From an $8,150 laptop to disposable smart-phone satellites: A mobile timeline
Connecting state and local government leaders
Fueled by government research, advances in portable computers, untethered phones and wireless communication standards ushered in today's anytime, anyplace way of doing business.
Fueled by government research, advances in portable computers, untethered phones and wireless communication standards ushered in today’s anytime, anyplace way of doing business.
1982
GRiD Compass 1100, one of the first laptops, launches. At $8,150, the main buyer was the U.S. government.
1983
TheDynaTAC 8000X, the first truly “mobile” radiotelephone, makes the first commercial wireless call (the very first mobile call was placed on a DynaTAC 10 years earlier.)
In January, TCP/IP is selected as the official protocol for the Arpanet and Internet Protocol Version 4 (IPv4) established for reliable transmission over the Internet in conjunction with the Transport Control Protocol (TCP)
1990
SMS for texting is introduced.
1992
Apple introduces the term PDA.
1994
Bluetooth, created by telecom vendor Ericsson as a wireless alternative to RS-232 data cables, enabling secure personal networks.
1996
A Humvee-mounted comm system delivers asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) to the battlefield.
1997
Palm OS is released.
Marine Corps tests the Microsoft Windows CE 1.0 operating system on what is called “Marine-resistant handheld computers.”
1998
Iridium SSC, Iridium communications service was launched on November 1, 1998 and went into Chapter 11 bankruptcy nine months later. DISA had invested.
Developed at NASA Ames Technology Commercialization Center, PocketMail allows users to connect, via a personal digital assistant, to the PocketMail service for a monthly fee of $9.95. The device simplifies mobile telecommuting, eliminating the need for lugging around cumbersome modems or hefty notebooks when all you want to do is check your e-mail.
1999
Congress designates 911 as the universal emergency number of wireline and wireless service and promotes the use of technologies that help public safety service providers locate wireless 911 callers.
2001
BellSouth announces that it is leaving the pay phone business because there is too much competition from cell phones.
2002
The first RIM BlackBerry is released.
The Defense Department issues a policy restricting use of wireless devices at the Pentagon.
2003
FTS 2001 now includes high-speed wireless access.
2004
Sunnyvale, California becomes the first Wi-Fi enabled city in the United States.
2005
Hurricane Katrina slams into New Orleans on Aug. 29, changing emergency communications and response forever.
Researchers at the Energy Department's Sandia National Laboratories demonstrate how to use a new wireless signal propagation technique called ultrawideband, or UWB, to convey secure information.
The Senate activates an in-house cellular network that lets government employees place and receive calls from the bowels of the legislative body's various buildings. They can even check their BlackBerry devices.
2006
New Defense wireless policy tightens security.
2007
iPhone launches, spurring dramatic handset innovation.
DISA-compliant smart phone, with Trust Digital's Smartphone Security CAC Pack, hits the street.
2009
Census deploys Windows Mobile for field data collection.
LTE, for Long-Term Evolution, debuts. The new service is capable of transmitting data more than 10 times faster than current third-generation (3G) wireless technologies.
2010
Apple introduces the iPad, another revolution in portable computing.
Verizon releases the first large-scale LTE network in North America, making LTE a candidate to become the first truly global mobile phone standard.
2012
The Commercial Mobile Alerting System, a national alert system that sends emergency messages to mobile phones, goes live, although it will be a while before many phones are able to receive the alerts.
2013
NASA launches smart-phone based satellites.