Finding a Perfect Phone

The market for a new cell phone is daunting. There is not one best solution for everyone one. This article is a list of questions that you can ask to help you narrow down what type of cell phone to look for with a few suggestions of each one.

• What type of phone do I want? Smart Phone vs. Not so Smart Phone (Basic Phone): Many people who have older flip phones feel pressured to upgrade to Smart Phones. Everyone seems to have them and it seems embarrassing somehow to flip your phone open in order to call. Why should a person switch phone types?
  

I think that the most important reason might be the many features that the SmartPhone has that are easier to access than on the flip (or earlier) phone. Here are some of the features that might make you want to switch:


• Camera - if this is important to you check the quality of the camera. You want at least 5 megapixels.
• Map and GPS
• Possibility to do email and chat easily
• listen to radio, pandora, podcasts
• stop watch, alarm clock, timer
• weather
• download other apps 
• contacts - I always have them with me to remind me of someone's address when I forgot to look ahead of driving. I can also click the address and it opens up in the map!
•  some I use regularly: flashlight, DMD (360 degree panorama camera), angry birds game, grocery IQ (keeps my grocery list), Yelp (reviews of restaurants), Facebook (good while waiting in a Dr's office or some other place). 
• some I use occasionally, but am glad I have: twitter, fandango to find movies and buy tickets, register-works with my phone to make it a cash register, calculator turns my phone into a calculator, inigma allows me to read QR codes, Google Earth, Nasa, etc...

• Do I want to change carriers? 
Be sure to check first what phones are carried by each company. They all


have different possibilities. If you have a plan that connects you for free with family members using the same company you may not want to change. If you are in the middle of a 2 year contract you need to find out how much it will cost to get out of the contract. 

• What size of phone do I want?
Some phones have larger screens which are easy to see (Samsung Galaxy series), but they are a bit larger and may not fit in your pocket or where ever you are used to keeping your phone. Basic cell phones are the smallest ones, but may not have the features you are wanting. It is a good idea to try out different phones to see how you like the touch screen if you have never used one. They tend to be more sensitive to wet or dry fingers.  They are difficult to use for people who have issues with small motor movements. For some people they are easier to use than a basic phone especially for things like taking pictures.

• Do I want WiFi?
Smart Phones can communicate just like a basic phone using connections

with the cell phone towers OR they can use WiFi if you have it in your home, in coffee shops, or other places that have WiFi. The benefit of WiFi use for your Smart Phone is that when you use the Cell Phone towers for searching the Internet and other data functions it uses up the amount you are paying for your data plan. My plan began by giving me 200 mb and I kept using more than that. When I used more they charged me $15 for every increment of space used.  When I am in a location with WiFi I make sure to get online (SETTINGS>WiFi>choose a network and put in the password). That way I use less Data space.

• What type of keyboard do I want?
Basic phones use the letters on the number pad when you want to text something. For example, 1 is abc, so if you want a c you press 1 three times. There are also basic phones that have a full keyboard that slides out and has small buttons. Smart Phones have full keyboards which most people use with their thumbs to type messages. If you want to use your phone as a phone and nothing else this does not apply to you. If you text along with talking on the phone a full keyboard can be helpful.

• How much do I want to spend?
There are so many variations of the cost of cell phones that I cannot even go into it. SmartPhones will cost a bit more for the phone and then the monthly service is more. They also require you to pay for a data plan every month even though you may not use it. The data plan covers anything that uses the Internet or email rather than basic phone calling. Another possibility is to get a "pay as you go" phone where you pay ahead of time a month or so at a time instead of signing a 2 year agreement. This concern will vary from person to person. If you do not need or want the extra features of a Smart Phone you should not feel pressured into getting one. The cost is much higher.

• Does battery life matter?
Different phones have longer and shorter battery lives. The length of battery life is also dependent on what you are doing with the phone. The battery goes down fast on certain programs that are power hogs. One example is finding your location. If you are using the Map feature and getting directions from the phone you will find the battery running out. Another power hog is watching YouTube or DVDs. 

This article has a chart of different cell phones and how long they keep power if they are just used for calling and talking. http://reviews.cnet.com/2719-11288_7-290-1.html

Some Resources

I used some of these websites for guidance as I wrote. They might be helpful for you to look at directly.

http://cellphones.about.com/od/buyersguides/qt/best_cell_phone.htm - ABOUT.COM has a list of questions that lead to suggestions. This list of phones may be outdated, but the questions can be helpful.

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2347798,00.asp  - PC Magazine offers a more up to date list which is mostly about SmartPhones. At the end of the article are links to more specific articles on different types of phones and different carriers.

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/cell-phones-services.htm - Consumer Reports is always a good place to look for info before purchasing. You must register to get some of the information.

http://www.trustedreviews.com/best-smartphone_round-up#disqus_thread - If you want a Smart Phone this is a good summary of the different phones. It is written for a British audience, so it uses Pounds rather than dollars, but the descriptions are helpful.

Places to find REAL Geeks

Today’s post is a little different. I want to share with you some things I have been learning while trying to make connections. One place I am contacting is small IT companies. These are companies that are started by people who are real Geeks. They know how to repair computers and they often buy, sell or repair all types of technology. 

The very first thing you should do when you are going to purchase a computer is ask WHAT AM I GOING TO USE THE COMPUTER FOR? If you just want to type some papers or look at Facebook online and email a bit you will not need a brand new computer with lots of memory. However if you are wanting to watch movies or edit photos and video you need a computer with enough memory and speed that you do not have to wait every time you click until the computer works. Always be ready with that information when you talk to someone about purchasing.

I started by looking at http://yelp.com. I think that YELP is a good place to look when you are wondering about a service (or restaurant, or business). Many businesses are listed and ordinary people who use their services write short reviews of their experience with the business and rate them with one to five stars. Usually you can learn a lot by reading what people say about businesses and how many stars they give. There are always some customers who are not happy, but if it is only one or two out of 25 usually that is a pretty good sign.

Here are some of the companies I learned about through Yelp.

StarTech PC 

http://startechpc.com 

PC Genie 

http://www.pcgeniecomputerrepair.com/

Voted the #1 Computer Repair place in Austin in 2012. They have a page on recycling computers. They will take your old, non fixable equipment (Desktop Computer, Laptop Computer, Hand Held Device, Mobile Phone, Games Console, or Flat Screen Monitor). Shocking Fact: Up to 20 million “obsolete” PCs are discarded annually in the USA alone. They say, “let’s waste less” 

Nerd Austin

http://www.nerdaustin.com/

Mr. Notebook

http://www.mrnotebook.com/

Mr. Computer 

http://www.mrcomputeraustin.com/

Computer Medic of Austin

http://www.computermedicaustin.com/

If you need a new computer or laptop and cannot spend what it would cost to get a brand new one you may want to check out these businesses (first on Yelp to see what other customers say!). Most of them have used computers for sale at a very affordable price.

Questions to ask about a used computer purchase:

1.  How long will this computer in it's current condition last?

2.  Are there some things that cannot be loaded on this computer? (older computers have smaller memories than newer ones and you may not be able to install more memory.

3. How long is the warrenty on this computer? As soon as you purchase the computer use it as much as you can during that time to be sure it does not have problems. 

Besides the savings when you purchase a used computer think also of the fact that you are keeping one more computer from being thrown into a landfill, at least until you are done with it!

P.S. I have I’m not a Geek listed on Yelp. If you have worked with me and have anything to say feel free to rate your experience and write your comments!