The evolution of the smartphone



The Nokia 9120 Communicator. Image from ArsTechnica.com



Ars Technica had an excellent feature story about the evolution of the smartphone, mainly in the past 10 years and I looked back in interest/bemusement/fascination/nostalgia to the models they showcased.

Many of the devices I recognized as ones I had used at some point in time - or at least used a variant of the original design. The Nokia Communicator stood out as a real break-out device at the time - imagine that you could get on the Internet from a mobile phone in 2002?! Yes, it was slow, but it was also a pioneering device for it's time.

Interestingly, I'm hearing more and more that people are accessing the Internet through their mobile devices - YouTube discussed

"revealed that YouTube now boasts over 2 billion video playbacks a day, 150 million of those being on mobile devices." (courtesy of Techcrunch.com interview with YouTube's product manager).

The time is fast approaching where many people are considering mobile phones with some sort of functionality for connecting to the Internet while mobile. Not just so-called-smarthphones such as iPhones or Android devices, but 'feature phones', the more basic models that are the bigger sellers worldwide. The new Windows 7 phones look like they are aiming for this market, with a much more stream-lined functionality for many features.

So, leading on from the evolution of smartphones to their current functions and styles (namely lead by the ground-breaking iPhone only three years ago), where do you think this is all going to lead? What functions do you think will appear? And how should it be dealt with by schools to support this sort of new technology, and even in the workplace?

What kind of tech user are you?

The Pew Internet and American Life Project (from the PewResearchCenter) are running an online survey to see 'what type of tech user are you?'.


I'm a Digital Collaborator -

If you are a Digital Collaborator, you use information technology to work with and share your creations with others. You are enthusiastic about how ICTs help you connect with others and confident in your ability to manage digital devices and information. For you, the digital commons can be a camp, a lab, or a theater group – places to gather with others to develop something new.

What are you? (direct link to survey)

I'd think personally that this is pretty accurate in it's description (And thankfully! I hate when I'm described as something I don't see myself as :). The Internet is a huge community, I'm just trying to make the most of it.

Thanks to @reportertanya (twitter) for the link!

Scientific Collaboration on the Internet (Acting with Technology) (Amazon link)

The Internet Case Study Book (Amazon link)