Very interesting Paul! Thanks for that. I hope there'll be more to follow? Now have you got any info on the C5? being a technical genius. I enjoyed your NCBI Podcast interview. Most interesting, enjoyable and informative as always. The podcast is a very good idea and is very enjoyable and informative. I hope it continues indefinitely. I certainly will listen in each month.. Regards. Dominique & Opal. ----- Original Message ----- From: "(NCBI) Paul Traynor" <paul.traynor@xxxxxxx> To: <fb-exchange@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Thursday, June 28, 2012 2:04 PM Subject: [fb-exchange] What is a smart phone! > You probably hear the term "smartphone" tossed around a lot. But if you've > ever wondered exactly what a smartphone is, well, you're not alone. How is > a > smartphone different than a cell phone, and what makes it so smart? > > In a nutshell, a smartphone is a device that lets you make telephone > calls, > but also adds in features that you might find on a personal digital > assistant or a computer--such as the ability to send and receive e-mail > and > edit Office documents, for example. > > > But, to really understand what a smartphone is (and is not), we should > start > with a history lesson. In the beginning, there were cell phones and > personal > digital assistants (or PDAs). Cell phones were used for making calls--and > not much else--while PDAs, like the Palm Pilot, were used as personal, > portable organizers. A PDA could store your contact info and a to-do list, > and could sync with your computer. > > Eventually, PDAs gained wireless connectivity and were able to send and > receive e-mail. Cell phones, meanwhile, gained messaging capabilities, > too. > PDAs then added cellular phone features, while cell phones added more > PDA-like (and even computer-like) features. The result was the smartphone. > > Key Smartphone Features > While there is no standard definition of the term "smartphone" across the > industry, we thought it would be helpful to point out what we here at > About.com define as a smartphone, and what we consider a cell phone. Here > are the features we look at: > > Operating System: In general, a smartphone will be based on an operating > system that allows it to run productivity applications. BlackBerry > smartphones run the BlackBerry OS, while other devices run the Palm OS or > Windows Mobile. There are smartphone OSes that are pared-down versions of > desktop Linux, too. > > Software: While almost all cell phones include some sort of software (even > the most basic models these days include an address book or some sort of > contact manager, for example), a smartphone will have the ability to do > more. It may allow you to create and edit Microsoft Office documents--or > at > least view the files. It may allow you to download applications, such as > personal and business finance managers. Or it may allow you to edit > photos, > get ]driving directions via GPS, and create a playlist of digital tunes. > > Web Access: More smartphones can access the Web at higher speeds, thanks > to > the growth of 3G data networks and the addition of Wi-Fi support to many > handsets. Still, while not all smartphones offer high-speed Web access, > they > all offer some sort of access. You can use your smartphone to browse your > favorite sites. > > QWERTY Keyboard: By our definition, a smartphone includes a QWERTY > keyboard. > This means that the keys are laid out in the same manner they would be on > your computer keyboard--not in alphabetical order on top of a numeric > keypad, where you have to tap the number 1 to enter an A, B, or C. The > keyboard can be hardware (physical keys that you type on) or software (on > a > touch screen, like you'll find on the iPhone). > > Messaging: All cell phones can send and receive text messages, but what > sets > a smartphone apart is its handling of e-mail. A smartphone can sync with > your personal--and, sometimes, your professional--e-mail account. Some > smartphones can support multiple e-mail accounts. Others include access to > the popular instant messaging services, like AOL's AIM and Yahoo! > Messenger. > > These are just some of the features that make a smartphone smart. But > right > now, they're the features we use when deciding whether a phone is a > smartphone or a cell phone. The technology surrounding smartphones and > cell > phones is constantly changing, though. What constitutes a smartphone today > may change by next week, next month, or next year. Stay tuned! > > -- > I am using the free version of SPAMfighter. > SPAMfighter has removed 462 of my spam emails to date. > Get the free SPAMfighter here: http://www.spamfighter.com/len > > Do you have a slow PC? 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