How BREW Revolutionized the Cell Phone

No matter where you go in the world today, somebody is talking away on a cell phone. Over the past five years, cell phones have taken over and replaced landlines in many cases. Technology is being developed every day that furthers the influence of the cell phone. Just this year, Apple's iPhone has sought to change the way cell phone users make calls, browse the Internet and listen to music. One of the most overlooked technologies developed for cell phones is the BREW interface.

The BREW interface was developed by Qualcomm for use as a graphics and operating system for modern day cell phones. It allows you to browse the Internet, play games, download photos and do many more advanced things with your cell phone. In essence it turns your cell phone into a multimedia device. This has become the way of the future for the cell phone, as many users browse the Internet and play games to kill time in between meeting, take the bus and just for the heck of it.

When first created, BREW only supported certain interfaces. Now, it can support GSM, UMTS and CDMA-type operating systems. It is developed through the use of C++ coding, complete with API sets that enable even the most basic coders the chance to program applications that will be useful in its environment. Emulators, BREW-specific development programs and simulators can be used to develop software at any level.

One such downfall of the BREW system is that developers must register with Qualcomm before developing programs and applications for its use. This costs money, and for some just tinkering around with coding, can be a costly way to have fun with what the system can do. Hobbyists and cell phone enthusiasts shy away from developing on some levels because of this.

BREW changed the way cell phones work by allowing for a more interactive way to make their device do more. Without BREW many cell phones would still be stuck in the stone age, acting more like a traditional cordless phone than as an all-in-one mobile device capable of working like a PDA.