Smartphones Rock, But 'Free' Rules Supreme

"A smartphone is a mobile phone offering advanced capabilities, often with PC-like functionality. There is no industry standard definition of a smartphone."  — Wikipedia

All hail my good friend Wiki for summarizing in two short lines what so many industry pundits take two long paragraphs to get done. And let's not even go into the answers coming out from cellphone manufacturers — you're talking at least one page.

Everyone seems to be raving about smartphones like Apple's iPhone, the latest BlackBerries , the just-released-last-week Palm Pre and a multitude of other lesser-known brands like HTC's Touch Pro models. And to be fair, some hype is justified because not only do these gadgets provide web access on the go, they’re also raking in the cash in the midst of a recession.

A survey by Gartner, a Connecticut-based technology research firm, shows smartphone sales in the first quarter of this year (36.4 million units), jumped 13 percent compared to last year, quarter-on-quarter (32.3 million units).  And with prices only going downwards (Apple slashed its entry level iPhone price by 50 percent from $199 to $99), you can expect sales volume to keep building.

Furthermore, research firm Ovum expects smartphone shipments to grow by 23 percent between 2008 and 2009 despite the overall decline during the same period in the total mobile phone market.

In short, Smartphones are rocking the cellphone world.

Thanks be to the geeks and techno-freaks of the world. They’re the pride and joy of cellphone companies — the MacFaithfuls, the BerryHeads and the Palmsters — these are the high-end, technically discerning consumers that help keep phonemakers in the black.

And then, there are the other folks like me. 

I am very proud of the fact that I have NEVER BOUGHT A CELLPHONE in my entire mobile usage history.  Either the office provided one for me, or my mobile provider was giving out free phones. And you know what? I believe that people like me are the silent majority, especially out here in Asia.  I mean, why waste good money on a phone, smart or otherwise, when you can get one free?!! 

My colleague, Adeline, will be the first to call me a 20^th century relic. We’re polar opposites that happen to sit next to each other in the office. Conversations pretty much go along this tack:

Adeline:  Hey, I just sent you pictures of last night’s party to your phone.

Me: Hmmmm, can you email them to me cos I don’t think my phone’s set up to receive pictures …

Adeline:  Looooooseeerrrrr … of course your phone's set up to receive pictures. You have a Nokia E63 that uses a Symbian series 60 OS. 

Me:  and that means absolutely nothing to me.

So why is someone like me writing an article like this? I've been asking myself the very same question. Here's why. In the end, smart or not, it comes down to whether or a phone can be easily used by the masses — geek, techno-freak or otherwise.

And that information's all a matter of research, which is neatly summarized for you to read below.  As for me, I'm sticking with my shiny red Nokia E63 cellphone. I've been told it’s very smart, plus it cost me nothing (free from my provider!). Now where is it … oh yeah, I left it at home. 

© 2009 CNBC.com