What is a Smartphone?

With over 140 million sold every year around the world it is pretty likely that before too long you will be able to answer that question yourself! A smartphone is a piece of equipment that allows a person to make cell phone calls, while also possessing extra features that essentially are normally associated with computers. But smartphones represent more than the mere union of cellular phone and personal digital assistant (PDA). To better understand what a smartphone is all about a brief background of its evolution may be of use. While the early cell phones transformed by becoming smaller while simultaneously becoming more powerful, they also added what they could do. The initial chapter toward mobile phones becoming smartphones was the development of the personal digital assistant (PDA). While cellular phones main purpose personal digital assistants, epitomized by the Palm Pilot, were developed to be used as personal and portable organizers, and little more. Personal digital assistants could store contact data, ‘to-do’ lists, and could synchronize with desktop computers. Eventually personal digital assistants gained wireless functionality and users started emailing with them. Just as PDAs began incorporated into the mobile office environment, mobile phones began sending and receiving e-mails. Personal digital assistants became more like communications devices, cell phones gained computer-like features. The result is the smartphone. There is not a cell phone industry standard definition for what makes up a smartphone. But there are some typical traits among smartphones, including: QWERTY Keyboard: By most definitions smartphones usually include a QWERTY keyboard. Meaning that the keys are laid out in the same manner as they are on typewriters and computer keyboards, rather than in alphabetical order. Paradoxically the QWERTY Keyboard was originally designed in the 1800’s to slow down typists to prevent typewriters from jamming. We’ve been cursing that development ever since, with no hope for change any time soon! One more common characteristic among smartphones includes having an Operating System. Generally speaking, a smartphone will be based on an operating system that allows it to run software applications just like a computer. The smartphone operating system is the most determining factor when trying to identify a smartphone. Some of the leading handset manufacturers use their own proprietary system which is exclusive to their brand – BlackBerry and Apple iPhone. Other operating systems are licensed to handset manufacturers, Android, Windows Mobile, Symbian operating systems are used by a wide range of hardware brands. When someone says” I have a BlackBerry”, then they have a BlackBerry operating system. If someone says I have an HTC or a Samsung, it might have Android, Windows Mobile or even a Symbian operating system. However not all BlackBerry operating systems have the identical functions. Software and Web Access: Almost all mobile phones include some kind of software, as a contact manager for example , but a smartphone will have the capability to do many more things. Browse the internet work with documents and spreadsheets, review files, download additional software applications for various uses . The expansion of high speed data networks added to the addition of Wi-Fi, makes smartphones very useful. Communications and Messaging: Any mobile phone includes SMS text messaging, but smartphones use email. MMS multimedia message service extends SMS text messaging to include longer text, graphics, photos, audio clips, video clips and is becoming common too. Not just a very good system for people to communicate, SMS can be a practical means for software programs to exchange simple messages, and even settings instructions, to and from mobile phones. SMS does not require a direct connection between smartphones; the communications infrastructure for the system is already prepared, and it works across most cellular networks. One aspect of text messaging that makes it especially valuable for mobile software programs is that it uses cell phone fixed identity, the phone number. Short Message Service (SMS) is a communication service component of the GSM mobile communication system. It utilizes standardized communications protocols that allow sending and receiving short text messages between mobile devices. While having GPS location tracking isn’t unique to smartphones, however they are making more use of this technology. Before long GPS will become almost as common as the telephone, or more likely included with every phone handset. GPS can calculate locations accurate to a matter of. In fact, incredibly with advanced forms of GPS it is possible to make measurements to better than a centimeter! It’s just like assigning every square meter on the globe its very own address. To track a mobile phone involves several main ways of determining smartphone location. GPS Global Positioning System-Satellites, Triangulation, and CellID. All these technologies transform cell phones into mobile tracking systems.