Smartphone Buyers Guide
Before you consider buying a Smartphone it is probably a good idea to consider why you want or need a smartphone. You should consider your requirements before you buy, are you able to work on the move? Do you want the phone for home or work use? Do you want the latest multimedia applications? Are you looking for some features you may have found on a PDA or portable laptop?
Operating System
The average Smartphone is different from a mobile phone in that it is designed to run different applications and will normally have an operating system. Windows operating system is compatible with desktop systems and familiar applications such as Outlook, Excel and Windows Media player. The Symbiam OS is more robust and stable than the Windows one. This is partly due to the length of development time for this system and the number of handsets deployed with Symbian. For a business user the Microsoft OS may have the edge given the intergration between popular applications and the mobile OS. Palm makes a highly stable OS for a mobile platform with its low history on running on low powered PDA’s makes it ideal for use with a Smartphone. Symbian helps make the handsets very secure and the mix of business tools is excellent.
Connectivity
You need to check that your Smartphone is Tri band or even quad band, don’t make any assumptions with this always check. Smartphone connectivity really comes down to data connectivity. Wireless is the key, so key out the range of wireless options available.
Data
Over the aim connections are probably the most important feature of a Smartphone, we all know of GPRS and 3G dataso check tour phone supportd them. You are really looking for a 2.5 or 3G data service with speeds of at least 300k. With this speed you can use Microsoft’s active or Push email services and also browse the internet.
Storage
The area to look at is how can you add more storage if you need to. So look for CF or SD / MMC card slots, sizes up to 4gb are now available.
Hardware
Is key to your purchase, so check out that the processor speed is at least 400Mhz. Where this speed is what is required to run current applications.
User Friendly
Check that the screen is a good size and that the backlight is good and strong. Check the input method, keypads might be ok but few are good for typing in a lengthy email. Many Smartphones have a full qwerty keyboard but check that your fingers are not too big for the keyboard. You should avoid handwriting recognition Smartphones as they are not very good.
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