Mobile Phones Tips and Tricks
Going the distance
Consider battery life if you use your phone frequently throughout the day. Unlike the typical feature phone, which can last between 4-5 days between charges, a smartphone usually lasts anywhere between one and three days. Factors that affect battery life include the size of the screen, the phone’s processor speed, and the size of the battery. A phone’s advertised talk time is a good indication of its battery life – look for at least four hours.
The more storage, the better
Every smartphone will have enough memory for storing your contacts and installing a few programs. If you want to use it as a portable media player, however, you should opt for one with a large flash drive (at least 8GB) and/or a memory card slot for adding more storage.
Touchscreen's aren't for everyone
Most of the latest smartphones now use touchscreens in favour of (or in addition to, in some cases) the traditional numeric keypad. The plus side is that this generally results in a larger screen; the downside is that it’s more fiddly to use – especially if a software keyboard is the only means of text entry.
Screen size matters
A larger display is ideal for web browsing and watching movies. On a smartphone, you can expect anywhere from two to four inches (measured diagonally). Also check for the display resolution, which dictates how much can fit on the screen at any one time and the clarity of text and graphics – 240 x 320 pixels as a bare minimum.
Managing your photography expectations
Smartphones tend to do everything better than a feature phone, except when it comes to the digital camera. Generally speaking, camera-oriented feature phones will offer superior image quality. Still, features like auto-focus, flash and at least three megapixels on a smartphone camera will usually produce decent results in good lighting.
Make sure your headphones fit
A 3.5mm audio jack (the size for fitting standard headphones) might sound like a given on a smartphone, but it’s actually more the exception than the rule. Smartphones that emphasise multimedia are more likely to have one – otherwise, it will use a proprietary connector that limits you to the headphones that come in the box. Some smartphones go halfway by using a proprietary port but include an adapter for connecting standard earbuds in the box.
Consider a keyboard
If you’re big on text messaging and email, consider a smartphone with a QWERTY keyboard. These are typically a lot faster to type on than a traditional numeric keypad as you can use both thumbs for typing and only have to press once per letter. QWERTY smartphones are available in two varieties: a keyboard on the front and a keyboard that slides out from the side.
Find the funky music
Finding new music to listen to isn’t hard, but for fuss-free, high-quality music downloads direct from your phone, you can’t go past an online music store. All of the main network carriers have their own web portal music stores (save for Optus and Virgin Mobile), but the music stores for particular smartphones platforms tend to have a wider selection of music. iTunes for the iPhone, for instance, has around ten million tracks available for purchase, while the Nokia Music Store offers around four million.
Need to access work email?
All smartphones will work with Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail and most other web email services, but if you want to access your work email, you’ll need to check that the phone supports your corporate IT system.
Need for speed
3G connectivity on a smartphone is standard, but if you’ll regularly use it for web browsing and streaming YouTube clips, then consider a device that supports the faster 7.2 Mbps HSDPA standard over the usual 3.6 Mbps HSDPA. 802.11b/g Wi-Fi is also useful if you’ve got a wireless network at home or you want to access the free Wi-Fi hotspots at public areas like McDonalds and Starbucks.
