hjp: df: ideas: mobile

Mobile Phones in SF

year author title quote note
1910 Robert Sloss Das drahtlose Jahrhundert (erschienen in: Die Welt in 100 Jahren)

Das Telephon in der Westentasche

Die Bürger der drahtlosen Zeit werden überall mit ihrem „Empfänger“ herumgehen, der irgendwo, im Hut oder anderswo angebracht und auf eine der Myriaden von Vibrationen eingestellt sein wird, mit der er gerade Verbindung sucht. Einerlei, wo er auch sein wird, er wird bloß den “Stimm-Zeiger“ auf die betreffende Nummer einzustellen brauchen, die er zu sprechen wünscht, und der gerufene wird sofort seinen Hörer vibrieren oder das Signal geben können, wobei es in seinem Belieben stehen wird, ob er hören oder die Verbindung abbrechen will.

1928-08 E.E. Smith The Skylark of Space

[...] The only possible way in which any of his subordinates could get in touch with him was by means of the wonderful wireless telephone already referred to, developed by a drug-crazed genius who had died shortly after it was perfected. It was a tiny instrument, no larger than a watch, but of practically unlimited range. The controlling central station of the few instruments in existence, from which any instrument could be cut out, changed in tune, or totally destroyed at will, was in Perkins' office safe. [...]

Clearly a special-build device, not a commodity item. It isn't clear whether each of the phones can call each of the others or whether they all can only call the boss's phone.

1941-07 Robert A. Heinlein —We Also Walk Dogs

Grace Cormet's telephone buzzed. She took it out of her pocket and said, “Yes?”

[...]

[...] She cut off and shoved the little instrument savagely back into her pocket. [...]

This seems like a normal mobile phone or maybe only a cordless phone (Grace was in her companys's building, just not in her own office). It's obviously not something special, an ordinary piece of everyday equipment. No date is mentioned in the story, but according to the timeline in the front of "The Green Hills on Earth" it must be shortly before 2000.

$Date$