What’s
the craze all about?
If you
haven’t heard of smartphones, we’d like to learn where you’ve been hiding all
this time. Smartphones have been all over the news and chances are, you do know
what they are – only you know them under a different name. Smartphones are
mobile phones with computer-like capabilities.
What’s
that? Aha! Yes, you’ve not only heard of them, but you’ve also probably seen them as
well. Packed with Internet access, email
capabilities, address books, and a whole lot more, cell phones have come a long
way since their first debut. But be careful not to confuse these newest toys
with sandbox devices.
Sandbox
devices are tools that come pre-loaded with things like calendars, calculators,
and a notepad. What differentiates them from smartphones is that users can add
(download and install) additional programs to smartphones and they seemingly
become mini portable computers for the people who use them. That – and the
ability to edit the content that sits on them - is what makes these phones
“smart.”
Some of
the more popular brand names include the Blackberry, PalmSource, Nokia, and
Windows CE. Yet the craze is extending to even some off-brand company names.
Today, it’s hard to find a cell phone that doesn’t offer some sort of “smart”
technology because it’s in such high demand. The convenience of having
information at our immediate access is phenomenal – so much so that thousands
of programmers have jumped on the opportunity to build unique applications
specific to these small machines.
As a result, you can find tons of games, databases, GPA systems, weather reporting
programs, and even small encyclopedias on these things – each accessible not at
the click of a mouse – but at a few presses of a free thumb. Of course, a mini
keyboard is available for the text-messaging fan or for the poor fellow who
can’t seem to get away from the office. In the latter case, don’t be surprised
if you find the entire Microsoft Office suite displayed within a screen no
bigger than a matchbook.
Is this
a phase? That’s highly doubtful. The market for these devices extends from the
highly technical and professional all the way to the pre-teen socialite. The
product crosses all demographics and thanks to decreasing costs – it sees no
economic boundaries as well. The Wikipedia encyclopedia claims that “Out of 1
billion camera phones to be shipped in 2008, Smartphones, the higher end of the
market with full email support, will represent about 10% of the market or about
100 million units.”
But what
is it that makes smartphones so appealing? As mentioned, smartphones give us
the ability to not only carry our data around with us where ever we go, it also
gives us the ability to edit that data any place – any time. In today’s
“reality” based generation, we’re always looking for the opportunity to capture
and relive a moment. And we want to share that moment with others. At best,
smartphones give us the opportunity to express ourselves impromptu with
entertaining results.
Attempting
to do the same with a bulky desktop computer or laptop is too cumbersome. Even
some of the smallest peripherals (digicams, digital cameras, etc.) don’t give
us the same opportunities that smartphones do. Being able to carry around a
device for communication, creation, recording, and editing simply compliments
the need for today’s generation to do more and then do it, faster!
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