Smartphone - Research Paper Example

? Smartphone – A Great Tool of the Modern Era and Here to Stay Introduction More than four decades ago Martin Cooper and his research team at Motorola gave realization to the dreams of handheld mobile communication through the handheld cell phone, which was considered a significant advance in wireless communication (Dominick, 2010). The subsequent smart phone emerged as an innovation of the cell phone. Though the cell phone was hailed as a dramatic advance in wireless communication, it is the humble predecessor of the smart phone. The cell phone in its origins was basically meant merely for voice communications. The smart phone however, delivers much more than that with features of a qwerty key board, text-messaging, e-mail, Web access, removable storage, camera, FM radio, digital music player, games, financial management tools, personal organizer, and GPS, many of which are features which have become essential in the modern world (Parsons & Oja, 2011). The value addition to communication to the life of an individual era through the smart phone can be gauged from its increasing popular use in these difficult times of continued economic recession. This aspect of the smart phone is emphasized by Seymour 2010, p.55 in these words “What recession? One such sector that is continuing to expand in these troubled fiscal times is the Smartphone market”. The versatility of the applications in a smart phone that allow accessibility and sharing of information from a mobile platform in one’s hands and operated by the sleight of one’s fingers have made the smart phone no longer a luxury, but a necessity that will see remain so not just in the present, but in the future too (Shams, 2011). The Smartphone is a great tool of the modern era and here to stay. The Smart Phone In general it is difficult to provide an accurate description of a smart phone. In general terms a smart phone is a mobile computer that also provides mobile phone communication. It is this difference of mobile computing features in a smart phone that differentiates from the ordinary cell phone. It is also the availability of computing features in the smart phone that necessitates the presence of an operating system, like Windows Mobile, iPhone OS, Symbian OS, Google Android, or Linux in a smart phone, which is absent in the ordinary cell phone. Therefore, the emphasis in a smart phone is the growing addition of computer applications with voice communication as an added feature, while voice communication is the main purpose in a cell phone. Commonly used smart phones include Blackberries, iPhones, and Nokia N-Series. CTIA describes a smart phone as “wireless phones with advanced data features and often keyboards. What makes the phone ’smart’ is its ability to manage and transmit data in addition to voice calls” (MYCE, 2009). Information and communication technology was revolutionized with the advent of the personal computers (PC) and the Internet, post 1980s. Yet, there were drawbacks in that the PC kept one deskbound for use of any of its applications, which led to the development for mobile computing and information dissemination. Laptops in comparison to the smart phones are bulky and not too convenient to carry around. The smart phone is no larger than the cell phone operating from the palm of the hand. Cell phones in use remain the repository of phone contacts, several photos and texts, while smart phones surpass that vastly through their ability to connect to the Internet, store data, run programs, and organize an individuals life, all from the palm of the hand, and that too at costs that are becoming more affordable (Arthur, 2011) The impact of smart phones on human activity in the modern era is summed up in these words of Horace Dediu, a former Nokia executive, “besides being powerful, they're going to be ubiquitous. Not only in the hands of nearly every person on the planet, but also with them, or by them, all day long. They will be more popular than TVs and more intimate than wallets" (Arthur, 2011). Market penetration of the Smartphone is provided in Figure – 1. Figure – 1 (Shams, 2010). Three major players are present in the Smart phone market, which are Blackberry RIM, Apple iPhone, and Google Android. Each of them has their own distinct features. Blackberry RIM is available in two versions, one for business use and one for individual consumers. In addition to the separate applications available in these devices, all of them allow their users to receive, compose, send, file, and filter messages from the existing e-mail accounts (Federal Communication Commission, 2009). Through the mere touch of a finger a user of the Apple iPhone can make a voice call, browse the Web, send and receive e-mails, listen to music, or watch a video (Blokdijk, 2008).The Google Android uses an open source OS. Applications for the Android can be developed in Java and ported conveniently into the smart phone. The other main features of the Android are an accelerated 3-D graphics engine, database support and an integrated web browser (DiMarzio, 2010). Features that Make the Smartphone Indispensable in the Modern Era Mobility Marty Cooper’s germ of an idea of mobile communication in 1970 that was realized through the traditional cell phone laid the ground for an explosion in mobile communications through developments in this field, which was a vision for the future (Economist, 2009). This vision for the future has emerged as the smart phone (Father of the Cell Phone, 2009). Mobility is the key aspect of a smart phone that places in one’s palm the benefits of multi-tasking by the use of the fingertips. In fact the smart phone is the personal computer in the modern era, for it offers most of w2hich can be done on a PC or a laptop in a very compact and extremely mobile tool. With the Internet becoming the means of information and communication that is most sought after, the smart phone outdoes the PC and laptop in access and use of the Internet, through the very essence of mobile access to this so very indispensable source, whether it be in the sphere of business or personal interaction. It is therefore not surprising that smart phones have become an increasingly popular means to access the Internet and the primary means by which individuals access the Internet currently (Keller, 2011). Let us move beyond mere Internet access to the personal interaction and the need to keep in contact with family, friends and social circles in general. Individuals no longer live in islands of