SMART PHONES…
MAIN USES: Phone calls, getting email and text in an instant. Nice way to stay connected to social media or office related work while you are away.
Apple iPhone:
Apple has over 50% of the phone market. They are easy to use and there are lots of apps ( apps is a new way of saying programs ) for it. Having lots of apps give you a lot more choices to do different things with the phone from listening to radio stations, banking, games, to counting calories while travelling. One of the most over looked points of phones is the touch screen, and we can tell you that they are not all created equal. The iPhone has by far, the best touch screen on the market. You can test this by typing a text or an email, and noticing that the onscreen keypad is big and so responsive to the touch. We discovered that even when it looks like we were pushing the wrong letters the right ones come up, its like the keyboard knows what we want to say.
Internet and email, however are not great features on this phone and are in fact the weakest part of the phone. The Safari internet browser does not bring up all web pages well, and it does not display any webpages/features/content created in Adobe Flash Programming. If you want to open an attachment that is not a picture, you will find that it can not be done. If you want to save an email into a new folder for safe keeping, it can’t be done either. Lets say you typed in a wrong email address, and then later typed in the proper one, you will see the wrong email address pop up all the time and its right in the way of your fingers, and you cant get rid of it. Annoying and troublesome, to say the least.
There has been little change with the iPhone over the years and most of the experts agree that there doesn’t appear to more changes evolving any time soon. For first time users I would recommend it. Easy to use, the best touch screen, and lots of apps to keep you busy. If you want to do more with pictures, video, and using the file more like a computer this phone may not work out.
Click on this link to see the iPhone 5…
http://www.apple.com/ca/
Google Android:
The Android phone is in constant change right now. There are many phone manufactures competing with each other to make a better phone and that means the consumer is going to have an amazing product. The other phone companies don’t have this competition so this is a big advantage for the Android. Not only do phone companies compete to bring out new and amazing technologies on the phone, they also compete with price. The Andriod operating system that runs the phone is getting big upgrades on average every three months. Google’s new Android programs and the phone manufactures constant changes makes the phone reinvent itself about every 6 months. The Android software is open source, that means any company or joe blow can make an app for it. Unlike Apple you must pay to put an app on the phone and keep it up on the Apple app website. So its easier to attract more apps to this phone.
When shopping for an Android phone is kind of like buying a PC. There are many models to choose from and all have different versions of the Android software. To get the best it is safe to say to get any one of the latest top of the line models. Remember, when you buy an iPhone they all have the same hardware and software, when you buy an Android phone some are a lot better than others, some may have older software on them as well. Like a PC, Android is an open source market with different hardware manufacturers, so it is vital, when you are shopping, to examine the phones hardware, and make sure you have the latest Android operating system, as well as test the touch screen. About three months ago I tested one of the best Android phones on the market, the touch screen was a hair away from being as good as the iPhone. Since Android phones are improved so often we are sure that they will have as good if not the best touch screen by the time you read this.
Android is in contant change, its current offering rivals any of the other phones best products. As time passes and the world changes these phones will change with it better than most of the others. The biggest advantage of the Android over the Apple iPhone is the same one that the PC has over the Apple Mac products, Apple makes its devices closed to the market and mainly exclusive to its self to try to control a monopoly. Android and the PC has an open concept design any manufacture can make a product that uses its software and anyone can make a program or app to work on it. This gives the consumer an advantage for price and selection.
Here is link to a popular Android phone.
Blackberry:
If you own a Blackberry you most likely won’t go out and buy a new one. They have not changed and kept up with the new way that phones are used. Having said that, Blackberry finally launched a new model after many years called the Blackberyy Z10 and it looks great. We have not used it but we are familiar with many of its features, too many to list so I would recommend that you Google more info or check out some YouTube videos about it. Once we get our hands on one we will let you know more.
For starters you can do live video chat with out a WIFI connection, I do not know of any other phone that can do that. You can set it up so there is a Work screen and Home screen. This is nice so that the kids can play with your phone on the home side of things and they wont be able to mess up the work side. The email system we are sure will be top notch, as that has always been Blackberrys strong points. You can also do photo and video editing with just a few taps on the screen. So imagine that you go on a trip and take a few photos and videos, you can string them all together with one of your favorite songs playing in the background with just a few taps on the screen. Again if any other phone can do that, you will need to download many programs and pay for it, the Blackberry Z10 can do this out of the box. This phone looks more like a computer but its easy to use.
The Blackberry Z10 is too new, and we have not obtained one yet to report more. Blackberry was king of the day a long time ago, but they rested on their laurels and did not change with the times. With this new phone it looks like they jumped into the future with a new offering that the other phonse currently do not have. Keep your eyes one this one. For more info on it this link here.
Windows 8 Phone:
Windows had an operating system before for phones,and lets just say it came and went quietly. They are at it again and this time it looks like they got it right. All of the Windows 8 tablets, desktops, laptops, and phone all look the same. One day we will all be using Windows 8 like we did with Windows XP, and the best part about it this phone is the seamless transition between computer and phone as they look and feel the same. This reduces the learning curve, which will be a pleasure for many users. You can share files between your Windows 8 tablets and computers with your phone with ease. It works and feels a little more like a computer so its not as limited with some tasks like the iPhone. Right now only Nokia is making phones that work with Windows 8, and there is talk of more manufacturers coming on board getting ready to make different versions of the phone.
As it stands now Windows 8 phone is very new, and some don’t know if its going to last. It needs more support from app develepers. Only time will tell if this will take off or bust.
Here is a link for the Nokia Windows 8 phones.
http://www.nokia.com/us-en/
The Verdict…..
The iPhone seems like an easy choice, it seems like everyone has it and the touch screen is the best for typing. But the iPhone is starting to look old, perhaps resting on its success like Blackberry did. Compared to the new Blackberry and Windows 8 Phone the iPhone does not have the jump the others have. Don’t forget the iPhone has not changed much in over 4 years, that’s why users are looking at the Android since it seems to reinvent its self a few times a year. To compare the phones, take a look at the Blackberry Z10, the iPhone 5, Samsung Galaxy S3 ( uses Android tech ) and the Nokia Lumina 920. All are the top of the line phones for each operating system. Don’t forget the smart phone market is in constant change so what may be lacking in one phone may be its strongest point a few months later. Try the phones out at a phone retailer, see what is best for you and let us know.
