SmartPhones

Demographics is big business in any industry and nowhere is that more apparent these days than in the smartphone market. The number of studies on what a person's choice of smartphone says about the person themselves is staggering.

A Verizon Wireless communications analyst released a report on what the type, style, preferred features, and common uses of smartphones says about the user, stating for example that a flip phone user likes being in control whereas a candy bar phone user likes to keep things simple.

Forbes, meanwhile, published a huge article on the personal significance of color choice in smartphones, noting that the most popular color for smartphones is blue, that red smartphones indicate outgoing, dramatic, and spontaneous personalities, whereas virtually nobody wants a yellow smartphone, though gold is another story altogether, suggesting a penchant for wealth, luxury, and prestige.

A story on MSNBC, meanwhile, looks at the correlation between brands of smartphone and personality types, noting for example that Blackberry users like staying in touch at all times, while Palm users enjoy multitasking, whereas iPhone users are avid multi-media hounds.

Pretty soon, it seems, a simple personality test will become the preferred method for shopping for one's next ideal smartphone. Ah progress!

written by SmartPhoneWizard \\ tags: Blackberry, Forbes, iphone, MSNBC, Palm, Palm Treo, verizon, Verizon Wireless

Did you ever wonder who makes the best smartphones in the world? The answer to that question can't help but be subjective. However, if popularity among consumers is any indication of quality, then we can easily identify the top smartphone makers simply by looking at market share.

According to Canalys, a company that provides "expert analysis for the high-tech industry", the number one smartphone maker is Nokia, with a stunning 53% market share. To translate - that means more than half of the smartphones sold last year were Nokias.

That puts them leaps and bounds ahead of any other competition, even second place holder Research in Motion with just an 11.3% market share for its trendy and innovative Blackberry smartphones.

This all may come as little surprise to anyone paying attention to the smartphone industry. The shocker, however, comes when realizing that the far and away third place winner is Apple with only one smartphone to its name - the iPhone, of course - which, if you glance at your calendar, you'll notice only came out 7 months ago.

No wonder every smartphone maker in the world, including fourth place contender Motorola, are looking to the iPhone to give them a lesson in how to make the next best thing in smartphones.

written by SmartPhoneWizard \\ tags: apple, Blackberry, Canalys, iphone, Motorola, Nokia, Research in Motion, RIM

Insurance giants Aflac's "Technology Concierge", Margaret Genet, is beholden with the salubrious task of teaching executives how to optimize their use of mobile devices. With efficiency paramount in the business world, maximizing the efficiency of smartphone usage for business purposes, 21st century efficiency Genet is a specialist with authority in a subject that can make money for anyone who avails themselves of her wisdom.

Recently, CIO.com released an in-depth article on the most beneficial tips and tricks Genet knows for using the RIM Blackberry. Among the tips and tricks presented are shortcuts for:

• 7 typing functions (including several single-button solutions)
• 10messaging functions (both email and SMS)
• 10 attachments functions (5 for spreadsheets and 5 for presentations)
• 2 phone functions (including multitasking)
• 8 web browser functions (like handling bookmarks)

Additionally, the article lists two very simple tricks for more easily performing a couple of basic functions that have widespread, pervasive use no matter what you're currently doing on your Blackberry.

The first is to help you more easily put your Blackberry in Standby Mode so that none of the keys can be accidentally pressed. To accomplish this, just hold down the Mute button for a couple of seconds. Now you no longer risk unwittingly triggering a function that could later prove costly or embarrassing. To take your Blackberry off of Standby Mode and reactivate all the keys, just hold down the Mute button again for a couple of seconds.

The top tip of the bunch, however, is none of these so far mentioned. The #1 most useful piece of advice Genet has to offer Blackberry users is that 95% of all problems with the Blackberry - be it a full-on freeze or merely slower performance or malfunctioning keys or capabilities - can be resolved by simply removing the battery and SIM card, waiting several moments, then reinserting them. How's that for a quick fix?

