A couple of weeks ago, I decided to join the 21st century and get a smartphone. It turns out I did not know a lot about smartphones before I dived in. Since part of the purpose of this blog is to explain technology to the uninitiated, this post will explain what I can about smartphones.
What is a Smartphone?
I presume you know what a mobile phone (also known as a cell phone) is. (If you don’t, then I can’t help you).
A smart phone is a phone that is also a small computer. That itself is a bit confusing because even a “dumb” cell phone has a microprocessor and is technically a computer. What I mean is that a smart phone is a general purpose computer that can run any software the user cares to install on it. In this way, it’s similar to a desktop or laptop computer. Only it’s a telephone.
The line between a smart phone and an “ordinary” mobile phone is blurry. There are quite a few phones that can send e-mail and browse the Web, but can’t do anything else. I do not consider these phones “smart” (and neither did the saleslady at the phone store) because they cannot run general-purpose software: they can only run software that was installed at the factory.
Today’s tech lingo calls smart phone software “apps” (short for “software applications,” meaning software that can be applied to solve a particular problem). So, my rule of thumb to divide the smart from the dumb is whether “there’s an app for that”.
Kinds of Smart Phones
The first and most famous smart phone is the iphone. There are now many different brands of smart phones from many different manufacturers. The main difference is in what kind of operating system the computer telephone runs.
There are three main operating systems being used in smart phones:
- iPhone OS
- Android
- Windows Mobile
The differences between these need not concern us at the moment. If you really want to know, I’d suggest you go to a phone store and ask the salesman/lady. You’ll probably get an earful.
What’s so smart about it?
Besides the prosaic, 20th century functions of making telephones calls and sending text messages (and taking pictures, which is somehow a normal thing for a telephone to do these days), here are some of the things my new phone can do:
- Send and read e-mail (this alone does not make the phone smart)
- Browse the Web (again, “dumb” phones can do this too nowadays)
- Word processing using a scaled-down version of Microsoft Word
- Keep my address book and appointment calendar
- Play music and video
- Record digital audio
- Run any specialized apps I want to buy and install
It’s this last item, “run any app I can buy and install,” that makes the phone into a fully-fledged, general purpose computer in my book.
Why Would You Want A Phone that Can Do Your Taxes?
Mainly, I got a smart phone out of professional interest. I am a software engineer and there is a good chance I will want to/have to write some apps for a phone some day. I wanted to start living with a smart phone and using it on a daily basis.
Most people probably do not need a smart phone. The main advantage over a regular e-mail enabled phone is that a smart phone is better for playing games. As time goes on and smart phones become more powerful, I can foresee them taking over more of the functions that today are performed by laptop computers. They would have to perform those functions in a slightly different way, because they have tiny little screens and keyboards, but technology will soon solve those issues. (Imagine a phone that contains a built-in projector so you can project a large display onto the wall, or one that can plug into a full-sized TV or monitor if you have one handy.)
How to Shop for a Smart Phone
Unfortunately smart phones today are in compatibility hell. Not all phones work with all mobile phone companies. You can only use phones your phone carrier supports. Most famously, the iPhone can only be used on AT&T Wireless (though there are rumors the iPhone specifically may be more widely supported, some time).
I don’t the overall situation of phone portability getting better any time soon because the phone companies are making money selling these phones directly to customers, so they have a profit motive to be compatible with only the phones they sell. Annoying.
So the thing to do is choose which wireless phone carrier you want to use, based on who has good coverage where you need it and who offers a service plan that’s most cost-effective for you. In order to use a smart phone, you need to pay extra for data service in addition to voice and text service. Check your phone company for pricing details — the data option is expensive, so don’t rush into this without considering the implications for your monthly bills.
Then buy one of the smart phone models offered by your phone company. My carrier is Verizon, because they have good coverage in my city (Cambridge, MA) and because my wife gets an employee discount through her company. Unfortunately, Verizon has the worst selection of smart phones; none of the latest models and nothing at all that runs Android. Right now, shopping for phone plans and phones is an exercise in trade-offs, and I chose to accept a poor selection of phones in order to get lower monthly bills.
So what did I get?
For those who are wondering, I got an HTC Touch Pro. I’m pleased with its features, but it runs Windows Mobile 6, which is great in theory. In practice, the user interface is visually appealing but sluggish. Microsoft designed their operating system based on some adolescent fantasy of the mega-powerful phones of the future, not the realities of the memory and processing power my phone actually has.
It’s going to be a long two years before Verizon lets me upgrade (meaning, “get a new phone”). I’ll definitely try an Android phone then — whether or not Verizon offers one.
