The phone and tablet arena seems to be stabilizing, with plenty of people pleased with their current cell phone. And the providers are becoming more rational about how the phones are paid for. So what’s new?
Well, not much!
You can read my post from last year for some of the basics. These items haven’t changed much, but they’re the attributes you look for in a new phone or tablet: size, screen, processor, storage, and camera.
For a mobile operating system, I recommend Android, of course — and I have numerous books to help you out, including some eBooks! Buy several.
Regarding manufacturers, the Android kingdom is currently dominated by Samsung. And I must confess, that Samsung is gradually honing its interpretation of Android to a fine art; today’s Samsung phones and tablets are far superior to those offered just two or three years ago.
In fact, one of my gripes from last year’s post was the Samsung Home button. Apparently they’ve addressed that issue because my current Samsung gizmos lack and overly-sensitive Home button.
Samsung has also curtailed some of the meaningless crap that they threw into their phones. This crap included apps, Samsung-specific hubs, and some weirdo features that no one ever used. Samsung still has their own way of doing things, such as the Samsung Pay feature, but they’re not as nutso as they were in years past.
When you buy a phone, I continue to recommend that you avoid long-term contracts. Apparently Verizon is the only carrier to stick with that outdated model. T-Mobile, AT&T, and the others let you sign up for monthly contracts and avoid other surcharges. The goal here is freedom: It’s nice to be able to upgrade to another phone whenever you want to and to get off the contract treadmill.
As an example, I have an HTC One, but it was upgraded on another phone’s contract. (Verizon does that.) Now the HTC’s battery is going, but its contract doesn’t expire for another year. That means I’ll have to buy out the contract if I want to get another phone, which is even more money in Verizon’s pocket.
If you’re bold, go with a unlocked phone. You can purchase them on Amazon. Before you do, check for a third-party provider — a reseller &mdash from which you can obtain a SIM card and get mobile service. This route is far cheaper than submitting to any of the major cellular providers.
For the future, the market continues to level out with fewer consumer choices as various brands evaporate. Samsung continues to be the dominant player. The Motorola line of phones was purchased by Lenovo this past year, so you may see some new stuff from them soon. And, as I expect, other new developments will pop up. I’ll post interesting tidbits on new phones and tablets throughout the year, right here on the Wamblog.
