Choosing a smartphone, tips for dummies. Mobile applications for smartphones

So the era of conventional phones is coming to an end, and modern smartphones appear on the market instead. Many users are very interested in the topic: a smartphone - what is it (for dummies), because there are still people who are not familiar with modern mobile technologies. Let's take a look at the main differences from the previous “generation” together.

Smartphone

Such a device is a familiar mobile phone that has a very powerful OS (operating system). It is able to work with several applications at once. In other words, a smartphone is an alternative to a familiar computer. He is able to cope with all those tasks for which a simple PC (personal computer) serves.

How are these devices different from each other? The most important difference is the operating system. Today we can highlight the following:

1. Android.
2. WP (Windows Phone).

Of course, there are many other operating systems, but these are the most popular. We also want to draw your attention to the fact that there are a small number of mobile devices that are able to work on different operating systems, but we will not dwell on any exceptions.

Smartphones can greatly simplify the life of its owner by performing a large number of diverse tasks. Today's arms race among smartphone manufacturers has made the word "phone" not the most relevant, since now everyone has a pocket computer in their pocket:

• With the help of such smart gadgets, you can always call and send SMS, but also let's not forget about checking mail, watching movies, listening to music and just surfing social networks.
• Such devices are very good precisely because they never had a certain functionality, because it is regulated by the installed applications.
• Today, anyone can access the Internet from almost anywhere in the world and transfer a huge amount of information.

Smartphone - what is it. For dummies, a whole idea has already been formed, so we recommend that you soberly evaluate the disadvantages of such devices.

Cons of new gadgets

Perhaps the only significant drawback in open operating systems is the susceptibility to computer viruses. Yes, your phone can get infected too.

Usually virus software (software) takes the form of a necessary program that you want to install. Unfortunately, the output is not a program, but a continuous “headache”, which, at times, is very difficult to get rid of.

You should always monitor the status of your mobile device and use antivirus software. But this will not be a problem for you if you use our.

Important! If you need a device for calls and simple operations, choose for yourself. For businessmen or young people, expensive functional equipment is recommended for purchase.

Apple technology

If you understand the terminology a little, then you can immediately get acquainted with the iPhone. This device is the most expensive and popular, but what is all this for?

I would like to start with the fact that a caring developer always equips his equipment with the best current features that simply turn the whole market upside down.

Important! If you go into the whole story, then the iPhone is a series of mobile devices that run the aforementioned iOS. The first model was released back in 2007. The device has been on sale since June 29 of the same year. Upon entering the market, he immediately won all the laurels in the United States.

A year later, an updated version of the phone came out with a new version of the OS, which also made a splash in the community of that time. Well, then a wonderful conveyor began to work, releasing new items every year that amaze fans with their magnificence.

But what is the main difference from a simple smartphone? Usually, Apple appliances are more expensive, but have slightly worse characteristics. Many are mistaken that the high cost is the merit of only one high-profile brand, but do not forget about the following advantages:

• Very high quality display. The touchscreen has always pleased with its comfortable and long-term work. Comparing the iPhone with a budget phone, this difference can be felt immediately.
• Application optimization. On iOS, there are much fewer problems during operation, which millions of users have tested on their own skin.
• Continuous support for new versions of operating systems. The developer tries to release updates for its outdated models for the longest time.
• The quality of the assembly materials is also on top.

If you want to understand the "apple" technique in more detail and find out what disadvantages it has, we recommend that you read our article.

Important! Many people are reluctant to purchase such phones because they are put off by the monolithic battery, the lack of a memory slot and the high price.

World's first smartphone - Ericsson R380s

The term "smartphone" was introduced in 2000 by Ericsson. With this name, the manufacturer decided to highlight the new model Ericsson R380s, which was really smart in comparison with others. The Ericsson R380s had a fold-out keyboard that covered half of the unusually large monochrome screen. A device weighing about 169 g immediately after its appearance on the market cost more than 1000 US dollars, but when the hype subsided after 2-3 months, it was possible to buy it in Moscow for about 650 dollars.

