"Smart" phones versus "dumb" computers

Disagree. Phones are dumb, feature or smart. Dumb phones are just phones. Feature phones have a few extras, camera, radio, mp3 playing etc. Smart phones have a computer type operating system like Android or iOS that runs lots of apps, usually a larger screen, web, wifi, bluetooth etc. All computers are smart compared to all phones.

I wrote this thread because I have never liked the term "smart phones"...

If I only owned a phone and had no PC I could never make the music that I do.

As a music recording artist and music "editor" I learned over 20 years ago how dumb other devices are compared to computers.

I used to own drum machines and had to program them in order to add drums to my music.

These drum machines had only a green and black read out and you could only view about three parameters at once. I was always going through endless menu screens to reach parameters deep with the function keys.

When computers became drum machines you could see almost all of your parameters at once and the drums and music were totally integrated. This saved me from having every last drum beat pre planned before I even laid down any other track.

I knew long ago that computers were the way to go and not to buy all these very expensive peripheral devices that were more of a huge time consuming hindrance. Tone generators, drum machines, 4 and 8 tracks, DATS, synths, all with tiny faceplates for reading parameters and totally disassociated from one another. Attach the word SMART to any one of these devices and musicians go out and buy them wasting money on something that will not deliver in the end.

Consider also if I were typing this reply on a smart phone it would take me at least 4 times as long and there would be many more errors.

I agree, a smart phone is much smarter than a "dumb phone" but it is much dumber than a computer, by leagues.

The problem is that many cash strapped people need a dumb phone and a computer rather then an over priced smart phone and no computer.

You get on your phone and who is the dumb one online? It is the person with "no content". Because most "good" content is created with PC's and not smart phones.

It has been known (at least by me) that in order to make good photos you need to have a monitor greater than the average consumer.

Why?

Well if you have only a phone and you edit a photo on a tiny screen you will not notice things in the photo that will be clearly evident to anyone using a larger monitor to view your photos.

You will not notice the cat in the background, the litter that is laying on the ground, the missing button on the shirt or something totally embarrassing.

Yes a smart phone is smarter than a dumb phone but what I object to is that people think a smart phone replaces a computer for content creation.

IT DOES NOT!

You can try editing your photos on a smart phone, they have powerful chips in them but you MUST still view your edits on a PC before they are ready for primetime.

I just got a Nokia Lumia 1520 smart phone and I love it.

I has an excellent camera and it is good for doing emails and liking posts on Facebook.

But it and any other phone with a tiny screen (compared to a PC) will never suffice to having a large computer monitor and having all of your parameters right in front of you.

If you are a graphic artist, writer, music artist, video editor etc. do not expect a smart phone to be all that helpful in the final production of these media. It is more of a hindrance than a help.

Most artist have two large monitors to view their work parameters.

And consider good workstation PC is about 600 dollars or more.

Also don't buy a laptop! They burn out in about 3 years compared to a desktop that can last ten or more years if well maintained.

Desktops can be upgraded and you don't need to be a heart surgeon to repair one.

A smart phone replaces a dumb phone not a computer.

Anyone who thinks they can create rich content on a 6 inch monitor screen is not a content creator but a dreamer...

You can snap some great photos with your camera but to edit them and see how well those edits really are you will need at least a 22 inch monitor.

Your one button air brushing app will make you look great on a 6 inch screen but anyone viewing your edited photos on a large computer screen will see the heavy handed airbrushing and believe me it is more irritating than auto-tune...

A smart phone does not and NEVER will replace a computer.

A computer has a bigger screen and a tablet has the same problem.

Some things look fine on a tablet but when you view them on a 22 inch monitor or greater and you will see the flaws.

And many people are viewing things on 4k TVs!

Sure you can get lucky on a smart phone and your edits can come out nice but you will not know if you are lucky or not until you see your photos on a larger workstation monitor.

Screen real estate is what makes a device "smart"...

With home theatre screens now reaching 4k in scale, I see the gulf between phones and high quality visual art only getting larger with time.

You can write all the apps you want and that is not going to fix the small screen, tiny keyboard, lack of device ports problems.

In time a smart phone will have multiple portals for these devices but as of today most do not have them.

So it is a dead end on several fronts, if you are serious about art creation and content do not expect a smart phone to do the work of a desktop workstation PC.

Laptops can accommodate a second monitor and they often have several USB ports but they suck dust into them and cleaning out the dust is nearly impossible. So they overheat after a couple years and if you have the money to replace it then a laptop can suffice as a workstation.

Laptops can be as smart as a computer but they do not last long and cannot be upgraded with highly proprietary devices that have long been associated with less expensive PC's.

A laptop with the same specs as a desktop PC is usually at least 200 dollars more. Why pay more for something that is inferior and can contain roadblocks in the future?

Laptops usually have smaller screens too so they require another monitor purchase.

Get a desktop for your art and then get a laptop and or phone after.

Do not think a laptop or phone can substitute for a desktop PC.

Ignore the hype, if you are an artist get a good quad core, 64 bit "Windows" PC first then add peripherals i.e. phones, laptops, cameras, printers scanners, audio interface, spare drives, etc to that.

I disagree.

Smart phones are more powerful now than computers were when I started in the computer industry. Of course, the advantage of a smart phone is that I can put it in my pocket and use it wherever I go.

That is pretty damn smart.

My latest project at work involve developing a piece of software using "smart glasses". When you wear the glasses and there is a computer screen always in your field of vision. Better yet, you talk to you glasses to access information.

You really wouldn't like them, Cobbler.

Apparently you don't understand my post.

Only a few will.

What if Google became Alexa and Bing became Cortana?

Buy, consume and die....
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