So you are in the market to buy a new Smartphone… By now you know which SmartPhones are most popular among Realtors in the US, and you have a pretty clear idea which Smartphones ActiveRainers prefer (if you have a look of confusion on your face, you can quietly refer back to our previous blogs). In this post we wanted to go even deeper and look at important features that affect the usability of a Smartphone.
In our previous blog post “Smartphone Advice from one ActiveRainer to another” we revealed our poll results for Smartphone Platforms ActiveRainers Use, and looked at the Smartphone marketshare trends. Now let’s focus our attention on what makes a particular Smartphone popular: the Apps! As expected, our poll results for the top features ActiveRainers use show that e-mail, texting and web-browsing, are the forerunners when it comes to apps that are used the most. Compared to the general population, ActiveRainers suprisingly use social networks such as Facebook and Twitter a lot less.
Inspired by the amazing comments we received in our previous posts, we wanted to create a list of what you should ask yourself before selecting a Smartphone platform:
1) Do you need a Smartphone? According to a new Nielson study, about one-quarter of all Smartphone users don't use a single kilobyte of mobile broadband data. Although a majority of us find Smartphones essential, if you find your life is just fine without a Smartphone, then there is no need to spend extra money on the monthly plans.
2) Which service provider has the best coverage in your area? As Peter Di Eduardo mentioned in our previous post, having the best phone doesn’t mean anything if you cannot use it due to reception issues. Considering the average provider ties you into a 2 year contract, take your time and do your research before choosing one!
3) How much data do you download/upload a month? Find out how much data you will need a month. According to the BBC, if people switched to wireless contracts that suited them better, they could save around $100 a year.
4) What keyboard are you comfortable with? As the poll results show, the top 3 apps we use the most are e-mailing, texting and web browsing. All three of these apps require a good degree of typing, so make sure you choose the right kind of keyboard. It would be pretty frustrating using a touch screen phone if you can’t stand typing on a virtual keyboard.
5) Which apps do you need? Although there are thousands of apps out there, the app development industry is still pretty new. Some apps are only on one platform, some platforms have lower prices and some even have different download policies. So if apps are important to you, make a list of the essential apps you need and see which platform supports them.
6) What are your phone specifications? Do you need to take videos/photos of your listings quite often? If so, buying a Smartphone with low megapixels or storage capacity would make little sense. Here is a great spec sheet comparing the latest Smartphones: Smartphone Comparison
A big thank you to all of you who have commented on our last posts, and gave us the inspiration to write this post! Hope you found these tips useful. If you have any more tips, feel free to share them with us!
Take care and be safe everyone!
Moby Team
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