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Just about everyone has a smart phone these days. They engage in discussions with people about the different features that they are using. They also look for tips about how they can make their smart phone more useful. The problem is that many of the conversations regarding your phone use terms you might not be fully aware of the meaning. This is why it is a good idea to get to know the jargon so you can understand what you are talking about.Here are a few of the more common terms and their meanings:

  • Operating System (OS) â€" Just like your computer at home, the smart phone runs off of a certain operating system. The Android runs on a Google OS whereas an iPhone runs on a Apple based OS. This means that you will not be able to use an app developed for one OS on another OS.

  • Apps â€" This is perhaps the most commonly used word used when talking about smart phones. It is short for applications. These are nothing more than programs for your phone which will allow to do different kinds of tasks. Some will even allow you to access your Google Voice account to turn your phone into an office phone system.

  • 3G/4G â€" These are indicative of the third generation or fourth generation internet connection ability of the smart phone and the server. Just as 3G became the standard for these devices, 4G came out to give even faster connections with more bandwidth. This is what gives the smart phone the ability to connect to the internet and receive emails among other things.

  • Click to Call â€" As a marketer you more than likely send out e-mail blasts to reach your most loyal customers.  Having a call to action is key for these blasts, and on a smartphone, a click to call feature is a must have.  This is where your customer can click the phone number in your e-mail and will phone your business.

Getting to know the language used by mobile marketers is key to staying ahead of the curve.  It doesn’t look like smartphone use will be declining, so go ahead and get familiar with it.  Chances are if you browse the Internet on your smartphone so does your clients. 

This Marketing article was written by Shannon Suetos on 9/28/2010

Shannon Suetos is the online editor at Resource Nation. She writes expert advice for small businesses and entrepreneurs.