A computer in your pocket
A smartphone is a mobile phone that’s also a powerful computer. It can make calls, take photos and videos, browse the internet, give directions, play games, pay bills and much more. Today’s smartphones are millions of times more powerful than the computers that guided Apollo astronauts to the Moon.
The road to the smartphone
| Year | Development |
|---|---|
| 1973 | Martin Cooper of Motorola makes the first hand-held mobile phone call |
| 1983 | Motorola DynaTAC: the first commercial mobile phone; weighed about 0.8 kg and cost about US$4000 |
| 1992 | First text message sent: "Merry Christmas" |
| 1994 | IBM Simon: often called the first smartphone, with a touchscreen, email and apps |
| 1999–2000s | BlackBerry phones become popular for email |
| 2007 | Apple iPhone popularizes the multi-touch smartphone |
| 2008 | Android phones and app stores launch |
| 2010s | 4G networks, high-quality cameras, video calling |
| 2019 onward | 5G networks, folding phones |
A Canadian success story
BlackBerry was developed by Research In Motion (RIM) in Waterloo, Ontario, founded by Mike Lazaridis and Douglas Fregin in 1984. BlackBerry phones, with their small physical keyboards and secure email, were hugely popular with business people and governments in the 2000s. At its peak, BlackBerry had over 85 million users. The company now focuses on cybersecurity software.
What’s inside a smartphone?
| Part | Job |
|---|---|
| Processor (system on a chip) | The phone’s "brain," with billions of transistors |
| Memory and storage | Run apps and store photos, music and files |
| Touchscreen | Display and input |
| Cameras | Photos, video, face recognition |
| Lithium-ion battery | Rechargeable power |
| Antennas | Connect to cell towers, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS |
| Speakers and microphones | Sound in and out |
| Sensors | Detect motion, orientation, light, location and more |
How touchscreens work
Most smartphones use capacitive touchscreens. A grid of tiny electrodes holds a small electric charge. Your finger conducts electricity, so touching the screen changes the charge at that spot. The phone calculates exactly where you touched. That’s why regular gloves don’t work, but special gloves with conductive fingertips do.
Sensors
| Sensor | What it does |
|---|---|
| Accelerometer | Detects motion and tilt; rotates the screen; counts steps |
| Gyroscope | Measures rotation; used in games and camera stabilization |
| GPS receiver | Finds location |
| Magnetometer | Acts as a compass |
| Proximity sensor | Turns off the screen when you hold the phone to your ear |
| Ambient light sensor | Adjusts screen brightness |
| Fingerprint and face sensors | Unlock the phone securely |
Software
- The operating system (like Android or iOS) runs the phone and manages apps.
- Apps are programs for specific tasks: maps, messaging, games, banking, learning, health.
- App stores offer millions of apps.
What’s it made of?
A smartphone contains dozens of elements from around the world:
| Material | Use |
|---|---|
| Silicon | Chips |
| Lithium and cobalt | Battery |
| Copper and gold | Wiring and connectors |
| Rare earth elements (like neodymium) | Speakers, vibration motor, magnets |
| Aluminum and glass | Case and screen |
Mining some of these materials raises environmental and human-rights concerns. Recycling old phones recovers valuable materials and keeps toxic substances out of landfills.
Impact on society
| Benefits | Concerns |
|---|---|
| Instant communication worldwide | Distraction and too much screen time |
| Information and learning anywhere | Privacy and data collection |
| Emergency alerts and calls | Cyberbullying |
| Mobile banking, especially in places without banks | Sleep disruption from late-night use |
| Cameras for documenting events | Distracted driving and walking |
| Health and accessibility tools | E-waste |
Some Canadian provinces have restricted phone use in classrooms to help students focus.
Digital citizenship
Digital citizenship means using technology safely and respectfully:
- Protect personal information and use strong passwords.
- Think before you post or share.
- Treat others kindly online.
- Check whether information is reliable.
- Balance screen time with sleep, activity and in-person time.
Common mistakes
- Thinking a smartphone is just a phone. It’s a full computer with sensors.
- Thinking deleted photos are always gone. Copies may exist in backups or on others’ devices.
- Throwing old phones in the garbage. Recycle them.
Try it yourself
- Use a free sensor app to see live data from your phone’s accelerometer. Tilt and shake it.
- Track your screen time for a week. What do you notice?
- Make a poster of five digital citizenship rules.
Quick recap
- Smartphones combine phones with powerful computers and sensors.
- BlackBerry, from Waterloo, Ontario, was a pioneering smartphone.
- Capacitive touchscreens detect the electrical charge of your finger.
- Phones contain many elements; recycling recovers them.
- Smartphones bring big benefits and concerns, so digital citizenship matters.