the smartphone dilemma
Is it better to have a separate phone and a pda or is it better
to have a device that combines the two together.
On the surface, it seems like a no brainer. Why bother with two
devices when you can have one? It's more convenient to carry one
device wherever you go. You need more pockets and get weigh down
with additional weight if you carry two separate devices.
Another cool thing is that you don't need to juggle with two
devices if you want to take down notes with someone on the phone
line. All in one devices make it convenient to make a mobile
call and take notes simultaneously. Just plug in the phone
earpiece and then jot down notes easily on the hybrid device. If
you have two separate devices, you need to hold the mobile phone
between your shoulder and your neck while whipping out your pda to take down notes.
There's also no need to search for your telephone number in the
pda and then dial it on the mobile phone. It simply slows you
down.
Finally, it's complicated when you have to make changes or
update contact information. You need to sync the phone with the
pda. If you have a single device , all your data and information
is found in one place and there's no need for synchronization of
the pda with mobile phone.
But on the other hand, separates makes more sense. Working on a
spreadsheet with a smart phone will easily drain or wipe off
your battery power in matter of minutes.
When your smart phone runs out of power, you are left with no
mobile phone and no pda.
Secondly, a regular mobile phone is so much more affordable than
those with pda functions. You can get a regular phone at zero
cost provided you sign a contract with the mobile service
provider. Compare that against smart phone which can cost at
least an exorbitant USD 350 and go up to $ 800. Only a small
minority can afford such expensive smart phones.
Thirdly, the design of the hybrid doesn't serve its user very
well. Most smart phones are very bulky and heavier than
separates. You look silly and find it uncomfortable to hold it
against your face to make a mobile call. Also, the small screen
makes the smart phone/ pda phone difficult to view pictures and
text. The small keypad of a smart phone or pda phone makes it
difficult to input data.
The worst thing about a hybrid is that it ends up neither here
or there. Instead of a mobile phone that takes great photos and
videos ,you are faced with a smart phone that takes
mediocre pictures and videos and run out of power if you try to
work on spreadsheet. They have limited capability and serve only
basic functions such as appointments, memo and contacts well .
However, if you want to edit MS Office documents, surf the web
and run other applications, you will find a pda does a much
better job than a smart phone.