Cisco Networking Simplified, Second Edition

Chapter . Mobility and Wireless Networks

Throwing Away the Ties That Bind

The evolution of the telephone reveals one consistent evolving design principle: People do not want to be tied to a particular location when using the phone. The first phones were attached to the wall, and people leaned down or stood on their toes to speak into the horn and listen to the response. Then the mouthpiece and listening device were combined into a single handset and connected to the phone by a cord. The phone still hung on the wall, but you could rest the handset against your head and talk to the other person comfortably. Finally, the phone was liberated from the wall. A cable attached to the phone itself allowed the caller to comfortably move the phone around ...