Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Mobile Phone Buying Guide: 5 things you must consider!

Mobile phones are available with tons of features these days. But have we ever stopped to think which features are important to us and which might not be? I'm sure over the course of many years, all of us have bought at least one mobile phone which we would have regretted buying. Even though most of us go through so many reviews that are available online, we still want to get the latest and greatest mobile phone only to find that it does not fit our lifestyle. Well in order to address this, this article will describe 5 things that you must consider before buying your next mobile phone. Keeping these 5 things in mind while reading your next mobile phone review will greatly help you to understand the review better and choose your next gadget wisely.


1.Form Factor

Mobile Phones basically come in 3 form factors: Candy Bar, Slider and Flip. You need to choose wisely which one of these will suit you. Some of us prefer to just have a candy bar which is the easiest to use, but one potential drawback is that you could accidentally press one of the keys and could be dialling someone overseas. So setting the phone to auto keypad lock is very important. Slider and Flip phones are generally better looking than Candy Bar phones and do not leave the keypad exposed.

Another key point is to consider what size you are most comfortable with. Slider and Flip Type mobile phones are generally smaller than Candy Bar phones and can fit easily into your pockets. If you like to flaunt your physique and generally wear tight jeans, it would just make sense to go for Sliders and Flip Types. This also will ensure that you dont accidentally press any keys on a Candy Bar phone while you are pulling the mobile phone out of your tight pocket.

2.Screen Attributes

Screen attribute is the next thing to watch out for. What kind of screen are you looking for? A normal mobile phone screen with no bells and whistles? Or a touch screen? If you are a heavy text message user, you should go for phone with no touch screen but one which offers a keypad instead. This is the most easiest and fastest way to type those text messages. Touch screens offer 2 types: Using a stylus and using your bare fingers. Stylus is good for people who use their mobile phones as PDAs and would like to take quick notes during meetings. Its also a very good fit for those who are looking for handwriting recognition. But if you are not using your phone to scribble any notes during those meetings and would still like a touch screen, then you should go for those mobile phones where you can use your fingers on the touch screen. Stylus operation can be cumbersome at times and this might be a good alternative.

One major point to note about the screen of your phone is how well it performs under direct sunlight. If you are constantly on the move and use your phone outdoors most of the time, choose a mobile phone whose screen performs well under sunlight. Most mobile phone screens don’t! This is one factor which is not considered in mobile phone reviews – so watch out! Do some research yourself.

3.Connectivity

Next we look at what kind of connectivity we are looking for in the mobile phone. Is it 2G, 3G or Wi-Fi? Well it all depends on your usage and your data plans as well. If you are one who tends to surf the web like I do, go for a 3G phone. But you should also take your data plan into consideration here. Unless you are not on an unlimited data plan I suggest you don’t choose a 3G phone. It’s going to cost you a bomb! If you still want to surf the internet, then go for a Wi-Fi phone. But then you will need to find a Wi-Fi hotspot every time you want to connect to the internet and surf. Wi-Fi phones are also very good for those who intend to run VoIP software to make calls (like Skype).

4.Operating System

This is a very important attribute of a mobile phone – what OS does the phone run on? It could be Windows Mobile, Symbian OS or Apple’s proprietary OS which runs on a Unix platform. The look and feel is one important factor here. Another thing is whether you will be running a ton of applications. Some Operating Systems are more stable than others, so it depends on your usage. Some Operating Systems give a better look and feel to the mobile phone itself. But if you choose a phone with the wrong operating system for your usage, you might just end up crashing the phone!

5.Applications

Last but not least, do some research on what applications are available for your next mobile phone. These could be applications available from the manufacturer or from third parties. Look at the quantity and quality of applications available. Some might want to download games while some others might be looking for financial software applications. So if your mobile phone does not support the applications that are essential for your lifestyle, stay away from the phone. Choose one which suits your lifestyle.

I hope that the above 5 points will guide you in your next mobile phone purchase. Give it a bit of thought; write in a piece of paper. Choose your next mobile phone wisely keeping these points in mind. I’m sure that you will not regret your next purchase. Don’t forget to check out some of the other cool stuff that is available on my blog. Have Fun!

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2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Me, the only factor I consider is my Budget & my Lifestyle.

Raj said...

Hi bm,

I agree budget is most important. I thought that's too obvious and didn't include it here. The 5 points that I have included here are basically referring to lifestyle. So you've hit the nail on the head - its budget and lifestyle as you have rightly put!