Phones used to be just for making phone calls, but now they can do much more. An advanced smartphones introduction will be discussed in this article. Access the internet, use social media, get live news updates, play music and video, and more with the new touch screen cell phones. They almost always use touchscreens for control, which can be difficult for folks who aren’t familiar with the technology. Perhaps you’ve never owned a phone before and wondered why you’d opt for a smartphone. Perhaps you want a phone that can do more than your existing keypad-style phone, or you want to learn more about what your smartphone can accomplish. This workshop offers something for everyone.
- A smartphone with internet access, either your own or one provided by the workshop organizers. You may have to share a smartphone with others in the Workshop.
- You’ll need an existing Apple account for downloading apps to an iPhone smartphone (or Apple ID).
- For downloading an app to an Android smartphone, you’ll need an existing Google account (or Google ID).
This class will learn the fundamentals of navigating a smartphone with a touchscreen. You’ll learn how to use the phone to turn it on and off, make and receive calls, add and look for contacts, and adjust the volume. You’ll also learn a little about applications, including what they are, how to download them, and how much they cost. This Workshop shares a lot of similarities with the Introduction to Tablets workshop. Let your presenter know if you’ve already attended that Workshop; you might already be a touchscreen pro!
Smartphone Introduction
Touchscreen controls are now found on nearly all cellphones. Instead of physical buttons, one side of the phone is mostly covered by a touchscreen that you control with taps and gestures. There are no number buttons; instead, a number pad appears on the touchscreen when you want to make a call. It can take some time to become comfortable with a smartphone. But once you get the hang of it, you’ll discover that a smartphone can do more than you ever imagined a phone could.
A smartphone can:
- Make voice calls (of course!)
- Make video calls
- Access the internet and browse the web
- Take photos, and upload them to the web
- Navigate with GPS if the phone has GPS built-in
- Playback music and video stored on the phone (and connect to a PC to copy media to it)
- Manage your contacts and appointments
- Send emails
- Play in-built games
- Run new applications and games downloaded from the internet.
You’ll need a data-inclusive cell plan to get the most out of your smartphone introduction.
Although you can use a smartphone without a data plan, you won’t be able to access the internet, download new apps, or send emails without it. It’s possible that you won’t be able to use GPS navigation in some situations. Many pre-paid and post-paid mobile phone contracts now contain a data component. For example, Telstra’s Every Day Connect plan includes data as part of the package. In addition, you can buy a data pack as an add-on to your basic cell plan on several post-paid services.
The plan’s data component will be limited to a monthly download limit (measured in megabytes/MB or gigabytes/GB). This works similarly to your home internet service. Remember that most mobile data plans will charge you extra if you go over your limit. As a result, you should read the mobile agreement carefully and monitor your consumption levels regularly. If you don’t have an explicit monthly quota on your plan, many mobile companies also enable casual data usage on a pay-as-you-go basis. This is normally charged higher than if the plan includes a data component.
Post-paid
A post-paid plan involves paying a fixed monthly fee for your calls and data, typically signing a one or two-year contract. These plans typically come with a phone subsidized by the plan, meaning it’s cheaper than if you bought it outright.
Pre-paid
A pre-paid plan is where you pay for your minutes and data as you use it. These plans do not require contracts, and the phone is an additional cost.
A BRIEF HISTORY OF SMARTPHONES INTRODUCTION
The first smartphones, the IBM Simon and Nokia Communicator 9000, were released way back in 1994 and 1996. They integrated the features of a mobile phone and a personal digital assistant (PDA) for managing calendars and contacts. Both were much larger than regular phones. It wasn’t until 2000 that the first real smartphone, the Ericsson R380, was released. It wasn’t any larger than a regular phone, and in the early 2000s, many others followed suit, with phones like the Palm and BlackBerry achieving big success. In 2007, Apple released the iPhone, which eschewed hardware buttons for full touchscreen control and has been the smartphone template ever since.
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A GUIDE TO DIFFERENT MODELS OF PHONES
FAQ
Introduction to Smartphones
