Feature Articles

Smartphones Versus UMPCs: Mobility Meets Mobility

By Aloysius Low - 5 Apr 2008

Intelligence & Convergence

Intelligence & Convergence

Today's smartphones have certainly come a long way since the days of being a phone first and a PDA last. Nowadays, smartphones come with fully fledged operating systems (in some cases) that are designed around the concept of a phone with PDA functions. These phones provide an all-rounded experience for users by having standard phone features while also providing a PDA experience such as having a touch screen accessible by either with a stylus or just a finger (or two).

While there is technically no proper standardized definition for a smartphone, the general consensus now is that smartphones are phones with PDA capabilities, a touch screen and the ability to install third-party software on the device. Apple however pretty much broke the mould with their iPhone, a phone that launched with pseudo PDA capabilities and lacked the ability to run third-party software due to it being locked.

This is no longer the case now thanks to the much publicized jailbreak programs and the fact that Apple will be releasing the iPhone SDK soon. Back then, Wikipedia even became embroiled in an "edit war" thanks to disagreements raised over whether the iPhone was actually a smartphone, which all looks rather silly now in retrospective.

An iPhone or Smartphone? The iPhone is based on Apple's OSX, though it is a stripped down version specially made for the phone. Operating systems of smartphones greatly differ, giving users a huge variety of choices.

Based on a study done by Canalys, as operating systems go, you'll be surprised (or not) to know that the Symbian OS leads the pack with a 65% market share of the global smartphone market, way ahead of Microsoft and RIM at 12% and 11% respectively. Apple, a relatively new entrant, comes in fourth at 7% and Linux (of which Palm OS is now based on) at 5%. On a related note, Nokia's strong stake in Symbian and its use of this OS in many of their mobile phones has helped it to hold pole position as the top selling smartphone manufacturer last quarter. In contrast, RIM is a distant second place and Apple is at third. Palm is now classified under "Others", a sad decline from their earlier and happier days.

Looking at the available information, we can notice some emerging smartphone trends. Notably, it is Apple's incredible growth in less than a year of sales since the release of the iPhone (7% from nothing previously). Another point of interest is that Symbian's lead has slowly been encroached upon by the various other OS in the market, such as Microsoft's Windows Mobile platform.

One possible reason for the swing in the current trend may be due to yuppies. These young professionals who have been steadily supporting Symbian devices are now moving towards more enterprise friendly platforms, such as the Windows Mobile and Blackberry devices, since these devices have better support for push-mail services; although with the success of push-mail, many of the other smartphones are now also capable of doing so either via manufacturer support, or through third-party software.

Besides push-mail, the functions of smartphones have also evolved along with the technology. Featuring increasingly faster processors, more RAM and storage that looks impressive when you measure them against the computers of yore, not to mention advanced capabilities like GPS, 5-megapixel cameras and multi-touch interfaces. While not yet full-fledged computers like an UMPC, smartphones have certainly changed the way we work, travel and plan our lives.

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