Smartphone

A smartphone is a phone with which you can also surf the Internet and do many other things. It is a further development of the cell phone. The name comes from English and means something like "smart phone". Smartphones are actually small computers that have various programs installed on them. These programs are called apps. They can be used, for example, to listen to music, take pictures, play games, exchange e-mails and other messages, or even keep a calendar.

The first smartphones were made by the Finnish company Nokia in 1996, but it was not until 2007 that Apple's iPhone became really popular. Soon after, other companies also launched their own smartphones. A particularly large manufacturer today is Samsung.

Unlike the first smartphones, most of today's models no longer have buttons, but are controlled directly via the screen. You can touch it with your finger or "swipe" on it to start the individual functions and apps. Almost every smartphone has a pretty good camera, which is why hardly anyone buys a compact camera anymore.

It becomes difficult for companies to come up with something new so that you sell more devices than the other companies. New smartphones often have a sharper picture and work faster. In return, however, they may consume more power, so the battery runs out quickly. A really new idea is the foldable smartphone. Then again, there aren't that many apps that can handle a split screen well.