A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

1G
First-generation wireless; analog cellphones
2.5G 
Second-generation (2G) wireless, plus faster data services.
3G
3G Stands for 3rd-generation.
3G is loosely defined, but generally includes high data speeds, always-on data access, and greater voice capacity. The high data speeds are possibly the most prominent feature, and certainly the most hyped. They enable such advanced features as live, streaming video.
There are several different 3G technology standards. The most prevalent is UMTS, which is based on WCDMA. (WCDMA and UMTS are often used interchangeably.)
Alphanumeric Display
A display capable of containing letters and numbers, but not graphics.
Bluetooth
A wireless personal area network (PAN) specification that connects phones, computers, appliances, etc. over short distances without wires by using low power radio frequencies.It uses 2.4GHz band at 720kbps within 30-foot range
Bluetooth allows you to leave your phone in your pocket, while talking on your phone with a Bluetooth headset - with no wires. You can also exchange contact or scheduling information with other Bluetooth-enabled phones nearby, or send such information to a nearby Bluetooth-enabled printer.
CDMA
Code Division Multiple Access. A type of digital wireless technology that allows large amounts of voice and data to be transmitted on the same frequency. CDMA is second-generation cellular technology (or 2G) and is available in Canada, the United States, Pacific Asia, and Latin America. Most CDMA service providers will migrate to a high-speed data technology called 1xRTT.
Dual-band
Phones that can switch between two different bands of frequencies.
In Europe Dual-band usually means GSM900/GSM1800 capable phone, while in USA it might mean GSM850/GSM1900 or combination of two other bands.
Dual-mode handset
Cell phone that switches from analog to digital or from land-based to satellite or from cordless to cellular.
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EDGE
Enhanced Data rates for Global Evolution. A technology being promoted by the TDMA and GSM communities that is capable of both voice and 3G data rates up to 384 Kbps. The standard is based on GSM standard and uses TDMA multiplexing technology.
EMS
Enhanced Message Service. An extension of SMS that enables the sending of a combination of simple melodies, images, sounds, animations and formatted text as a message to another EMS-compatible phone.
FireWire
Originally developed by Apple, this is an increasingly popular and very fast external bus for transferring data between devices; also known as IEEE 1394 for the name of the standard it engendered
GPRS
General Packet Radio Service. A packet-switched technology that enables high-speed wireless Internet and other data communications. GPRS offers a tenfold increase in data speed over previous technologies, up to 115kbit/s (in theory). Typical real-world speeds are around 30-40 Kbps. Using a packet switching, subscribers are always connected and always on-line.
GPRS is considered a 2.5G technology.
GPS
Global Positioning System. A system of 24 satellites for identifying earth locations, launched by the U.S. Department of Defense. By triangulation of signals from three of the satellites, a receiving unit can pinpoint its current location anywhere on earth to within a few meters.
GSM
Global System for Mobile communications. The international digital radio standard created by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute. GSM is currently the dominant 2G digital mobile phone standard for most of the world.
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HSCSD
High Speed Circuit Switched Data. An enhancement to GSM networks that enables data speeds to be boosted from 9.6 kbps in multiples up to 57.6 kbps.
IMEI
International Mobile Equipment Identity. A unique serial number used on digital mobile phones.
Infared port (IrDA)
Allows cell phones, PDAs, and other devices to connect to each other for various purposes. Infrared is a wireless technology that uses a beam of invisible light to transmit information.
Java (J2ME)
Java 2 Micro Edition. A feature that allows the device to run specially-written applications. J2ME applications can provide specific functions such as a tip calulator, they can be games, or they can be custom-written corporate applications. Some phones allow you to download new applications directly from Internet while others require a data cable to transfer the applications from a PC.
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LCD
Liquid Crystal Display. LCD displays utilize two sheets of polarizing material with a liquid crystal solution between them. An electric current passed through the liquid causes the crystals to align so that light cannot pass through them.
