Mobile Phone Is Not Simply

¶ … mobile phone is not simply a device to make or receive voice calls. Instead, most phones are now called "Smartphones." This type of device offers more computing ability and connectivity than a phone -- and may be thought of as a handheld combination of phone, PDA, and computer. The Smartphone operates on one of several computing platforms that also allow the user to install and run applications, just as they would on a personal computer (Nusca 2009). Over the past year growth in the Smartphone platform has been exponential, to the point where a simple mobile phone is becoming rarer and rarer. In fact, in 1st Quarter 2010, almost 50 million people in the United States owned Smartphones, making it the fastest growing market segment in the United States (Gonsalves 2010).

Logistics- Once one has decided upon a Smartphone the decision is far from over. Which platform, which service, which network, 3G or 4G, which applications, cost, warranty, brand, and even style (weight and feel). The list seems daunting, so it seems appropriate to make a checklist of features and desires prior to trying 20-30 products:

Feature

Importance (HML)

Comments

Applications (3rd party)

M

Some basic applications needed, compatibility with MS Office; Google, PDFs

Battery Life

H

Very important; what is average life, is battery replaceable, etc.

Brand

M

Most modern phones are high quality, research which brand has best reputation

Camera (single, dual, video)

L

Little importance

Contract

M

Prefer shorter term but less out of pocket expense

Keyboard or Virtual

M

Some virtual keyboards are too small for fingers

Network clarity and reliability

H

Calls should be clear and reliable

Repair Issues

M

Local, send in, warranty?

Screen Size

H

Major importance; tiny screens unreadable

Speed

H

Major importance, who wants to wait?

Style (weight, feel)

L

Of little importance

Sync. With Personal Calendar

M

Would be a nice-to

User configuration

L

Not needed

Windows Applicable

L

Not needed as long as Office application available

General Recommendations -- Now that the issues have been identified, it is important to rank them in importance and then find the top 5-6 products that meet the H. criteria. Thus:

Feature

Importance (HML)

Comments

Battery Life

H

Very important; what is average life, is battery replaceable, etc.

Network clarity and reliability

H

Calls should be clear and reliable

Screen Size

H

Major importance; tiny screens unreadable

Speed

H

Major importance, who wants to wait?

Based on the above criteria, identified 5 phones: iPhone, Evo, HTC Legend, Google, Motorola Droid. All have large screens, fast speeds, and operate on 3-4G networks with high levels of reliability. The Evo and HTC Legend are rated with long battery life, the others medium battery life. Now we move to the M. category:

Feature

Importance (HML)

Comments

Applications (3rd party)

M

Some basic applications needed, compatibility with MS Office; Google, PDFs

Brand

M

Most modern phones are high quality, research which brand has best reputation

Contract

M

Prefer shorter term but less out of pocket expense

Keyboard or Virtual

M

Some virtual keyboards are too small for fingers

Repair Issues

M

Local, send in, warranty?

Sync. With Personal Calendar

M

Would be a nice-to

The Apple I-Phone has the largest number of 3rd party applications, numbering in the thousands; the rest are part of the Android operating system and have hundreds; all are available with compatibility to MS Office, all have a virtual keyboard, but the HTC keyboards are larger and more customizable. All Sync with personal calendars, and all have a 2-year warranty. A major inconvenience with the iPhone is that the user cannot even change the battery -- one must go to an Apple Center or mail the device into Apple -- downtime quite unacceptable.

The next step is to look at the prices and plans available for the phones chosen. This can be done virtually within a few minutes. Since our current contract expires, we are shopping for the least amount out of pocket. All phones but the iPhone can be easily unlocked to work with most any carrier. Most carriers charge $30-50 for activation as well. A simple spreadsheet helps compare plans, expense, etc.:

Phone

Carrier

Contract

Phone Cost w/Contact

Est. Monthly Price

Est. Contract Price including phone

IPhone

AT&T

2 yr.

$199-$299

$99-$119

$2,575-$3,155

Evo

Sprint

2 yr.

$199

$69-$89/individual

$1,855-$2,335

Google

T-Mobile