Tech Blog

[#1]

Smartphone devices are becoming more and more common, and over the next couple of years, the number of smartphones is predicted to jump drastically.  But as these devices become more powerful, the lines between smartphones and computers are starting to become blurred, or are they?

At this point in time, smartphones are taking on a whole new set of functions, handling everything from email and web access, to GPS functions, preparing documents or presentations and as tools for media playback and playing games, and they're doing it well.  Pretty much everything a computer can handle, and more, plus they're a lot more portable.  But don't think that means we're getting close to the time where we can replace computers with a smartphone.  Far from.  As powerful as smartphones have become, they still can't handle the raw computing power that a full sized desktop or laptop computer can handle.

So where do we stand?  A smartphone is a computer, and as technology progresses, it's becoming a more and more powerful computer.  Just don't expect them to render web pages as fast and as well as a laptop or desktop computer, nor can you expect to create fancy emails and documents like you can on regular computers.  And definitely don't expect to create photo editting masterpieces.  But for basic uses, smartphones have really stepped up to the plate and in many cases, unless you intend to do serious work on your laptop, you can now leave that at home.  Smartphones allow us to have everything at our fingertips, and in this information age, that is a very useful feature.  The key thing is to learn what your smartphone is capable of and to work within those parameters.

Now then, will smartphones ever be able to take over from a full computer?  Unlikely (at least on the short term) for several reasons.  First of all, typing on a smartphone is a completely different experience than typing on a computer.  Could you imagine typing with your thumbs for absolutely everything you do?  Second, the screen simply isn't big enough.  While great for temporary uses, staring at the small screens of a smartphone for extended periods of time is not exactly a wise thing to do and your vision will thank you if you don't.  Third, they simply don't have the room to put in as powerful of equipment as what you can get in a full computer.  We will continue to rely on desktop or laptop computers for some time.  Perhaps though, there will be a day in which you can easily hook up your smartphone to an external monitor, mouse and keyboard (we're already closer to this than you might think), blurring the lines a lot further.

As someone who has owned a BlackBerry Smartphone for a year now, I can attest to the feeling of freedom that having a smartphone provides.  I no longer have the urge to check my emails every couple of hours (why should I, they come to me), and when I'm in a hurry to find something, I don't need to boot up my computer, I can just check from my BlackBerry (been very useful multiple times).  I've also been freed from my mp3 player as my BlackBerry Storm has become my mp3 and video player.  And I always have a camera on me now, which is great in the event of an emergency.  Basically, I can now leave my laptop at home.  But I have to admit, it's still nice when I get home to sit down in front of my laptop, type on a real keyboard and view a real screen.  The smartphone has made a big impact on my life, but I won't be getting rid of that 6lb beast sitting on my desk anytime soon. 

How have smartphones impacted your lives?  And if you don't yet have one, are you planning on joining the mass of BlackBerry, iPhone, Android, WebOS, Windows Mobile or Symbian smartphone users out there?

Message Edited by Krypto on 12-18-2009 11:34 PM

[#2]

One thing that has really helped make smartphones more viable is that developers have finally awakened to the fact that web pages on mobile phones are different from web pages on a computer.  Part of the Web's vast potential is its versatility, its ability to be reshaped and to have its information displayed in myriad ways.  With smartphones becoming better at rendering, developers becoming more used to designing mobile-friendly UIs, and the promise of HTML 5 in the not-so-distant future, using the Web with smartphones will just get better.

I don't have a smartphone yet.  I've ranted several times about my mad lust for an Android phone.  I can get one now from Telus or Rogers, but I don't want to get service from Rogers, and Telus' prices are only slightly less outrageous than Rogers' are.  My current, local provider has a more limited selection of phones (although it does have some BlackBerrys and Windows Mobile ones), but their prices are far superior to anything Telus and Rogers can offer, and their coverage in this area is better.  Until Canada's wireless marketplace shapes up, or until my provider offers an Android phone, I'm keeping me three-year-old LG 6200.  Muwahahaha.

With regards to screen size, I'm waiting for marketplace-viable technology to project HUD-like augmented reality onto one's glasses (or onto contact lenses for those of you unfortunate enough to be stuck with near-perfect vision).  That will ameliorate the limitations of a smartphone's screen size, not to mention make it easier to match names to faces.  And can you imagine having night vision?  You could hold your phone up in front of you and a night vision version of the image from is camera could be broadcast to your HUD.  Of course, this is all a fantasy for now.  We've got some of the technology to do it, but it hasn't reached the point where we can saturate the marketplace.  But it will!

[#3]

@tachyondecay:  Great comments!  And so true.  While mobile browsers can view full webpages, it's so much nicer when you visit a website that has been optimized to work with a mobile browser.  And the other great thing is that there are now a huge variety of apps out there.  While I know the iPhone advertises that there's an app for pretty much everything, it's actually pretty close to being true.  If you can think of it, there's likely an app that can do it, and that's regardless of which platform you are dealing with.

Thanks!  And I hope you are able to get that smartphone sooner rather than later!