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What is a Smartphone?!
What is a
Smartphone Anyway?!
Ok, so we've had a good discussion about why
smartphone selection has been poor, and why it will continue to
increase (if you missed it read about Prepaid
Smartphones). But now the question is:
"What makes a
smartphone smart?" There's actually no industry standard
definition of a smartphone, and people's perception of what it is
changes over time as technology evolves. For example, a phone
with a calendar, contacts, and email used to be considered a
smartphone, however, these features are now commonly found on
relatively low end phones. Here are some features that many
people believe help to define a what is a smartphone:
- Operation
System - The operation system of smartphones is more
sophisticated, typically allowing for a high degree of customizable
options and settings. It's also usually open to software
developers,
and allows installation of third party games and applications.
Some examples include: Google
Android OS, Apple
iPhone OS, BlackBerry OS, Palm WebOS, Windows Mobile, Symbian, and
Linux.
- Keyboard - Data
entry is an important element of smartphones. They'll
typically have a QWERTY keyboard, whether a physical or virtual (i.e.
on-screen) keyboard. Though some smartphones do have text
recognition
(ex. T9) keyboards.
- Internet
Access - While most regular phones offer some type of Web
access, smartphones have a richer browsing experience. While
they don't always have to have a full HTML browser, what you can view
is far superior to a regular WAP (Wireless Application
Protocol) phone. (Read about Prepaid
Wireless Internet!)
- Email
& IM - Although
even many "normal" phones can access email, and even do Instant
Messaging, smartphones have a much richer experience, mirroring
closer to what you would find on your personal computer.
Having
used various smartphones for years, I can honestly say that email has
been a pleasure on these devices.
- WiFi
- WiFi
is becoming a more and more common feature. At first wireless
providers resisted included WiFi on their phones, thinking that it
would mean that customers wouldn't be so attached to their
services/network.
However, as data usage became so high, they realized that
offloading data to WiFi networks would help to reduce costs.
In
particular, I find it useful when I'm traveling abroad and don't want
to pay for data roaming. I can still use WiFi to access
email,
Internet, Google Maps, etc. When I'm not using it though, I
turn
it off to save battery life.
- Large Screen
- This
probably seems pretty obvious, but it has to be noted for completeness
;-). Smartphones will always have a larger than normal
screen.
Though note that screen size can vary largely; just compare a
standard BlackBerry screen to an HTC Hero, Google Nexus, or Palm Pre
screen.
 The Bottom Line!
When
all is said and done, all of these details about what is a smartphone
are to say that smartphones
are exciting, fun, and now available on a prepaid, no-contract basis!
Over time we'll start to see the selection of prepaid
smartphones
continue to expand. The limits are really boundless!
Check out the Google
Android page to learn about an exciting operating system, or
find existing prepaid smartphones on the Prepaid
Mobile Email page.
Return to Prepaid Smartphones
Return from What is a Smartphone to Prepaid Wireless Guide Homepage
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