Black Friday Deals: Smart Phone Buying Guide

While some are hesitant to cross over to the darkside and giving up their freedom with a smartphone, there’s no denying that they’re becoming the norm for most cell phone users. Unfortunately, when it comes time to choosing one, the choices can be pretty overwhelming.

Carrier

Many phones are carrier specific. This means certain phone models are bound to one cell service provider. In the past, this has caused quite a stir, particularly with the iPhone, as it was once bound solely to AT&T. It has since been made available on the Verizon network, though there are significant differences in the two phones. If you live in an area that has bad AT&T coverage, you may want to look into getting a phone on Verizon or T-Mobile. You can do a search online for cell phone coverage by provider in your city to help you make your decision.

Operating System

Smart phones are essentially mini-computers, and thus each comes with its own unique operating system. Currently there are about seven operating systems available: Android, iOS, Windows Mobile, Windows Phone 7, Blackberry, Symbian, and webOS.

Android: Available on a wide variety of phones across multiple carriers, Android is Google’s operating system and currently the most popular smartphone platform in the world. It syncs with your Gmail account, which is required to use the OS, and features a number of Google features such as Google Maps.

iOS: Native only to Apple mobile devices such as the iPhone and the iPad, iOS is based on the Mac OS X operating system, and thus an ideal platform for those already familiar with the nuances of Apple’s operating system.

Windows Mobile: Windows Mobile was an operating system developed by Microsoft, but with the introduction of Windows 7 smartphones, Windows Mobile has fell into disuse and is rarely found on newer phones.

Windows Phone 7: The Successor to Windows Mobile, Windows Phone 7 is a brand new interface that places a focus on total integration. Early reviews have been positive, though some have complained about its lack of certain ”deal-breaking” functions, such as multitasking.

Blackberry: The BlackBerry OS, designed by Research in Motion, is available only on BlackBerry devices. While popular among some, it is found primarily in corporate settings due to its support for corporate email and synchronization with popular pieces of software such as Microsoft Exchange and Novell GroupWise.

Symbian: Symbian is a proprietary operating system designed for use on Nokia smartphones. Like Windows Mobile, Nokia will be migrating to Windows Phone 7. As such, most new consumer phones won’t have Symbian installed.

webOS: Developed by Palm and acquired by Hewlett-Packard, webOS is a Linux-based operating system found on a small set of smartphones and the HP TouchPad. On August 18, 2011, however, it was announced that production on all webOS devices and software would be stopped.

With most new pieces of software, the best thing to do is ”try before you buy.” Spend some time in the store playing with each time of phone available to see what operating system suits your needs. Most carriers allow a grace period where you can return or exchange the phone if you don’t like it.

Speed

Most smartphones are pretty fast, with many of the newer models containing processors that clock in at around 1 GHz or more. Most new smartphones that use Android, such as those made by Samsung and HTC, are some of the fastest on the market. While faster is clearly better, the performance of a smartphone is often less dependent on the speed of its processor than the number of programs running in the background.

Storage

Smartphones come with varying storage sizes, with some clocking in as high as 32GB (iPhone) and others as low as 512MB. On most smartphones, however, storage expansion in the form of microSD cards and other memory formats, are available. If you’re a fan of watching movies or storing music on your phone (as a substitute MP3 player), then you would want to go with one with lots of storage.

Size

Most smartphones are small enough to fit in the front pocket of your jeans, with some of the larger ones, such as the Droid X, are slim enough to compensate for the added size. The average smartphone screen size is around 3.7”, with the low end clocking in at around 3.2” and the high at 4.3”

Features

Smartphone features are often dependent on the brand of the phone and the operating system. Do you prefer a physical or a virtual keyboard? A good camera? Tethering ability (sharing an internet connection on a phone with other Wi-Fi enabled devices)? Bluetooth? FM Radio? The options are endless, and while every phone comes with a wide variety of features, each one should be researched fully before making a final decision.

Applications

One of the deciding factors for many smartphone buyers are the availability of applications. Currently the Apple App Store and the Android Market are the two most popular, with over 500,000 and 200,000 apps available, respectively. Many websites offer applications to take their website ”on the go,” though these are often limited to certain operating systems, primarily Android, iOS, and Blackberry.

Battery Life

With most smartphones, the battery life is typically dependent on your settings and how many applications you have running at any given moment. Over time the amount of power the battery can hold will diminish. Many new smartphones have faced criticism over their supposed lackluster battery life, with many claiming they can’t hold a charge beyond a single day’s use.

Bottom Line

Smartphones can be a tricky beast, though if you’re inclined to stay caught up with the latest gadgets and technologies while taking advantage of the many options available, then stick with an iPhone or an Android-based phone. While the iPhone remains pretty much the same each year, new Android phones by various companies (Motorola, Samsung, etc) are being released every year, so make sure you do your research. What was the best three months ago might not be the case today.

Note: Cross posted from Black Friday Deals - The Official Black Friday 2011.

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