Mobile device

An iPhone smartphone and iPad tablet—two examples of mobile devices

A mobile device (or handheld computer), also referred to as a digital assistant (or DA), is a computer small enough to hold and operate in the hand. Mobile devices typically have a flat LCD or OLED screen, a touchscreen interface, and digital or physical buttons. They may also have a physical keyboard. Many mobile devices can connect to the Internet and connect with other devices, such as car entertainment systems or headsets, via Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, cellular networks, or near-field communication. Integrated cameras, the ability to place and receive voice and video telephone calls, video games, and Global Positioning System (GPS) capabilities are common. Power is typically provided by a lithium-ion battery. Mobile devices may run mobile operating systems that allow third-party applications to be installed and run.

Early smartphones were joined in the late 2000s by larger tablets. Input and output are usually via a touchscreen interface. Phones/tablets and personal digital assistants may provide much of the functionality of a laptop/desktop computer in addition to exclusive features.[1] Enterprise digital assistants can provide additional business functionality, such as integrated data capture via barcode, RFID, and smart card readers.

By 2010, mobile devices often contained sensors such as accelerometers, magnetometers and gyroscopes,[2] allowing the detection of orientation and motion. Mobile devices may provide biometric user authentication, such as face recognition or fingerprint recognition.

Some of the major global manufacturers of mobile devices include Apple, Samsung, Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo, Huawei, Realme, Motorola and OnePlus.

  1. ^ "What is a personal digital assistant (PDA)?". SearchMobileComputing. Archived from the original on 2022-09-20. Retrieved 2022-09-16.
  2. ^ Mondragón-González, Sirenia Lizbeth; Burguière, Eric; N’diaye, Karim (2023), Colliot, Olivier (ed.), "Mobile Devices, Connected Objects, and Sensors", Machine Learning for Brain Disorders, New York, NY: Humana, ISBN 978-1-0716-3194-2, PMID 37988517, retrieved 2024-01-24