Talk:Mobile device

Revision of the mobile device article

Mobile Device lacks some information that would better define what a mobile device truly is. There are few examples and explanations given as to what defines a mobile device. I am proposing to add in a revision that will contain more examples and a better clarification so that a broader target can better understand the topic in this article. User:Rickym-NJITWILL 23:06, 7 April 2012 (UTC)

definitely 102.89.32.45 (talk) 01:24, 21 May 2023 (UTC)

The article states that a mobile device is pocket sized but later examples such as tablets are presented as mobile devices yet these are not pocket sized. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2.3.58.122 (talk) 10:41, 26 October 2011 (UTC)

I agree, this definition should be modified. I believe we could change from: "A mobile device (also known as a handheld device, handheld computer or simply handheld) is a small, hand-held computing device, typically having a display screen with touch input and/or a miniature keyboard and weighing less than 2 pounds (0.91 kg)." to "A mobile device (also known as a handheld device, handheld computer or simply handheld) is a multi-functional computing device designed to have portability as its main characteristic. There are many types of mobile devices such as cell phones, smartphones, tablets, laptops, e-readers, etc. Typically, smartphones weigh around 4.5 ounces (or 128 grams) http://www.strategyanalytics.com/st/22F0BF31b2/Smartphones-MWC-2012-Highly-Specd.pdf and laptops around 4 pounds (1.8 kilograms) http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/12/technology/personaltech/an-updated-guide-to-laptop-shopping.html?pagewanted=all . Also, some features of mobile devices are the presence of a touchscreen and wireless connection." Cheers, Zalunardo8 (talk) 16:06, 17 December 2012 (UTC)

I'd like to propose removing the first two paragraphs under characteristics. They are technically correct ([best kind of correct]), but irrelevant to the content of this page. No reasonable reader expects the devices discussed on this page to be self-mobile. Snackwell (talk) 14:23, 13 March 2015 (UTC)

Mobile device refers to any gadget you can carry with you. This includes portable speakers, mini keyboards, etc. --Ne0 (talk) 16:36, 20 January 2016 (UTC)

Watch out for adverts

Can people look out for adverts (sepecially by retriever.com - they hide them everywhere). I use "removing adverts per WP:EL".--Matt Lewis (talk) 00:41, 16 May 2008 (UTC) Mobile device of Youtube.com: http://www.youtube.com/v/4uwzIVtjjrw?fs=1&hl=de_DE" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>) Yuhguh (talk) 21:20, 21 December 2010 (UTC)
This whole 'watch out for adverts' section as a whole just needs removal. Cheers.108.171.132.161 (talk) 17:14, 30 December 2014 (UTC)

Merge with mobile internet device

The following discussion is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.

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Mobile internet device currently contains very little notable information. Most of the content is platform listings (i.e. what company makes what processor which could power a mobile internet device) that are not really relevant and should be pruned. Thus I suggest to merge the articles. 1exec1 (talk) 23:14, 11 January 2012 (UTC)

• Oppose - Mobile internet device is a sub-type of mobile device. If we were to merge it, then that would suggest all sub-types should be merged which would make this article too large. Danrok (talk) 01:24, 22 February 2013 (UTC)
• Support. The use of language that has grown up around these two terms suggests that most people do not differentiate between the two and the pages are heavily overlapped. Any residual differences in meaning between the two would better managed by having them together so that the difference can be identified and discussed. The overlapping parts, most of each, could do with some duplication reduction. Ex nihil ^(talk) 15:34, 19 July 2014 (UTC)
• Oppose-My phone doesn't have internet. They are distinct. --Jondel (talk) 00:39, 31 October 2014 (UTC)
• Support. I can get rid of the internet on my mobile device and it's still the same device, with much of the same functionality. 'Mobile internet device' has the connotation that it is primarily for accessing/browsing the internet, which I don't believe is true for any device listed on the page. Each one of the listed products has been marketed either as a smartphone or a mobile computing environment, with the added benefit of accessing the internet. Furthermore, 'mobile internet device' applies to numerous categories within the 'mobile device' listings, such as watches, game consoles, GPS, etc.108.171.132.161 (talk) 17:08, 30 December 2014 (UTC)
• Support. Now common usage to assume a mobile device has an internet connection. The special case is no longer items that are internet-capable but mobile devices that for some reason are not internet-capable. Non interet capable devicesare rare and specialised to the point where they are given another name, e.g. my GPS is not internet capable but nobody would call it a mobile device, it's a GPSr. Whether a device has an internet connection or not is too fine a distinction. Perhaps a non-internet capable mobile device is now a possible subtype but I would not recommend a page for it. Ex nihil ^(talk) 03:10, 12 March 2015 (UTC)
• Support. Either a merge or a simple deletion of Mobile internet device would be an improvement. Mobile phones that don't have internet are simply mobile phones, already covered. Snackwell (talk) 14:09, 13 March 2015 (UTC)
• Oppose - Mobile internet device is one of several subcategories of Mobile devices. Others include: Smartphone, Mobile phone, Portable media player, Handheld game console, Personal digital assistant and Wearable computer. I will be difficult to draw a line on which should be merged and which not. If there are problems with Mobile internet device, let's start with fixing those in place before considering a merge. ~Kvng (talk) 16:33, 3 January 2016 (UTC)
• Oppose - Mobile devices refers to any electronics that you can carry with you, like earphones. Mobile Internet devices refers to any Internet-connected device that you can carry with you. --Ne0 (talk) 13:04, 20 January 2016 (UTC)

