Beginner's Guide to Smartphones: Part I

Upgrading from a feature phone to a smartphone can be a complicated and stressful experience. Between all of the new terms to learn, an entirely different set of features and the plethora of choices, how do you even get started? Well, in this two part series, I’m going to go over some of the basics for smartphone use and things you should know before making the jump. This morning, we’ll go over some of the basic questions new smartphone users have about making the switch, and go into even more detail later this afternoon. Let’s get started!

How are Smartphones different from regular phones?

Before you make the jump, one of the most important things is understanding how a smartphone is different from your normal phone (sometimes called feature phones or dumb phones). The most obvious difference is the touch screen and the ability to access the internet.Some of the more recent feature phones can access the internet, but it is often laborious and slow. Where your old feature phone is designed to make calls first and do everything else second, a smartphone is designed to do a little bit of everything. They are basically mini computers that happen to make calls as well. With a smartphone, you not only have access to the whole of the internet, but also to a million different mini programs (called apps) which can do anything from play games to take notes, do calculations or access Facebook or Pinterest.

What is Android?

While the term “Android phone” is thrown around quite a lot, it can be deceiving. Android is not a type of phone, but rather the primary operating software that the phone uses. Much like your HP or Dell computer is referred to as a Windows, your phone is an Android. There are several other operating systems for phones available, but Android is the most popular by far and, in my opinion, one of the easiest to start with. Other mobile operating systems include Windows (run on the Nokia Lumia phones), iOS (created by Apple and found exclusively on iPhones) and Blackberry (an operating system created by the company Blackberry, which also makes phones). There are plenty of pros and cons to each mobile operating system, but as most phones (somewhere between 70 – 80%) are Android, I’m going to focus on that for now.

Which phone is the best?

There are so many phones at each price range, this is a pretty common question. Unfortunately, it’s also one of the hardest to answer, as it depends on how comfortable you are with technology, what you’re going to use your phone for, and how much you are willing to spend. The best thing I can suggest is talking to some of your friends and family who have smartphones and asking what they like about their phones. Maybe even play around with it for a few minutes to see what you’re comfortable with. If you decide to make the switch to a smartphone, take someone who knows phones with you and be sure to ask the associate for an entry-level phone. It will not only be a little cheaper, but also have fewer features which will be easier for beginners. Keep in mind, however, that entry-level phones tend to be limited in hardware and use.

What do smartphones cost?

When most people think about smartphones, they think of the really expensive phones (referred to as ‘flagship phones’) like the iPhone or the Samsung Galaxy S5. While you can expect to pay upwards of $700 for one of these phones, getting a smartphone for $100 – $200 isn’t unfeasible and there are actually some pretty solid phones at this range (such as the Moto E). And if you intend to sign a contract, then you can probably get a good phone for next to nothing, although then you’ll be hedged in a contract, so weigh the pros and cons carefully.

Why do I need a Google Account?

Because Android was created by Google, pretty much all Android phones require you to create or connect your Google account to the phone in order to access all of the features and use your phone. There isn’t really any way around this, and it will allow you to import your contacts from your gmail account (if you have one). If you don’t have an account, it only takes a few minutes to set one up, and doesn’t really require much personal information so it is safe.

What do I need phone storage for?

When you purchase a smartphone, one of the main selling points is going to be the amount and sometimes kind of storage available (also called memory). Smartphones are capable of taking thousands photos and videos and downloading apps and other documents, and all of that has to go somewhere, right? That’s where storage comes in. There are three kinds of storage: internal, removable and cloud storage.

Internal storage is the memory of the phone. The internal storage of your phone cannot be changed and is used for apps and, occasionally, other media like pictures and videos as well as actual phone processes. This storage is limited and once it is full, you have to either delete something or use removable external storage as a supplement.

Removable storage is usually in the form of an SD (Secure Digital) card. SD cards come in several sizes, but most phones use microSD cards. Generally SD cards come in several storage capacities ranging from 2 GB all the way up to 128 GB. When you are purchasing an SD card, be sure to check your phone manual, as some phones will only be compatible with a certain amount of storage capacity.

Cloud storage is the last type of storage and is probably the newest of the three. With cloud storage, all of your media is saved on a remote server via the internet which means that it can’t be lost by destruction of your phone. This peace of mind is, however, at a cost, as cloud storage is sometimes not as secure and can be limited or occasionally will cost a monthly fee, depending on the service.

How much storage do I need?

When trying to figure out how much storage you need, it can be a little confusing. Storage is usually in increments of 2 – 64 GB, while downloaded apps and pictures are set in MB. So here are some facts for reference:

• There are 1024 MB in 1 GB
• Your average non-game app will take up 6 MB
• A game app will average around 40 MB
• A photo will average 3 – 4 MB for decent quality
• One song (downloaded, not streamed) will take up around 4 MB of space
• Videos can take up a ton of space, depending on quality and length. Anywhere from 50 MB – 300 MB
• eBooks and the like take next to no storage (generally in the kb range per book), so 1 GB of eBooks is literally an entire library

So, as you can see, there are a lot of things that go into storage and figuring out how much you need. When looking at internal storage and external storage and deciding what you need, first figure out what you’re going to use it for and keep in mind that some of the internal storage will be unavailable, as the actual operating system will be stored there.

How do I use a Smartphone?

I’m glad you asked! But, as that is a WHOLE other can of worms, I’m going to cover some of the basic tips and tricks for new smartphone users in the Part II of this article, which will be posted this afternoon! Topics I’ll cover include:

• How to put your phone on vibrate, silent and ring mode
• Tips for downloading apps
• Tips for customizing your Android phone
• Task managers and what they’re really for
• How to send picture messages

Click here to read Part II of this series.]]>