MOBILE PHONES

The love affair with mobile phones is worldwide. The Germans call

them “handy”; the Singaporeans refer to them (1) “prawns” because

a popular model looks (2) … a prawn when opened; the Finns have

(3) … them “kannykka” or “kanny”, meaning an extension of the hand;

everywhere they are establishing (4) … as one of the world’s most

successful consumer products. Mobiles have two qualities (5) …

make them much more powerful (6) … their fi xed-line brothers: they

travel around with you and they know (7) … you are. This means you

can keep in (8) … with people – and increasingly with information -

wherever you (9) … to be. The most obvious reason (10) … mobile

phones are so popular is that the quality is going up (11) … the same

time as prices are coming down.

HISTORY

Analogue technology (the so-called fi rst generation) 12) … people

a taste for mobile communications. Digital technology (the second

generation) improved mobile communications. Digital technology

(the second generation) improved reception and enabled a range of

sophisticated services to (13) … offered. The third generation of digital

phones will make (14) … possible for mobile-phone users to access

15) … Internet at lightning speed.​