Smart Phone and the Cloud
We have seen the growth Smart Phones are powerful enough to make their predecessor the PDA, inefficient. Carry one smart phone as opposed to a cell phone, PDA, and laptop makes for a lighter load, with a all-in-one device. Whether you use it as an cell phone, organizer, e-mail client, or all of the above, getting a smart phone can be a smart move.
There are many smart phone, and just cell phone that do more than make or receive calls. Each has their advantages and disadvantages. Before you start looking at the different smart phones, you need to write down what you need in a smart phone to be productive.
Regardless of your profession and daily activities, there are three questions you need to answer before you start looking at any smart phone. Because it will make a big difference as to which one you choose.
- Coverage Area - What is the area you are going to be traveling. Cities, rural, or international? This will make a big difference. Not all cell phone carriers are created equal. In future podcast we will look at the coverage in more detail. Think about the AT&T commercials in area where there is no bars.
- Work Load - What are the application you will be needing. Will a Web 2.0 web browser be all you need? Do how about GPS or does Google maps satisfy your needs? Or do you just need a phone to impress your client base?
- Monthly Bill - Basic phone service, high speed data and subscription applications from the Apple Store can transpose to a $200 or more difference in your monthly bill.
Now that we have taken a look at the basics, let up take a look at the three most popular, newest, smart phones.
- For those who waited, the RIM BlackBerry Storm is disappointment, with its’ touchscreen. It is slow to respond to commands compared with other mobile phones. Blackberries as a whole have an excellant reputation for being functional and reliable. Give it a year or two then the Storm will be a phone worth having. For right now there are several other Blackberries out there that are well worth the money. You can find them priced from a $200 to more than $600.
- The Apple iPhone is more than a cell phone. It has a full Internet browser, a 2-mega pixel camera, and a music and video player. The iPhone is the standard all other smart phones have to compare themselves. The touchscreen device comes in the original EDGE version and a new 3G model, both for AT&T. The big downfall to the iPhone is if you want any application you have to go through the Apple Store.
- Google’s G1 phone is Google’s first offering in the smart phone market. This phone being so new has it problems, but once those problems are resolved it will be a valuable tool with its’ touchscreen and 8GB of memory.
