Mobile phone accessories
Encyclopedia
The typical cell phone has become somewhat obsolete; current cell phones offer embedded features such as memory databases for storing frequently called numbers, locking features for theft deterrence, crystallized displays, internet connection capabilities, and other useful features. With the addition of popular culture, science, and marketing the cellular phone accessories industry has sky rocketed to meet the ever-growing needs of the consumer.
, buying a 7% stake in GeoWorks – a California company that makes software for cellular phones, shows how the market has attracted different companies4.
to send and receive calls, this makes a portable battery a necessity – and the cell phone must include a power source. Rechargeable batteries provide the usual source of power, but most cell phones can also be attached to the cigarette lighter in a vehicle or to some other external power device. chargebox
Although the idea of radiant energy has been around not long after the discovery of electricity, new changes of “radiant energy” and advanced uses of lithium-ion batteries are gaining ground in the industrial market:
These decals can be made of hard plastic or in the newer market adhesive-backed vinyl pieces. These vinyl skins can be ordered on many websites and come pre-cut to fit your cell phone or even another electronic device.
There exist two different types of vinyl material, calendared or cast, with the latter being more expensive. In short, calendared vinyl is expected to only be used for short durations while cast vinyl is used on a more long term basis. Calendared vinyl also tends to shrink in the heat, and fade in color. On the other hand, cast vinyl can cure all of these problems, yet costs up to 250% more (which still is a very cheap total cost). While the technology of these adhesive-backed skins continues to improve, the most up to date technology comes from 3M
. The company has manufactured a cast vinyl product that they call "Controltac". This vinyl cover maintains a more glossy look and provides an air release channel that prevents bubbles during placement.
Software
Cellular telephones have become very popular with professionals and consumers as a way to communicate while away from their regular, wire-based phone, creating a niche for software makers to meet demands (and create new ones). The large investment by Amazon.comAmazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
, buying a 7% stake in GeoWorks – a California company that makes software for cellular phones, shows how the market has attracted different companies4.
Batteries and Chargers
Mobile telephones use radio wavesRadio waves
Radio waves are a type of electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths in the electromagnetic spectrum longer than infrared light. Radio waves have frequencies from 300 GHz to as low as 3 kHz, and corresponding wavelengths from 1 millimeter to 100 kilometers. Like all other electromagnetic waves,...
to send and receive calls, this makes a portable battery a necessity – and the cell phone must include a power source. Rechargeable batteries provide the usual source of power, but most cell phones can also be attached to the cigarette lighter in a vehicle or to some other external power device. chargebox
Chargebox
A ChargeBox is a machine for charging devices such as mobile phones, PDAs, iPods, PSPs, and other small, mobile electronics. They can be situated in locations between the home and the office, with securable lockers, so devices can be safely charged at the owner’s convenience...
Although the idea of radiant energy has been around not long after the discovery of electricity, new changes of “radiant energy” and advanced uses of lithium-ion batteries are gaining ground in the industrial market:
- “Michael Faraday found in the 1830s that changing a magnetic field induces an electrical current in a nearby wire”; “one of the first patents registered in the 1890s by Nikola TeslaNikola TeslaNikola Tesla was a Serbian-American inventor, mechanical engineer, and electrical engineer...
, one of Edison’s former assistants, was for “radiant energy”1. - Argonne scientists stated in the 211th meeting of The Electrochemical Society, Argonne scientists said they have adapted the ability to stabilize and increase capacity of rechargeable lithium-ion batteries by using an active component5.
Market
Various news quotes show how much the industry has grown and is expected to grow:- Accessories maker Parrot figures that while only one in six cell-phone sales now results in an accessory purchase; by 2011 the number of sales will rise to one in three. "That means that it's going to be a tug of war for accessories," says Edward Valdez, U.S. president of Parrot (company)Parrot (company)Parrot SA is a wireless products manufacturer company based in Paris, France. It was founded in 1994 by Christine/M De Tourvel, Jean-Pierre Talvard and Henri Seydoux and is currently a member of the CAC Small 90.- The company :...
. - Best BuyBest BuyBest Buy Co., Inc. is an American specialty retailer of consumer electronics in the United States, accounting for 19% of the market. It also operates in Mexico, Canada & China. The company's subsidiaries include Geek Squad, CinemaNow, Magnolia Audio Video, Pacific Sales, and, in Canada operates...
late last year launched five specialty stores in New York focused exclusively on selling phones and related accessories. "Once people get used to the idea of the phones not being just for calling, they'll buy other things," says John Zittrauer, sales lead at Best Buy Mobile in Union Square in Manhattan. - In addition to foreign purchases of communication equipments and parts, six million cell phones and accessories will be domestically produced for IranIranIran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
’s mobile phone industry, noted here on Monday, the Minister of Industries and Mines Alireza Tahmasbi2. - “With China having almost double the number of cellular subscribers we are having to shift more attention towards providing international competition”, states CEO of ANYTHINGFORMYCELL.COM: China currently has 380 million subscribers and expects another 250 million by 2010.
Covers and Skins
The newest trend in cell phone accessories are skins and design covers.These decals can be made of hard plastic or in the newer market adhesive-backed vinyl pieces. These vinyl skins can be ordered on many websites and come pre-cut to fit your cell phone or even another electronic device.
There exist two different types of vinyl material, calendared or cast, with the latter being more expensive. In short, calendared vinyl is expected to only be used for short durations while cast vinyl is used on a more long term basis. Calendared vinyl also tends to shrink in the heat, and fade in color. On the other hand, cast vinyl can cure all of these problems, yet costs up to 250% more (which still is a very cheap total cost). While the technology of these adhesive-backed skins continues to improve, the most up to date technology comes from 3M
3M
3M Company , formerly known as the Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation based in Maplewood, Minnesota, United States....
. The company has manufactured a cast vinyl product that they call "Controltac". This vinyl cover maintains a more glossy look and provides an air release channel that prevents bubbles during placement.