Smartphones & Wireless Technology

1. Smartphones & Wireless Technology A Group Research Project by Amin Ali, RohanKalra, Wesley Myers, Steven Kang, and most importantly, Benjamin Gorman

2. Basics of a Smartphone • -Smartphones are hand-held devices that use cell-phone network technology to perform a variety of tasks involving data transfers • - These tasks include: • - phone calls • - text messaging • - web browsing • - email • - listening to and downloading music files • - file transfers • - viewing and transfer of multimedia • - supporting the addition of user-developed software applications • - GPS navigation • - The current industry standard for the wireless networks that support smartphone technology is 3G • - The maximum transfer speed for 3G is 3 megabytes per second, which equates to a 15-second download time for an mp3 file that contains a 3-minute song • - Phones running on a 3G network can support broadband applications such as video conferencing, receiving streaming video from the internet, and the instant download of attachments from emails • - Some smartphones also have the ability to connect to Wi-Fi networks, which have faster internet speeds than cell-phone networks

3. How the Technology Operates • Inside a Smartphone • The Hardware of a Smartphone • Smartphones run on 100-624 MHz processors. These processors could not come close to powering a desktop computer, but for the somewhat limited tasks that a smartphone performs those processors are very effective. • The processors used are ARM processors, which have tens of megabytes of onboard memory. MP3 players, routers, printers, and other technologies use these processors. • Smartphones also contain computer chips to support functions that include (among others) real-time web browsing, playing music files, and the sharing of video and picture files. • The Software of a Smartphone • Smartphones software is arranged as a “stack”. • The software stack contains: • Application suite- used for simple applications like menu screens and message inboxes • Application execution environment- application programming interfaces, instituted recently so tech-savvy phone-owners can create their own programs • User interface framework- deals with what is actually seen on the screen of the phone • Kernel- manages the hardware (drivers and management systems) • Middleware- libraries of software that enable applications like security, web browsing, and messaging • Smartphone Operating Systems • The operating system is the software in a smartphone (or any other type of computer) that manages the hardware and the other software • Some particular smartphones, such as the iPhone and Blackberry, run a phone-specific OS, but many phones use the Symbian OS • Source: electronics.howstuffworks.com, blackberry.com

4. Background Information • Cell phones used to just be used for calls • The technology then developed so texting and other data transfers could be done on wireless networks • The first smartphone was created in 1992 and debuted at an information technology conference • The definition of a smartphone is not completely agreed upon in the wireless technology industry

5. Smartphones: Good? • Helps you stay organized • always able check/make appointments • always available to chat/email/video conferencing • better information sharing. ability forward emails, create and edit spreadsheets and word documents. viewing attachments to emails • provides faster communication through a faster web access then older mobile technology. • also provides full web access (vs the slimmed down mobile web, WAP).

6. Smartphones: Bad? Price: Many smartphones, like the Motorola Q, aren't much more expensive than a regular phone, but many are. Treos are ghastly expensive, and the Sidekick 3 isn't cheap, either. The Apple iPhone is also much more expensive than regular handsets. Additionally, you will also need to upgrade your cellular plan to include data service for your smartphone, which can run anywhere from $30 to $80 per month, depending on the carrier and the speed of the service. Not cheap. •Complexity :Of course, smartphones won’t be as simple as regular handsets. Even making voice calls on a smartphone can be trickier than on a regular phone. If you aren't planning to use the "smart" features regularly, you may waste a lot of time trying to find your way around some frequently confusing menus, a huge problem with Windows Mobile devices like the Treo 700w. Although people like to have a fancy phone with them as a status symbol, is it worth it if you’re only going to use it for calls and texts??

7. The Final Decision • Smart phones are awesome!- • nothing's perfect; there are problems with all new technology • - a moderate usage provide us with... - fast communication -increase in productivity - entertainment