All The Right Buttons
It’s
time you got smart about getting yourself the perfect smartphone
THEY SAY the hardest thing you’ll
have to do in life is find the perfect spouse. Nowadays though, it seems like
choosing a smartphone is just as tough. With the former you can go on dates and
test things out. But with the latter, considering the cost of phones these
days, you’re going to buy one and be stuck with it for a while. So you want to
make sure you choose the perfect phone. One that can handle calls and texts,
but also offers value for money and more features than you’d ever use. And
that’s where smartphones come in.
But first, a history lesson. The
term ‘smartphone’ wasn’t as widespread five years ago as it is today. In 2007,
Apple released the first iPhone, Nokia had their Symbian phones like the N95,
and Google’s Android platform was just coming together. Not many people knew
what a smartphone was. Some even bought those early phones without knowing what
they were.
Even the very definition of
‘smartphone’ is a bit hazy. But the generally agreed feature is that it’s “a
phone on which you can install apps”. By that definition, the smartphone scene
is entirely different today. Everyone’s lusting after Apple’s iPhones, Google’s
Android offerings are taking over the planet, and Nokia’s smartphones are now
running exclusively on Microsoft’s new ‘Windows Phone’ platform.
Smartphones are still a lot more
expensive than the average feature phone. As a result, only 18 per cent of the
world’s cellphone users have smartphones today. Researchers like comScore are
predicting that those numbers are going to rise dramatically very soon, with
the number of smartphone owners expected to surpass feature phones in the US by
the end of this year.
As smartphone prices get cheaper and
cheaper, it’s only a matter of time before we’re all “over” restrictive feature
phones. But I digress, this is about you and your next smartphone. Here’s a
little advice on how to chose your next device. So what category do you fall
into?
Thinking about getting one, but can’t afford the fancy
ones?
I make an average amount of cash for
a 20-something Indian, but thanks to Delhi’s insane rents, I have very little
left for myself. So the very thought of spending R30,000 to R40,000 on a phone
seems like a dis-tant dream. Especially since the phones I really want are all
in that price range.
In such cases, one must settle.
Thankfully, there are some very decent smartphones under R15,000. Smartphones
that I wouldn’t mind flaunting and walking around with. My favourite in the
price range is the HTC One V, which I cannot recommend enough because of the
screen. The Nokia Lumia 710 and the Sony Xperia U make up my top three. They
all have decent build quality and will probably stand the test of time, while
being affordable and not compromising on too much.
Already own one, and desperately want a better one?
If you already own a smartphone and
aren’t too happy with it, there are tons of choices out there, but your big
decisions will be based on price, features, brand or operating system. The main
choice you have to make though, are whether to stick with the brand of phone
you currently have. I have plenty of friends who bought an iPhone and are happy
with it, as well as Nokia users who content with their Lumia Windows Phones
too. With these folks, build quality and an easy -to-navigate user interface
were top priority. If you’re thinking about getting a new iPhone, I’d highly
advise waiting a month or two for the new iPhone to launch before making up
your mind.
Then, there’s all those fantastic
Android smartphones from HTC, Sony, Samsung and some interesting ones from LG
and Motorola that you can also take a quick look at. You have a smorgasbord of
devices to choose from, but my favourites have to be
SAMSUNG GALAXY III
It’s not cheap but full of great
goodies the HTC One X, the more affordable HTC One S, and the Sony Xperia S.
Samsung’s Galaxy S III is also worth considering but build quality is a concern
there and it’s one of the most expensive Android phones right now. At the end
of the day, your smartphone is a device you’re going to probably use for at
least a year, if not longer, and you’ll want it to fit into your lifestyle as
quickly as possible. It’s going to stick with you through the day, you’ll work
on it, play games on it, listen to music, browse the web, send emails and of
course make a phone call or send a text message or two.
Thinking about getting one, but intimidated by the
‘extra’ features?
First of all, don’t be! Smartphones
are meant to complement your daily life, not complicate it. Sure, many folks
out there might be looking for a ‘simple’ phone for certain reasons, but I’d
argue that there also exist very simple smartphones that can handle whatever
you throw at it, and still give you more functionality.
I remember when I first gave my dad
his first smartphone – a Nokia N95. One year later, the only features he
admitted to using regularly were making calls and checking messages (with
occasional camera use or playing music). When I gave him an iPhone 3GS two
years ago, all that changed. He installs apps, stalks me on Facebook, Twitter
and Foursquare, streams music and videos and more. Your first smartphone has to
be the right one for you, or you’ll not use much of it.
The one advantage some feature
phones still boast is better battery life. Feature phones usually have a
small-ish screen and no multitasking and very few apps, if at all, so there’s
nothing really to ‘drain’ that battery. Smartphones, on the other hand, need
more energy for all their functions, but they’re getting better at managing
battery life too. If you stay away from hugescreen behemoths, battery life
won’t be too much of an issue.
If you’re just venturing into the
smartphone scene, I’d recommend the Nokia Lumia 800 and the iPhone 4/4S.
Stuck with a BlackBerry and considering moving to a
proper smartphone?
I’m not a huge fan of BlackBerry
phones. They’re a little “last decade”, in my opinion. And with apps like
WhatsApp and Viber, BBM seem a little redundant, but I have some friends who
still swear by theirs.
I remember when I first gave my dad
his first smartphone – a Nokia N95. One year later, the only features he
admitted to using regularly were making calls and checking messages (with
occasional camera use or playing music). When I gave him an iPhone 3GS two
years ago, all that changed. He installs apps, stalks me on Facebook, Twitter
and Foursquare, streams music and videos and more. Your first smartphone has to
be the right one for you, or you’ll not use much of it.
The one advantage some feature
phones still boast is better battery life. Feature phones usually have a small-ish
screen and no multitasking and very few apps, if at all, so there’s nothing
really to ‘drain’ that battery. Smartphones, on the other hand, need more
energy for all their functions, but they’re getting better at managing battery
life too. If you stay away from hugescreen behemoths, battery life won’t be too
much of an issue.
If you’re just venturing into the
smartphone scene, I’d recommend the Nokia Lumia 800 and the iPhone 4/4S.
- Jeff by Clinton HTBR26 Aug 2012
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