A mobile phone, hand phone or cell phone, short for cell, hand or both phones, and sometimes shortened to just mobile, hand phone; sometimes called cell phones, is an electronic device that makes and receives calls via a radio signal from a base station up to a specified maximum distance while the user is on a call. Cell phones are categorized into two different classes: residential and commercial. There are many different types of cell phones, each having its own unique feature set and price. The most basic of cell phones has a few key features such as a clock, keypad, speaker phone and volume control. There are many other added features to select from when purchasing a mobile phone.

Handheld mobile phones allow the user to place the device near their ear and use it as a miniature computer or a cellular phone. Many handhelds come equipped with Bluetooth and/or USB technology, which allow users to transfer data from other wireless devices like laptops or netbooks to their handheld. Some handheld devices also include an internal memory called the internal memory card, which can be further enhanced through expansion cards. Some models of cellular handsets come with a physical keyboard, but others include a touch screen with a scrolling pointer, which makes it much more comfortable for the user to use and allows for a greater level of accuracy when typing.

One newer and rapidly growing form of mobile communication technology is the application programming interface or APIs, which allow cellular data to be exchanged between various software applications. Most cellular handsets allow easy and quick transmission of information to multiple users over short distances by means of Wi-Fi, radio waves, infrared or Global Positioning System units. Some of the handsets however, only support WAP (wireless application protocol) which is a different protocol from the popular and widely used WPA (WPA2) Wireless Protected Access technology, which is used in the modern residential cell phones and laptops. A recent study reveals that more than one-third of American households now have a mobile phone. Although there are very few people who fully grasp just how mobile the world has become, it is almost a given that within the next decade, most household communications will involve some form of mobile data transmission, whether it be from a smartphone to a tablet computer to a laptop to a digital television set or even another person’s mobile phone to your TV set at home.