Before we take a look at the key areas of the Smartphone it's best to consider why you want / need one. Ploughing headlong into a shop or the web, hunting for a smart phone will leave you dazed and confused unless you first work out your requirements. Do you want the phone for work or personal use? perhaps even a combination of the two? Are you after being able to work on the move, keep in contact through data services or have the latest in multimedia applications? Finally are you looking for some features you may have previously found on a PDA or ultra portable laptop?

With your answers the the above questions in mind we'll work through the key areas of Smartphone features and functionality explaining how each is suited to potential users.

Key areas

Operating System - The average Smartphone differs from a standard mobile phone in that it is designed to run application and as such it will normally have an operating system or OS. Early pioneers in the mobile OS sector were Symbian which is still around today and forms the base of the Sony Ericsson range of Smart Phones. Microsoft were not far being having tried to use windows CE (a PDA OS) and then more recently offering Windows Mobile an OS design for the smaller processors and storage of the mobile device. Then there is the Palm OS which has made it onto devices such as the Treo handsets. Each of these OS have their pros and cons, Windows as you might expect is compatible with desktop systems running the Microsoft OS and familiar faces such as Outlook, Excel and Windows Media player make an appearance on Windows mobile based devices. However so does the occasional crash and freeze so as usual it's a trade off between stability and compatibility.

The Symbian OS on the other hand seems more robust and stable, partly due to the number of handsets deployed using it and the time take to develop it. While it doesn't natively support programmes like Outlook almost all implementations comes with email and office document viewers, plus the OS itself is very rich and a great user experience. Palm makes a highly stable OS for a mobile platform and its long history on running on low processor powered PDA's makes it ideal for use in a smartphone. The downside (or upside depending on your view) is having to use the palm applications which wile very good and often quirky and require a bit of work to get them to use Microsoft documents.

For a business user the Microsoft OS may have the edge given the integration between common office documents and the mobile OS. However Symbian offers the ability to make handsets very secure and adopt push email and company VPN's, some consider the mix of business tools and great user interface a real winner for Sony. Lastly Palm seems to hold its market share by attracting those who are happy with the features of the OS and do not really require it to be integrated with other devices but want a highly robust platform.

Connectivity is the next thing to consider. We all expect a mobile to be Tri band or even quad band but don't assume your Smartphone will be, always check. However connectivity and Smartphones really comes down to data connections. Wireless is the key and we expect any smart phone worth its salt to have a range of options.

Bluetooth is essential, if the device doesn't have it walk away. Most mobile accessories use Bluetooth and as Smartphones are often a little larger you will want the option to use a Bluetooth headset to avoid taking into a pocket calculator all day!

Wireless is making a serious assault on smart phones and we can only welcome its appearance. By adding either 802.11b or g to a mobile device you can use it within your home or office network to collect emails, surf the web and with the forthcoming Skype Smartphone edition and platform specific VOIP systems even make low cost calls. You wouldn't buy a laptop without WiFi (or at least the option to add it) so why would you by a mobile that can't be used on an IP network? It is possible to buy both CF and SD WiFi cards as an option but try and get inbuilt WiFi if at all possible.

Data over the air connections are probably the most important feature of a Smart Mobile, we all know of GPRS and 3G data so check if the phone supports them. Data speed is key as GPRS is about as fast as the old dial up modems (56k) and for a broadband user this feels like going back to the dark ages. You can't hope to use WAP or other sudo data services, you are really looking for a 2.5 or 3G data service with speeds of at least 300k. With this kind of speed you can successfully use Microsoft's active Sync or Push email services and happily browse the web.

Lastly don't forget the older forms of Connecticut like Infrared IRDA and even USB connections (pop Port) which can just save your bacon when all else fails.

Storage can easily be overlooked as we are so used to a laptop having 40gb or more, but to a smartphone that is a huge amount of storage and most come equipped with just megabytes of storage as standard. The area to look at here is how you can add more, you'll need to! So keep an eye out for CF or the newer SD / MMC card slots, prices are falling and sizes up to 4gb are now available. Check where this slot is as some phones have it under the battery, very helpful (not). Also if it's an SD slot and you intend to use a SIDO WiFi card check that a longer can can fit in without snagging on the phones casing.

Hardware is key as your smartphone and it's OS will need to run other application which you may load on. So if the processor is too weedy or you can't interface to a GPS receiver your plans could be scuppered. Check the processor speed, something around 400Mhz is about the sweet spot for current applications, also check the onboard memory 64mb is common but 128mb will run applications much faster.

Usability is easily overlooked, sure your smartmobile may have every bell and whistle but can you navigate the screen, can you even see it? Check that the screen is a good size and that the backlight is good and strong, if you are going to use multimedia application check that they look clear and that you can hear the speaker! Most importantly check the input method, keypads might be ok to tap in a phone number but few are good for typing a full length email. Many Smartphones have full qwerty keyboards but check your big fingers can operate the small keys, if the keypad in a touch screen version try it out and check that the stylus operation works well. A word of warning almost all handwriting recognition of Smartphones sucks so avoid this like the plague, if it hasn't got a good keyboard or touch screen walk away.

Software may seem like the most important thing but remember with an operating system you can always add more, so do check the standard bundle for PIM (personal information management) applications to see if they are good for you. However there are often shareware or freeware version available for all mobile OS so it's easy to add something that works better for you. Perhaps the most important thing is to check the platform will run and software you have to use, perhaps this is a GPS system like TomTom mobile or a company email or VPN, do your homework and don't end up with a phone that can't run the application!

Battery life can be the making or breaking factor of a Smartphone, clearly they do more so they need more power and this means more frequent charging and often less talk time. Check the stated figures carefully as they maybe tests where things like WiFi were turned off! Adding WiFi and application can serious eat the battery and mean that a phone may not even last the day. Perhaps the best tip here is check online reviews like Lordpercy.com for real life figures with mixed use of Wireless, application use and phone calls.

Size and Weight are often the main trade-off for the Smartphone user, all these features, especially a large screen make the phone bigger and heavier. While we may have been happy lugging 200 gram mobiles around in the late eighties it's just not cricket anymore. When you read the spec remember that anything weighing over 115 grams is going to be noticeable when in your pocket and something more than 120mm long will feel huge compared to a small compact phone.

The Holy Grail is a smartphone with all the wireless options a great OS, prefect large clear screen, long battery life that fits in the pocket and you don't know you are carrying it. If we find it we'll let you know! Until then use this guide and the regular Smartphone reviews on Lordpercy.com to find the best compromise for you, take your time and do your homework, it's worth it.

Published - 19/08/2006

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