Monochrome LCDs in phones usually have both a backlight and a reflective backing, allowing them to be equally usable in both bright light and complete darkness.
Color LCDs come in many types. STN, TFT, and TFD are several common technologies used.
Li-Ion battery
Lithium-Ion type of battery, often used to power wireless communication devices. Considered superior to NiCd and NiMH batteries - they are lighter weight, have a relatively long cycle life and generally do not suffer from "memory" effect.
Li-Po battery
Lithium Polymer type of battery. Similar to Li-Ion batteries, but slightely lighter and the batteries can be molded to any shape.
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MMS
Multimedia Messaging Service. A further extension of SMS and EMS. MMS is designed to make use of newer and quicker mobile transmission methods such as GPRS, HSCSD, EDGE and UMTS, involving the attachment of multimedia extensions to messages, such as video and sound.
OLED
Organic Light-Emitting Diode. A next-generation display technology that consists of small dots of organic polymer that emit light when charged with electricity. OLED displays are thinner, lighter, brighter, cheaper to manufacture and consume less power than the current LCD displays.
PDA
Personal digital assistant; handheld computer or personal organizer device.
POCKET PC
A handheld Windows-based computer that runs the Pocket PC operating system (formerly Windows CE). The Pocket PC operating system (version 3.0 of Windows CE) adds a new interface along with greater stability, Pocket Office applications (Internet Explorer, Word, and Excel), handwriting recognition, an e-book reader, wireless Internet access, and longer battery life. The Pocket PC was designed to compete more directly with the popular Palm devices.
Polyphonic Ringtones
Polyphonic ringtones can create multiple tones simultaneously. This produces a more natural and realistic sound for melodies.
Predictive Text Input
A technology which allows you to enter text by pressing only one key per letter. The phone will automatically compare all of the possible letter combinations against a built-in dictionary of words. The current Predictive Text Input implementations are T9, iTAP and eZiText.
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Roaming
A service unique to GSM which allows the subscriber to make and receive calls outside the service area of his home network. e.g. while traveling abroad
SIM
Subscriber Identity Module. The smart card used in digital phones. It carries the user's identity for accessing the network and receiving calls and also stores personal infromation, such as phone directory and received SMS messages.
SMS
Short Message Service. A service that enables subscribers to send short text messages (usually about 160 characters) to and from mobile phones.
Speakerphone
or Build-in Handsfree. Allows the phone to be used at a short distance, without the phone being held next to the face.
STN
Super Twisted Nematic. A type of LCD display technology. STN uses less power and is less costly than TFT technology, but at the expense of image quality and response time.
Symbian
A company created by Psion, Nokia, Ericsson and Motorola in 1998 with the aim of developing and standardising an operating system which enable mobile phones from different manufacturers to exchange information. Recently Nokia bought out Psion's stake in Symbian.
The operating system is known as EPOC. Matsushita has subsequently joined Symbian
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T9
Look at Predictive Text Input.
TFD
Thin Film Diode. A type of LCD display technology. TFD technology combines the excellent image quility and fast response times of TFT, with the low power consumption and low cost of STN.
TFT
Thin Film Transistor. A type of LCD display technology. Compared to other types of LCD technology, TFT features excellent image quality and response time, but uses more power, and is more expensive.
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UMTS
Universal Mobile Telecommunications System. A third-generation (3G) wireless communications technology and the next generation of GSM. UMTS is a wireless standard approved by the International Telecommunications Union and is intended for advanced wireless communications.
UMTS uses WCDMA technology, and the two terms are often used interchangeably with each other.
Voice dial
A feature that allows a user to dial a phone number by spoken commands.
WAP
Software that takes raw WML(Wireless Markup Language) data and compiles it for the microbrowser and vice versa.
WCDMA
Wideband Code Division Multiple Access. An approved third-generation (3G) wireless standard which utilizes one 5 MHz channel for both voice and data, offering data speeds of 144 Kbps to 2 Mbps.
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