Useful smartphone features that time forgot

[palashikbal]

Useful smartphone features that time forgot :

By palashikbal | Updated: 23 August 2020 16:33 IST

Highlights

• Smartphones are evolving rapidly and features come and go .
• Sometimes really useful features don't catch on with enough people.
• Other features might be dropped due to design or cost constraints.

• People complain about the lack of innovation in smartphones today, with manufacturers tending to rely on bumped specs to sell their product instead of truly useful features. The fact is that over the years there have been a lot of interesting experiments in smartphones, but many of these - even the useful ones - don't always catch on. Sometimes the features we loved have disappeared because they were useful only to some, not many, users. At other times, design or cost constraints forced these features out.
• Here are some of our favourite features that have either disappeared, or are on their way out.
• Samsung ,VIVO,Realme,OPPO,ONE PLUS –they are releasing android phones day after day, but none of their phone has a simple IR blaster-   really shame to these companies. To them mobile phone is nothing but a camera. Any electronic device that is controlled using a typical IR remote - televisions, set top boxes, music systems, air conditioners, etc - could be potentially controlled using a phone. Infrared blasters on some phones could also read and emulate codes of any IR remote, so after a little effort, you could practically configure any button of any remote on the planet.
• Once upon a time we saw temperature and humidity sensor in S4 ,NOTE 3- but they removed it showing an unnecessary cause. There are an endless number of weather apps, but none of them can tell you the ambient temperature around you. Although knowing the weather conditions outside is useful, it is also nice to what the actual temperature around you is. There is a theory suggesting why a thermometer isn’t the commonly-seen sensor on smartphones - it is difficult to get an accurate reading of your surroundings thanks to heat smartphones themselves generate. The Nokia 5210 was a rugged phone released in 2002, and it had an interesting feature - a thermometer - using which the phone could show the temperature around you. After being MIA for decades, thermometers in smartphones again got some attention in 2013 with the Samsung Galaxy S4 featuring one, which showed ambient temperature in the built-in S-Health app. But this feature is going through another lull; perhaps never to be seen again.
• Nonetheless, it would’ve been nice-to-have feature in any smartphone today. For what it’s worth, a hardware startup called Thermodo sells a subtly-designed thermometer that plugs into your phone’s 3.5mm headphone jack.
• Once upon a time we saw UV sensor in galaxy NOTE 4- but it was also removed showing an unnecessary cause.
• Even in the last year they removed a very important sensor Hear rate ,Blood pressure&SPO2 – No valid reason , may b to increase the selling of their gimmick smart watch.
• None of the galaxy flagship phone has FM radio. Really shame.
• We saw simple pencil could be used as S-PEN in galaxy S5, but never seen its successor.
• We see a lot of galaxy flagship phones , none of the phone can record FLOOR COUNT by their useless barometer. Even they removed weight management feature recently from Samsung health APK. Another shame to Samsung .
• After 10 years of android phone still they coudnt manage internet speed meter in their bogus UI.
• After corona pandemic , we get IR thermometer only in a single phone in huawei.
• All companies give Back cover TPU case that becomes dirty like stool after one month of use , they know it will happen, but they are doing it repeatedly. Ignorance or illiterate ?
• Youtubers are unboxing phones day by day but they actually don’t know what to show the consumers. They only know to appreciate mobile company in return of Review unit.
• Still, the 3.5mm head phone jack removal is a bitter pill to swallow, and another problem is that it makes moving from one eco-system to another more difficult.
• FM Transmitter:
  Speaking of FM, Nokia fans may remember this feature on many an N-series phone, such as the Nokia N86: an FM Transmitter lets you wirelessly beam audio playing on the phone to any FM receiver. It was simple to use too - just set a frequency that doesn’t overlap with the radio stations, and keep the phone close to the receiver or the antenna. This feature was very useful if your car audio system didn't have Bluetooth, or an AUX port.
• There were however a few concerns with the setup - for one, it wasn't secure, as anyone could tune into your frequency. Second, the output clarity largely depended on how far the phone was from the receiver. Finally, there apparently were also some government restrictions on the usage of FM transmitters in some countries, including India. With other technologies such as Bluetooth picking up, this feature got shelved soon enough.
• 4) Xenon Flash:
  This is a popular feature seen on ‘camera phones’ from a decade before - such as the Sony Ericsson K800 or the Nokia N82. This trend continued in the past few years with more camera-focused phones such as the Lumia 1020. But off late, it appears that Xenon flash isn’t really on the top priority of phones. What’s so good about a xenon flash, you ask? The high-intensity flash can illuminate dark environments far more than a typical LED flash would, especially when the subject isn’t very close to the sensor. It sounds great, but there were a couple of drawbacks. For one, xenon flashes can't fire in quick succession, proving not as useful in burst shots. LED Flashes are cheaper to implement, and consume less battery. Next, low-light photography in today’s smartphones that have a big aperture, and features like optical image stabilisation help capture images more accurately in dark situations, that many find preferable to the blinding strobe of a Xenon flash.
• Hope, time will come when these smart phone companies’ eye will open so that we will find our phones really useful.