Smartphone Technology

To successfully complete Smartphone Technology
READ this blog post.
DO and THINK about the information in the "Learn More About" activities.
LEARN by completing the Hands-On Activities. Your total time commitment is about 50 minutes.

Introduction to Smartphone Technology
More than 1 billion people own a smartphone. We talk on them, surf the Internet, take pictures and dozens of other daily activities. While new designs and user interfaces are introduced each year, smartphones are basically mini radios that send and receive radio signals within a cell phone network.

Each cell in the cell phone network has an antenna that receives and transmits signals. When you make a call, browse the web or download a file, you send and receive data through an antenna in your smartphone. Most phones in use today are 4th generation technology or 4G.

Whether it’s 3G or 4G, they run on processors and have computer chips that provide functionality such as multimedia file sharing. Often, the computer chips integrate multiple functions to reduce the cost of producing the device. Chances are high that your phone has additional hardware like a camera. If it does, then it's equipped with high-resolution image sensors just like digital cameras.

Like a good deli sandwich, smartphone software is stacked in layers --

• kernel -- management systems for processes and drivers for hardware
• middleware -- software libraries that enable smartphone applications (like web browsing and messaging)
• application execution environment (AEE) -- application programming interfaces that allow software developers to create their own programs or applications
• user interface framework -- the graphics and layouts seen on the screen
• application suite -- the basic applications users access regularly such as menu screens, calendars and message in-boxes

Anyway you stack it, smartphone technology is rapidly improving. It's changing the way we communicate and interact with each other. Part of that is due to near field communication (NFC). Have you ever passed by or touched your phone to a poster in a store and received a discount coupon or got a map or schedule for a bus or train? How did it happen? Passive NFC tags transferred small amounts of data through a short-range, low power wireless link.

NFC is an evolved form of radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology. It's moving us to a future where the wallet, purse, paper ticket and even your pants pocket are digital and live on your phone. That's right -- soon you'll swipe your phone in the check-out line at the grocery store to pay instead of digging out your wallet.

Why is this topic important?
Smartphones are everywhere. People use them increasingly to communicate and interact with others including businesses and organizations. The library will continue to develop mobile services to meet the growing demand.

Learning More about Smartphone Technology (20 minutes)

1. Watch How Do Cell Phones Work? (2:26 minutes)
2. Read CNet's article Everything You need to know about NFC and Mobile Payments (5 minutes)
3. Read Everything You Need to Know about Near Field Communication (10 minutes)

Hands-on Activities (15 minutes)
Share your ideas with a co-worker and write a few comments in the evaluation form.

1. If you could design the "perfect" smartphone, what features or functions would it have? How would you use your smartphone to enhance your library experience?
2. Some say machine to machine networking (M2M) will turn your smartphone into the key to your life -- you will no longer need a house or car key, your smartphone will unlock everything. Thanks to Bluetooth like technology, other experts say your smartphone will become a universal remote control over everything from home and office security to thermostats, lights or your TiVo device. What impact would this make on your life?

When you have completed this module, please be sure to complete this form. Thank you!