Smartphones

A smartphone is a mobile phones that comes with a range of other features and functions that allows it to be used for more than making phone calls or sending and receiving texts. Common features of many smartphones include:

Useful administrative features such as calendars and organisers.
Special versions of common software applications such as Microsoft Office packages such as Word and Excel.
The ability to access and browse the Internet
The ability to send, receive and manage your emails
Touch screen and/or keyboard facilities
The ability to be hooked up to your computer to upload and download information
Extra memory card capability to boost on board memory
Cameras and sometimes video cameras
MP3 players
Games
GPS capabilities

Like a computer most true smartphones will need an operating system upon which the applications that a phone has on board can be run. Common systems here include:

Blackberry
Microsoft Windows Mobile Pocket PC
Palm OS
Symbian
Apple iPhone

The actual features you get on a smartphone will depend on the model you choose and the operating system it works on. In many cases it is worth looking at smartphones with large screens as this makes it easier to work on documents and to view mobile Internet pages.