Smart phones are for any time, but maybe not dinnertime! These tiny yet powerful mobile devices can be used at any time and in almost any location, but there are perhaps occasions when they should be switched off.
What is a Smart phone?
A smart phone is a technically enhanced hybrid device which combines the features of both a mobile phone and a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), making it more like a tiny mobile PC.
Standard Smart Phone Features
The most significant features that make a smart phone ‘smart’ are the APIs (Application Programming Interfaces), which run third-party applications. Applications, commonly referred to as ‘apps’, are tiny software programs which can be downloaded and used by the device to perform a specific task.It almost goes without saying that all smart phones have an inbuilt app which enables them to receive 3G mobile broadband. Other standard features include digital camera, media player, GPS navigation and video capabilities.There are also literally thousands of other apps available to download, offering a seemingly endless list of functions. Many are intended to enhance or extend the existing functionality of inbuilt apps, while others may have a completely separate purpose which makes use of mobile broadband capabilities, with mobile games being good examples.
Photo-editing software, digital-music organisers and additional maps for GPS navigation are the most popular downloads. There is even an app which will allow the user to view, edit and create MS Office documents. The cost of downloading apps can vary, depending on who created them and their purpose, but many are available for free.
Smart phones also feature enhanced messaging capabilities. As well as text messages (SMS) and multimedia messages (MMS), they also support synchronised email. This enables the user to synchronise with multiple email accounts and instant-messaging services such as Yahoo! Messenger.
The last definitive feature of smart phones is that they have a QWERTY keyboard rather than a numeric keypad. There are many variations on this theme, with some smart phones offering the user the ability to alternate between numeric and QWERTY via the touch screen, while others have a physical QWERTY keypad which may be fixed or have a pull-out function.
Who Buys Smart Phones?
Just about everyone these days! But if we are talking about top-end smart phones, then it comes down to two distinct groups: corporate users and individuals.Many companies have seen the benefit of issuing their employees, especially those who work away from the office, with smart phones. It is a cheaper option than supplying both a laptop and mobile phone. Many actively encourage staff to use the video calling function rather than normal voice calls to promote interactivity.Individuals are rather more complex in their buying habits. There are those who have a phone contract and regularly receive upgraded handsets. This often means that the device is largely underused.
Then there is the individual who has ‘got to have it’. These users become completely addicted to their smart phone, have it organised and filled with hundreds of supposedly useful apps to cover every eventuality and know every single fact and figure about it. It will never leave their side and is in use some way or another every waking hour.
Summary
Smart phones contain innovative technology, combining many devices and their functions, all in miniature. Words used by owners to describe their smart phones include sleek, clever, unbelievable and many others.The only derogatory comments come from the long-suffering partners of obsessed individuals. The final straw is when the smart phone, parked next to its addictive owner as ever, starts tweeting, bleeping or ringing at the dinner table!
