My Cellphone My Terms

We all want to make good decisions when we buy something. This is doubly true when we want to purchase a big-ticket item. Increasingly a big-ticket item will not be a single-use device, such as a TV or a VCR. Instead, it will be a sophisticated piece of digital equipment. In the past, shopping for cars, and computers was a harrowing task, due to the vast array of technical information necessary to make an informed decision. If you went back ten years, the biggest question you might have for a phone was: do you want it in black or white?

Now, however, phones are sophisticated tools, easily as complicated as computers. Although there are heuristics that many consumers have used to select a decent handset, making a truly informed purchase decision depends on understanding a little bit about the jargon used to describe the qualities of a phone.

First off, when we refer to a wireless handset, whatever type it is, we mean a cellphone. So a basic wireless handset is a basic cellphone. This is frequently divided further into “candybar” and “flip-phones.” Regardless, a basic wireless handset is probably going to be a 2G device these days (more on what 2G means later) which is very capable of making calls, sending text messages and storing contacts. It probably won’t be able to do much else. If the phone is a single, unmoving piece, it is a candybar phone. If it folds in the center and opens up when being used it is a flip-phone.

A smartphone is a phone which can do more. At minimum it should be able to send and receive e-mails. It should probably also be functional as a phone, and probably as an mp3 player, provided it has a memory card either pre-installed or inserted into the appropriate slot. Most smartphones are 3G (or better) devices, and should be able to make use of apps, programs that expand the functionality of the phone, in the same way that software expands the functionality of a computer.

A super-phone is basically just a sub-set of smartphones. The term is still evolving, but generally, for a phone to count as a super-phone it should either have a multi-core processor or it should have 4G or better connectivity. I’ll explain both of these terms, but basically, the only reasons you would need a super-phone are if a) you were using your phone for HD video viewing, b) you were using your phone for extensive gaming or c) you intended to use your phone as a personal computer.

These definitions require us to delve further into the jargon of a phone.

Key technical specifications.

There are a few key technical specifications that you should consider when comparing phones. Understanding what these mean can help you to make an informed decision about what phone is right for you.

1) Operating system: a key term for smartphones, the operating system for the phone is effectively the same thing as the operating system for a computer. The key choices are Android, iOS (Apple), the Blackberry operating system, and WP 7 (Microsoft). There are other smartphone operating systems, but two of the biggest, WebOS and Symbian, are currently being phased out of production. The operating system you choose will impact the interface of the phone, the core functionality of the phone and the apps that are available to you.

2) Core processor: Smartphones are computers. The key differences between a smartphone and a tablet computer come down just to processor power, RAM, and interface. The core processor is the CPU of this computer. You’ll hear about all kinds of different processors, sometimes with fanciful names, like “snapdragon,” but what matters most to consumers is the processor speed, measured in GHz or MHz. The faster the processor is, the faster the phone will work. The trade-off is that more powerful phones build up heat faster, and drain batteries faster. This leads to some companies “underclocking” the CPU. When, for instance a 1GHz CPU might be underclocked to 600 MHz. This just means that while the chip could, in theory, run faster it never will, unless you tinker with it, and if you are doing that sort of tinkering, you should already know these core terms anyway. Some phones will have more than one chip making up the core processor. These chips share the load and allow for faster handling of complex tasks, such as  high definition video decoding and encoding. These are called dual-core, or multi-core processors.

3) RAM: Random access memory is the same in phones as it is in computers. The

more your phone has, the faster it will operate and the more effectively it will be able to run multiple apps simultaneously.

4) Bandwidth: Cellphones are radio devices, and just like radio stations, they brodcast at specific frequencies. The bandwiths that a phone can operate on are the frequencies the phone is able to broadcast. This is important if you want to use the same phone on two different carriers. Some carriers only support limited frequencies, and if the bandwidth selections on your phone don’t match, you won’t be able to use it.

What’s With All the “G”s?

“G” in this case means generation, and it refers to which generation of data network a phone belongs to. Each generation includes certain expectations about internet connection speeds.

2G: 2G phones are able to access the internet, but not quickly. They may be able to use some of the most basic mobile websites, but mostly they can do e-mail. Do not try to watch videos on a 2G phone. It won’t likely work for you.

3G: Most smartphones currently are 3G, and the wireless network is mostly 3G at this time. 3G phones should be able to provide connection speeds of up to 2Mbit/s while stationary and 384 kbit/s while moving. This is perfectly good for web browsing and even streaming video if of low enough definition.

4G: The definition of 4G is a contentious topic right now, as it was supposed to represent a wireless network capable of 100 Mbit/s. However most carriers in the USA labled any network they had with connection speeds higher than 6 Mbit/s as 4G regardless of the official definition. Canadian carriers have largely followed suit. People with 4G phones should expect considerably faster data connections than they would get with 3G phones. These speeds are only really necessary for high-grade streaming media data.

LTE: The latest network technology, LTE stands for “Long Term Evolution.” Currently LTE, as a speed designation, represents networks with speeds of up to 75 Mbit/s, but the 100 Mbit/s speed originally set as the definition of 4G origianlly remains a goal of LTE networks. LTE is effectively as fast as a conventional (wired) high-speed internet connection, or possibly faster, and as such is only really necessary either if you intend to use your phone as a portable true-high speed hub, or if you have extremely intense downloaded or streaming media needs on your phone.

Because cellphones are very complicated devices it can be very difficult to choose the right phone for your needs. Consider all the options available to you, and don’t be afraid to ask for help.