The discussion above is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.

Article Image

Can iPhone 5S get one or more mobile devices from other manufacturers next to it, because at this moment it feels very much like product placement to me. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.61.125.90 (talk) 13:00, 7 January 2014 (UTC)
This doesn't seem to be applicable any longer.108.171.132.161 (talk) 16:37, 30 December 2014 (UTC)

Circular definition

According to the lead of the article, a mobile device is "a small computing device ... capable of running mobile apps". So what are mobile apps? A mobile app is "an application software designed to run on mobile devices". Right, so what we have learned from this is that a mobile device is a small computing device capable of running application softwares designed to run on mobile devices.  --Lambiam 08:14, 18 April 2017 (UTC)

@Lambiam: That was straw man.

According to the lead of the article a mobile device is "a small computing device, typically, small enough to hold and operate in the hand and having an operating system [...]. These may provide a diverse range of functions. Typically, the device will have a display screen with a small numeric or alphanumeric keyboard or a touchscreen providing a virtual keyboard and buttons (icons) on-screen. Many such devices can connect to the Internet and interconnect with other devices such as car entertainment systems or headsets via Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or near field communication (NFC). Integrated cameras, digital media players, mobile phone and GPS capabilities are common. Power is typically provided by a lithium battery." There is a photo too.

—Codename Lisa (talk) 08:24, 18 April 2017 (UTC)

My point was that the predicate "capable of running mobile apps" – given the definition of mobile app – is vacuously satisfied and thus did not provide additional information. I think your recent edit, addressing the issue, improves the article.  --Lambiam 10:41, 18 April 2017 (UTC)

I think “vacuous “ is a very good description of the argument about mobile devices not being mobile unless they are moved by a person or vehicle. A word can have many uses. Obviously the word ‘mobile’ was adopted to distinguish portable (actually a more accurate term) phones from hard-wired “land lines” in former ages when “mobiles” were not so ubiquitous. In the States “cell phone “ was the more common term for many years, though technically, sat-phones are mobile, a radio-telephone or a two-way commercial radio could loosely be called a mobile, but if the phone doesn’t use a cell-tower network, it is not a cellphone while still being a mobile phone. My point being that the device doesn’t have to be self-propelled, autonomous, to be a mobile device. It only has to be portable, and capable of communicating without being slaved to a larger mobile device (as a smart watch is). Ragity (talk) 07:35, 18 March 2020 (UTC)

The entire section #Characteristics needs rewritten, or probably deleted. “Mobile” on this context means ‘’’moveable’’’, not self-propelled. The editor is confusing, possibly, mobile with automobile, which is a vehicle which propels itself. Auto=self. Portable, moveable, think of it that way. Good luck with it. Ragity (talk) 08:14, 18 March 2020 (UTC)

Not always a hand held

I suggest removing the secondary title "(or handheld computer)" from the lead. Not all mobile devices are hand-held. For example, a head-mounted display, which is listed under the section #Types is not hand-held. Neither is a digital media player, which is listed. I wouldn't call my Roku a hand-held computer, even though it does happen to have a remote control which is hand-held. Then again, it's not really a mobile device either - it's portable, not inherently mobile like a mobile phone. Is a wearable computer, such as a wrist watch really hand-held? I believe this article was merged with an article titled hand-held computer at some point, and that's why it uses a lot of verbiage about being hand-held. At minimum, I would de-emphasize the hand-held aspect of mobile devices. In the lead, I would at minimum change it to "(sometimes referred to as a handheld computer)" or something like that. Coastside (talk) 21:31, 2 November 2021 (UTC)

Er..

Whoever wrote some of this had it written like they were lightly argumentative. I haven't seen where the other two types of mobility are except for accompanied. Ionic Ludicrous (=ˆUwUˆ=) 14:15, 5 March 2023 (UTC)