Research and Development Walkthrough for Mobile PhonesFor years the mobile phone industry has been one of fastest-changing and most dynamic in the world. Whether we are talking about call quality or accessories, the modern mobile phone offers users more features than they can possibly ever use. And with the continued popularity of apps, this is a trend that won’t soon change. What is an app? If you somehow missed it, an app (application) is nothing more than a mini computer program that let users do everything from surf the internet to play mobile games. Though the app market showed signs of steady growth for years, it was not until Apple opened their famous App Store for the iPhone in 2007 that people realised the full potential of mobile apps. In just eighteen months, the App Store triumphantly announced that users had downloaded more than one billion apps from their site. It is no wonder then that when we talk about a research and development walkthrough with regard to mobile phones that we must mention applications. Due in large part to the success of the iPhone Apps, the entire industry has shifted its focus away from other accessories back onto apps. In reality what is really happening is that other app sites are desperately trying to play catch up in the face of the App Store’s amazingly expansive catalogue that currently includes more than seventy-five thousand applications. Still, some companies are focusing on the future. Mobile phone maker Motorola, for example, is hard at work on solar cell technology, for which they received a patent a few years back. And in the coming years, the company hopes to unveil an entire line of solar cell mobiles. |