Reply to: Pseudo-techie query on Smart Phones

[SueEllen]

I've used my iPod Touch to buy airline tickets, from abroad, in the past.

I managed to buy a kindle from a normal crappy Nokia phone using a web browser.

Obviously it would have been easier with a smartphone but needs must.

Oh and the phone operators apart from O2 have realised that data services are the way forward.

[TimberWolf]

Not from outside a wi-fi zone you haven't.

I usually check WiFi spots before going abroad. MacD's, libraries, places of learning and in the case of Ibiza, the centre of Sant Antonio by the fountain. Camp-sites and hostels also increasingly have them. Occasionally there is a small charge, but often not.

[gingerjedi]

I've used my iPod Touch to buy airline tickets, from abroad, in the past.

Not from outside a wi-fi zone you haven't.

[DS23]

Oh come on, everyone needs to fire grumpy little birds from a catapult at some point in the day.

true but it's better on a mbp than a ip.

[TimberWolf]

I've used my iPod Touch to buy airline tickets, from abroad, in the past.

[doodab]

Smart phones come in handy for lots of things

Exactly. How else can I look at porn on the train without looking like a pervert?

[amcdonald]

Just got my phone contract down to £5/month (including unlimited free to landlines), same price as my 3G dongle.
I don't get any thrill from paying 300 a year to yap to people and play flight control....

There are other uses like forgetting your satnav, and using google maps on your phone as an impromptu sat nav (download a voice app and it will even talk you to your destination)

If you sell stuff on ebay, you get notifications of customers queries to your phone and can run a 2nd businesses more easily

You can check train/tube/road congestion live on your phone saving you time

Smart phones come in handy for lots of things

[eek]

WSS.

Do you want the phone to be memory expandable by using an SD card?

And if you do don't go for the galaxy s. I don't have a clue how to get data off the internal sd card on to my 16gb external one.

Its a very good, light phone apart from that.

[TheFaQQer]

Right as I have a Samsung Galaxy S and 3 other people I'm close to have a Blackberry, iPhone and HTC all I can say is go to a store i.e. Carphone Warehouse and have a play around to see which one suits your finger size, has a large enough screen and fits your pockets best. Also pick up the Carphone Warehouse booklet as it will have basic technical details about each phone. (BTW someone I work with also has a Google Nexus S.)

Once you have eliminated one or two of those due to the size come back and ask more questions. All the phones have their pluses and minuses. For example Blackberries are great if you know lots of other people with them and you like messaging. In terms of apps lots of apps are ported to Android and iPhone so unless you have to use iTunes you won't really have a problem finding something you want.

Oh and stay away from any phone with an MS OS for a while as they aren't really that flexible in terms of changing the view.

WSS.

Find out what you like the look and feel of, and then ask questions about that model - otherwise all you'll get is a series of "iPhone is great, why would you want anything else?" / "iPhone is crap, get an HTC" / "HTC and iPhone are useless, you need a Nokia" comments.

I can't get an iPhone because there is no iTunes for Linux and I don't fancy having to fire up a virtual machine just to register my phone. I love my HTC Desire, but some people hate it.

The reason that there are so many iPhone Apps is because the browser is so tulip and can't do something as basic as show Flash - but do you want Apps or not?

Do you want the phone to be memory expandable by using an SD card? Will you want to tether your phone to use as a modem? Do you want to be able to drop files easily onto the device to use as a backup? If the answer to any of those is yes then an iPhone isn't the one for you.

[Wilmslow]

I'm sure plenty of people do pay £300+ a year just to piss about on a phone, as a contractor I find having a mini computer with instant useable email and internet access in my pocket an absolute must.

There is your answer - Blackberry all the way for useable email.

I got mine for around £14 a month all inclusive. Job done.

(Actually got the Pearl on the contract, but as I had just got a Curve 9300 to replace a faulty 8520 a month before I am keeping to the Curve, and keeping the Pearl as a spare).

[doodab]

I'm sure plenty of people do pay £300+ a year just to piss about on a phone, as a contractor I find having a mini computer with instant useable email and internet access in my pocket an absolute must.

Indeed. Indispensable doesn't really describe it.

[gingerjedi]

Just got my phone contract down to £5/month (including unlimited free to landlines), same price as my 3G dongle.
I don't get any thrill from paying 300 a year to yap to people and play flight control....

I'm sure plenty of people do pay £300+ a year just to piss about on a phone, as a contractor I find having a mini computer with instant useable email and internet access in my pocket an absolute must.

[BoredBloke]

If you are in the market for a smartphone then right now is about the worst time to be looking. In a few months a load of new handsets are going to be released which are based around dual core processors. While I appreciate that the next new thing is always just around the corner, but I've decided to hold off from upgrading my N97 and I'm waiting till the Samsung Galaxy S 2 comes out in May. If you have to keep these things for 24 months then it has to be pretty much bang up to date before you start the contract.

[TimberWolf]

I seem to remember you get your shoes from primark and refuse to pay for a hotel when you go on holiday as well. I think you might have an unrealistic perception of the value of money....

I broke those suckers in eventually, but they were tough. The issue there was not cost, but my haste and optimism in breaking in shoes that were too small, I usually buy good shoes for little money - functional shoes rather than expensive shoes whose shape bears little resemblance to that of the human foot.

Hotels are an awful waste of money.

[d000hg]

Smart phones are only designed to last about 2 years and that includes the iPhone. Otherwise why would you have a reason to upgrade it?

iPhones have pretty decent build quality and there is a big 2nd-hand market in them. Apple don't need to make the phone wear out to make you buy another one, people get a new one before the old one wears out voluntarily.