Smart phones Tablets and Pc’s

With the increased use of tablets and smart phones I thought it timely to start addressing these devices individually and also how you can best use your computer in conjunction with them. Over the coming months I will  attempt to aid those struggling with these technologies to understand how best they can be used.

Smart phones Definition

A smart phone can be best described as a device which apart from providing texting and phone facilities also includes the ability to provide services previously the remit of the desktop and laptop computer. From email to internet browsing to running programs the modern smart phone provides many, but not all, of the facilities of a personal computer.

Smart phones should not be viewed as a replacement for a desktop/laptop computer but rather as an extension of computing services to a mobile hand held device. This definition also covers tablets except of course there is no texting or phone facilities on your regular tablet.

Smart phone Types

Leaving aside the brand name of the phones, smart phones can be divided into three distinct model groups. These groups are defined by the operating system that is used on the phone, just the same as computers are divided in windows apple and linux operating systems.

The three groups on smartphones are:

• Apple smart phones
• Android smart phones
• Windows smart phones

The first two, apple and android, have the lion share of the market with windows holding only a tiny piece of the market.

When it comes to choosing the one that best suits your needs you will most likely be offered the choice of either Apple or Android . Samsung Sony and HTC are all smart phones using the android operating system. Tablets similarly are divided by the same classification. For the purpose of this and other articles I will be concentrating on Apple and android smart phones.

Selecting A Smart Phone Maker

There is no need to discuss this issue with Apple smart phones as Apple are the only one producing them and patents ensure no one can bring a clone to market. The same is not true of android with a wide variety of manufacturers selling various models. As with any technology I always recommend you stick with known quality manufacturers but the market changes so fast in smart phones you’ll be tempted by some of the startup companies. Next month I’ll delve into the differences between Apple and Android smart phones.