Reborn in 1984: Starting with the Development of Chinese Character Cards, Chapter 339: Amazing! Smartphones?!

Upon hearing this, everyone was surprised.

In fact, mobile phones nowadays are quite intelligent. They can not only make calls, but also access the internet, such as sending emails, browsing websites, or logging into Facebook, ICQ, and so on.

Everyone waited quietly for Zhao Ye's explanation, filled with doubt.

Seeing everyone's reaction, Zhao Ye couldn't help but smile, and then said slowly, "The smartphone I'm talking about will certainly be very different from the old phones. The old phones were like this..."

As he spoke, the large screen behind him lit up, displaying a variety of classic mobile phone models.

In 1984, Motorola launched the Dynatac 8000X, the first mobile phone on the commercial market. It offered 30 minutes of talk time and cost $3,995. People affectionately called it the "big brick," while in China, it had another name: "Big Brother." This name came about because a famous Hong Kong comedian and action star frequently used Motorola phones on film sets...

"In 1991, GSM, the second-generation mobile communication technology, was widely used in Finland for the first time. Compared to the first-generation mobile communication technology, the biggest improvement was the use of digital modulation instead of analog modulation. This greatly reduced the size of the mobile phone. At the same time, it used TDMA and CDMA technologies for multiplexing. GSM operates in the 900MHz frequency band, with a maximum uplink and downlink speed of 14.4kbps, and can simultaneously support voice calls and text messages. Moreover, the voice call quality of GSM was greatly improved compared to the first-generation mobile communication."

"As shown in the picture, the design is somewhat like a mini version of the Nokia 1011 or the Motorola Startac flip phone, etc., which are all very classic 2G phones."

"Starting in 2001, mobile communication technology entered the 3G era, and mobile phones became increasingly feature-rich, capable of making calls, sending text messages, taking photos, sending emails, surfing the internet, playing games, and so on..."

"Even so, most mobile phones on the market still cannot be called smartphones; at best, they are feature phones."

Why do I say that? Well, we can distinguish between smartphones and feature phones from several aspects!

"The first is the operating system: smartphones use more complex operating systems, while feature phones generally use simple operating systems based on embedded systems."

"Secondly, there's the hardware configuration: smartphones have higher hardware configurations, such as high-resolution large screens, multi-core processors, and large storage space, while feature phones usually only have small screens, basic processors, and storage space."

"Thirdly, functionality: Smartphones have multiple functions, supporting Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, navigation systems, and running various applications such as social media, games, entertainment, and business applications. Smartphones can also download various applications through app stores to expand their functionality. Feature phones, on the other hand, typically only have basic functions such as phone calls, text messages, and contacts."

"Fourth is the user experience: smartphones offer a richer and more convenient user experience, allowing for more operations, while feature phones are relatively simple."

Zhao Ye delivered a lengthy discourse, guiding people to think step by step.

Finally, with a smile, he asked, "So, what do you imagine a smartphone should look like?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the audience erupted in chatter.

"Mr. Zhao, I think smartphones are just iPhones and Blackberries; they all meet the requirements you mentioned!!!" someone in the audience shouted.

This statement has gained a lot of recognition. When it comes to smartphone intelligence, there are probably no phones on the market more advanced than the iPhone and Blackberry.

Zhao Ye smiled, but shook his head and said, "In my opinion, iPhones and Blackberries are still not smart enough."

"How is that possible? It's already quite intelligent!" Everyone expressed their incomprehension.

Seeing this, Zhao Ye laughed and said, "Alright, I won't keep you in suspense any longer. Now let everyone see what a real smartphone looks like!"

As he spoke, Zhao Ye pressed a button on the controller in his hand.

Immediately, a photo of an "Apple iPhone 4" appeared on the large screen behind him. That's right, Zhao Ye directly used Apple's classic phone.

The Apple iPhone 4 boasts a stunning design. Its ultra-narrow bezels and large screen, along with the elimination of the physical keyboard in favor of virtual buttons, and a redesigned right-angled frame separated from the back cover, make the iPhone 4 thinner and lighter, significantly enhancing its aesthetics. The perfect combination of glass and steel frame was enough to shock the entire mobile phone industry.

Many people at the press conference exclaimed in surprise when they saw the two photos on the screen, one on the front and one on the back.

However, despite her good looks, many people were puzzled: how could she dial a number without a keyboard?

The audience immediately began to murmur amongst themselves.

"Mr. Zhao, is this a cell phone? There's no keypad, how are we supposed to enter numbers? How are we supposed to dial and send text messages?"

"Yeah, it looks pretty stylish, but it doesn't look like a cell phone at all!"

"Mr. Zhao, today is April Fool's Day, you're not playing a joke on everyone, are you?"

"..."

Touchscreen phones did exist before; IBM released the IBM Simon in the early 1990s. However, early touchscreen phones had a poor touchscreen experience, and a stylus was required for touchscreens.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!