Cell Phone Buying Guide – Make Smarter, More Informed Decisions When Purchasing Cell Phones

Cell Phone Buying Guide – Make Smarter, More Informed Decisions When Purchasing Cell Phones

Everyone has their opinion on which cell phone you should get, but which cellular phone is actually right for YOU? Whether you’re a student, a casual user or a business man/woman, there are a myriad of options for a diverse group of users. Trying to decide which is right for you can be a daunting and confusing task. Knowing what you will primarily be using the phone for should help make the decision easier.

Let’s start with the three basic genres of cellular phones/devices which include the Smartphone, multi-media devices and basic talk/messaging phones. The Smartphone category includes devices like the Blackberry Curve and the Palm Treo. These types of phones are available with touch screens and are all 3G capable. They often include business applications like email, calendar and contact organizers that sync seamlessly with personal computers. Many include document viewing and editing capabilities, as well as, multimedia and GPS applications. They should have Bluetooth capabilities and most have cameras and/or camcorders included. Think of these devices as hand held computers that increase productivity in a business environment tenfold.

Standard voice and messaging phones are the least expensive and most straightforward cellular phones. These devices are excellent for the casual user who doesn’t need all the multimedia or business applications. If you plan on only using standard voice and/or texting capabilities, these phones are for you. Examples of these devices include the LG Rumor 2, which features a slide out QWERTY keyboard for quick texting and an MP3 player. The LG Lotus is small, stylish square flip phone with a fun QWERTY keyboard and some basic Sprint Video/music capabilities.

Full multimedia phones are all the rage right now with a diverse group of users from students and trend chasers to parents and grandparents who want instant access to video and pictures of their young ones. These phones include all the latest features and access to the most popular downloadable applications; they are similar to Smart phones like the Blackberry but usually appeal more to a social networking crowd. They are often sleek, touch screen style phones that include email access, streaming video capabilities, web access, Mp3 players, cameras, camcorders, Bluetooth, GPS and outlook contacts and calendar synchronization.

Examples of these “do it all” phones include the HTC Touch Pro 2, HTC Hero and the Samsung Instinct. Other similar phones include the Palm Pre which is available exclusively from Sprint and won Best in Show and The People’s Choice Awards at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show. The HTC Hero is the latest Google Android Phone which is Google’s answer to the IPhone. It has a highly customizable user interface with an amazing touch screen. It syncs easily with Outlook email, contacts and calendar, has a 5 megapixel camera, is Wi-Fi and Bluetooth capable and allows for seamless streaming web applications. There are also thousands of downloadable applications, such as games, productivity suites and music.

Discover your needs and uses for a cell phone, then take a look into what kind of phone will best suit your needs because paying more for stuff you’re not using is simply unnecessary.