space, but as far as possible try to remain in contact with others in “the era of perpetual contact”, as put forth by Paragui, 2010. Yes, it is the Internet that allows this perpetual contact trough the likes of Face book or Twitter, but it is the smart phone that allows this social interaction irrespective of where the individual is located (Paragui, 2010). Information and Social Interaction We live in an era where information is required whether we are on the move or not and available in a convenient manner. The Smart phone provides exactly this. The Internet acts as a frequent source of most of the information. The Smart phone provides easy and convenient access to the Internet irrespective of where we are and what we are doing, and are reflected in the popular use of the Smart phone for this purpose. Irrespective of the age group of individuals, the growing usage of the Smart phone has led to the estimation that by the year 2013 more than 100 million smart phones will be in use around the world (Palenchar 2010). The manner in which society adopts technology is related to the technology being suited to the various needs of society. Use of the Smart phone reflects how society has found the smart phone to be an extremely tool in its various needs for information and managing information (Hlodan, 2010). The impact of Smart phone technology on social activity is amply put for the by Analyst Peggy Ann Saiz “Your phone captures everything you see, everything you hear, everything you think, and everything you are looking at, everything you browse. It goes on and on and on.’ The mobile becomes, in workflow lifestyle, the way to convert all things you do in the physical world into the digital world” (Schiller, 2011). Education and health care are two crucial issues in society and the manner in which the Smart phone has influenced these two critical aspects in any community gives a clear picture of the importance of the Smart phone to the society. Education on the move is no longer a dream, but a reality. Many students find that they can access knowledge and skills through text, visual, and voice input anywhere that they are and store, retrieve and manage these educational inputs at a convenient time and place. Educational institutions are making available more and more educational inputs for students to access through Smart phones in their drive for enhanced educational levels in society (Paraguai, 2010). Moving on to healthcare information on status of patients and monitoring them away from health care institutions is becoming the gold standard in improved quality if healthcare. The extent of information for such monitoring is such that a Smart phone can be adapted to take a partial x-ray of a bone for a specialist sitting anywhere to view the same and arrive at the initial and initiate the required relief for the patient till reaching a health care institution for the follow up requirements. Smart phones prove to be an invaluable tool in extending the reach and quality of health care delivery (Page, 2008). Versatility The applications that can be used on a Smart phone with relation to our personal and work tasks are really restricted to the applications made available by the service providers. More and more applications are in development and so also the ability of the Smart phone to use such applications. Given the nature of the developments we have seen in Smart phones, it is expected that the Smart phone will become capable of handling almost all aspects of our personal and work related tasks, making it an indispensable not merely now, nut in the future too (Patel, 2010). Conclusion Martin Cooper’s germ of an idea for mobile communications has travelled a long way from the traditional phone to the Smart phone. Use of the Smart phone is growing at a phenomenal rate for personal and work related tasks. This growing popularity of the Smart phone is derived from its convenience in size, can be practical used from anywhere, personal and social interaction features, and a plethora of applications that go to meeting personal and task related activities and social needs. With more and more useful aspects of the Smart phone being uncovered in terms of personal and social needs, the Smartphone is truly a Great Tool of the Modern Era and Here to Stay. Literary References Arthur, C. 2011. How the smart phone is killing the PC. Retrieved July 16, 2011, from Guardian.co.uk Web Site: http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/jun/05/smartphones-killing-pc Blokdijk, G. (2008). iPhone: 100 Need to Know Time Savers. Brisbane: Emereo Pty Ltd. DiMarzio, J. (2010). Android: A Programmer’s Guide. West Patel Nagar, New Delhi: Tata McGraw Hill Education Private Limited. Dominick, J. R. (2010). The Dynamics of Mass Communication: Media in the Digital Age. Tenth Edition. West Patel Nagar, New Delhi: Tata McGraw Hill Education Private Limited. Father of the Cell Phone. (2009). Retrieved July 16, 2011, from, The Economist Web Site: http://www.economist.com/node/13725793 Federal Communications Commission. (2009). FCC Annual Report and Analysis of Competitive Market Conditions with Respect to Commercial Mobile Services. Washington, DC: FCC. Hlodan, O. (2010). Mobile Learning Anytime, Anywhere. BioScience, 60(9), 682. Keller, J. (2011). As the Web Goes Mobile, Colleges Fail to Keep Up. Chronicle of Higher Education, 57(21), A1-A14. MYCE. (2009). ‘What is the Difference between a Smartphone and a traditional cell phone’. Retrieved July 16, 2011, from Web Site: http://www.myce.com/mobile-phones/faq/what-is-the-difference-between-a-smartphone-and-a-traditional-cellphone-21963/ Page, D. (2008). Cell Phones Are Quickly Becoming Cutting-Edge Medical Devices. H&HN: Hospitals & Health Networks, 82(8), 13. Palenchar, J. (2010). Survey: Age Affects Cellphone Preferences. TWICE: This Week in Consumer Electronics, 25(15), 17-34. Paraguai, L. (2010). Mobile devices, designing affective spatialities. Technoetic Arts: A Journal of Speculative Research, 8(2), 221-228. Parsons, J. J. & Oja, D. (2011). New Concepts on Computer 2011. Boston, MA: Course Technology. Patel, L. (2010). THE RISE OF SOCIAL MEDIA. T+D, 64(7), 60-61. Schiller, K. (2011). Content On-the-Go and the Mobile Office. Information Today, 28(1), 1-43. Seymour, R. (2010). The Smartphone Phenomenon. Middle East, (407), 54-55. Retrieved from EBSCOhost. Shams, E. (2010). Smartphones Becoming a Necessity. Retrieved July 16, 2011, from Awesome DC Web Site: http://awesomedc.com/2010/06/12/smartphones-becoming-a-necessity/ Read More