GITweekly

Let’s begin with some honesty. Because, apparently, that’s the best policy. I don’t really know what that policy pertains to, but if it makes me feel good then I’ll do it. Whatever “it” is. As long as it’s not sharp or too hot.

The honesty bit is that I own an iPhone. A 16Gb 3Gs to be more precise. It’s nice. I like it. It makes me feel vaguely warm inside. Mainly inside my head. As I make phone calls. That could be dangerous.

Anywaygeolay, the cliched answer that we’re all waiting to hear is that you need to get the one that makes you happy. Story done. Try the veal. What do we really think?

• Get the one that looks and feels the best. Or…
• Get the one that won’t confuse you.

First, like a fine bottle of wine, are the looks:

Looks wise, on the left we have the young hipster. The telephonium-day-jor, if you like. The touch screen smartphone has become supremely popular because everyone wants to be like Mike, AKA the iPhone. Touchscreen phones minimise the number of buttons they brandish by maximising the use of the touch screen. This leads to major fingerprint problems,

but new versions like Samsung’s Galaxy and the iPhone 3Gs have coatings on their screens that counteract the fish and chip grease.

Moving on to the middle, we’re seeing the venerable full qwerty keypadded smartphone. These phones have been popularised by vapid socialites for a decade or so but have gained a professional fanbase because the keypad can make replying to emails quick and easy – a bit like said socialite. The screens on these puppies are generally not touchscreen but they still use icons for navigation.

Lastly we’re seeing the Frankenstein mobiles. Phones like the Nokia N97 combine the magic of the touchscreen with the hide-away full qwerty keypad. Is this a good thing? Probably not. They’re big, heavy, bulky but they can do just about everything.

Assuming my iPhone didn’t exist which would I choose?

Going by looks or in tech terms, the form factor, I’d kick the pop-out keyboard phones to the kerb. Phones like the HTC Touch Pro2 and the Nokia N97 just blow out those jeans pockets. They may throw the kitchen sink into the mix but a mobile phone should be just that, mobile.

So that leaves the touchscreen phone and the full keypad phones. Line ball really. It would all come down to what I was doing – work and play-wise. If I was needing to email or edit a document of decent length then the full keypad phone is a no-brainer. Otherwise the sheer all-round nature of the smartphone is too persuasive. I think the sleek lines of the touchscreen phones make for a bit of a fashionable statement too.

Now we move on to the “will this phone confuse me” section.

If you fall into the category of simpleton like me or the “I just don’t want to work too hard at it” category then the touchscreen mobile is the shiz. The only usability quibbles I’d have with phones like this are that they need to be responsive. Tap the icon for a function and it has to happen, now. Scroll with my finger and the screen should move in time with my calloused appendage. The iPhone 3Gs has this functionality down pat. It’s intuitive. Swipe your finger and it just goes. Reports from some users of LG and Samsung touchscreens say that aren’t as responsive and this can lead to mashing at the screen with cranky fingers. Try it for yourself though. All in all the touchscreens have big icons for programs and functions. Find the icon and touch it. Sorted.

For those with a little more phone confidence and the need for the external qwerty pad could go for the Blackberry style of phone. Trackballs and multi-directional buttons allow navigation and it can almost become a no look affair. Three clicks to the left – email. Once you get the hang of it your’e set in much the same way as the touchscreen models.

Managing your phones is becoming easier and easier too. Programs that come with the phones like iTunes for the iPhone and the Blackberry Desktop Manager for, you guessed it, the Blackberry allow you to add music, backup the phone, and add/remove programs. The latest version of iTunes has a fantastic function allowing you to organise the placement of program icons on the phone. Tre brilliant and tre easy to use. So overall, whichever phone you choose you can easily maximise its potential. Sweet.

Lastly, and currently quite topical, is the choice of operating system. No longer is this choice based on the brand. Some brands have phones with different operating systems. iPhones and Blackberries run their own unique systems. HTC and Samsung on the other hand try to please everyone.

Overall the main operating systems (OS) are:

• iPhone – Simple to use. Very intuitive. Fast. Uses an on-screen keyboard (of course). Super locked down by Apple (you can’t even change the desktop wallpaper). Add programs from the phone or via the App Store on iTunes. One of the easiest to pick up and use. Great for multi-media via the iPod functionality (replaces that old iPod shuffle).
• Blackberry – Utilises either trackball (Bold) or touchscreen (Storm). Fairly intuitive. Icon based. Add programs via the Blackberry store. Great integration with business mail servers.
• Android – The Google mobile phone OS. Could be the one to watch. Intuitive. Getting faster (via better hardware and new software updates). Newer models use the onscreen keyboard. Older models have a qwerty keyboard hidden away. Easy to customise. More and more software available via the Google marketplace (online store). Uses “widgets” or mini programs on the home screen.
• Symbian – Mainly used by Nokia. This is old school and is dated compared to the others. It may appear familiar to you or it may feel a little counter intuitive to use.
• Windows Mobile – Pack a lot of punch but can be super confusing and super counter intuitive. Not for the faint hearted. Good for tech savvy business-folk.

So. Buying a new smartphone? Good luck and enjoy. We’ll leave you with our top twelve tips for buying a smartphone, the simpleton way.

• Don’t be pressured by sales people. They may know phones but they also know profit margins.
• Carefully choose your phone plan. Smartphones encourage big time data use when you get the hang of it. Look for caps with lots of data.
• Listen to people who have the same phone. If they’re nice they’ll tell you what’s painful about their phones.
• Make sure your phone can get the most out of your carrier (NextG users take note).
• Do your initial research at home. There are plenty of quality sites out there offering to tell you what’s what.
• Don’t rush the decision. 2 year contracts on a disappointing phone is a long time.
• The phone may be new but the operating system may be quite dated (Nokia buyers beware – Symbian is old).
• The operating system may be new but you may be locked out of a lot of functions that other phones offer. For example, beware the iPhones limitations. You can’t even bluetooth a file/image to another phone and you can only run one program at a time. This can be hugely frustrating.
• Android phones are very Google centric. Good for people with GMail accounts and the like, bad for other people.
• Check out the battery life of smartphones. If you have no access to chargers during the day – beware. My iPhone 3Gs barely gets a day out of its battery.
• Think about insurance. When you drop yours down the toilet because you’ve been watching Simpsons re-runs on the phone you’ll want some coverage.
• Buy the coolest one.