Beginner's Guide to Smart Phones
Did you or your older siblings ever carry a PDA? You know, a personal digital assistant or a digital device to hold names numbers and email addresses, calendar entries for important dates and a few digital notes to remind you to start work on that term paper. These devices will be pocketed no more.
The PDA came onto the digital scene in 1992 with the advent of the Apple Newton and will completely vanish 15 years later in 2007 due to the rapid growth of the smart phone. Smart phones are sophisticated mobile devices with storage for more than just your friends' numbers - but email and address information too. These typically will synchronize data with your PC contact and calendar database in Microsoft Outlook via a USB cable or, better yet, with Bluetooth wireless technology.
Apple may in fact lead the way again, but this time I predict great success, with a mobile phone which incorporates a built-in iPod. This is not much of a stretch since today their immensely popular music device can hold calendar entries and contacts with ease. It makes a lot of sense to replace a phone, contact database and music player with one device. Just keeping these items powered means that a weekend road trip must include a bag full of adapters or, worse yet, a dead battery in the one you need, whose charger you forgot.
It was only a matter of time before the phone would replace the PDA as it already holds your numbers and has a display that is suitable for simple graphics like calendars. With the addition of built-in wireless connectivity and a keyboard however, you will not need to drag that laptop around with you to have instant email or Google in your pocket. Just think, you could prove yourself right to your friends, right in the middle of bar bets and even bid on eBay items while you are at the dinner table.
Today's smart phones have at least 32 MB of memory for photos, contacts, email, games and even music. Many have cameras and all have "thumby" keyboards for text input. With SMS (short messaging service) or text messaging being the new craze over actually talking, you are really going to need this keyboard.
Here's a quick view of the four most popular smart phones and what I think are their great features as well as the problems that I actually hate about them.
Motorola A630
(Available from T-Mobile for $299.99)
Great:
- Opens like a "book"
- Phone numbers on the front
- QWERTY keyboard within
Hate:
- Color screen is too small
- Photo quality is low
- Thick and bulky
- Weak software and interface
BlackBerry 7100t
(Available from T-Mobile for $199.99 after mail-in rebates)
Great:
- 240x260 full-color screen
- Bluetooth wireless for headset and syncing
- Featherweight
- Feels great to your ear
- Dialing phone numbers is a breeze
Hate:
- No camera option
- The keyboard "touch and feel" is the same so you have to watch your thumbs
- You must proofread all messages as words like "SEE" and "ARE" or "YO" and "TO" use the same keys
- No MP3 playback
- Rolling the side scroll wheel gets tiresome
- You have to click to confirm nearly everything
Treo 650
(Available from PalmOne for $449 with plan activation)
Great:
- 320x320 full-color screen
- Touch screen
- Bluetooth wireless for headset and syncing
- QWERTY keyboard is larger
- You can watch the screen while typing
- SD Slot - add a 1GB card with your MP3's!
- Runs all Palm OS applications
Hate:
- Dialing numbers on the touch screen or QWERTY keyboard
- Expensive
- Doesn't multi-task
- Heavy and a little large to hold to your face
- Why does it have an antenna? Its 2005!
- The software is a little finicky due to its complexity
SideKick II
(Available from T-Mobile for $249.99 after mail-in rebates)
Great:
- Largest keyboard of the bunch
- Wide screen display
- Works with multiple email accounts
- Works with Yahoo! and AOL PC buddies
- Multi-tasks - surf the Web while you SMS, chat or email
- Web syncing
Hate:
- Dialing phone numbers
- Talking with this "brick" up to your ear
- Limited syncing with Outlook
- Phone has had quality control and network issues
Do all of these features make it hard to choose? Yes, and even for me too. If you are looking for the ultimate pocket device, which comes at a cost premium, go with the Treo 650. If you want to move to more data and less voice, go with the SideKick - as long as you only need limited syncing capabilities with Outlook.
The T-Mobile web-based syncing is very cool since you can access your data anywhere - and if you lose your phone it's all backed up automatically. If you want more of a phone with a little email on the side, go with the BlackBerry. Finally, the Motorola phone is cool, but a bit bulky for me and its included software really only handles SMS well.
Dave Mathews is the Gadget Guy living in Dallas, Texas and remembers when a "smart phone" meant connecting an analog flip phone to his laptop for low-speed Internet access. More stories and even video clips can be found at DaveMathews.com.
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