| Smartphones
are very useful to busy individuals in modern society. However,
a challenge for smartphone users is to discover exactly what
your device can do, and actually take advantage of it. Many
people I know just use their $500 smartphones as simple mobile
phones for voice communications.
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That is because they never explored their
smartphones beyond the simplistic "phone" user interface,
or never had the time to research third-party software applications
for the device. But a little time spent on exploration could
mean big productivity gains and a much better return on your
investment in the smartphone. In general, smartphones have
the following key features.
Manage Voice Calls
Despite all the digital gadgetry and data
applications, for most users, the smartphone is still a mobile
phone. Making voice phone calls is still the number one use
of smartphones. A lot of smartphone features are focused on
making phone calls easier.
For instance, you can use the smartphone user
interface to manage multiple concurrent calls or conference
calls on the phone; change the ringing option, including ringtones
and alert images, based on the caller or the caller group;
record phone calls to digital files and save them to computers;
and make phone calls directly from wireless internet web pages.
Third-party software programs for call management
are also widely available for smartphones. For instance, some
programs allow you to change phone ringing options based on
your location; other programs track minutes usage in your
calling plan, with support for peak hours, family-free numbers,
nonstandard billing periods, and so on.
Enhance the Computer
Most of us already have laptop or tablet computers.
Why do we need to carry another minicomputer, the smartphone,
with us? Well, it turns out that a smartphone can nicely complement
the computer you already have. The computer connects to the
smartphone via Bluetooth or data cables.
For instance, you can use the smartphone to
exchange business cards with other people in a meeting and
easily synchronize them to the computer. The computer can
use the smartphone as a data modem and share the wireless
internet connection when WiFi is not available. With the right
software, the smartphone can be used as a remote control for
the computer during presentations or media playback.
Increase Productivity
With many business applications available
on the smartphone, you can significantly increase your productivity
while you are traveling or away from your office. The most
obvious business productivity application on the phone is
email.
A smartphone can access email via a variety
of methods, including standard SMTP/POP servers, corporate
email servers, or mobile messaging proxy services. Email attachments
for common corporate documents, such as Word and Excel documents,
are also supported (both read and write). Smartphone email
clients can meet business users' very diverse email needs.
The smartphone also helps you stay on instant
messaging (IM) services. You can stay connected with your
AOL, Yahoo, and MSN buddies while you are on the go. For email
and messaging applications, an easy-to-use keyboard is essential.
Some smartphones have built-in thumb keyboards
or can work with portable Bluetooth keyboards, as long as
the appropriate software driver is installed. Even for the
numerical keypad-only smartphones, the device software can
assist text input with support for predictive input methods
like T9, and text cut/paste across applications.
What
is a Smartphone ? | Emergence
of the Smartphone | What
Can a Smartphone Do? |
Access
Web 2.0 | Developing
Smartphone Applications | Microsoft
Smartphone Tips and Tricks |
Motorola
MPx200 Smartphone 2002 | Samsung
SGH-i750 | What
Makes A GPS Cell Phone |
Nokia
N73: Inspirational Technology | PDA
& Handheld Computers buying guide
|
