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Smartphones Becoming Computer of Choice in Developing Countries
An anonymous reader writes "The build-out of 3G networks in developing countries, plus ultra-low prices from the likes of Samsung, will make the smartphone the sole computer of millions of citizens worldwide. And by 2016, 97 percent of smartphones are expected to use touchscreens. Now, don't get me wrong — I carry an iPad and an iPod Touch in my backpack and love touchscreens — but I still like a phone that fits in my pocket. However, I'm going to be in the minority five years from now, when the majority of wireless communicators will be smartphones."
I already probably do half to two thirds of my browsing, email, and related tasks on my smartphone these days. An awful lot of what we do with computers is arguably trivial stuff that doesn't need screen real estate or big computing power.
My laptop is gathering dust!
Three Squirrels
in america they'd be big fat lard-ass jeans where the fabric is cryin' for mercy. a lot of them can't see their genitals or their toes.
Agreed - modern smartphones are MUCH more powerful than the 8-bit computers we started with as a kid.
The N900 has a video out, so you can plug it into your television. Add a couple of Bluetooth input devices and you've got the equivalent of the 8-bit computer revolution - without the software. This is the space the Raspberry Pi is trying to aim for. Even though the Pi is much cheaper than a smartphone, the extra utility of the smartphone may make it a "necessity" where the Pi is a luxury.
The thing that got us hooked on computers was necessity - you had to learn something, to use them at all. Once you learned something, you developed an appetite for more. The availability of user-friendly GUI is what stunts this instinct these days.