Batteries with a capacity of 950 mAh were enough for the world's first smartphone for 2-3 days with 20-30 minutes of talk time daily. It even synchronized with a PC and allowed you to back up data for later recovery. 1.2 MB of memory was dynamically distributed among various types of information (SMS, phone numbers, entries in the organizer, etc.). The device even allowed you to create your own midi-melodies for setting calls and displayed a touch-screen keyboard that supports pen input for this. By the way, the buttons were also touch-sensitive - when the flip keyboard was in the closed position, pressing them actually meant pressing the screen and transmitting the coordinates of the desired area.

However, formally the first smartphone in terms of functionality was the IBM Simon, introduced in 1993. It was him that you could see in the movie "Network". The device, in addition to the standard functions of a mobile phone, had a calendar, a calculator, a notepad for handwritten notes, e-mail support, a touch screen (there was no physical keyboard), and PCMCIA memory cards. However, the term "smartphone" did not yet exist.

The first smartphone with a color screen - Nokia 9210

A year after the release of the monochrome Ericsson R380s, a smartphone with a color screen appeared on the market. Nokia 9210 was supplied in two boxes at once: one contained the device itself, the other contained accessories for it, in particular, a cable for synchronization with a PC and a 16 MB MMC card.

Nokia 9210 had two screens - monochrome external and color internal; there were also two keyboards - an external digital one for dialing a number and selecting options in the menu, as well as an internal QWERTY designed to work with the device in smartphone mode. The clamshell form factor was implemented in an unusual way - unfolding was carried out along the long side, and not along the short side, as in models that are still being produced. Note that it was Nokia 9210, and not , that was the world's first smartphone with two screens.

The Nokia 9210 could even be connected to the Concord Q Eye camera, which took pictures with a resolution of 640x480 pixels and allowed storing up to 12 photos in memory. To operate the camera, a separate set of batteries (2 AA types) was used, which was enough for 20 shots. The smartphone itself had the ability to record a conversation on a voice recorder, view call lists with maintaining and exporting logs, browsers for Internet surfing and using WAP, and a Word application for editing documents. On the CD included with the device, the manufacturer offered 20 more programs that could be installed on the Nokia 9210, in particular, Real Player for watching videos.

The first smartphone with optical zoom - Sharp V602SH

In 2004, the first smartphone with an optical zoom camera was introduced to the market. 2x zoom for a 2-megapixel camera seemed unrealistic. The digital zoom provided a 40x increase, but only for images with a resolution of 120x160 pixels. In addition, Sharp V602SH was able to record video at a speed of 15 frames per second, and the clips could be viewed on a TV by connecting it to a smartphone via a video output. Note that the iPhone has not yet received optical zoom, although it is likely in the 6s and 6s Plus models.

Sharp V602SH was designed specifically as a camera phone, so it inherited a color display with a resolution of 240x320 pixels from cameras, which rotated 180 degrees in a vertical plane. He could take photos even when folded. In addition, the smartphone had a compact single-line monochrome screen with a resolution of 12x72 pixels. Built-in memory of 6 MB was enough to store 1200 photos of the minimum resolution, but Sharp V602SH supported the installation of SD-cards.

The first Android smartphone - HTC Dream

On October 22, 2008, the American mobile operator T-Mobile opened the sale of the world's first smartphone based on the Google Android platform. HTC Dream, which was offered in the operator's stores under the name T-Mobile G1, was previously also known as HTC Omni and was sold at a price of $179, subject to a contract with the operator. By the way, the first official Android smartphone in Russia was the HTC Hero.

The number of pre-orders for HTC Dream in a month exceeded the manufacturer's expectations by three times. In six months, more than a million devices were sold in the US alone. There were two versions of the smartphone - tivoized without access to the firmware and the ability to download its unofficial versions, and tivoized Android Dev Phone 1 - with an open OS and without being tied to a SIM card (however, its price was $ 399; in addition, registration was required for ordering on the Android Market - another $ 25).

However, against the background of its predecessors HTC Dream looked very impressive. In addition to Android 1.6, among its advantages were a Qualcomm 7201 processor with a frequency of 528 MHz, 192 MB of RAM and 256 MB of internal memory, Bluetooth 2.0 interfaces, miniUSB, Wi-Fi 802.11 b / g, a 3.15 MP camera, support for microSD memory cards and even a built-in GPS chip. Included was a detachable QWERTY keyboard.

The first Apple smartphone - in fact, the iPhone

However, there were also enough shortcomings in the revolutionary smartphone: firstly, the iPhone did not support 3G (only EDGE), secondly, it was inferior to BlackBerry communicators in terms of security, and thirdly, it did not have MMS support. Apple soon released the iPhone 3G with support for 3G networks.

What was inside the first iPhone? Samsung S3C6400 620MHz processor, 128MB RAM, 1400mAh battery, 3-axis accelerometer, dual microphone and proximity sensor, and 2MP camera. The touch screen of the device had a diagonal of 3.5 inches and a resolution of 320 × 480 pixels. The first iPhone was offered at $499 for the 4GB version, $599 for the 8GB version.

The first smartphone with a dual-core processor - LG Optimus 2X P990

In the fall of 2011, the first smartphone with a dual-core processor, the . The device with a 4-inch touch screen with a resolution of 480x800 pixels has a 2-core NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor with a frequency of 1 GHz, an 8-megapixel camera (like in and), it was running Android 2.2. The presence of support for 1080p video (both recording and playback), HDMI on the case and really effective work with "heavy" applications and 3D graphics - according to experts, 30,000 rubles for this is quite an adequate price.

The first quad-core smartphone on the market - LG Optimus 4X HD P880

It is quite logical that LG's quad-core smartphone, which became the first on the market, received the name by analogy with the previous model. The device based on the Nvidia Tegra 3 processor with a frequency of 1.5 GHz includes 1 GB of RAM and 16 GB of permanent memory, as well as 8 MP and 1.3 MP cameras, a 4.7-inch screen with a resolution of 1280x720 pixels, a removable battery with a capacity of 2150 mAh.

Between the presentation of LG Optimus 4X and its entry into the market, 4 months passed, so at the time of the start of sales, the device became the most affordable quad-core smartphone. Its official price at that time was 24,990 rubles.

The first phablet - Galaxy Note

Having received the largest screen among the smartphones that existed at that time, he opened a new segment in the market. Soon, many technical publications began to call such devices phablets from phone - phone and tablet - tablet. Yes, in October 2011, a smartphone with a diagonal of 5.3 inches could be quite surprised, especially since it was a Super AMOLED touchscreen display with a resolution of 1280x800 pixels.

The device, running Android 2.3, was equipped with a 1.4 GHz dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 processor, 1 GB of RAM and 16 GB of internal memory, an 8-megapixel camera with LED flash and another 2-megapixel front camera, built-in GPS with support A-GPS, as well as a 2500 mAh battery. As you can see, the phablet, the price of which at the time of the start of sales in Russia was 34,990 rubles, is quite relevant today.

In this article, we will tell you about five basic facts and how a smartphone differs from a phone.

Almost everyone knows what a cell phone is. This is a small device that you can hold in your hands and that allows you to make calls from anywhere in the world. However, adding the word "smartphone" can lead to confusion for an inexperienced user. In fact, the separation of the two terms doesn't really matter if we call the Galaxy S9 a mobile phone and the iPhone X a smartphone.

However, below are tips to help you understand why some people use the word "cell phones" while others use "smartphones" and why a smartphone is sometimes referred to as a cell phone but not vice versa.

What to choose a phone or smartphone?

Mobile device technology is one of the fastest growing areas in consumer electronics, making it difficult to define terms like cell phone and smartphone. However, most people use mobile phones mainly for phone calls, while smartphones are considered as Internet devices and are used to a lesser extent for voice calls.

The choice between a standard cell phone or smartphone comes down to whether calls are important to you or convenient Internet access and access to multimedia files.

The functions of a smartphone are part of the capabilities of a computer

You can think of a smartphone as a miniature computer that can also make and receive calls. Most smartphones have a virtual store of thousands of apps that turn your phone into something much smarter than a regular cell phone.

Smartphone applications include image editors, navigation maps and many other useful options. Some smartphones take this a step further and give you a built-in virtual assistant like the Apple iPhone's Siri, which everyone can agree on makes the phone much smarter and more technologically advanced.

A smartphone is capable of functioning like a cell phone, but not all mobile phones can replicate this. In other words, a smartphone can make calls like a mobile phone, which in turn does not have the same add-ons and applications, such as Apple's Siri assistant or Google's voice assistant.

5 basic facts: What is the difference between a smartphone and a phone?

Operating system

The operating system on smartphones is in many ways similar to what is installed on your personal computer at home or at work. For example, your computer is most likely running Windows or MacOS, or possibly Linux or some other desktop OS. However, the mobile operating system may be, for example, iOS, Android, Windows Mobile, BlackBerry OS, or webOS.

The difference in the operating system of a cell phone compared to the operating system of a smartphone is again determined by the usability of the software. iPhones and Android phones are generally perceived by the masses as being relatively easy to use by most users.

When it comes to a mobile phone (which is not "smart"), the operating system is usually very light and simple, with minimal menus and little to no extra options or apps.

microprocessor and memory

Mobile phones, compared to smartphones, have incredible processing power, usually faster, more powerful microprocessors and large amounts of memory. Demanding applications such as photography, video and games require faster and faster processors.

Some models have tens of gigabytes of memory to store large music and video libraries, as well as databases and applications. On the other hand, mobile phone processors are simpler and suitable for smaller requirements such as phone calls and basic applications.

Programs

Cell phones and smartphones have apps, programs that make the phone more useful. Cell phone applications include games, contact managers, and text messaging programs. Apps on smartphones are much more complex as they take advantage of the phone's faster processor, more storage, and internet connectivity.

There are over a million smartphone apps from the most basic to the most advanced. In addition to more sophisticated versions of apps, smartphones come with a number of useful apps, a music player, photo editor, advanced calculator, social networks, and other programs already installed on smartphones, too many to mention.

Dimensions and screen size

Smartphones usually have larger displays than their larger brothers. A larger screen gives apps more room for graphics and lets you enjoy movies, videos, and other media. Smartphone control is carried out thanks to the touch screen.

The screen on a mobile phone is used primarily to view phone numbers and text messages, although many people can play simple games, open appointment calendars, and contact lists.

Internet and network connections

A cell phone's primary network connection is for voice calls, although many have Bluetooth short-range data connectivity and support for hands-free calls.

The smartphone has these network connections, plus 3G/4G data and Wi-Fi. Some have a technology called Near-Field Communications that allows you to use your phone as a smart credit card. Internet access is provided using cellular data where the cell tower is located. Internet access via Wi-Fi is usually free, although the range of services is limited to homes and businesses that provide it.

Brief facts about the history of mobile phones

IBM developed the first smartphone in 1992 called the Simon. The smartphone was unveiled as a concept device in Las Vegas at the computer industry show known as COMDEX.

What are the most significant differences for you, do you use older phones in your daily activities and why? Write your answers in the comments and share this article on social networks.

Video: Five advantages of a feature phone over a smartphone

Many people use the word "smartphone" in their speech, but not everyone knows what exactly it means, often meaning by this just a cellular device. However, there are differences between a smartphone and a regular mobile phone.

