Stephen Fry On The Phone: The Complete Radio 4 Series Audiobook by Stephen Fry read by Stephen Fry

Gadget aficionado Stephen Fry meets the brains behind the mobile phone – as heard on BBC Radio 4.Stephen Fry traces the evolution of the mobile phone, from hefty executive bricks that required a separate briefcase to carry the battery, to the smartphones available today.There are more mobile phones in the world than there are people on the planet: Stephen Fry talks to the backroom boys who made it all possible and hears how the technology succeeded in ways that the geeks had not necessarily intended.For example, the engineers who designed the early texting facilities didn’t imagine that anyone might want to reply. (Just in case, they added a short list of possible pre-set answers: yes, no and maybe). They also thought taxifones and fax machines for your car would be winners. In the early nineties, Nokia, then famous for toilet paper and rubber boots, was on the brink of collapse; until the new CEO made a bold decision to focus solely on mobile phones...Thanks to Margaret Thatcher opening up the airwaves, Britain became a world leader in mobile phone technology. And today, 85% of the silicon chips inside all mobiles are designed by just one Cambridge-based company.

Stephen Fry on the Phone / Stephen Fry

“Stephen Fry delves into the history of the mobile phone—with all the appropriate sounds effects of phones interspersed throughout. (Be warned: The various ringing tones cause you to keep reaching for your phone.) A self-proclaimed early adopter of technology, Fry traces five major advancements in cell-phone technology in this audio version of his five-episode miniseries for the BBC. Each segment intertwines Fry’s own musings, a dash of history, and interviews with key players who jettisoned society into the age of cellular connection. His jovial tone and wry humor provide an enjoyable hour of enlightenment that will inspire listeners to reflect on the devices they depend upon so much.” ~AudioFile (L.E.)

“…delightfully presented…Stephen Fry—one of his country’s first mobile phone owners—enlivens what could have been a dry recitation of technological development and scientific advances with witty prose, lively narration, and crystal-clear diction… The long path from the over two-pound phone Cooper used to today’s four-ounce iPhones is covered with just the right blend of telling detail and amusing anecdote.” ~Publishers Weekly

Product Information

Author: Stephen Fry Reader: Stephen Fry Running Time: 1hrs 15min Publisher: AudioGO Ltd Series: Stephen Fry On The Phone Number of CDs: 1 File Quality: MP3 (256 kbps) Release Date: 11/1/11 D/L ISBN: 9781445816319 CD ISBN: 9781408470794

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