Thanks to the success of Apple’s iPhone, recent smart phones give photographers access to a variety of tools they normally would only have in the studio. As a result, a good phone has become one of the most useful accessories in the camera bag.

In 1998, I had been attending a computer trade show with some friends, where we had eagerly lined up to buy a Handspring PDA, the first of the licensed devices to run the Palm operating system. As the three of us stood around trading our "business cards" over the IR connection, a teen with spiked, colored hair, tattoos and piercings walked by and casually remarked "geeks."

Today, of course, that same teen would be the first to pick up one of the new generation of "smart phones," the direct descendants of the humble Palm-based PDA we had been playing with, and spend the day sending text messages, updating his Facebook page and sending Tweets about his musings.

Teens aren't the only ones to find myriad uses for the combination Internet/cell phone devices that are becoming more and more ubiquitous each day. For the photographer, and especially for the on-location shooter, the smart phone is the latest tool to help you not only stay connected when out of the office, but also to keep ahead of deadlines, to show off portfolios, and to help find shooting locations.

Inside a Smart Phone

The term "smart phone" is a bit unspecific, generally referring to any device that is capable of doing more than making calls and sending text message. As a result, just about every phone since the Motorola Razr has been lumped into this category, as manufacturers try to capitalize on the consumers' increasing desire to take their offices' productivity with them when they get out of the office.

In reality, a smart phone is simply a device that offers some sort of synchronization with desktop calendars and address books and provides some add-on features that normally would be found on a laptop—chatting, picture messages and Web browsing.

Recent smart phones, thanks largely to the success and popularity of Apple's iPhone, have given photographers access to a variety of tools in-field that they normally would only have access to in the office.

Brett Wilhelm, Colorado-based staff photographer and technology director for Rich Clarkson Associates, LLC, doesn't go anywhere without his iPhone, and used it overseas while attending this year's Visa Pour L'Image festival in Perpignan, France.

"I'm trying to pack as lightly as possible to avoid the woes of checked baggage these days," says Wilhelm. "With meetings and events all over the city, I'm happy to leave the laptop at home and stay connected back to the office half way around the world via voice, e-mail and IM, all from the convenience of my iPhone. Furthermore, our entire company portfolio sits in my pocket for impromptu portfolio reviews and business pitches."

Photographer and software developer Micah Walter uses his phone and GPS to help him prepare for a shoot. "Most news outlets send you your assignment details via e-mail, so it's great to be able to look up the location, open it in Google Maps and find it while you are en route, or click on the contact's phone number and set up a meeting place, all from the phone."

The Main Contenders

The iPhone is by far the most talked-about phone on the market, and with good reason. The all-in-one device runs an increasingly large collection of third-party software, has built-in 3G and GPS capabilities, can work with WiFi and offers a truly "realistic" Internet experience thanks to the built-in Safari browser, the same as is part of OS X.

In fact, the iPhone is basically a portable Mac, and while it runs only programs developed specifically for the iPhone, it offers a huge amount of connectivity with the Mac, allowing for over-the-air sync of data between the phone and a Mac or PC, and nearly instantaneous two-directional sync of calendars, contacts, bookmarks and more. It also, of course, allows for the purchase and playback of content from the iTunes store, making it a traveling entertainment center.

That doesn't mean that the iPhone is the only choice when it comes to telephony devices, and some of the long-time players in the market have continued to offer good options for those who don't want an Apple-branded phone or the requisite AT&T service that comes with.