A smartphone is an electronic device that assimilates and incorporates the functions of a PC, a mobile phone and a PDA in a small, handheld device. With the smartphone, communicating and computing while on the go is not only possible but can be managed with ease.
There are various definitions of a smartphone. For some it’s an advanced version of a mobile phone. For others it’s like a pocket PC that has a standardised interface with an identifiable operating system. Smartphones today make up about 10 percent of the mobile phone market worldwide.
IBM was the first company to design a smartphone. IBM presented the SIMON in 1992 at the Computer Dealer’s Exhibition and released it on the consumer market in 1993. In addition to being a mobile phone, it had other features of a computer such as a calendar, a note pad, a calculator, and email and fax capabilities. Subsequently, the Nokia 9000 was launched in 1996 and was the first of Nokia’s smartphones, combining the PDA technology of Hewlett Packard. This was followed by the Nokia 9210, which was a coloured screen communicator with an open operating system. Nokia later launched the 9500, which had a camera and also supported Wi-Fi.
In 2001, RIM then released the first BlackBerry – the first smartphone for wireless and push-based email, messaging, making calls and other functions. Handspring followed the trend and introduced the widely popular smartphones that combined the technology of a Palm OS based Visor PDA with a GSM phone module. In 2002, Microsoft launched the Microsoft Windows Powered Smartphone 2002.
The smartphone industry has seen a considerable rise in phones that consolidate newer technologies and enjoy huge popularity. 3G smartphones, launched by Nokia in 2005, are very popular and are marketed as multimedia computers rather than mobile phones. 3G is a technology that allows you to enjoy wide-area wireless telephone calls, video calls and conferencing, broadband wireless and high-speed data transmission, and improved network capabilities in a mobile environment.
Some of the commonly used operating systems for smartphones are Symbian OS, Windows Mobile, RIM BlackBerry, Apple OS and Linux.
Most smartphones include a touch screen or a D-Pad, contact management, built-in navigation software, a music player, a high resolution camera, a calculator and a calendar, an appointment manager and lots more. Smartphones support various business applications like word processors, presentation software and PDFs. With the smartphone, you can also access the Internet at high speed while on the move.
Some of the most well known smartphone models are the Toshiba Portege G900, the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1, the Sony Ericsson P990, the RIM BlackBerry Curve, the Palm Treo 700p, the Nokia N95, the Nokia E90 Communicator, the Motorola RIZR Z8, the Apple iPhone and the HTC Wizard.
Buy on Dealtime:
