In Reply to: What are smart phones? posted by namrod on Wednesday, 18. March 2009 at 15:17 Bali Time:
Smart phones combine the voice capabilities of a mobile phone, with that of a personal digital assistant, or PDA. Once, phones with MP3 players and cameras included were considered high tech. Today, such devices are now commonplace.
GPS ENABLED PHONES:
As consumer demand for GPS increases, many mobile manufacturers are squeezing satellite navigation into their devices. Manufacturers like "Nokia" the world's biggest phone manufacturer, has already started including GPS receivers into their phones, including the N95 and N96, a self-styled multimedia computer in a phone, the 6110 Navigator and 5800 expressmusic. Nokia recently paid USD$5Billion to buy out map making company TeleAtlas so that should be a good indicator as to where Nokia think GPS is headed. Other GPS/Phone brands include: Blackberry, Palm Treo, HTC, Sony Ericson, Samsung, LG and others.
Check out more here: http://www.goodgearguide.com.au/section/gps_car_entertainment/gps_mobile_phones
The Smart Phone allows the mobile phone to function as an extension of your computer, so you can;
* Send & receive emails on the run
* Surf internet websites
* Store contact information, photos, and MP3 music and videos
* Make a task calander, or "to-do" list
* Keep track of important dates (date book, calendar)
* Appointment reminder (clock with alarm function)
* Use it as a calculator
* Use as a GPS or Satellite Navigator
Not all the functions listed above are included so be careful to make a checklist of what functions you really want and investigate thoroughly.
What makes these phones "smart" is their ability to be programmed, much like your PC at home. Most smartphones come with their own operating software already installed, making programming them that much easier.
OPERATING SYSTEMS:
There are many operating systems available on smartphones. (The operating system is much like the operating system inside a computer it is the software that drives the phone much like how the
"Microsoft Windows" operating system drives your laptop or home computer, without it your computer would just be a box full of microchips and printed circuit boards).
Here are some of the more popular operating systems used in mobile SmartPhones:
SYMBIAN - is the most popular operating system in the US. The system is incorporated into roughly 80% of all PDA handsets.
PALM - is a operating system developed by PalmSource, Inc. Cell phone manufacturers that use this operating system include Kyocera, Samsung and Sony.
WINDOWS CE (or WinCE) - is an operating system developed by Microsoft. Variations of Windows CE include; Pocket PC 2002 - 2003 SE, and Smart Phone 2002 & 2003.
BREW - short for Binary Runtime Environment for Wireless, Brew is an operating system platform developed by Qualcomm, Inc. to be used with CDMA networks. Verizon is currently using BREW for most PDA handsets. Cell phone manufacturers using this operating system framework include; Kyocera, Samsung and Motorola.
LINEX - is an operating system that allows its users to freely redistribute or modify the system's applications. It is typically less user friendly than other operating systems.
A WORD ON GPS PHONES
The best software available for smartphones to run maps is Garmin's Mobile XT. Once loaded into your smartphone it drives all of the Garmin Maps from around the world including the Bali Navigator Map for Bali & Lombok. The Garmin Mobile XT software can be downloaded free and is available from the link below or at www.balinavigator.com where you can also get the Bali & Lombok map,(you just need to know what operating system your phone uses to download Garmin Mobile XT).
I have left my email open above if I can assist further.
Cheers
Don