Want to check e-mail, listen to music, browse the Web, check your calendar or get directions on the go? Look no further than your cellphone. But not any old phone will do. To really tap into the possibilities, you need a smart phone.
What makes a smart phone “smart”? Like a computer, it has an advanced operating system. This allows a cellphone to have many features similar to those of a personal digital assistant, or PDA.
Such advanced operating systems are made by Microsoft, Palm and Symbian.
So if you’re in the market for a new cellphone, consider how you might use a smart phone, such as the ubiquitous BlackBerry made by RIM. It may be a better and more productive choice for you than a trendy Motorola Razr.
For example, say you’re traveling on business and you need to e-mail a sales proposal that’s saved on your laptop. Unfortunately, you are nowhere near a Wi-Fi hotspot or a telephone line. Don’t stress.
Since your smart phone is capable of sending and receiving data, it may also be able to double as your laptop’s modem, using either Bluetooth or a USB cable. This process is called tethering.
Tethering can take several steps to set up. And your wireless provider may charge extra for it. But it could mean making an important connection, one your business competitors lack.
The ability to take photos and video is almost a given with smart phones. But the quality of the images for the most part is still not that of a low-priced digital camera. Here’s where there is another difference between a regular cellphone and a smart phone.
After taking pictures with your digital camera, you may be able to insert the camera’s memory card into the smart phone. This can come in handy for more than pictures of your kids. Realtors, insurance appraisers, contractors and other mobile professionals can show clients digital slide shows and, if needed, e-mail pictures directly from the phone while in the field.
Some smart phones come with pre installed image viewers and organizers. If yours didn’t, SplashPhoto (splashdata.com; Palm, Windows Mobile, Symbian; $30) and Resco Photo Viewer (resco.net; Palm, Windows Mobile, Symbian; $15 and up) have free trials.
With the proper software, your smart phone also can help navigate the highways and byways. For Windows Mobile units, there is Microsoft Pocket Streets 2005 (microsoft.com; $25).
Are you worried about traffic jams? Smart Traffic (pharosgps.com; Windows Mobile) provides real-time traffic data for dozens of metropolitan areas. Subscriptions start at $5 a month.
The Palm GPS Navigator (palm.com; Palm; $249) is a pricey add-on. But it has maps of the United States and Canada and gives voice-guided directions.
Smart phones are another example of electronic convergence. Already, some can download and display TV shows.
Your initial reaction may be, “Who needs that?” But that is the classic reaction to new electronic products.
History has shown that most of us eventually want, if not need, these new advances.
