How to choose a smartphone?

Android, BlackBerry, iPhone or Nokia? All you have to keep in mind to buy the smartphone more suitable for your needs. Tips and indicative prices

Beyond the recommendations of the WHO this week (see page 2), cell phones are in everyone's hands. And the more attention they receive smartphones, which combine high technology and sophisticated features to function as pocket computers. They took 19% of worldwide mobile sales in 2010, according to Gartner. In Argentina were 14% of phones sold last year (nearly 1.7 million units), according to consultancy Carrier.

Popular or not, smartphones have their peculiarities, which should be taken into account when choosing them. What defines a smartphone is a sophisticated access to the Web (ie, that lets you view pages without translating to a mobile version), multiple messaging options and access to an application store. It is considered smartphones to mobile operating system Android, Symbian (S60 or S ^ 3), IOS, BlackBerry OS, Bada, Windows Mobile / Phone, WebOS, Meegan and some others, each with their strengths and weaknesses, what adds the hardware manufacturer to choose the teams.

In addition to making calls and sending SMS with smartphones is possible to check the mail on the phone (for Exchange, POP3 or IMAP), manage contacts and appointments synchronize that data with another computer, use an instant messenger, take pictures, record and share videos, use the computer as a music player and videos, access the full Web, not the mobile version, and add applications and games that complement the functions of cellular and downloaded from a central store. Almost all those sold in the country are able to access 3G networks as well as 2G and include Wi-Fi and GPS.

The cost of connection

Is no minor issue is the Internet connection of these devices. In general, smartphones assume beforehand that the user has a subscription that includes megabytes of data and try to connect to the wireless network is just turn on the computer. So at the time of purchasing the phone must verify which includes the payment in terms of access to the Web

Consumption is not measured by time, but for data transferred. The chat or e-mail does not consume many KB, browsing the Web can be more expensive (especially if there are images on the page) and what to avoid at all costs, unless you have a flat rate plan, services are streaming audio or video such as YouTube, which consume many megabytes.

The local operators offer alternatives to connect to the Internet the more expensive monthly subscription, plus megabytes of data to the Internet will have (besides call minutes, SMS, etc.) and cheaper to be paid the new computer.

Claro offers, for example, a plan of $ 199 with Multimedia 600 minutes, 300 SMS, 10 toll free numbers and 2 gigabytes of data, Movistar, the Full 189, for $ 189 includes 600 minutes, 200 SMS, free 4 destinations, discounts on calls and SMS lines of the company or Telefónica, and 700 MB of transfer, plus unlimited access to email and social networks. In the case of staff, his plan includes Black $ 199 free to call 10 numbers, 500 free minutes, 250 SMS and unlimited browsing (after the 2 GB consumed reduces the available bandwidth). Claro and Movistar also have a payment of $ 289 more minutes and messages.

There are cheaper alternatives, from fertilizers similar to the above but with less minutes, SMS and MB data packages to complement what you already have the user, with unlimited access only to email or social networks. RIM pioneered in this, the company that manufactures the BlackBerry.

Today you can find in the country, teams with Android (featuring Huawei, LG, Motorola, Samsung and Sony Ericsson, which Alcatel will join in the coming months); Phone with Windows 7 (for now, only LG ) Symbian (Nokia) with IOS (iPhone) BlackBerry OS (teams RIM) and Bada (Samsung).

With all you can do more or less the same, the variation is in how they do, what combination of hardware available and what is the resulting price of the equipment.

In matters of messaging, all computers (except those running Windows Phone and Bada) are able to connect to your Windows Live Messenger, Google Talk, Yahoo Messenger or Skype for instant messaging, plus WhatsApp.

Android

The greater range of prices, models and manufacturers is now with Android. Its strength is in integration with Google services in the 200,000 applications available and that, as in the case of IOS Apple computer interface is designed from the outset to be used with touch screens. And you can find computers with Qwerty keyboard, horizontal or vertical.

Until a couple of weeks the top line was the Galaxy S i9000, i9003 is sold today, similar, but with 4 GB of internal memory and no digital TV, Personal offers it for $ 1299, Movistar for twice the money . In a similar price range are the Motorola Milestone 2 and Sony Ericsson X10, all with chips at 1 GHz. Then there are intermediate options, such as Defy Motorola, Sony Ericsson X8, Samsung or LG 550 Galaxy Optimus One, among others, with prices ranging from $ 750 to $ 1000, the difference is in their slower processors, screens smaller and more modest houses.

In the coming months will be renewed Android high-end equipment with dual-core chips, the Motorola Atrix (which should be offering staff these days to 1999 pesos), followed by Optimus 2X LG and Samsung S2 Galaxy.

And according to Alcatel One Touch 906 your phone, with Android and resistive screen 2.8 "at 500 MHz chip will arrive within two months to the catalogs of course a price close to 400 pesos.

BlackBerry

The strongest of these phones is messaging, thanks to its highly desirable BlackBerry Messenger, in turn, is the only platform that connects people to Skype. RIM also offers equipment in several price ranges, all of similar format, with a half-size screen and a Qwerty keyboard vertical. The functions in the models are very similar: the difference is the screen resolution, the camera and the materials used. The most economical model is the Curve 8520 (not 3G), the top line is the Torch, the only touch-screen keyboard; prices range from 900 to 2800 pesos, depending on the fertilizer and the operator.

These teams do not have FM radio, and access to the Web is a weak point. RIM's store offers more than 30,000 applications for these teams. RIM also manufactures equipment not in Tierra del Fuego at the moment, so it is not always easy to find in stores.

Nokia

Those looking for a team that specializes in photography can be tested with the Nokia N8 (between $ 1299 and $ 1999, depending on the chosen operator and manure), which also includes a touch screen a 12-megapixel camera with a sensor similar to digital camera pocket, and also offers the E5 ($ 799 with Movistar), a device similar to the BlackBerry (teclaro Qwerty and 2.4 "screen). Both teams include guided navigation maps that do not require an Internet connection - and, therefore, do not use credit data. The rest of the Nokia Symbian ^ 3, or S60v3 S60v5 maps also include free access to mail, chat and more.

Nokia will migrate next year most of its Windows platform smartphones Phone 7. Not that the teams stop working with Symbian, or to receive updates, but is likely to limit the availability of new applications in your store, now has 40,000 programs.

iPhone

The iPhone 4 is one of the teams that most resonates with smartphones, but it is almost impossible to get in Argentina, Apple computers do not join in Tierra del Fuego, so it makes it difficult to import phones. And the demand is lower than the rest: Apple team was 3% of the local market of smartphones in 2010, compared with 22% of Android, BlackBerry 31% and 39% of Symbian. In fact, none of the three local operators have it in stock, when it had its price was about 2500 pesos. The strength of the iPhone is its aesthetics-both your hardware and software-half a million applications available on its store and its polished interface, but rather Android approached him in office and ease of use.

Bada / Windows

LG offers the country its Optimus 7 ($ 1699 with Treatment), a high-end mobile Phone with Windows 7, a very attractive operating system, but still lacks some functions to be competitive with the rest (although no problems to access the Web, Facebook or multiple accounts). And Samsung promotes the country Bada Wave line, a somewhat limited operating system with which the company aims to create own way in the world of smartphones.

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