Smartphones put the world in your hands

Gone are the days when phones were used basically for their essential features of making and receiving calls. From the days of Alexander Graham Bell, this invention has come a long way. Not only the state-of-the-art phones but also the most basic phones now subscribe to the new standards to offer information and infotainment.

The mobile phone revolution, triggered by competitive pricing - free incoming calls; Re1 lifetime prepaid cards, cheap bulk rates for text messaging — and facilities such as internet on phone, easy wireless access, FM radio etc, has bombarded the market with phones offering varied price ranges, from Rs1,200 to the PDAs in the range of Rs25,000 to the jewel-studded designer phones costing well over Rs75,000.

However, a smartphone is a different ball game altogether. Not only in the way it is built, but also because of its ability to offer a near PC like facilities. There being no specific industry standards, some smartphones focus on communication facilitation with advanced features of internet and emails, while others run a complete operating system with office documents like spreadsheets, presentation tools and the ubiquitous word processor.

One common feature in the majority of the smartphones is a large memory capacity that can store large address books, documents, photos and music in contrast to regular phones that have a storage limit. Often these phones offer an additional 1GB memory card.

Data processing is the biggest convenience that these phones offer. That is why they are often considered as business phones. Besides acting like personal digital assistants, these phones have several customised applications as well.

The medical fraternity is discovering the multiple uses of a smartphone like adopting electronic medical record systems. The case history and the insurance details of the patients can be stored in this easy-to-carry device. Medical representatives carry smart phones containing all drug related research data for the easy access of medical consultants who either buy or prescribe their drugs. 

The high-flying attorneys and lawyers are discovering the benefits of deploying smartphones — employees can easily service clients, check schedules, capture billable time, and stay atop the daily tasks.

Communicating wirelessly with colleagues and clients is an added feature. Greater efficiency can be achieved by scanning and sending urgent case files, relevant judgments, faxes and PDF files. A reliable means of tracking billable hours benefits the firm’s revenue stream.

Restaurants use smartphones to store menu cards, details of recipes and cocktails, receive orders for food and drinks and make customer bills on the spot. The latest launch of Skype in smart phones will make easy and cheap communication across the work available in briefcases and hand purses.

If communication technology has changed the accessibility across the continents, the mobile technology has added to it by its free access and mobility, smartphone will take it one step further and put a cherry on mobile computing and communication by bringing business and information out of briefcases and hand purses into palms.

If communication technology has changed the accessibility across the continents, the mobile technology has added to it by its free access and mobility, smartphone will take it one step further and put a cherry on mobile computing and communication by bringing business and information out of briefcases and hand purses into palms.

The writer is an entrepreneur and educationist