A
smartphone is a cell phone that allows you to do more than make phone calls and send text messages. They are distinguished from feature phones by their stronger hardware capabilities and extensive mobile operating systems, which facilitate wider
software,
internet (including web browsing over mobile broadband), and multimedia functionality (including
music,
video,
cameras, and
gaming), alongside core phone functions such as voice calls and text messaging.
Smartphones can browse the Internet and run software programs like a
computer.
Smartphones use a touch screen to allow users to interact with them. There are thousands of smartphone apps including games, personal-use, and business-use programs that all run on the phone. The picture is an example of the
Samsung Galaxy and
Apple iPhone, one of the most popular smartphones available now. The first smartphone, created by
IBM, was invented in
1992 and released for purchase in 1
994. It was called the
Simon Personal Communicator (
SPC).