What do all these new smartphone terms mean?
Many are analogous to computer terms, reflecting the devices’ ancestry, but some are new.
April 29, 2010
It’s clear smartphones are a trend with legs among fashionable Korean consumers. Most of us know that a smartphone is a mobile phone that works somewhat like a personal computer.But how familiar are you with smartphone-related terminology like OS, open source, apps or ecosystem?Many of these terms migrated over from smartphones’ bulky desktop-bound forebears, but others are brand new.
OS
An OS, short for operating system, is the software that enables smartphones to function, dictating how users can interface with the device and how programs operate. Just look at your PCs: They all run only certain software, usually designed for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS or Linux.Put in simple terms, the OS is the most basic level of software inside the machine. It may not always be very visible, but it’s as important as the machine itself because it determines what the hardware can and cannot do, and how it carries out certain tasks.Operating systems are also called platforms in certain cases.
Applications
Applications, sometimes called apps, are the pieces of software that allow people to perform specific tasks on their smartphones - for example, reading the newspaper, finding the nearest coffee shop, or notifying you about when the bus will arrive. Although both applications and operating systems are software, applications are layered on top, in that they make use of the functions of the system software.People can download apps and personalize their smartphones just as they might buy and install programs like Adobe Photoshop, GOM Player or AhnLab antivirus software for their PCs.To download a smartphone application, one usually visits an online application store. Apple operates the App Store, Google runs Android Market, and Microsoft operates Windows Marketplace.Some apps are offered free of charge; others are available at an additional cost.
Open source vs. closed source
One concept that’s also important to grasp when talking about smartphones is the two different types of operating systems.Operating systems for smartphone can be divided into two different types: open source and closed source.“Open source” means the code for the operating system is publicly available. On some open-source systems, developers can freely upload applications and smartphone users can download the software of their choice. In contrast, a company developing a closed-source OS keeps the code private, and may control what apps are available.
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