When a smartphone is released, the company that developed it can either produce the phones themselves or contract out manufacturing to other companies that do so for them. These companies are known as original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).
A smartphone release is the point at which a mobile phone becomes available for sale. In most cases, smartphones are marketed by a mobile phone carrier that offers cellular service to consumers. This includes wireless carriers in the United States as well as global telecommunications companies that operate regional or national networks.
Early smartphones combined the functionality of personal digital assistant (PDA) devices with support for cellular data telephony. They were largely limited by their bulky form factor, short battery life, slow analog cellular networks, and immature wireless data services, but these constraints were gradually resolved by the exponential scaling of metal-oxide-semiconductor transistors down to submicron sizes (Moore’s Law), faster digital mobile data networks, improved lithium-ion batteries, and more mature mobile device ecosystems that allowed them to function independently of data providers.
Today, smartphones are a ubiquitous device that can provide users with access to a wide range of apps, content, and social media. They are also capable of recording video, capturing images and audio, and navigating the Internet using mobile data connections. They can also serve as portable gaming consoles, e-readers, pocket calculators, and GPS navigation devices. Many smartphones are built with a variety of sensors that enable third-party software applications to add additional functionality, including accelerometers, barometers, and gyroscopes. Some can detect ambient light, infrared, and ultraviolet rays, and some feature a microphone for making voice calls.