Christmas mobile phone paralysis of choice

David Swan
Thursday, 08 December 2011 12:03

Your IT - Mobility

There's little doubt that powerful smartphones have become the norm, and not just with businessmen but with everyday consumers. Thankfully, WhistleOut has come to help with a new guide to buying smartphones, and understanding the jargon that inevitably goes along with it.

With almost every telco releasing last-minute smartphone deals to lure shoppers, there are many traps and pitfalls for the unsuspecting shopper to look out for.

Cameron Craig, Director of WhistleOut, said, 'With so many smartphones on almost every carrier and at every price point, it's easy to become bewildered and sign up for the wrong phone.  Smartphone contracts last 24 months and you can get tired of a phone's shortcomings very quickly. We have compiled the best buys at each price tier, and it's savvy online shoppers who are most likely to scoop up the savings this Christmas.'

WhistleOut's 5 tips for buying happy with smartphones this Christmas:

1. The biggest cash savings are found online. You'll get a 8-12% discount from most carriers when buying online on most handsets, plus other discounts that you can't get in a bricks and mortar store. See the WhistleOut Christmas guide for savings.

2. Don't get sucked in by a low price.  Whilst price is important, try to look for a phone that will also sail through two years of daily use, and support the constant flow of innovation from new applications and uses in that time.

3. Voice calls are so 2001. Think features and applications. Today's smartphones are used far more intensively and for many more things than any of the phones you've owned in the past. It is from these uses that your overall satisfaction will be derived. Shop accordingly. Mobile phones are staggering in their power and range of applications and it is in the performance of these features that the phones differentiate themselves. Think about: High resolution photography, HD video recording, sharing, Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter, reading web pages on screen, location services, bar code scanning and shopping, maps and directions, navigation, reading full books and novels on your phone, voice control and more. See the WhistleOut Christmas guide for full options.

4.  Be realistic when buying a phone as a gift. Think very hard about the recipient's face on Christmas day when they open your gift. If they already know which model they want, buying them a different model should only be the result of flawless research. If you've got a teenager telling you that it will actually save you money to buy their desired phone, they might be right. For example the iPhone now includes iMessage between iPhones so text messages are free between iPhones with the latest iOS5.

5. Consider SIM Only. If you don't have a contract, consider a SIM Only monthly plan.  The competition for 'unlimited' contracts has intensified and you can get unlimited calls and texts for under $40 per month with no time restrictions.

WhistleOut also has announced a 'Jargon Buster', with a list of commonly used jargon and a what they really mean.

Here's some of the new jargon you'll run into this Christmas:
1.            Instagram: Immensely popular photo sharing application on iPhone (free)
2.            Siri: A new voice controlled 'personal assistant' on your phone that responds to your questions and commands (iPhone 4s only)
3.            iOS5: The latest operating system for iPhones, over 200 new features and installable on iPhone 4 models (includes iMessage for free SMS between iPhones running IOS5)
4.            Google Android: Competing touchscreen operating system running on many phones from HTC, Samsung and LG
5.            Ice Cream Sandwich: The latest operating system update for Android from Google.
6.            Gingerbread: The previous operating system update for Android from Google
7.            iCloud: Data-storage service  such as music files on remote computer servers for iPhones
8.            NFC (Near Field Communication): Enables shopping and payment transactions on mobile phones by swiping mobile phones, expected to become a widely used payment system.
9.            4G (Fourth Generation): Next generation of mobile internet access - faster internet speeds and downloads and only available in Australia on one phone from HTC with Telstra
10.          App Store: Over 500,000 applications to download and use on your iPhone
11.          Android Market:  Application marketplace for Android phones
12.          iMessage: Allows free text messaging between iPhones (those iPhones running iOS5)