Phones, Cell Phones & Wireless Telephony

Telecommunications devices, including cell phones, satellite radio or Voice over IP, connect us to one another and to the world of information at our fingertips. Learn all about the technologies we depend upon for efficient communication.

Learn More / Page 4

There are a number of Bluetooth gadget and gizmos. Find out about the top 5 Bluetooth gadgets to make your communication easier.

By Katelyn Olewinski

Telephone country codes make it easy to call another country. Learn more about telephone country codes in this article.

By Dave Roos

Is a random number you don't know blowing up your phone? Try reverse phone lookup and maybe you can solve the mystery of who it belongs to.

By Diane Dannenfeldt & Talon Homer

Advertisement

Voicemail is a growing necessity in both homes and businesses. Learn more about how voicemail works in this article.

By Tim Crosby

Making international calls can be confusing if you don't have the right information. Learn about making international calls in this article.

By Dave Roos

The Google phone could be the next big thing in the world of wireless communications. Learn about the Google phone and what makes it different from the rest.

By Jonathan Strickland

Once upon a time, smartphones were tools people used for office business only. Then Apple's iPhone changed everything. How does Apple keep reinventing their famous device, and can it keep its hold on the market?

By Tracy V. Wilson, Nathan Chandler, Wesley Fenlon & Bernadette Johnson

Advertisement

But even though they're a lot smaller than they used to be, modern cell phones are still far to big to fit inside your body. That's why developers have modified existing cell phone designs to create a complete, working cell-phone implant.

By Tracy V. Wilson

Nokia revealed the first fully integrated mobile-payment cell phone, or NFC phone in 2007. Learn about NFC technology and mobile payment trials around the globe.

By Julia Layton

Nokia announced a new short-range wireless technology, Wibree, in October 2006.

By Ed Grabianowski

Currently, there are several VoIP services on the market -- the two most well-known ones are Skype and Vonage. Although they both use VoIP technology, they're quite actually quite different from each another.

By Tracy V. Wilson

Advertisement

Widespread mobile television has been a long time coming. TV-enabled cell phones have been available in Korea since 2002, but the real "mobile TV revolution" is only beginning, as telecom companies release DTV-enabled phones and rush to build the bro

By Julia Layton

Explore WiFi phones and their abilities, as well as the pros and cons of using them. We'll start with a quick review of VoIP and WiFi.

By Tracy V. Wilson

The BlackBerry has become a tremendously popular mobile email device. Learn how a BlackBerry works and about BlackBerry hardware, software and patent disputes.

By Tracy V. Wilson

With the right software or service package, a GPS phone can pinpoint your location, give directions to your destination and provide information about nearby businesses. Find out how a GPS phone works.

By Tracy V. Wilson

Advertisement

Although they can't do much damage at present, in the future cell-phone viruses may be as debilitating as computer viruses. How do cell-phone viruses spread? And how can you protect your phone?

By Julia Layton

Cell phones are basically handheld two-way radios. With cell-phone etiquette at an all-time low, some people are exploiting the vulnerability of the radio spectrum to silence blabbering offenders. Find out how.

By Gary Wollenhaupt

If the clothes make the man, then the ringtone makes the phone! Find out how a cell phone produces a tune and how you can download (or even create) your own.

By Tom Harris

For years now, we've heard conflicting reports about cell-phone radiation ... and the debate goes on. Find out what the buzz is about and how to protect yourself when choosing and using a cell phone.

Advertisement

The phone number you use to call another person is basically an address, similar to the street address of your home. Have you ever wondered what all those numbers mean?

By HowStuffWorks.com Contributors

It's one of those seemingly-unexplainable lapses in logic -- Why do these two digit-based devices order their number keys in exactly opposite ways?

Smartphones blur the line between cell phones and PDAs. Learn the details of smartphones, read cell phones and PDA reviews and see our buying guide.

By Dave Coustan, Jonathan Strickland & John Perritano

One of the most interesting things about a cell phone is that it is really a radio. What does this have to do with your cell phone?

Advertisement

The most useful thing to know about the Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) is that it is an international standard. If you travel in Europe and many other parts of the world, GSM is the only type of cellular service available.

By Marie Look

Nextel phones offer a service called Direct Connect that allows you to push a single button and connect with another Nextel user. Find out how this "walkie-talkie" feature works.