# Why are they called smart phones? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 20, 2020, 10:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-they-called-smart-phones/848232 "2020-02-20T10:56:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2020, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-they-called-smart-phones/848232/61 "2020-02-27T00:58:20Z")
> [@begbert2](#): > > or just waiting until you’re near a landline or can speak in person. > > The latter option, of course, being what _cool_ people like me do. Yes, because the “I don’t even own a cell phone” people are just as cool as [the “I don’t even own a TV” people.](https://www.theonion.com/area-man-constantly-mentioning-he-doesnt-own-a-televisi-1819565469) ---
**Author:** ![begbert2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/begbert2/32/3357_2.png) [@begbert2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/begbert2)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2020, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-they-called-smart-phones/848232/62 "2020-02-27T01:04:17Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > Yes, because the “I don’t even own a cell phone” people are just as cool as [the “I don’t even own a TV” people.](https://www.theonion.com/area-man-constantly-mentioning-he-doesnt-own-a-televisi-1819565469) Oh, I’m not cool because I don’t own a cell phone. I’m cool because of a radiant inner awesomeness that can’t be contained. Other cell-phone-avoiders also happen to all be cool too, but that’s just by association with me. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2020, 11:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-they-called-smart-phones/848232/63 "2020-02-27T11:37:52Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > Yes, you are only truly free when you do all your communications via carrier pigeon. That’s how I access the internet. > **[IP over Avian Carriers](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IP_over_Avian_Carriers)** > > In computer networking, IP over Avian Carriers (IPoAC) is a joke proposal to carry Internet Protocol (IP) traffic by birds such as homing pigeons. IP over Avian Carriers was initially described in .mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit;word-wrap:break-word}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"\\"""\\"""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation:target{background-color:rgba(0,127,255,0.133)}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-free a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload... ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2020, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-they-called-smart-phones/848232/64 "2020-02-27T13:26:30Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > That’s how I access the internet. > > [IP over Avian Carriers - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IP_over_Avian_Carriers) When they are too old to fly well, do they get [jobs at Google](https://archive.google.com/pigeonrank/)? ---
**Author:** ![RioRico](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f04885/32.png) [@RioRico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RioRico)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2020, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-they-called-smart-phones/848232/65 "2020-02-28T04:01:14Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > Because they don’t fork over a thousand bucks every couple of years to get themselves one of the latest people. 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 > [@jaycat](#): > > Create a need, then fill it. Smart! The Kaiser Gravel motto was “Find a need and fill it.” We workers at the gravel pit across the road overpainted their truck slogans from “need” to “fill”. But they repainted. > [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > Yes, you are only truly free when you do all your communications via carrier pigeon. I foresee a future with secure mem.sticks flown to remote locations by carrier pigeons. But will hackers send up phony smoke signals to disorient the birds? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2020, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-they-called-smart-phones/848232/66 "2020-02-28T04:06:08Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > When they are too old to fly well, do they get [jobs at Google](https://archive.google.com/pigeonrank/)? They had to go to humans for the [autocompleter jobs](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kh4ylGsFsws). ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2020, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-they-called-smart-phones/848232/67 "2020-02-28T12:57:26Z")
> [@RioRico](#): > > The Kaiser Gravel motto was “Find a need and fill it.” We workers at the gravel pit across the road overpainted their truck slogans from “need” to “fill”. But they repainted. “Find a fill and fill it”??? ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2020, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-they-called-smart-phones/848232/68 "2020-02-28T13:27:19Z")
> [@RioRico](#): > > I foresee a future with secure mem.sticks flown to remote locations by carrier pigeons. But will hackers send up phony smoke signals to disorient the birds? They’ll put out birdseed to intercept your data. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2020, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-they-called-smart-phones/848232/69 "2020-02-28T13:43:33Z")
The internet–lover of cats, victim of cats. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2020, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-they-called-smart-phones/848232/70 "2020-02-28T13:51:50Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > Go into the distant past (say 1980) and tell people that in the future everyone can carry in their pocket (for a few hundred $ or less) a telephone, library, VCR, radio, jukebox, extremely high resolution camera and movie camera, tape recorder, audio and video editing studio, street-level map of the world, compass, alarm clock, video game console, calculator, flashlight, newspaper stand, and more–how many of those people do you think would predict that some people in the future would rant about how much they hate it? Fred Pohl called it a “joymaker” in 1965 [The Age of the Pussyfoot - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joymaker) "The Joymaker had the following uses : ``` Access to basic computing power, for money management etc. Access to libraries at any time, in any place. Educating children, each of whom has a special Joymaker. Health - the Joymaker can sense heartbeat, respiration etc. and the central computer can order it to dispense medication, or it can send help. Message Store and forward, later known as voice mail. This becomes the bedrock of social interaction in the story. Ordering food and drink, whether at home or in public. All payment is done using the central computer. Ordering other goods for delivery. Since payment is automatic, the expense of items is not always apparent to the buyers. The protagonist rapidly depletes his "fortune". Public Address system - any group of people can hear a public announcement on their Joymakers, removing the need for loudspeakers in public places. Locating people. The central computer can track the position of any Joymaker, and by extension, its owner. This information can be made available at the owner's discretion. Jobs not requiring physical presence. One character is a "Reacter," someone who samples new products and reports her reactions using the Joymaker. The central computer analyzes her reactions in the light of her known psychological makeup and is able to statistically predict how well the product will sell." ``` ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2020, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-they-called-smart-phones/848232/71 "2020-02-28T14:16:50Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > You have access to the sum of the world’s knowledge, every book ever written, every song ever sung, every TV show or movie ever made, every painting ever painted, _in your pocket_. Wow, I don’t even have all that on my desktop computer! ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2020, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-they-called-smart-phones/848232/72 "2020-02-28T16:32:31Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > Wow, I don’t even have all that on my desktop computer! Yeah, all I have is the Internet, a.k.a. The Great Cloaca\* - Latin for “sewer”, just to save everyone googling that word. ---
**Author:** ![RioRico](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f04885/32.png) [@RioRico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RioRico)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2020, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-they-called-smart-phones/848232/73 "2020-02-28T16:38:54Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > “Find a fill and fill it”??? My sloppy bad. I meant, “Find a hole and fill it.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-they-called-smart-phones/848232.md?page=3)