a web cam, a gaming unit, or any other type of multimedia gadget, an in-built calculator, an audio recorder, and any other information sharing device, and an integrated GPS unit that can help locate the user. Handheld hand-phones can be used with a variety of hands-free devices including cell phones, portable handsets, and base stations. In certain cases, a mobile phone can also act as a PDA or cell phone with its interactive communication function.
A hand-held mobile telephone with its interactive communication function is often called a cell on wheels. A cell on wheels is an electronic device with an LCD screen, a control keypad, a speaker, and at least one speaker and a microphone that enable the user to talk as if he is using the device. The user can, for example, dial a destination, send and receive text messages, play music, take pictures, listen to voice conversations, view and edit videos, take instant messages, and can browse the web. The best hand-held mobile telephone models offer additional services such as data transmission, Internet connectivity, data backup, data transfer, free incoming calls, conference calling, voice mail, and some even have an alarm clock function.