Phablets Aren’t New – But What You Can Do With Them Is
It’s not a phone, it’s not a tablet, it’s a…phablet! In the best tradition of portmanteau words, what sounds like a mod paper pad from the 1960s is actually a well-established piece of technology that, through continual phablet app development, offers ever-expanding capabilities.
The Size Compromise
For a while, smaller devices symbolized newer technology. However, as mobile app development made possible to accomplish big tasks on small devices, the small screens of those slim, streamlined devices made actually using some apps frustratingly difficult. Enter the phablet, defined by more traditional sources as a smartphone with a screen measuring between five and six inches, a size falling somewhere between that of a phone and a tablet computer, and less formally described as “A huge phone that looks like a tablet.”[1]
Phablet Evolution
Dell released its Android-based Streak phablet-style device in 2010, and within 18 months, Samsung released its Galaxy Note. Other companies soon followed suit, and once the Apple line jumped into the phablet fray with its iPhone 6 Plus, phablets gained even more cred.
Most people still prefer smaller phones to phablets, although phablets have several advantages over phones. Bigger screens reduce mistakes due to fat finger syndrome. Bigger screens more easily accommodate larger font sizes, reducing the squint factor for those of us entering the age of reading glasses. In many cases, for a particular mobile app, the development of the phablet made using the application simpler.
The Downside of the Development of the Phablet
App development for phablets ensured their permanence in the mobile communications realm. However, phablets, while not huge by any means, are larger than the phones that fit into little side pockets of purses, or the back pocket of our jeans. Beyond lack of compactness, detractors also cite difficulty in handling and manipulating the phablet because of its size. For some very dainty people, this may be a true concern. However, while larger than most mobile phones released these days, the phablet is not a huge piece of machinery.
Mobile App Development Makes Phablets Flourish
People use their mobile devices for many things beyond texting, talking, and Instagramming. Writers cite the phablets writing-friendly size as a big plus, and phablet apps make it possible to use a “pen” when writing down thoughts and ideas rather than keystrokes on a screen pad. However, even using just the keypad is less complicated for most people since, like almost everything else on a phablet, it is BIGGER. For gamers, the larger screen enables immersive play even on subways, and also makes mobile game enhancements even more noticeable. Consider how much better catching up on TV shows would be on a screen that is large enough to make out characters’ faces.
Phablet App DevelopmentWins Over Many Users
For those who use a mobile device for calling, texting and the occasional game, a normal cell phone suffices. Some eschew mobile calls and texts, or they prefer to keep a separate device for each function, in which case a tablet and a phone are both required. The perfect fit for the phablet is likely an individual who faces an extended (non-driving) commute.
Phablet apps make the devices even better, offering things such as:
- Improved user interface apps that foster customization of screen space use to meet each individual’s needs
- Apps that provide better typing keyboards for larger screen devices, along with great text prediction capabilities
- Calendar apps that sync different accounts and create daily lists
Beyond making devices more user-friendly, the big bang of new and innovative mobile app development drives the demand for larger screen devices.
Sources:
http://www.developer-tech.com/news/2014/nov/18/phablet-users-spend-most-time-app/
http://www.ibtimes.com/big-screen-iphone-6-apple-could-turn-phablet-mainstream-product-1677614.
http://tabtimes.com/best-apps-your-phablet-productivity-tools-your-hybrid-device-13735/.
http://techland.time.com/2013/11/04/should-you-buy-a-phablet/.
http://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia/term/64815/phablet.
http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/phablet.
http://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia/term/64815/phablet.
[1] http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Phablet.
