Smartphone vs cell phone?

[SimSportPlyr]

If this is not an appropriate question for this forum, I apologize.

I have a cell phone and am considering upgrading to a smartphone.

I am looking for some very basic information regarding the features of smartphones and the costs (both for the phone and data service). In other words, I'm looking for a dummies' guide.

Most of the information that I can find by googling seems rather old and may be dated.

Thanks in advance for any pointers.

[DRNewcomb]

The definition of "smartphone" seems to move every year. I once read a book titled, GSM Superphones (1999). What it described was a single-band digital phone with two-way text capability. At one time the definition of a "smartphone" would be any cell phone that allowed user customization via downloaded applications. Today, many phones that fit that definition would be called "dumb phones". "Smartphones" today generally have a large screen area, camera(s), are 3G (some claim 4G) and have a computer operating system (iOS, Windows, Symbian, Android, etc) that permits the installation of a number of different types of applications. The alternate "Feature phone" has the above except no or limited ability to install new applications. "Feature phones" more or less remain the way they came out of the box. The problem with "feature phones" is that the manufacturers have been pretty bad at predicting what features customers want. So, you get a phone and a year later you look at some features and ask, "Why would anyone want that"?

The two major smartphone camps are iPhone and Android. IPhone users often seem to think that everything else is déclassé. The Android operating system was developed by Google and exploded onto the market a few years ago. Android phones now have most of the apps (at least the major ones) that are available on the iPhone. This is no reason to avoid the other alternatives, Windows Mobile, Symbian & Linux. However, your choice of "cool new aps" for those platforms will be more limited than with the other two.

It largely depends on what you want a phone for if you really need a smartphone or not. However, once you have one you may discover many uses you never thought about before you started using the phone.

[SimSportPlyr]

[Wow, 180 views!]

Thanks for the reply, Dr Newcomb.

My current cell phone lacks web access, although it has a built-in camera.

A friend recommended I get an Android phone. I hope I'm being overly general, here.

Is there a dummies guide somewhere that will give me a summary of smarphone (say, Android, for example) features and costs?

Thanks.

[DRNewcomb]

There are probably a number of guides on smartphones. I don't have a pointer to them. I know there are a lot of "For Dummies" books on the subject. In reality, in the US, your choice will largely depend on the carrier you pick. CDMA carriers, like Verizon and Sprint, will only activate phones that they sell. With GSM carriers you can bring your own device but few people do. Android phones are good but they tie you to a Google account, just as iPhones tie you to Apple. You just need to be aware of that. In short, a smartphone combines all the functions of a PDA (e.g. Palm) with a phone and a digital camera, adding the communications capabilities of a network-attached computer.

Can you make some sort of statement about your anticipated use for a smartphone. Are you interested in:
Games?
Facebook?
Taking pictures?
Real time shopping assistance?
Finding your way around with maps & GPS?
Advanced communications tools (VOIP, Skype)?
Hobbies?
Job?

[SimSportPlyr]

I'm not sure how I'd use a smartphone. That's why I'm looking for information about their features.

But, of the features you mentioned, I'm more interested in taking pictures, real-time shopping, and map/GPS than in games and facebook.

[DRNewcomb]

But, of the features you mentioned, I'm more interested in taking pictures, real-time shopping, and map/GPS than in games and facebook.

Most phones have a decent, easy to use, camera. One application that retailers hate is the one that allows you to scan barcodes and instantly look up prices for the same item online. For this to work well, you need a phone with a good autofocus camera. Many phones have fixed-focus cameras that do well from a few feet to infinity but don't take good pictures close up. Some phones have a 2nd camera facing you that can be used for video calling using Skype and similar apps. Most smartphones have GPS and a Google Maps application. Some phones (e.g. Nokia) have stand-alone GPS/Map applications that work even if you don't have a cellular signal but you have to preload the maps you need. Most phones have the ability to use WiFi to connect to the Internet. Using WiFi can improve your data speed, help control data costs and give more communications option.

I use my phone mostly as a communications tool. I can read & send e-mail. Use various VOIP & IM services, etc. You'd be surprised how many of my friends are easier to reach on Facebook than any other way. My wife has the newer, better phone. With hers we use the barcode scanner, Skype, GPS navigation, plus she plays Angry Birds and is on Facebook a lot. She uses it as a handy substitute for a PC. Some phones have short battery life when used this way and need to be frequently recharged.

One consideration is the keyboard. I dislike typing on a glass screen. I would prefer a real keyboard. Some phones are either 1/2 screen and 1/2 keyboard or have a keyboard that slides out from under the phone. It's a trade-off of big screen area vs a real keyboard.

Another issue is accessories. You can get every accessory you can think of for an iPhone (or i-anything) and even a bunch of accessories you would never have thought of. Other phones are not so easy to accessorize. Oh sure, you can get cases and chargers but do you know that there are stands you plug an iPhone into that make it a "clock radio" or project the screen onto the wall?

Let me ask if you have a preference of carrier? Do most people in your area use one particular carrier? Do you live in a city or rural area? Do you spend much time in the boondocks?

[SimSportPlyr]

Thanks for the thorough reply!

I have a preference for Verizon, because so many of my friends and relatives have Verizon, and also because I am still under contract to them.

[DRNewcomb]

I have a preference for Verizon, because so many of my friends and relatives have Verizon, and also because I am still under contract to them.

Verizon has a very good network, particularly in the N.E. but they are also the "high priced spread" of wireless companies. They have fairly expensive data plans. If you have a smartphone on Verizon it will have to be one of the phones they sell and you will be on contract for a long time.

[SimSportPlyr]

So, it is possible to characterize, roughly speaking, the difference in cost between a data service and a non-data service?

Thanks.

[DRNewcomb]

My wife had a "dumb phone" on a "nationwide" plan with 300 minutes and no included texts for something like $35/mo. We "upgraded" that to a smartphone plan with 500 minutes, 500 texts and "unlimited" data for about $60/mo. AFAIK, with various carriers, roughly the same or better runs between $50 to $100 per month, before tax. The taxes vary widely between the different states.

[SimSportPlyr]

Thanks, DRNewcomb!

[StarBlueText.]

If this is not an appropriate question for this forum, I apologize.

I have a cell phone and am considering upgrading to a smartphone.

I am looking for some very basic information regarding the features of smartphones and the costs (both for the phone and data service). In other words, I'm looking for a dummies' guide.

Most of the information that I can find by googling seems rather old and may be dated.

Thanks in advance for any pointers.

First off, what is it you want to do with your mobile? If you have found that your feature phone does not have enough "feature" for you, the next logical step is to get a smartphone.

If you are just wanting to text, even a smartphone with a larger screen and virtual keyboard would probably make you happier than the keypad you have been using.

The first question to ask is, "What would I want my smartphone to do for me that my feature phone is not doing?"

[SimSportPlyr]

StarBlueText, thanks for the reply.

I don't have a clear answer for you question, because I'm still looking for basic information about smartphone features as I mentioned in the original post.

That said, i am aware that smartphones have web access and GPS, which I would like.

Does my current non-smartphone have enough features for me? Maybe. It's all a matter of cost vs features, and I don't have a good handle on cost yet, although Dr Newcomb's $50-100/month figure is helpful.