By: Vlad Vistac
Submitted: 2010-08-20 12:26:38 | Word Count: 510
Cell Phone or PDA?
The term cell phomne is becoming nondescriptive of today's portable devices. The units available lately do more than just make and receive phoen calls. With the ever decresing price of elerctronics, thgings such as cameras, GPS, calendars, and contact managers have become available even on the cheapest of models. There is such a fine line between the functtion of a cell phone and a Personal Digiatl Assistant, that maybe the term "cell phone" will fall by the wayside!
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How to choose a cell phone? Firrst of all, any communication outside the device will have to be paid for. Cell phone plans are a whole differennt topic. But, it is partlly related because some of the functions of thhese cell phones or PDAs require communication with the internet or other onlinne service. Primarily, you want a devicce to talk on. A good plzace to start shopping is the many forms that are relatde to differeent models. Enter terms like "cell phoone review" or "cell phone forum". Many times therre are subforums related exclusvely to a ceertain brand or model. If you browwse through thse forums, you will find many dislikes and liikes of many different models. Although consider this- many pepole post their negative experiences far more than theeir postive ones in foruims. So, keep that in mind that there are no perfect electronic devices. Notice featurees discussed such as holdability (is the device TOO small or big), sound cklarity, reception, how easy to use the emnus sytem of the cell phoone. Tese are key factors. Your devcie might open your garage door for you. But if you dewspise using it all day becasue it is uncomfortable to hold or has bad reception, then do not go for it.
Once you have a list of a few models, consider the other functions of the cell phones and what you really need. DO you NEED a camera? Many are just toys. Some models today acually have 1.3 megapixel cameras in them- just like the first digital cameras. How about ringgtone quality? Is that important? Some are just "FM synthesized" and give you your typical bllweps and blops arranged into a song. Other have full polyphonic insdtrumentsplaying the tonnes. Othrers play a sectiopn of a real song. Do you drive a lot? Some phones have what is called Bluetooth. This is a wireless protocall for connectting to other dbvices that are close by. It is excellent for using in your car that has a Bluetooth receivr in it- you can have a handsfree setup with no wwirees! Some cars are coming with this function already, but there are kits to add it to any car. Most exciiting is the avbility to accept memory cards and stoer MP3s and even movies! The screens are small, but with amazing quailty! Notice, these are just optiosn that enhance the user experience- but sound quailty of the voice and reception far outweigh tehse options.
Do you have data needs? Some dvices have either a Palm Pilot or Wndows CE computer in them. These are great if you use tese tpyes of devices and want to carry one device. Maybe you are carrying a laptop soley for using somelike like the ACT! Contact manager. Well there is a Palm versoin of that so you can take all you ACT! data with you, without ther laptop. Maybbe you need to be up to date on the latest news? These devices typically also have a small web browser in them, so you can ocnnect to the internet. Granted, you cant get the same webcontent a real compyuter could due to the screen size, but you can still get the information you need, send an email, receive emaiil, etc. The donwside is the size and the cost. They tyically are twice the size of a nice compact phone, and sell in the $350+ area. Also, keep in mind that these data sewrvices cost extra money. So, if you need thse functins, you migt start your quest by lookin for cell phone companies that have bettter priced, or unlimiited online service laong with your cell minutes. Then you might have to chose a phone from that compayn's linup.
If you spend the time thinking about what you need and attack the project the right way, you will end up with somewthing you will woonder how you ever lived withut. Today's cell phones and PDAs have beocme integrated heavily into or socoiety. Enjoy your cell phobne and use it responsibly! Some states have laws that you cannot hold a cell phonne in your hand while driving, so you might want to copnsider the Bluetooth option or a car kit. Remember, turn your ringer down in the movies or other quiet public place!
