Mobile devices: a buyer's guide
Published: 26 Sep 2007
Handhelds and smartphones
The perfect handheld device does not yet exist, so you're going to have to consider whether you want one primarily for making voice calls, sending text messages and monitoring your email, for example, in which case you'll be looking at a smartphone, or whether your data entry needs are greater, in which case a handheld of some kind — with a bigger screen and perhaps a keyboard — will be more appropriate. Operating systems used in handhelds and smartphones include Windows Mobile, Palm OS, Symbian, RIM OS (BlackBerry), Linux and now Mac OS X, following the release of the Apple iPhone.
Handhelds
Handhelds can range from (increasingly rare) 'classic' PDA-style devices with no wide-area connectivity and basic personal information management (PIM) functionality to highly connected, keyboard-equipped bits of kit that some mobile professionals may prefer to carry instead of a fully fledged notebook. An example of the latter is the T-Mobile Ameo.
Weight typically over 150g
Size typically 20mm thick or more
Display 2.8in. (diagonal) or bigger; touch-screen; resolutions up to 640x480 pixels (VGA)
Features email /PIM client; web browser; third-party applications; office document creation
Connectivity combination of: infrared, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, WWAN, GPS
Expansion slot(s) CompactFlash, SD/MMC, miniSD, microSD
Miscellaneous on-screen keyboard; handwriting recognition; some models have slide-out or clamshell-style QWERTY keyboards; camera (optional)
Price range start at ~£150; high-spec models cost over £400
See the latest handheld reviews
Smartphones
Smartphones by definition have wide-area connectivity — GSM and GPRS/EDGE or 3G/HSDPA — but can vary in the amount of features they pack in, and the level of data-centricity. If you need to respond to the odd email and like to browse the web occasionally, you may prefer the classic BlackBerry-stlye form factor with a landscape-mode screen and a QWERTY keypad. The most compact and lightweight smartphone has a smaller portrait-mode screen and a mobile-phone-style keypad. Some newer devices, such as HTC's S710, combine the latter form factor with a slide-out QWERTY keypad.
An increasing number of smartphones now come with integrated Wi-Fi, allowing them to become part of a 'fixed/mobile integration' solution, whereby the phone connects to a fixed line via Wi-Fi in the office and uses a mobile network elsewhere.
Weight typically under 150g
Size typically less than 20mm thick
Display 2.4in. (diagonal) or less; no touch-screen; resolutions up to 240x320 pixels (QVGA)
Features email /PIM client; web browser; third-party applications; office document reading (but rarely creation)
Connectivity WWAN plus combination of: infrared, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS
Expansion slot(s) miniSD, microSD
Miscellaneous keypad with multiple character/symbols per key; some models have small QWERTY keypads; camera (optional)
Price range start at ~£150; high-spec models cost over £300 (without operator contract)
See the latest smartphone reviews
Previous
- RIM boosts BlackBerry with Wi-Fi
- Nokia E61i review
- Research: Mobile working on the increase
- Laptops are top choice for mobile working
- When open phones meet closed minds
- Linux crashes the mobile party
- Mobile devices: A buyer's guide
- Calling time on smartphone reboots
- What are the must-have mobile apps for business?
- A life coach in your pocket
- Broadcom claims lead over rivals with 3G chip
- Bigger and better mobile screens coming soon
Did you find this article useful?
16 out of 18 people found this useful
