Smart Phones

By Scudder Sodergreen 

          Yesterday, as I was shopping for a new phone, and obviously under a tight budget, I was looking for one that called and texted, both of which are essential to my life.  When I entered the store, I was greeted by Miss Perma-Smile. She asked me what kind of phone I wanted. Android? iPhone? Smart phone in general? Do I want roaming capabilities? How strong a camera did I need? and so on.

          Pretending to be way out of touch with current trends, I answered, “I want one that texts and calls.” She looked me dead in the eyes and laughed. Now I personally didn’t see the humor in my answer, but I was soon told that if your phone doesn’t text, it’s not a phone. Well this was news to me as I had never texted anyone from my house phone before. So she took me down the line of all the latest and greatest smart phones which she tried to tactful say were smarter than me. Thanks for the support.

          Smart phones are the next generation of phones and these things do everything! From emailing, games, agendas, word documents, anything that you could do with your computer, you can now do with a smart phone, which of course includes texting and calling. A smart phone is mainly based off of its operating system or OS. You’ve probably heard of it in connection with the recently released Apple software, but the operating system is what runs your phone, how it runs and all the new features it has on it. Think of a smart phone as a hand-held computer with phone capabilities!

           Another feature of these smart phones are apps. Apps are the small programs that can be easily installed and used, for education, entertainment and work. Of course, now the Internet seems to be a given when it comes to phones, and smart phones are no different, Phones gain their Internet from the 3g network, which is just a high-tech way of saying the wireless signal the phone receives in order to make calls. (We now have 4g as well, but it hasn’t quite caught on yet.)

          The Web has gotten so big on phones that they now make phones that have high-speed Internet.  And for everyone who hates that annoying keyboard on normal phones, almost all of the smart phones have a QWERTY keyboard which is a techy way of saying it’s identical to the keyboard on your computer or typewriter.

          One downside to the smart phones is the $30 data usage fee per month, which basically means if you turn on the phone, they are allowed to charge you this. Smart Phones are taking over, and it’s annoying for people like me, who want a cheap phone, that just texts and calls. I have indeed found a phone like this; it was in the back corner of the store, covered in dust. But it works like a charm, so I won’t complain, Smart phones are great little machines, and can really help if your days are busy and you’re never home. But me? I’ll stick to my phone, it hasn’t failed yet. 

Scudder has spent the better part of his life trying to keep his grandparents apprised of the latest technology. He thinks he’s making headway. He can be reached at [email protected]

 

 

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