In this blog post, we will look at how smartphones have become known as the “revolution in handheld devices” by combining various technologies.
Have you ever turned on your smartphone instead of the radio to check traffic conditions when stuck in traffic? Last summer, the Seoul Metropolitan Government developed the “Seoul Fast Lane” program, which allows citizens to check traffic conditions on their smartphones, making their vacation trips easier. In addition, smartphone navigation has made it easy to find your way around complicated rural roads without a car navigation system. The power of smartphones is evident in everyday life. Students listen to music on their smartphones instead of MP3 players, record lectures on their smartphones instead of tape recorders, and write their schedules on their smartphones instead of notebooks. That’s not all. On the 10th, DMC Media announced that smartphones have surpassed PCs in terms of everyday use, as activities that were previously done on computers can now be done on smartphones.
Starting with IBM’s Simon and followed by Apple’s iPhone in 2007, smartphones have become so versatile that they are now referred to as “computers in our hands.” Smartphones have replaced numerous devices, from navigation systems to PCs. This article will examine the features of smartphones and how they have become the all-around stars of the electronics industry.
Smartphones are capable of performing various functions because countless programs have been developed to execute specific functions on smartphones. Programs created to perform specific functions are called applications, and there are various types of applications, such as games, navigation, traffic information, and social networking services. In addition, there are several applications that perform the same function. For example, in addition to the aforementioned “Seoul Fast Way,” there are various other navigation applications, such as “Tmap,” “Naver Map,” and “Don’t Be Late Route Search.” The flexible operating system (OS) of smartphones allows for the existence of such a wide variety of applications. An operating system is software that helps operate hardware, managing the overall operation of a device so that memory, disks, peripheral devices, and other components interact efficiently.
When we think of operating systems, we often think of Windows on computers. However, not only computers but also smartphones and other electronic devices have their own operating systems. For example, when you press the defrost button on a microwave oven, the operating system mechanically transmits the command given to the microwave oven button so that the microwave oven operates properly. The variety of applications available for smartphones is due to the “openness” of this operating system. Feature phones, which were used before the release of smartphones, had their operating systems stored in ROM format in the hardware at the time of manufacture. ROM stands for Read Only Memory, which refers to memory stored in mobile phones that can only be read and cannot be changed. Therefore, feature phone users can only run programs installed by the manufacturer in the operating system, and only developers affiliated with the manufacturer can develop applications. In contrast, smartphones use a general-purpose operating system. A general-purpose operating system grants general users the right to develop applications for the operating system. For example, users of Apple’s iOS operating system can develop applications directly with a development tool called Xcode and upload them to the open market to share with other iOS users. When using a general-purpose operating system, a wide variety of applications can be developed and used, as there are many developers with diverse interests. The influence of general-purpose operating systems has been significant in enabling the existence of various applications that can be run on smartphones.
However, even if there are many types of applications, if it takes a long time to run them, they would be useless. Smartphones are equipped with sufficient basic elements to speed up the execution of various applications.
First, smartphones have hardware for storing and executing programs. The recently released Galaxy S3 has 2GB of RAM and 32GB of internal memory. This is enough RAM memory to run a large number of applications and store high-quality videos and other large files. Next, smartphones have fast data communication speeds, which allows programs to run quickly. Data communication is classified into 2G, 3G, and 4G according to its stage of development, with G standing for “generation,” and 4G being the most advanced. Smartphones use 3.5G and 4G. 3G data communication uses a frequency of 2GHz and has a transmission speed of 2Mbps, allowing users to send and receive videos. A further development of this is WCDMA (wideband code division multiple access, one of the mobile communication wireless access standards in the US, which is faster than existing standards), which has enhanced functions such as video viewing and video calls. Finally, with the advent of 4G Wibro (Wireless Broadband Internet), it became possible to connect to the Internet at high speeds even while on the move. In other words, the faster the 4G, the faster the program execution speed of mobile phones. Compared to conventional feature phones, which were limited to 2G and 3G, smartphones can execute programs at high speeds. Finally, the capacitive touch screen of smartphones also contributed to the faster execution of smartphone functions. The touch screen used in conventional feature phones was a resistive touch screen that detected pressure from the hand, but the capacitive touch screen detects the minute electric current flowing in the human body, enabling it to detect hand movements more sensitively and execute commands quickly. In this way, smartphones are equipped with the technology to perform a wide variety of applications.
Along with the development of these various applications, the development of hardware, data communication, and touch technology, which form the basis for running these applications, has placed smartphones at the forefront of electronic devices. Furthermore, the evolution of smartphones has not been limited to the technical aspects. Smartphones have also brought revolutionary changes to the way we live. For example, many people now use smartphones instead of wallets to make payments, check public transportation schedules, and monitor their health. These changes have made smartphones more than just electronic devices; they have become central tools in our daily lives.
The development of smartphone-related technologies continues today. We can expect smartphones to evolve beyond voice calls and social media into central devices of the information and communications revolution, combining a wide range of functions and becoming central tools of human culture. In the future, smartphones will bring even more innovation and change to make our lives more convenient and enriching. For example, through the combination of artificial intelligence (AI), personalized services will be provided, and through the integration of Internet of Things (IoT) technology, it will soon be possible to control all electronic devices in the home. In this way, smartphones will continue to stand at the center of our lives and unfold unlimited possibilities.
