page_title: Mobile phone features
section_title: Software, applications and services
hierarchical_section_title: Mobile phone features / Software, applications and services
caption_attribution_description: English: Schematics of a smartphone's internals
context_page_description: The features of mobile phones are the set of capabilities, services and applications that they offer to their users. Mobile phones are often referred to as feature phones, and offer basic telephony. Handsets with more advanced computing ability through the use of native code try to differentiate their own products by implementing additional functions to make them more attractive to consumers. This has led to great innovation in mobile phone development over the past 20 years.
  The common components found on all phones are:
  A number of metal–oxide–semiconductor integrated circuit chips.
  A battery, providing the power source for the phone functions.
  An input mechanism to allow the user to interact with the phone. The most common input mechanism is a keypad, but touch screens are also found in smartphones.
  Basic mobile phone services to allow users to make calls and send text messages.
  All GSM phones use a SIM card to allow an account to be swapped among devices. Some CDMA devices also have a similar card called a R-UIM.
  Individual GSM, WCDMA, IDEN and some satellite phone devices are uniquely identified by an International Mobile Equipment Identity number.
context_section_description: In early stages, every mobile phone company had its own user interface, which can be considered as "closed" operating system, since there was a minimal configurability. A limited variety of basic applications (usually games, accessories like calculator or conversion tool and so on) was usually included with the phone and those were not available otherwise. Early mobile phones included basic web browser, for reading basic WAP pages. Handhelds (Personal digital assistants like Palm, running Palm OS) were more sophisticated and also included more advanced browser and a touch screen (for use with stylus), but these were not broadly used, comparing to standard phones. Other capabilities like Pulling and Pushing Emails or working with calendar were also made more accessible but it usually required physical (and not wireless) Syncing. BlackBerry 850, an email pager, released January 19, 1999, was the first device to integrate Email.
  A major step towards a more "open" mobile OS was the symbian S60 OS, that could be expanded by downloading software (written in C++, java or python), and its appearance was more configurable. In July 2008, Apple introduced its App store, which made downloading mobile applications more accessible. In October 2008, the HTC Dream was the first commercially released device to use the Linux-based Android OS, which was purchased and further developed by Google and the Open Handset Alliance to create an open competitor to other major smartphone platforms of the time (Mainly Symbian operating system, BlackBerry OS, and iOS)-The operating system offered a customizable graphical user interface and a notification system showing a list of recent messages pushed from apps.
  The most commonly used data application on mobile phones is SMS text messaging. The first SMS text message was sent from a computer to a mobile phone in 1992 in the UK, while the first person-to-person SMS from phone to phone was sent in Finland in 1993.
  The first mobile news service, delivered via SMS, was launched in Finland in 2000. Mobile news services are expanding with many organizations providing "on-demand" news services by SMS. Some also provide "instant" news pushed out by SMS.
  Mobile payments were first trialled in Finland in 1998 when two Coca-Cola vending machines in Espoo were enabled to work with SMS payments. Eventually, the idea spread and in 1999 the Philippines launched the first commercial mobile payments systems, on the mobile operators Globe and Smart. Today, mobile payments ranging from mobile banking to mobile credit cards to mobile commerce are very widely used in Asia and Africa, and in selected European markets. Usually, the SMS services utilize short code.
  Some network operators have utilized USSD for information, entertainment or finance services (e.g. M-Pesa).
  Other non-SMS data services used on mobile phones include mobile music, downloadable logos and pictures, gaming, gambling, adult entertainment and advertising. The first downloadable mobile content was sold to a mobile phone in Finland in 1998, when Radiolinja (now Elisa) introduced the downloadable ringtone service. In 1999, Japanese mobile operator NTT DoCoMo introduced its mobile Internet service, i-Mode, which today is the world's largest mobile Internet service.
  Even after the appearance of smartphones, network operators have continued to offer information services, although in some places, those services have become less common.
  Power supply 
  Mobile phones generally obtain power from rechargeable batteries. There are a variety of ways used to charge cell phones, including USB, portable batteries, mains power (using an AC adapter), cigarette lighters (using an adapter), or a dynamo. In 2009, the first wireless charger was released for consumer use. Some manufacturers have been experimenting with alternative power sources, including solar cells.
  Various initiatives, such as the EU Common External Power Supply have been announced to standardize the interface to the charger, and to promote energy efficiency of mains-operated chargers. A star rating system 
caption: Software-side view of a typical smartphone
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