Think Your Laptop is Sleek? Check out Cell Phones

With continually expanding processing power, services and options, cell phones are steadily pushing PCs out of the limelight. As manufacturers design cell phones with an increasing number of capabilities, could PCs soon become obsolete?

Changes

There are more than 1.5 billion cell phones in the world today, and many consumers use their sleek mobile handsets to perform functions previously limited to PCs. Some models allow users to browse the Web, e-mail, play games, listen to music, take pictures and send instant messages. The most advanced offer the same processing power of a PC built in the mid '90s without consuming nearly as much electricity. Today, cell phones require 100 times less electricity than a PC.

So will these tiny phones become the next computers? This question is steeped in controversy throughout the technology world. Some experts believe cell phones are already replacing the computer. Others argue that they're too small and Internet connection sluggish to replace today's lavishly large, crystal-clear computer screens and lightning-fast connection speeds. However, cell phone advocates claim that improvements are in the works that will make cell phone capabilities equal those of a computer.

Impressive Innovations

Endearingly called "smart phones," today's more computer-esque devices are popping up throughout the industry. For example, there's the Treo 600, a groundbreaking new cell phone created by Palm Pilot inventor Jeff Hawkins. This pocket-sized model comes with a miniature keyboard, a built-in digital camera and slots to insert additional memory.

Other smart phones on the market include video cameras, Global Positioning System (GPS) capabilities, access to local wireless networks and flip screens with keypad expansions for e-mailing. Considering these incredible advances, it does seem like cell phones are impeding on computer territory.

The smart phone currently makes up only 5 percent of all mobile phone sales. However, according to the Gartner research firm, this figure continues to double each year. It seems that these smart phones are especially attractive to those in the business world. Instead of lugging around a cumbersome laptop, looking for some place to plug in and recharge their battery, many professionals now choose the small, easily accessible and always available option.

Some companies already give their employees smart phones instead of laptops. After all, an employee is more likely to keep a tiny cell phone with them at all times, making it easier for the office to get in touch with them.

As cell phones with more computer-like abilities continue to emerge, the PC could soon be a thing of the past. Just like the VCR has had to make room for DVDs, cell phones seem to be encroaching on what once seemed only computer territory.

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