Computer Care: Cellphones are getting bigger, smarter and cooler
By Arthur Glazer
arthur@glazerthepctech.com
POSTED: April 30, 2011 1:00 a.m.
I upgraded my cellphone this week. Like my desktop and laptop, I don't run to replace these items when new technology hits the store shelves. Generally I wait until something stops working. Recently it was my not-so-smart cellphone.
The last few times I upgraded, there was nothing special about the phones. They got smaller and thinner and were either flip or slide models. Discovering I had butt-dialed friends all too often, I needed to hide the keypad somehow. Aside from that feature, they were otherwise nondescript, vanilla phones.
Now these devices seem to be getting larger again, not so much like my old bag-phones circa 1993, but larger still. Since I kept fumbling and dropping my phones of late, I'm glad they're larger again. I don't feel like I'm holding a toy to my ear anymore.
My new device is technological wonder: a smartphone. Just as I once thought that I didn't need a computer (I got a dedicated word processor instead), then shunned a laptop (I had a desktop that worked just fine), I also thought I didn't need a smartphone. I do.
It helps keeps my life organized. I can text with my daughters, write notes to myself, check my email, browse the Internet, take and watch photos and videos (on what's called a huge 3-inch display), listen to music, check the weather, amortize my mortgage and all via voice commands. Oh yeah - and I can call my wife.
All that and I haven't added any apps to the system yet. Yes, it runs on an operating system, Windows Mobile, just one of many available.
There's a full QWERTY keyboard that slides out, allowing my old eyes and fat thumbs to type without much trouble. I like the fact that I can also actually write on it.
New technology can cost a bundle if you allow it. I don't. Not only am I not a believer in running out to buy the latest and greatest, but I buy last year's technology. My new phone is 2 years old. It came in near-mint condition from Amazon.com and I paid a fraction of what it cost new.
Just because you want a touch screen, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, polyphonic ringtones, GPS, the ability to video conference or an app to find a Starbucks doesn't mean you need to shell out the big bucks. Get a phone from those who do.
Plenty of consumers upgrade their phones annually. Most of them sell their "old" ones online. Sure, you can get a refurb unit from AT&T or Verizon, but they're still overpriced. Mine came from a cellphone dealer in Arkansas and was priced very reasonably, even with shipping.
There are some caveats, as always.
Aside from buying from a reputable dealer (why I like Amazon), make sure you know which system your wireless provider uses. If you buy a phone that was used on T-Mobile's network for example, you may not be able to use it with Verizon.
The best thing to get is an unlocked phone. This way you can put you SIM card in and start dialing, no matter which carrier you use.
AT&T and T-Mobile are on the GSM network, while Verizon, Sprint and U.S. Cellular are on the CDMA network. Although some phones can function on either, most use just one of the bands.
My MicroCell signal booster requires a 3G signal. Now there is 4G. I'll catch up next year.
I found out after the fact that although my phone does have 3G, it's for European markets only. There are also dual, tri-and quad-band phones for use in other countries as well as here. So yes, there are questions to ask before you buy.
Now that our phones have caught up with technology, viruses have caught up with phones. There are various cellphone operating systems and viruses tend to stick to the ones they were written on. If your phone has Android, you won't get a Windows virus; Symbian won't get an Apple virus.
Likewise, there are now anti-virus products for cellphones. Kaspersky Anti-Virus Mobile for Symbian and Windows is free. Trend Micro has one and there is NetQin Mobile, also free.
Cellphones get infected from downloads disguised as free applications and games. Messages can carry infected attachments, but unlike with the PC, these attachments need not only be opened but installed to do damage.
So don't feel like you need to install a utility just yet. Just be careful what you download.
About 130 years ago, we were first introduced to the telephone. They were boring, black, had cords, dials and poor reception. Almost a century later came color phones with illuminated, push-button keypads and beep tones. Wow, could it get any better, we thought?
Sure, soon the cordless house phone arrived and then the wireless cellphone. Now we have computing capabilities in our pockets.
I can only imagine that in the next few decades, technology will have us conversing via holographic imagery on our phones.
Can you see me now?
Arthur Glazer is a freelance writer and computer technician in Gainesville. His column appears biweekly on the Business page and on gainesvilletimes.com.
