Here is a brief list of things that you might want to consider when choosing or buying a smartphone.
This Guides Outline
- Accessories
- Hotspot Capability
- Indoor and Outdoor Photos
- Camera Flash
- PC Compatibility
- Syncing Options
- Phone Dependency or Addiction
Accessories
If you’re buying the coolest newest phone that just came on the market, or an off branded device, or just a good phone that’s not necessarily a best seller but it fulfils what you need from a phone then you might want to research the available accessories for that device a bit before hand to see if they are available for that device.
Imagine the disappointment and frustration of dropping your brand new smartphone within the first month or two and breaking it because you couldn’t find a protective case to buy for it. Accidents do happen after all and it’s always better to be prepared for when they do.
Cases are one of the more important accessories to bear in mind for a smartphone in my opinion but don’t forget to consider car chargers, regular chargers, screen protectors, and even spare batteries as well.
Hotspot
Technology is great! Did you know that some phones can actually be used as an internet source? That’s right! You can actually turn your phone into a wireless modem and connect other devices to it in order to access the internet.
So let’s say you have a laptop, a tablet, or another wireless device, perhaps even another smartphone that you need or would like to connect to the internet. Well if your phone has the ability to become a hotspot then look no further, you just this feature on and connect your other devices to it. It also allows your internet to become mobile too; you’re no longer stuck at home, or in need of having something plugged into the wall.
Now there is a catch, you usually have to pay extra on your monthly bill, it’s not limitless internet, and you’ll need to have a decent signal strength on the smartphone in order to produce a strong enough connection to provide the internet. But it is something to consider if you would like to have the ability to be on the move and have access a wireless internet.
Taking Pictures Indoors and Outdoors
I had a colleague once who had just purchased a new smartphone which took beautiful pictures when indoors and she was very happy with some pictures she took of her family around the house during a family reunion. When it was time to take a few full family photos though and there was no room inside the house to do it everyone went outside. She tried taking a few pictures and the pictures were bright and blurry. Luckily she had her digital camera too, but needless to say she was a little disappointed.
When researching a phone or when you first get a smartphone try taking some pictures both indoors and outdoors noon and evening. Just make sure to try to get the quality from your smartphones camera that you are going to be happy with.
Show me the Light!
Does the camera on the phone have a flash? Or did the manufacturer save a few cents by not putting one on the phone? There are plenty of reasons why you would want a flash on your phones camera but also consider that this feature can be used as a flashlight on most smartphones and a flashlight can come in handy more often than you might think.
It might not be the most important piece of hardware or most important specification to consider when deciding on a cell phone and it’s true that most smartphones do include a built in flash but try not to overlook this nifty little feature.
Mac and Windows compatibility
There has been more than one occasion where I have had a hard time getting a Smartphone running on the Android or Windows operating systems to connect and sync to a Mac computer or even a Windows computer. Sometimes a smartphone can seem to sync and connect fine on a Windows computer while just refuses to connect to a Mac; and vise versa.
If you can’t sync your phone to a computer you might run into problems when its times to upgrade the phones operating system or when trying to perform a backup.
Consider Syncing Options
When backing up your phone how does the phone actually communicate with the computer?
Do you have to sync it through iTunes, like an iPhone?
Can you plug it into a computer and open folders to view files, basically turning your phone into a removable flash drive, allowing you to copy and paste files from your smartphone to your computer, like you can on many Android smartphones?
Does the manufacturer require you to download a specific program off of their website before you can sync your phone to a computer like Blackberry and their BlackBerry Desktop Software?
Some Smartphones are easier to backup than others and this syncing factor shouldn’t be a huge thing to consider as some computers can be more stubborn than others regardless of the smartphone you are trying to connect to them but this is something that you might want to at least inquire about when making your selection.
Phone Addiction or Dependency
Society has experienced drug addictions, alcohol addiction, food addictions, and the next big truth is probably going to be phone addiction. People have become dependent on their smartphones and are convinced that they NEED a phone.
“How could people have survived before without cell phones?” is fraise that I have heard more than once.
Now the word addict could be a little bit of a stretch but the next time you go out to eat at a restaurant take a quick look or walk around to see how many cell phones are sitting on top of the table, or how many people are using their cell phone as opposed to talking to the person at the table with them.
People seem to need to have their cell phone close by for their next fix. What if I get a text, miss a call, someone updates their blog, Facebook, Twitter or I get an email, etc. People don’t think about it but they have become addicted to their phone in a way. So if this is your first smartphone or just a plain regular phone beware, all you need to do is try it once and you might be hooked.
Want to learn more?
This article is PART 8 of Choosing a smartphone. Click HERE to start at the beginning or feel free to jump to a different part in this series of posts by selecting one of the links below.
Part 1: Choosing a Smartphone – Getting Started
Part 2: Specifications to Consider when Choosing a Smartphone
Part 3: Choosing a Smartphone Operating System
Part 4: Choosing a Smartphone Manufacturer
Part 5: How to Choose the Best Wireless Service Provider
Part 6: Smartphone Buying Tips
Part 7: Things to Check in Person after Buying a Smartphone
Part 8: Things Often Overlooked when Choosing a Smartphone (YOU ARE HERE)
What do you think?
What do you think are some of the things that people often overlook when choosing a smartphone that was not listed in any of the resources listed above? I am interested to read about what you have to say so don’t hesitate to let me know what you think in the comment section below.
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Thanks for visiting, good luck on your quest in regards to choosing a smartphone and I hope you have a wonderful day.