How to Choose the Right Smartphone, Part 3: Android Phones

 

 

Google’s OS is definitely the most popular smartphone platform, and used by several manufacturers like Samsung, HTC, LG, Motorola, ZTE, etc.  Android is much more open than iOS, which means smartphone makers can more easily try out new ideas on top of Google’s software.  But, aside from smartphones, this Operating System is used on thousands of different devices today, too.

 

Android phones have varied screen sizes; from 3 inches to 7 inches (the iPhone until now has only two screen sizes, 3.5 inches and 4 inches). The majority of Android-based devices are equipped with a memory card support (the iPhone does not provide a SD card slot).  Android users can customize their phones, adding widgets, shortcuts, animated wallpapers etc. You, the user, can easily change how the phone looks with just a few simple tweaks.

 

Also, sharing of apps and files between an Android phone and non-Android phone can be done smoothly either through Bluetooth or other means. There are also third party stores to download apps aside that provided by Google Play Store. Consequently, the range of apps for Android devices is enormous.

 

So, what are Android’s weak points? It is said that Google’s OS is very vulnerable to virus, malware and other hacking attacks, but that shouldn’t be an issue if you take the proper measures (anti-virus software).

 

Read more about How to Choose the Right Smartphone here: Part 1, Part 2, and Part 4.

 

 

 

 

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How to Choose the Right Smartphone, Part 2: iOS Phones

 

 

The Apple iOS is on every iPhone (4S, 5, 5S and 5C), iPad, and iPod touch.  Unlike Android, only Apple products have iOS running on them. It offers a clean and modern design, simple to use and very easy to learn.

 

The biggest reason to choose  an iOS device is that Apple's App Store still has the best selection of high-quality apps and games (though Android is rapidly converging). Apple’s platform is quite efficient: from battery life to performance, it runs well. Thanks to Apple’s iron-fisted control over the apps available on iOS, it’s a very consistent experience as well, and there are no significant security issues like hacking, virus and malware problems as they exist with Android devices. iPhones enjoy the most generous  selection of accessories, too, from cases to tripods, you name it. If there is something you want for your iPhone, you will find it.

 

Unfortunately, there are some major drawbacks. If you, for example, love to customize in any way your phone, with the iOS devices you won’t be able to do that besides choosing your wallpaper and managing your app icons. Sharing files, videos and music from an iPhone to a non-iPhone device is not feasible.

 

In addition, Apple is known to be sluggish when it comes to implement important innovations in mobile technology, such as multitasking. And finally, we have to talk about the price. Usually, the iOS devices are more expensive than their Android counterparts.

 

Read More about How to Choose the Right Smartphone here: Part 1, Part 3, and Part 4.

 

 

 

 

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How to Choose the Right Smartphone, Part 1: BlackBerry and Windows Phone

 

 

Choosing the right smartphone is a big deal, and it’s not completely a matter of price alone. There are some other details that are important, e.g., the quality of the library of apps, movie/music stores, cloud services like calendar syncing, the design, the screen size, and the flexibility of the (OS) Operating System itself.
 

There are now four major operating systems that you can find on recent smartphones: Android, iOS, Windows Phone and BlackBerry 10 OS. I will start today with the less-popular but nevertheless excellent BlackBerry 10 and Windows phone Operating Systems.

 

BlackBerry 10 Phone

 

BlackBerry 10 phones are Z10, Z30, Q5 and Q10. Currently, BlackBerry offers the best touch keyboard on the market, and the phones are definitely easy to work with. Bluetooth communication and transfer between non-BB and BB phones are quite simple. Files, videos and audios can be uncomplicatedly exchanged. One more big + is that BB10 devices are so far not exposed to spying and virus attacks.

 

On the downside, BB10 phones offer a limited amount of apps compared to Android phones and Apple’s iOS. Moreover, the newer BB10 devices aren't so handy when we talk about the size, and size does matter sometimes.

 

 

 

Windows Phone OS

 

Microsoft's Windows Phone platform has only just recently received more attention thanks largely to Nokia’s Lumia phones.  Its dynamic interface with Live Tiles is easy to resize and rearrange. Other advantages are fast and easy access to Xbox games, video and music, as well as Office and Outlook integration. Furthermore, Windows phones generally have great build quality (Nokia), good screens, and advanced cameras. Speaking of advanced cameras, I have to mention the Nokia Windows Phone Lumia 1020, that has the most advanced camera on the market.

 

Actually, in my opinion,  the only disadvantage of Microsoft’s Windows Phone is that their App Store is far behind,  just like BlackBerry phones, when compared to iOS or Android, but it’s a huge handicap when you consider that a smartphone is generally as powerful as the number of applications it has.

 

Read more about How to Choose the Right Smartphone here: Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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