A smartphone is like a telephone: it can also make phone calls, just like a regular phone. But besides this, you can add advanced features, additional functions to your smartphone, for example, various melodies and ringtones that can be found in a personal digital assistant (PDA) or on a computer. Smartphones typically allow you to send and receive email, edit documents, or view pages, social networks, and more.

How did smartphones appear?

When technology started to change, people started to think seriously about communication, they had mobile phones to make phone calls, and also (PDAs) like the Palm Pilot. PDAs were used as personal organizers or day planners that you could carry with you at all times. People could sync their Pocket PC with and save their contact information, calendars, and to-do list.

PDA technology has evolved, and over time, they have new features and capabilities. One of them was wireless communication, with which you could send and receive letters.

Meanwhile, cell phones were also developing. With their help, it was also possible to exchange short messages (SMS). Subsequently, the pocket personal computer received the functions of a cell phone, and mobile phones added functions similar to those that were already in PDAs and stationary computers.

This is how the smartphone appeared, as a result of the development of the functions of mobile phones and the capabilities of pocket personal computers.

What is a smartphone and what are its main functions

There is no standard definition of the term "smartphone". The name comes from the English smartphone, which can be translated literally, and it means "smart phone".

A smartphone is a smart phone that has an operating system.

What, according to one consumer, should be in a smartphone, for another user may be outdated or unnecessary. However, there are some features that are common to most famous smartphones, just as most cell phones have their own set of "standard" options.

The main features of the smartphone include:

• mobile telephony (calls using one SIM card or 2 SIM cards, and sometimes four),
• receiving and sending SMS messages,
• access to the Internet using one browser or your choice,
• Email,
• to access the Internet in addition to similar access using the services of a mobile operator that provided a SIM card,
• distributing Wi-Fi when the smartphone turns into,
• etc.

The main difference between a smartphone and a mobile phone

Primarily,

A smartphone differs from a mobile phone in that it has an operating system,

which allows you to run applications with a performance that is clearly greater than that of a cell phone.

Depending on the manufacturer, there can be many different types of operating systems on different smartphone models.

android smartphone is a smart phone running the Android operating system, which has become widespread due to its Linux-based open source code. The system is being developed by the OHA group of companies led by Google. The presence of open source allows numerous Android programmers to develop their own applications for smartphones.

Smartphone iPhone(iPhone) - Apple's smart phone with the iOS operating system.

BlackBerry smartphones run the BlackBerry OS operating system.

Other smartphones use Palm OS or Windows Mobile. Many operating systems are simple desktop versions of Linux that are available not only on computers but also on smartphones.

Flagship smartphone - what is it?

The term "flagship" comes from the fleet, on which the ship is the flagship, where the commander is located, headquarters and from where the fleet is controlled.

By analogy with the fleet

the flagship smartphone is the best device from any major manufacturer,

with the most advanced features and the best features (speed, video playback quality and other advanced features).

True, all this quickly becomes obsolete, but this, as they say, will be later ...

Smartphone app - what is it?

A smartphone application (eng. "Mobile app" - a mobile application) is software designed to work on smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices.

The app can be games, social media apps, e-mail apps, a flashlight, etc.

Many mobile applications are pre-installed on smartphones by manufacturers themselves, which is why they are called pre-installed or built-in. For example, a new Android smartphone is usually “to the eyeballs” packed with applications from, and a new Iphone is filled with applications from Apple.

An important feature of the smartphone is the ability to download additional necessary applications for free or for a fee at the request of the user from online application stores such as the App Store (for iPhones), BlackBerry App World, Google Play (for), 1mobile market, Windows Phone Store, Yandex.store and others.

The presence of an operating system allows you to arbitrarily expand the number of applications installed on your smartphone. Such "luxury" was not available in conventional mobile phones. Here, the number of additional applications is limited only by the available memory of the smartphone, its performance and a number of other technical and software parameters. A smartphone allows its owner, with almost no serious restrictions, to expand the possibilities of using his gadget.

