Feature phone

A feature phone

A feature phone is a mobile phone that, like smartphones, combines the functions of a personal digital assistant (PDA) and a mobile phone.

Today's models typically also serve as portable media players and camera phones with touchscreen, GPS navigation, Wi-Fi and mobile broadband access.

Feature phones is the term generally used to describe low-end devices, while smartphone is used to describe high-end devices, though there is no official definition to distinguish the two categories.^[1][2] In fact, the most important difference between a feature phone and a smartphone is the kind of operating system installed in it, thus both feature phones and smartphones can be low-end and high-end in their respective "feature phone" and "smartphone" categories.

Originally, the term referred to mobile phones with more features than other contemporary "dumb" mobile phones,^[3] and smartphone and feature phone are not mutually exclusive categories.^[4] As mobile phone technology advanced, all newer low-end phones were categorized as feature phones, though this is still not correct as labeling a phone a feature phone or a smartphone does not depend on its price but on its operating system, as described above.

Features

Feature phones may allow installation of third-party applications, usually via Java ME or BREW. A feature phone may not provide a complete file system with folder hierarchy and file manager user interface.^{[citation needed]}

Usage

In 2011, feature phones accounted for 60% of the mobile (cellular) telephone installed base in the United States.^[5]

References

1. ^ "Feature Phone". Phone Scoop. http://www.phonescoop.com/glossary/term.php?gid=310. Retrieved 9 May 2010. 
2. ^ Andrew Nusca (20 August 2009). "Smartphone vs. feature phone arms race heats up; which did you buy?". ZDNet. http://www.zdnet.com/blog/gadgetreviews/smartphone-vs-feature-phone-arms-race-heats-up-which-did-you-buy/6836. 
3. ^ http://news.cnet.com/Sendo-sets-date-for-smart-phone-redux/2100-1037_3-984688.html
4. ^ http://www.brighthand.com/article/Study_Says_Smartphones_Will_Outsell_Handhelds/
5. ^ Don Kellogg (1 September 2011). "40 Percent of U.S. Mobile Users Own Smartphones; 40 Percent are Android". Nielsen Company. http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/online_mobile/40-percent-of-u-s-mobile-users-own-smartphones-40-percent-are-android/. 

External links