How Smart Are Smartphones?: Bridging the marketing and information technology gap

The term ?smart? has become widespread in consumer electronics in recent years, reflecting the consumers? need for devices that assist them in their daily activities. The term has a long history of usage in marketing science as one of the most appealing ways of promoting or advertising a product, brand, or service. However, even today, there is much controversy in the definition of this term and even more ambiguities for the right use in consumer electronic devices. Furthermore, it is not possible to carry out any quantitative or qualitative analysis of how smart a device is without having some adequate conception of what a smart or intelligent application means. This article attempts to explore the smart and intelligent capabilities of the current and next-generation consumer devices by investigating certain propositions and arguments along with the current trends and future directions in information technology (IT).