Embedded systems and mobile phones!
Do you know the smartphone you are using is an embedded system? Confused!! We will make this clear just go ahead and read.
An Embedded system refers to a controller-based system dedicated to performing a specific function. It is a system that is optimized to execute specific tasks while using only limited resources. In our opinion, a mobile phone is an embedded system since it is a culmination of hardware and software dedicated to perform specific tasks like taking user input from touch or buttons, search and connect to the network, and display, etc. In short, it is a system optimized to be handier while consuming less power and has specific peripherals and operating system (like Android)
As you know, an embedded system is a combination of hardware and software designed to perform a particular task. This smartphone helps the user to interact with the embedded system located within the proximity of the smartphone.
So both the embedded system and smartphone have two aspects. These are:
- Software Aspects
- Hardware Aspects
Software Aspects Of Embedded System And Mobile Phones
In an embedded system and mobile phone, there are various similarities like, In both the programming language is used which can be similar for both like python. Various codes like the use of processors and memory as efficiently as possible are the same.
There are a lot of dissimilarities too. We all know that the embedded systems are used for a specific purpose while embedded systems in mobile phones are much more capable than single-purpose devices running on embedded programming. Also in mobile phones, there are extensive API libraries to separate hardware and low-level drivers. Furthermore, the processing capacity of the CPU and other vital components is way higher than what typical embedded systems require.
Hardware Aspects Of Embedded Systems And Mobile Phones
Basic hardware components of both embedded systems and mobile phones are the same. These hardware components are power supply (battery), processor, memory units (RAM & ROM), I/O ports, etc.
While there are differences too between them as the purpose to build both are different. Embedded systems are used for specific purposes while mobile phones solve various purposes. For Instance, the processors used in smartphones will be of much higher capacity than single-purpose embedded systems. While seeing 16-bit processors is common in some general systems, embedded systems in mobile phones need at least 32-bit architecture. Also, the memory capacity will be much higher in smartphones than typical embedded systems, In fact, thousands of times higher.
Conclusion
So with all this discussion can you say that mobile phones are embedded systems or not? You can not say definitely no or definitely yes because of the interconnected nature of their hardware and software. From a hardware perspective, you can say that they are embedded systems with high-end components. But, from a software perspective, there are fewer similarities overall.
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