Mobile Phone Buying Guide
Which mobile phone is right for you?
When I was a teenager, I was terrified of walking into clothes boutiques. They were so cool. And I wasn’t. Well, welcome to the 21st-century clothes boutique - the mobile phone shop. Bluetooth, sir? Perhaps madam would like some more expandable memory? Snigger snigger. Ignore them. You’re the customer and if you don’t buy, they don’t eat.
But it can be daunting. There are so many mobile phones to choose from (check out some reviews here), and you don’t want to part with a lorry load of cash based on a glossy advert.
So, if you want to buy the mobile phone that’s right for you and use it with your head held high and proud, you’d better read on.
Points to Ponder
Design
Appearance can be a wonderful thing. A great-looking mobile phone can make you feel a million dollars. And some of them can cost that much. But, wait. Looks can be deceiving. Beneath that gloss black or mirror finish lie the most important bits, the features and how easy they are to use.
First up, let’s familiarise ourselves with the main types of design. There’s the no-nonsense chocolate-bar look, such as the Nokia N82; flip-up mobile phones like the Motorola KRZR K1, or the sliders, like the Nokia E65, in which the keypad peeps out when you slide the screen up. Some ultra-flashy mobile phones even do a fancy scissors-slide. See the Samsung X830.
Using your phone a lot? You’ll want a comfortable one with easy-to-use features. Look, too, at the layout of the screen and keypad. You want keys that are comfortable to press and with a screen that’s big enough to read.
Features
Are you a no-frills, meat-and-two-veg person or a smoked salmon fillets, baked between layers of potato, drizzled with fennel seeds and dill sort of person? Whichever camp you’re in will probably affect how many features you want on your mobile phone. Phone camera, MP3 player, video calling and email can be meat (or posh salmon) to one person; to you, they could be poison.
How do you want to use your mobile phone? If you sit on a train all day gazing out of the window, an MP3 player and loads of memory (important to check this) so you can store your entire music collection could help pass the time nicely - an expandable memory slot can add even more memory. Use it just for work? Email could be good. Want to unleash your inner geek? You’ll want every feature under the sun. Let’s see what might tempt you.
Bluetooth™
Bluetooth sounds like some kind of ancient woolly mammal or a dental problem. It’s not. It’s a very modern way of using wireless technology. With Bluetooth, you can connect to accessories like wireless headsets. This means you can use your phone while driving without annoying Plod. Bluetooth will work up to about 10 metres and is not affected by walls. Unless it gets thrown against one, which we wouldn’t recommend.
Cameras
If you’re in the ‘I’ve got a camera, why do I need one on my phone’ camp, look away now. For everyone else, you’ll enjoy being able to take pictures, shoot video and send them to your mates. You can do this with Bluetooth, infrared (a bit like Bluetooth, but slower) or MMS (multimedia message service). With this technology, you can create, send, and receive text messages with images, audio and video from one mobile to another, or to an email address. Hey, with some phones you can even send your photos to an Internet weblog. You can probably upload them to your favourite social network site. How cool is that? Or silly. Depending on your stance.
Expandable Memory
Want to store more photos, music or applications? You’ll need an expandable memory slot. Just get the right memory card for your mobile phone.
Java Games
If you think games begin and end with Scrabble and Monopoly, you can probably forget about Java. And we’re not talking about coffee. It’s a programming language that makes mobile phone games. Check yours supports Java games and the particular game you want to play.
Mobile TV
What? Yes, you really can watch TV on your mobile in some countries. What’s that? If you want to watch TV, you’ll watch TV. Fair enough, but you can’t carry your 40” widescreen down the High Street, well not easily anyway. The UK hasn’t yet implemented this. But it will, and soon.
Texting
Yes, mobile phones can still be used for sending text message. Amazing eh? With SMS, you can send a short message, and with MMS (multimedia message service), you can send text and images. Check out your monthly limit or their cost if you’re on a pay-as-you-go plan. Finally, predictive text. This guesses what you’re writing and has a go at each word for you. If you find that annoying, you probably like knitting. Hey, nothing wrong with knitting.
Ringtones
Ringtones are those sounds that tell you someone’s calling. They exist solely to disrupt your train journey and to wind you up. New mobile phones use ‘polyphonic’ tones. Polly parrot what? Polyphonic is a sort of 3D version of a normal sound. Want some hip-hop ring-tone toons? You need MP3 ringtones, Real Tones or True Tones. Ask your kids!
Roaming
Going on holiday used to be called going on holiday. Now it’s called roaming. That’s because mobile phones can’t connect to your normal network. If you’re off to sunny Spain, you might have to ask your network to enable roaming. It costs more too so check the cost before running up a large bill.
SIM Card
More techie stuff. A SIM is a small card with a chip (no, not THAT sort of chip). It holds your mobile phone number and lets you generally use your mobile phone. It can also stores numbers and texts.
Speakerphone
Want to chat while driving? Don’t hold your phone to your ear, or the boys in blue will develop an interest in you. Use your speakerphone. Also useful when you’re at work and want to bring more folk into the conversation.
Shop Around
Before you part with cash, shop around. Your choice might have an amazing camera or be the world’s greatest MP3 player, but if it doesn’t do the basics then it’s going to be a little pointless.
Battery Life
A beeping phone is a nuisance and can cause deep rage. Or is that just me? Phones beep because they’re about to run out of battery power and need recharging. If this happens every day, you will want to hurl your mobile phone into a crevasse. Particularly if you’re using your early-morning alarm function to wake yourself up and the phone battery runs out. Make sure your phone has good battery life of at least three days. Check the details in our mobile phone review section.
Happier now? Well off you go and check out some of our Mobile Phone Reviews, and then walk tall in that new clothes boutique!
Copyright Gadget Heaven™ 2008.
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