The operating system on a smartphone also provides the ability to constantly install new updates to both the operating system itself and installed applications, which makes the smartphone truly “smart”, keeping the system and applications up to date.

About mobile phone and smartphone security

Mobile phones, although inferior to modern smartphones, are still often indispensable assistants in a number of cases. For example, many bank-client systems running on desktop computers and laptops use SMS informing, SMS confirmation codes to identify a bank client and his operations. Of course, these are just ordinary SMS messages that can be received by both simple mobile phones and modern smart smartphones.

However, the lack of an open operating system in a mobile phone does not allow fraudsters to be as "easy" (relatively, of course, easily) as in a smartphone. Simple mobile phones are much better protected from various kinds of fraud inherent in open systems, with which smartphones are “friends” and simple old and reliable “iron” mobile phones are completely “unfriendly”.

What is a pocket personal computer and what is its use

A pocket personal computer (English term: Personal Digital Assistant, abbreviated as PDA - “personal digital secretary”) is a small device with wide functionality.

Due to its small size, the PDA is often referred to as a handheld. PDAs were originally intended to be used as electronic organizers. You can't make calls from a "classic" PDA, it's not a mobile phone.

Now classic pocket personal computers are almost completely replaced

• communicators is a PDA with a cellular communication module and
• smartphones.

Pocket PCs at one time were convenient for distribution to employees of companies that were engaged in, say, sales. Mobile applications were installed on PDAs that worked in conjunction with the information systems of companies selling their goods and services. And employees could, holding in their hand a small, in fact, a computer, see the remaining goods in the warehouse, the work schedule of employees providing services, and so on, in order to solve sales issues on the spot, at the client's. Fine, don't say anything. Now, for this kind of action, they mainly use tablets or smartphones.

Replacing PDAs with smartphones, in fact, has not changed anything. It became possible to install the same mobile applications both on communicators and smartphones, which gradually replaced the PDA. But…

If old PDAs allowed you to work only with the Internet, with mobile applications using a SIM card, then smartphones began to allow you to do a lot more: make calls, exchange SMS, use browsers, send and receive e-mail, and so on. But all these "pleasures" use the resources of the SIM card, for which the employer must pay! It turns out that the replacement of PDAs with smartphones has “doomed” employers to more strictly control the work of “field” employees using smartphones. The use of PDAs in the past did not cause such problems and did not lead to inflated expenses in this or that company for the use of mobile communications.

There are many similar examples when old gadgets, old mobile phones, communicators, PDAs, worked more reliably (in some cases) than modern smart smartphones.

Results

However, progress cannot be stopped. The convenience of working with smartphones, the openness of the operating system, the ability to receive updates, expand functions at the request of users, write new applications on their own and other conveniences have gradually replaced previous gadgets that were not flexible enough in nature and functions.

Now on a smartphone you can do almost the same thing as on a computer, and sometimes more. And it remains for us to live and work in new realities, somewhere sometimes adapting to them, but how could it be otherwise?!

And in the last 5-10 years, a breakthrough in the field of cellular communications has been the emergence and then widespread use of smartphones. What is a smartphone, how does it differ from ordinary mobile phones and how to choose it? That's what we'll talk about now.

Smartphone is a device in which cellular communication functions are combined with . In addition to making voice calls, SMS, voice mail functions, using a smartphone, you can access the Internet, receive and send e-mail, communicate in social networks and chats, edit office documents, listen to music, take photos and videos, and much more. .

Whether all these functions are necessary for a novice user (i.e. "teapot"), it's up to you to decide. In principle, support for a particular feature in a smartphone depends not only on the technical parameters of the device, but also on the type of operating system that is preinstalled in this model, as well as its current version and installed software.

Now there is a "fashion" for smartphones and they are bought by everyone, both schoolchildren, students, and even some advanced pensioners ... Before proceeding with the choice of a smartphone, let's figure it out, do you really need it?

1. Who needs a smartphone?