Portal:Telephones

Portal topics: Activities; Culture; Geography; Health; History; Mathematics; Nature; People; Philosophy; Religion; Society; Technology; Random portal

The Telephones Portal

A telephone, colloquially referred to as a phone, is a telecommunications device that enables 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 Ancient Greek: τῆλε, romanized: tēle, lit. 'far' and φωνή (phōnē, voice), together meaning distant voice.

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 cell phone, is a portable telephone that allows users to make and receive calls over a radio frequency link while moving within a designated telephone service area, unlike fixed-location phones (landline phones). This radio frequency link connects to the switching systems of a mobile phone operator, providing access to the public switched telephone network (PSTN). Modern mobile telephony relies on a cellular network architecture, which is why mobile phones are often referred to as 'cell phones' in North America. (Full article...)

A smartphone 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...)

Refresh with new selections below (purge)

Selected article - show another

Tip and ring are the two conductors, or sides. of a telephone line. Their names are derived from the telephone plugs used for connecting telephone calls in manual switchboards. One side of the line is connected to the metal tip of the plug, and the second is connected to a metal ring behind the tip, separated and insulated from the tip by a non-conducting material. When inserted into a jack, the plug's tip conductor connects first, followed by the ring conductor. In many European countries, tip and ring are referred to as the A and B wires.

Neither of the conductors is permanently connected to earth, but one may be connected to earth during signaling operations. Typically, the ring conductor has a direct current (DC) potential of −48V to −52V with respect to the tip conductor when the line is in the on-hook (idle) state. Floating both conductors, i.e. not referencing either one to ground, minimizes the effect of interference from any nearby alternating current (AC) power wires. (Full article...)

List of selected articles

Types of phones - show another

The Reis telephone was an invention named after Philipp Reis of a telephone-like device he constructed. Reis's first successful work is dated to October 1861. It was the first device to transmit a voice via electronic signals and for that the first modern telephone. Reis also coined the term. (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 Grillo telephone Golden telephone Cordless telephone Shoe phone Field telephone IBM Simon Mobile radio telephone Foldable smartphone Modular smartphone Prepaid mobile phone

edit

Selected audio - show another

USA Red Boxing Tone

The .25 USD tone sequence.

Problems playing this file? See media help.

A red box is a phreaking device that generates tones to simulate inserting coins in pay phones, thus fooling the system into completing free calls. In the United States, a nickel is represented by one tone, a dime by two, and a quarter by a set of five. Any device capable of playing back recorded sounds can potentially be used as a red box. Commonly used devices include modified Radio Shack tone dialers, personal MP3 players, and audio-recording greeting cards. (Full article...)

