MaximumPC 2007 07

BUYERS

GUIDE

A smartphone can cost as much as a

decent gaming rig; before you drop that

kind of cash, consider these key factors

SCREEN SIZE

We’ve always been proponents of expansive

screen real estate on our desktops—and

we feel the same way about our phones.

Of course, a bigger screen makes for a big-

ger package, so you’ll need to weigh size

against portability concerns. If you’ll be edit-

ing documents on your phone, you’ll want to

get the biggest screen you can fi nd. If you’ll

primarily be messaging, you can forgo the

larger screen and get a device that’s more

pocket friendly.

OPERATING SYSTEM

The OS you choose will determine the

quantity and quality of apps available for

your phone. While there are dozens of

competing operating systems, we’ve nar-

rowed our selections to the four major ones.

Windows Mobile offers an interface you

already know—for better or worse—as well

as Outlook (and tight Exchange integra-

tion), MS Offi ce apps, and Media Player.

The newly released version 6 includes VoIP

support. Symbian, the most popular mobile

OS worldwide, is co-owned by leading

handset-makers, Nokia, Samsung, Ericsson,

Sony Ericsson, and Siemens; however, the

actual interface differs from phone to phone.

If ease of use is your main criteria, Palm’s

OS provides the best out-of-the-box experi-

ence. Palm is switching to a Linux-based

OS later this year, so expect to see some

changes soon. BlackBerry leads the way

in terms of email and messaging, but often

at the expense of other features. And if you

prefer a touch-screen interface, BlackBerry

can’t help you.

NETWORK TECHNOLOGY

You have two items to consider in this cat-

egory: voice and data. The provider you

choose will determine the network technol-

ogy available to you. Sprint and Verizon use

CDMA, which is the dominant system in the

United States. Cingular and T-Mobile use

GSM, which is widely used in the United

States, but the de facto standard in much

of the rest of the world. However, because

American networks operate on different

frequencies from the rest of the world, you’ll

need to have a quad-band phone (some-

times called a world phone) for international

calls. Dual GSM/CDMA phones are also

available but are a more expensive option.

Alas, the choice is not that simple, as you

must also consider data transmission, which

turns everything upside-down. Sprint and

Verizon have the strongest high-speed data

networks, using EV-DO; Cingular is catching

up and T-Mobile is just getting started build-

ing a high-speed data network.

INTERFACE

You basically have two choices: touch

screen or keypad/scroll wheel. Most

Windows Mobile phones come with a touch-

screen interface, but Windows Mobile for

Smartphone–powered devices lack this

capability. BlackBerry’s offerings use a key-

pad and scroll wheel or trackball interface.

Additionally, you’ll want to consider whether

you need a full QWERTY keyboard. If you’ll

be editing docs or writing long emails, a full

keyboard—the larger the keys the better—is

a must. We prefer devices that can be used

with one hand. If you’ll mainly be banging

out short IMs, a smaller keyboard with a pre-

dictive text system such as T9 or SureType is

good enough to get the job done.

AUDIO + VIDEO

If you’re using your smartphone mostly for

work, you can probably do without a camera

and video playback. While these features

attract a lot of attention, you should also

consider whether they are good enough

for you to give up your other devices. Do

you really want a bunch of YouTube-quality

videos? Will you ditch your MP3 player to

listen to music on your phone? If not, you

might eschew these features entirely—or at

least not let them drive your decision-mak-

ing. While integration is nice, many times the

quality you get is limited—and remember,

these features also drain battery life.

PROVIDER

When choosing a provider, you need to

consider how you’ll be using your phone.

Do you need international roaming? A low-

cost, unlimited data plan? The provider you

choose will have the greatest effect on what

phones are available to you; we recommend

fi rst choosing a provider and then selecting

a phone. If your home or offi ce is in a provid-

er’s dead zone, it doesn’t matter how awe-

some your phone is. To get detailed informa-

tion about cell reception in your area, go to

CellReception.com and search for coverage

by city or zip code, and then turn the page to

learn more about the big four providers’ ser-

vice plans. Note that while we list standard

activation fees and service rates, providers

typically offer rebates and

other specials, and phones

are usually available at less

than list price.

6 MAXIMUMPC JULY 2007

SMART

PHONE

STATE OF

THE UNION

Go to CellReception.com to determine if you live in a cell-tower dead zone.