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Many people have made the switch from standard phones, also known as dumb phones to smartphones. Even though the latter are often more expensive, they offer numerous benefits because they bring together the functionality of a cellular phone and a computer in a hand-held unit. Apart from giving you the ability to make calls and send SMS, you can also connect to the Internet on the go with your smartphone, letting you research, go shopping, browse news, read and answer emails, and check social networking accounts anytime and anywhere you want.

In addition to that, smartphones are essentially a versatile personal digital assistant because they come with an address book, calendar, task scheduler, voice recorder, calculator and several other useful features. On top of that, office-related tasks may be accomplished on smartphones thanks to the myriad of productivity apps you can install on them. Unlike laptops, smartphones allow you to carry out tasks on the go, even without a table. They will also take up less space in your baggage so you won't mind taking them throughout your out of town trips. They also come with at least one camera, music and video players, and a GPS feature.

Smartphones have been in existence since the 90s but have become mainstream only after Apple launched the very first iPhone in 2007. There are numerous operating systems used in smart phones, but the most popular are the iOS, which is used only on Apple gadgets, and Android, which is an open-source operating system from Google that is used on numerous handsets. Android is the dominant mobile operating system generally speaking and this is most likely because Android-powered phones are cheaper and there are a number of brands that use the said platform.

In the past, the iOS had the largest number of available apps, but now the numbers seem to be changing. By June this year, there are roughly 900,000 apps on the iTunes store, and about 980,000 on the Google Play Store. Who has higher quality apps is definitely a subjective argument, but Apple tends to secure more big-app names ahead of other platforms. One oft-mentioned criticism against iOS is that it isn't as flexible with regard to the programs permitted on their platform. In particular, iOS has a policy where third-party web browsing applications, such as Opera, Firefox, and Chrome, need to use Apple's web engine, which many consider as poor.

Customizability is also among the selling points of Android devices. An iPhone can only be customized once it is jail-broken. One frequently disregarded, but very useful feature in Android is its system-wide sharing feature which lets you pass data, such as text, photos, and links, between several programs.
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