Smartphone
The LA(1986)
times had an ad for a payphone that was now more capable of performing
additional tasks, thus rendering it the name, “smartphone. The Chicago Tribune
(1988) had an ad for new smartphone systems to be implemented for office use. Before,
businesses only had phones with the numbers 0-9. However, with the introduction
of this new “smartphone system” that now included the star and pound keys,
businesses can now forward, transfer, and redirect calls. The NY times(1998)
was covering a company’s plan to develop software for mobile phones that behave
more like computers, giving them the name “smartphones; this is where
smartphones begin to modernize to our standards. All of the scholarly articles provided
the use of the word “smartphone” in the same way that it is being used today(1990-present):
a device that combines a cell phone with a hand-help computer, typically
offering internet access, data storage, e-mail capability, etc.
(Dictionary.com)
It is
important to note the difference between the historical newspaper articles and
the scholarly articles. The historical sources did not each provide a concrete
definition of what a smartphone is (except the NY Times). Rather, each
contained its own idea of a smartphone. However, despite the differences of
what a smartphone is, one thing is certain: it seemed to be a device that is more
capable and advanced than its predecessor.
As one can
see, the use of the term “smartphone” has undergone several changes. Previously
thought of as a device that can perform more tasks, a smartphone is now a hand
held device with an integrated hand-held computer.
I find it very interesting that the smartphone was originally thought of as just a phone that could do more yet today we think of it as a phone with a computer. I feel like it shows that depending on the period of time, the definition of what people find as "smart" will change.
ReplyDelete