“I think I am not smart enough for a smartphone,” moaned a friend who mailed me at the weekend. She has a budget of R20,000 and is looking to buy a good handset. Like many, many buyers these days, she is confused as hell despite the sound budget.
I don’t blame her. Advert-isements are supposed to help you make choices, but in a hyper-competitive market, the market noise is distracting more than enlightening.
Here is what I told my friend: 1) Choose a reasonable brand if you don’t want to gamble. 2) Look for the must-have features on your wishlist 3) Choose the cheapest three models fitting these features. 4) Go for the one among these that gives you the best look and feel.
That is Smartphone 101. In the business of buying these gadgets, you can end up buying stuff you don’t need and pay-ing a lot for it, or worse, not make use of useful featu-res. So, let me add five things you must do as a smartphone customer.
1. Make a list of the apps you want: “Apps” or applications are what the smartph-one experience is all about. Whether you need Facebook or Twitter or stock market news, list the things you love so you get what you want.
{{/usCountry}}1. Make a list of the apps you want: “Apps” or applications are what the smartph-one experience is all about. Whether you need Facebook or Twitter or stock market news, list the things you love so you get what you want.
{{/usCountry}}2. Keep visiting the Web to look for new apps. Interesting apps are coming in all the tim-e and it pays to discover interesting stuff.
3. Don’t change it too often: Smartphones are like computers. You need to learn how to get the most of it and enjoy it. Spend time with it, as if it was your spouse/friend/kid.
4. Sync it with your PC: Smartphones store data, incl-uding contacts and messages. Connecting it with your PC with the right software (com-es with the handset) can help you back up vital data and load in stuff as well.
5. Listen to your own self: it is your brain and your fingers that use the smartphone. Pick yours based on your needs.