Chapter 25 Understanding Mobile Devices (220-901)

Digitizers

A digitizer refers to the component that provides the "touch" part of the screen. When your finger contacts a touch screen, the digitizer's fine grid of sensors under the glass detects your finger and signals the OS its location on the grid.

Smart Watches

A smart watch's job is to take away many of the interruptions that using a smartphone involve. Some great examples are checking e-mail, playing music, reading texts, and receiving notifications.

Microphones

Almost all mobile devices incorporate a microphone.

E-Readers

E-readers enable you to read electronic books (e-books). A very popular e-reader is the Amazon Kindle.

Smartphones

In 2007, Apple released the iPhone and this changed phones forever. It had: -A multi-touch interface as the primary input method for using the smartphone - Tight consolidation of cellular data to the device, enabling any application to access the Internet to exchange data -A well standardized application API to enable developers to create new apps to work on the system -Synchronization and distribution tools to enable users to install new apps and synchronize and back up data Most smart phones use three operating systems: Apple iOS, Google Android, or Microsoft Windows Phone/10. Only the iPhone runs iOS. Phones running Android or Windows come from a multitude of manufacturers. Smartphones typically have no user replaceable or field replaceable components and have to be brought into specialized services centers for repair.

Cameras

Many mobile devices have two distinct cameras, a front-facing camera and a rear-facing camera. These cameras enable chatting on Skype and Instagram selfies. Modern smartphone camera features include high dynamic range (HDR), light compensation, and other functions that enable the user to finely tune a photo or video. Some companies offer a thing called smart cameras. These connect physically to your smart phone to enhance their photographic capabilities. Some smart cameras hook up wirelessly to smart phones.

Screen Technologies

Mobile devices use a variety of screen types. Most tablets use some type of LCD panel, just like portable PCs and desktop monitors. The less expensive ones use twisted nematic (TN); the better ones, like the Apple iPad, use an In-Plane Switching (IPS) panel for richer colors and better viewing angles. Some devices, like the better smartphones, use a related but different technology called organic light-emitting diode (OLED) screens that provides the light for the screen via an organic compound. OLED screens use an organic compound exposed to electrical current for lighting; they don't have a traditional backlight. OLEDs don't use a backlight at all, which means they can display true black, they're lighter, and they use less electricity than LCDs of any sort.

GPS

One major feature of mobile devices is the ability to track the device's location through GPS, cellular, or Wi-Fi connections. Users rely on location services to conveniently find things near them, such as stores and restaurants. A great example of GPS on smartphone is the traffic and navigation app Waze.

Phablets

Phablets straddle the line between tablets and smartphones, providing all the features of a smartphone with the expansive vistas of a huge screen. An example of a phablet is Samsung's Galaxy Note. Another is Apple's iPhone Plus.

Tablet

Tablet computers are similar to smartphones; they run the same OSs, run the same apps, and use the same multi-touch screens. They are basically just large smartphones without the phone. Tablets usually lack cellular data connection, so they have to connect to the Internet using 802.11 Wi-Fi. Tablets run the same OSs as the smart phones; iOS, Android, or Windows.

Wearable Technology Devices

The downside to mobile devices is that if they are not in your hand, they are basically useless. This led to the creation of wearable technology devices. Wearable devices have been around for a few years and the most famous are the Apple Watch and Android-based watches. Wearable devices offer these features: -Very small; almost always well under a pound -Small interfaces; screens less than 2 inches -Pairing to a host device (often a smartphone) -Limited hardware, although accelerometers are very common (for step counting)

Fitness Monitors

These help you meet your fitness goals. Some of the most common fitness monitors help count your steps using accelerometers, registering your heart rate through sensors, using the Global Positioning System (GPS) network to track your exercise. They come in two forms: fobs that clip on your body or as a wrist band

Glasses/Headsets

Wearable glasses and headsets haven't made it to the mainstream yet. Google Glass was a pair of wearable glasses made by Google. Google Glass has a built-in camera and Bluetooth connectivity enabling an individual to take video and photos from a first-person view. One of the big issues with Google Glass however was the privacy concerns. It was easy for someone to take photos or videos without the people around them knowing. Many people banned Google Glass from their businesses.