For all the rest of the tips and tricks mentioned, read the full article on CIO.com.

written by SmartPhoneWizard \\ tags: Aflac, Al Sacco, Blackberry, CIO, CIO.com, Margaret Genet, Research in Motion, RIM, RIM BlackBerry

Which smartphone should you buy for 2008? Well, before you decide, take a look over on PCMag.com and read their latest roundup where the pros and cons of the following four leading smartphone operating systems out today are compared and contrasted:

• BlackBerry OS 4.3
• Palm OS 5.4
• Symbian Series 60 3rd Edition
• Windows Mobile 6.0

According to this handy cheat sheet to the best of the best of smart phones operating systems on the market, the cream of the current crop of smartphones running each of the four OSs examined is also listed and described, such as:

• the RIM BlackBerry Curve 8320 - with unlimited WiFi
• the Palm Centro - a Palm Treo stuffed into a smaller and cheaper package
• the Nokia E61i - PC Mag's Editor's Choice for the top unlocked keyboard smartphone
• the AT&T Tilt/HTC 8925 - a combination of the some of the best mobile office and consumer entertainment features in one package

What was the winner? The BlackBerry OS. Find out why, and the good word on all the best of today's breed of smartphones and smartphone operating systems at PCMag.com

written by SmartPhoneWizard \\ tags: AT&T, AT&T Tilt, Blackberry Curve, BlackBerry Curve 8320, BlackBerry OS, BlackBerry OS 4.3, consumer entertainment, HTC, HTC 8925, mobile office, Nokia, Nokia E61i, operating system, OS, Palm, Palm Centro, Palm OS, Palm OS 5.4, Palm Treo, PC Mag, PC Magazine, PCMag, RIM, RIM BlackBerry, Symbian, Symbian Series 60, Symbian Series 60 3rd Edition, unlocked keyboard, Wi-Fi, Wifi, Window Mobiel 6.0, Windows, Windows Mobile

We're all used to the typical promotion where you get a free cell phone in exchange for signing up for a set period of service. So it should come as no surprise that the same phenomenon has begun with the product representing the evolution of the cell phone - the smartphone.

CNET reported today on the Samsung BlackJack II being offered for free on Buy.com for anyone signing up for a two-year AT&T contract. While not the fastest or easiest phone to use, the Samsung BlackJack II nonetheless has some impressive qualities, including:

• a GPS
• a 2- megapixel camera
• and AT&T HSPDA network support

Researching this phenomenon further, I found that Buy.com actually offers several smart phones for free with activation, including:

• Palm Centro
• RIM BlackBerry Pearl
• Motorola RAZR

From here, I checked into how commonly this phenomenon occurred at competing cell phone and smart phone vendors and found that everybody's doing it. In addition to more of the aforementioned brand names, I also found all sorts of other smartphones (such as Sony Ericsson, Nextel, and Nokia) offered for free by all the major carriers:

• AT&T (and the former Cingular)
• Verizon
• T-Mobile
• and Sprint

Now there's a way that people on a limited budget can still afford to get a smartphone of their own (though maybe not the latest and greatest model), just by signing up for the wireless service they're going to need to get anyway.

To boot, most of the participating smartphone vendors will even throw in free shipping with the deal.

With such great deals flooding the net, and every phone manufacturer and wireless carrier competing for your hard-earned dollar, we may soon see the day when you never have to pay to obtain a smartphone again.

written by SmartPhoneWizard \\ tags: , AT&T, Blackberry, BlackBerry Pearl, camera, cell phone, CNET, GPS, HSPDA, Motorola, Motorola RAZR, Palm, Palm Centro, Palm Treo, Research in Motion, RIM, Samsung, Samsung BlackJack II, smart phone, smartphone, Sony, Sony Ericsson, Sprint, T-Mobile, verizon

Late last year, RIM (Research in Motion) announced the development of a new software application that makes it easier for people to access the popular social networking site Facebook on their BlackBerry smartphones.

Although it is true that Facebook is already accessible through the BlackBerry web-browser, this new application not only allows users to view and send messages, photos, Wall posts, and pokes but it pushes all notifications of notes received from friends and associates on Facebook directly to a member's BlackBerry. It also lets users:

• take and upload photos to Facebook - captions and tags included - directly from their BlackBerry as well as manage photo albums and events;
• invite friends and review and manage new friend requests;
• compose, read, and reply to emails without even being online;
• scroll through notifications, notes, and messages the same as they do with emails;
• enjoy quick and easy access to a range of Facebook's most popular features.

Facebook members can now download the program for free directly from their Facebook account. Read the full announcement on Facebook for BlackBerry Smartphones right here.

written by SmartPhoneWizard \\ tags: Blackberry, Facebook, Facebook for BlackBerry, Facebook for BlackBerry Smartphones, Research in Motion, RIM, smart phone, smartphone