Get Smart: Cell phones combine functionality and ease
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Smart devices change the cell phone gameBy Shannon Cohen
Contributing Reporter
Carrying a cell phone and personal digital assistant (PDA) is no longer necessary. Consumers can now lighten their load by buying a "smart phone--the perfect device for a consumer who needs to be able to listen to music, surf the Web, send/receive e-mails, picture/text message and talk all with one device.
A smart phone is the combination of a PDA and cell phone. These devices are practically handheld computers with a phone capability.
Although being able to utilize all these applications from one device may be convenient; convenience comes with a price. The suggested retail price for these phones average at about $300.
In addition to the expensive phone prices, smart phones generally come with a two-year contract. To avoid having to constantly renew contracts, it may be in the consumers' best interest to choose a phone they would likely keep for awhile.
However, some companies allow customers to buy new phones during their contract. For those who prefer not to constantly have to renew their contract, making a list of features needed and comparing phones could possibly eliminate a lot of the hassle.
Though all these phones contain various features and downloadable applications, consumers should focus less on the popularity of the device and more on the functionality they prefer.
The following are some of the top brands for smart phones:
Apple iPhone 3GS 16GB ($199) Just when consumers thought the Apple craze was over; Apple surprised them once again with the sleek, candy bar shaped iPhone 3GS. This lightweight phone provides up to 12 hours of talk time, nine hours of Wi-Fi internet use, video camera, voice control, compass, 10 hours of video playback and hundreds of downloadable applications.
Blackberry Curve 8900 ($149.99) The Blackberry series has become increasingly popular among consumers worldwide. Many sport the compact, four-inch device. The lightweight device comes with a built in camera, Wi-Fi, GPS navigation, media player, organizer, browser and much more. It also contains five and half hours of talk time, 15 days of standby time and a 35 key QWERTY keyboard.
Google G1 ($149.99) Google's very own G1, is for the consumer who wants the iPhone experience for a reasonable price. The device contains a large touch screen, full sized QWERTY board, music player, 3.2 MP camera, 3G Network, Wi-Fi access and Bluetooth connectivity. It also has the ability to download thousands of applications. However, the phone is only available with T-mobile.
Palm Pre ($199.99) The new, innovative Palm Pre is ideal for hose who wish to utilize several applications simultaneously. The Palm Pre contains layered calendars and linked contacts, activity cards, intuitive notifications, combined messaging, universal search, email, wi-fi and GPS, Palm services and many downloadable applications.
Samsung Omnia ($189.99) The excessively thin Samsung Omnia is a full touch-screen, candy bar phone that comes equipped with Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional, TouchWiz technology, high-speed connectivity, full HTML web browsing, 5MP autofocus camera, video and audio support and GPS navigation.