List articles

Related portals

General images - show new batch

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

Image 1Martin 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 2Thomas Edison invented the carbon microphone which produced a strong telephone signal. (from History of the telephone)
Image 31917 wall telephone, open to show magneto and local battery (from History of the telephone)
Image 4A user consulting a mapping app on a phone (from Smartphone)
Image 5Typical mobile phone mini-SIM card (from Mobile phone)
Image 6
Bell prototype telephone stamp
Centennial Issue of 1976
(from History of the telephone)
Image 7A text message (SMS) (from Mobile phone)
Image 8Mobile phone subscribers per 100 inhabitants. 2014 figure is estimated. (from Mobile phone)
Image 9IBM Simon and charging base (1994) (from Smartphone)
Image 10A German rotary dial telephone, the W48 (from History of the telephone)
Image 11This 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 12Scrapped mobile phones (from Mobile phone)
Image 13Historical marker commemorating the first telephone central office in New York State (1878) (from History of the telephone)
Image 14A Nexus 6, an Android smartphone, displaying the Main Page of the English Wikipedia (from Smartphone)
Image 15People using phones while walking (from Mobile phone)
Image 16Android smartphones (from Mobile phone)
Image 17Tooltip 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 18Elisha Gray, 1876, designed a telephone using a water microphone in Highland Park, Illinois. (from History of the telephone)
Image 19Tivadar Puskás proposed the telephone switchboard exchange in 1876. (from History of the telephone)
Image 20Apple iPhone smartphone (from History of the telephone)
Image 21A 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 22Receiver schematic, c.1906 (from History of the telephone)
Image 23E-waste in Agbogbloshie (from Smartphone)
Image 24Xiaomi 13 Ultra featured a Leica Summicron camera system (from Smartphone)
Image 25The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra has an artificial intelligence-powered feature (from Smartphone)
Image 26Mobile payment system. (from Smartphone)
Image 27Mobile/desktop convergence: the Librem 5 smartphone can be used as a basic desktop computer (from Smartphone)
Image 28Philipp Reis, 1861, constructed the first telephone, today called the Reis telephone. (from History of the telephone)
Image 29Inserted memory and SIM cards (from Smartphone)
Image 30A Moto G7 Power; its display uses a tall aspect ratio and includes a "notch". (from Smartphone)
Image 31Two decades of evolution of mobile phones, from a 1992 Motorola DynaTAC 8000X to the 2014 iPhone 6 Plus (from Mobile phone)
Image 32Antonio Meucci's telephone. (from History of the telephone)
Image 33Active mobile broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants (from Mobile phone)
Image 34A Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus, featuring a "hole-punch" camera (from Smartphone)
Image 35The HTC Desire, a 2010 smartphone with optical trackpad and search button (from Smartphone)
Image 36Personal Handy-phone System mobiles and modems, 1997–2003 (from Mobile phone)
Image 37Several BlackBerry smartphones, which were highly popular in the mid-late 2000s (from Smartphone)
Image 38The master telephone patent granted to Bell, 174465, March 7, 1876 (from History of the telephone)
Image 39A Meizu MX4 with Flyme OS (from Smartphone)
Image 40"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 41A New York City driver holding two phones (from Smartphone)
Image 42Oppo Find X6 features software-based tuning co-developed with Hasselblad (from Smartphone)
Image 43A 19th century acoustic tin can or "lovers' telephone" (from History of the telephone)
Image 441896 telephone (Sweden) (from History of the telephone)
Image 45The original Apple iPhone; following its introduction in 2007, the common smartphone form factor shifted to large touchscreen software interfaces without physical keypads (from Smartphone)
Image 46Top of cellular telephone tower (from History of the telephone)
Image 47A driver using two handheld mobile phones at once (from Mobile phone)
Image 48Mobile payment system (from Mobile phone)
Image 49Alexander Graham Bell was awarded the first U.S. patent for the invention of the telephone in 1876. (from History of the telephone)
Image 50Actor 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 51Dupuis and Haug during a GSM meeting in Belgium, April 1992 (from Mobile phone)
Image 52Antonio Meucci, 1854, constructed telephone-like devices. (from History of the telephone)
Image 53A 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 54Optical track pad sensor of an HTC Legend, 2010. (from Smartphone)
Image 55Cellular networks work by only reusing radio frequencies (in this example frequencies f1–f4) in non adjacent cells to avoid interference (from Mobile phone)
Image 56A high-capacity portable battery charger (power bank) (from Smartphone)
Image 57Smartphone with infrared transmitter on top for use as remote control (from Smartphone)
Image 58The LG Prada with a large capacitive touchscreen introduced in 2006 (from Smartphone)
Image 59A French Gower telephone of 1912 at the Musée des Arts et Métiers in Paris (from History of the telephone)
Image 60A smartphone touchscreen (from Smartphone)
Image 61Private conversation, 1910 (from History of the telephone)
Image 62Reis's telephone around 1861, first device called telephone (from History of the telephone)
Image 63The Nokia 9110 Communicator, opened for access to keyboard (from Smartphone)
Image 64The Motorola DynaTAC 8000X. In 1983, it became the first commercially available handheld cellular mobile phone. (from Mobile phone)

Selected biography

Thomas C. Cowherd (March 20, 1817 – April 4, 1907) was a British-born tinsmith and poet, and father to 16 children in Brantford, Ontario, Canada, including James H. Cowherd, the second earliest manufacturer of telephones to Alexander Graham Bell. (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) Gardiner Greene Hubbard Anthony Pollok Thomas A. Watson Elisha Gray George Sweigert Pat Fleet John Draper

Selected images

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

Topics

Subcategories

Category puzzle

Select [►] to view subcategories

Mobile phones

Mobile phones by company

Active noise control mobile phones

Mobile telephone broadcasting

Mobile phone companies

Mobile phone culture

History of mobile phones

Mobile phone industry

Lists of mobile phones

Mobile device management

Mobile phones with 4K video recording

Mobile phones with 8K video recording

Mobile phones with an integrated hardware keyboard

Mobile phones with infrared transmitter

Mobile phones with mechanical zoom lens

Mobile phones with pressure-sensitive touch screen

Mobile phones with self-capacitive touch screen layer

Mobile phones with stylus

Mobile phones with user-replaceable battery

Mobile phones with multiple rear cameras

Open-source mobile phones

Mobile phone recycling

Mobile phones by shape

Smartphones

Mobile software

Solar-powered mobile phones

Mobile phone standards

Mobile phones with stereo camera

Watch phones

Works about mobile phones

Mobile phones by year of introduction

Mobile phone stubs

Moved

Select [►] to view subcategories

More

Here are some tasks awaiting attention:

Stubs : E x p a n d telephone stub articles: Telephony stubs • Mobile phone stubs • Telephone number stubs

WikiProjects

WikiProject Telecommunications
Bell System task force

WikiProject Electronics

Telephones in the news
No recent news

Associated Wikimedia

The following Wikimedia Foundation sister projects provide more on this subject:

Commons
Free media repository
Wikibooks
Free textbooks and manuals
Wikidata
Free knowledge base
Wikinews
Free-content news
Wikiquote
Collection of quotations
Wikisource
Free-content library
Wikiversity
Free learning tools
Wiktionary
Dictionary and thesaurus

Discover Wikipedia using portals

Purge server cache

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

Our website is made possible by displaying online advertisements to our visitors. Please consider supporting us by disabling your ad blocker.