Singing Pig

Smartphones

Smartphones are one of the newest technology trends, and are becoming more and more popular. A smartphone is a mobile phone that has increased functionality, with abilities similar to a PDA such as email, Internet and organiser tools. If you want to buy a smartphone, there are a few things that you should know before making your choice:

Operating systems

There are two major operating systems for the current range of smartphones, created by Symbian and Microsoft. The Symbian system is the current market leader, with few smartphones being compatible with the Microsoft Windows Mobile 2003 for smartphone. technology. However, there are other systems around, and it pays to look at each one before making a choice. Pocket PC phones often run on Microsoft Windows Mobile 2003 for Pocket PC, which has greater functionality than the smartphone options. There is also a Linux operating system currently being developed, called Qtopia. This system will have similar functionality to the current operating systems, but it will be much more stable due to its Linux platform. The best way to see which system is right for you is to look at which smartphone you prefer, and then test out the system.

Organisation

One of the most popular reasons for buying a smartphone is its organisational capabilites. Many people like the idea of having these functions on their mobile, rather than having to opt for a PDA device. Most smarphones allow you to organise dates and contact information, and then synchronise this with data on your PC, or vice versa.

Email

If you are looking to buy a smartphone, then email is one of the functions that might interest you. Many smartphones allow you to send and receive email, and can be synchronised with your PC. If email is an important feature for you, then you should look at the Blackberry range of smartphones. These smartphones have the best email technology, with something called push email. This means that instead of having to connect each time to check email, your messages are pushed directly onto your mobile, acting like an always on Internet connection. This means you can receive emails immediately, which is good if you are in a business where quick responses are important.

Internet browsing

Internet browsing on smartphones is much better than the standard WAP text based pages of normal mobile phones. Smartphones can browse HTML pages in the same way as the normal internet. However, due to the screen size and lack of Java compatibility, many pages will not work or will look strange. If you are thinking about using the Internet on a smarphone, check that you can access the pages that you will need, or that there are smartphone specific sites that have the same features.

Camera phones

Many smartphones have built in cameras, which means you can take pictures and send them via text message or email. If you want to buy a smarphone and a camera is important to you, then remember to try out the camera before purchase. Although they are getting better, smartphone cameras are still poor resolution, and without a flash it can be hard to take pictures in dark places or outdoors. However, there are some phones will over 1 megapixel resolution cameras now.

Storage

One crucial element to look at when buying a smartphone is the storage capacity. Smartphone often have the ability to play music or take photos or play video, so storage size and type is important. Most smartphones have a larger internal memory than regular phones, as well as having expansion slots for SD cards. These cards allow you to add memory, which means you can greatly increase the storage capacity of your smartphone. SD cards can also be used in other devices, such as digital cameras or computers.

PC synchronisation

PC synchronisation is one of the best features of smartphones. It allows you to keep the data on your phone and PC the same, which means you can work on your PC or smartphone and keep your data consistent between both devices. This feature is very similar to the way PDAs can be synched with your computer.Depending on which smartphone you choose, synching can be done via Bluetooth, infra-red or a USB cable. The smartphone will come with software that allows you to customise the synching process. If this is an important feature to you should look at the options for synching for each smartphone.

Software

Another thing to look at when buying a smartphone is the software available. There are a large number of websites that have various software applications for your phone. If you have specific programs that you want to use, then check that your phone has the correct operating system to run this software.

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