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[ed boy]

I'm starting to consider getting a smartphone at some point in the near future. However, I have a lot of questions. Just about the only thing that I know for certain is that it would be an android one. But if you kind people could help me out with my queries, I would be very happy. I do live in the UK, so if there's any county-specific comments, then please keep that in mind.

• How often does hardware come into play? Things like screen size and camera resolution I can see being relevant, but what about things like CPU speed and memory? I was under the impression that most programs for smartphones were extremely non-demanding, and so the power of it would not be important.
• Related to the above, are there any issues with compatability of apps between phones? Will apps work on just about everything, or do some of them have a hard time running apps? Similarly, if I buy a not particularly new smartphone now, will I be in danger of having compatability problems in the future?
• I'm considering getting a sim-only plan and getting the phone seperately to save money, as most contracts with phones included are 24 months, so if I can save just £5 per month on the contract I have £120 to put towards the phone. Am I likely to have problems with this?
• How long is the battery life of a smartphone? I'm used to being able to go over a week without charging my regular phone, but I've heard that smartphones have shorter battery lives. How much shorter?
• Just how much data does one tend to use? I plan on doing minimal video streaming, so it would be forums, email, facebook, and maybe a few webcomics. How much would I be likely to use in a month?
• Similar to the above, would it be possible to get DFterm running on a smartphone? It says that it consumes very little bandwitdth compared to streaming video, but would anybody be able to give than in more quantitative terms?

[Tellemurius]

I know for a fact that UK can get their phones cheaper as they are paying monthly for them instead of being heavily subsidized like out here in america.

Specs i would look for is core speed at 1GHz
if gaming you want your screen over 4inches
battery life depends on the model and you can buy some bigger batteries for cheap

[ed boy]

I know for a fact that UK can get their phones cheaper as they are paying monthly for them instead of being heavily subsidized like out here in america.

But surely if they're being subsidized in America, it would mean that they'd be cheaper there and more expensive here?

Specs i would look for is core speed at 1GHz
if gaming you want your screen over 4inches
battery life depends on the model and you can buy some bigger batteries for cheap

But how important is core speed? How common are apps that require all of 1GHz? If I get one with only 500 MHz, will I find that there are lots of things I won't be able to do with it?

I ask because I know that with computers, the specifications matter a lot. If I get a computer that has mid-range specs now, then I'll find myself unable to run the more demanding new releases, and in a few years I'll be unable to run most new releases. However, with my Ipod, no matter what new music is released, I'll still be able to play it. There's no danger of my Ipod becoming out of date and needing replacement to be able to play the lasest music. I'm unfamiliar with smartphones, so I want to know whether I should be approaching it like a computer or like an Ipod.

[Tellemurius]

I know for a fact that UK can get their phones cheaper as they are paying monthly for them instead of being heavily subsidized like out here in america.

But surely if they're being subsidized in America, it would mean that they'd be cheaper there and more expensive here?

Specs i would look for is core speed at 1GHz
if gaming you want your screen over 4inches
battery life depends on the model and you can buy some bigger batteries for cheap

But how important is core speed? How common are apps that require all of 1GHz? If I get one with only 500 MHz, will I find that there are lots of things I won't be able to do with it?

I ask because I know that with computers, the specifications matter a lot. If I get a computer that has mid-range specs now, then I'll find myself unable to run the more demanding new releases, and in a few years I'll be unable to run most new releases. However, with my Ipod, no matter what new music is released, I'll still be able to play it. There's no danger of my Ipod becoming out of date and needing replacement to be able to play the lasest music. I'm unfamiliar with smartphones, so I want to know whether I should be approaching it like a computer or like an Ipod.

For the price no as the phone companies take a hit from the subsidy and get their money back by ramming up their rates. I seen phone plans over there and frankly its cheaper than dirt. I believe the phone companies feel more secured that their customers are paying their phones and probably have much of a huge termination fee like out here.
 
For the core speed it seems 1ghz is the norm nowadays, for the argument of single, dual, and quad core there isn't much a pro and con from each other and more cores don't seem to make a big bump in production.

[Moogie]

I'm recently looking to get my first smartphone too. I've had an old Nokia clunker for the past decade, so I've never known what it's like to take pictures with a phone, or even look at them on a phone. My phone can do two things: call people, and text people. Text-only texting, no less.

After some fumbling, I've decided to shoot for a Samsung Galaxy S2. Primary reasons for this decision were the big bright "amoled" screen, which will make a whole world of difference when using my phone for non-phonely activities, which I plan on doing a lot, just because I can. It has excellent technical specs: 1.2GHz dual core processor, 16GB storage, 8 megapixel camera (which frankly I have no idea if that's any good) and makes me weep because I remember owning a big heavy PC that was half as powerful as this. The Android OS is the best choice as far as smartphone OSs go, for someone like me who enjoys open-sauceness and customisability.

And the best thing about the S2? Its price is going to drop like a rock in the coming months, due to the very recent release of the S3. Hurrah!

[ed boy]

That's very good advice. I'll probably look into getting if not one of those, then a newly-superceded model.

Also, is it possible to buy a phone in one country and use it in another? I might see if getting one imported from asia might work out cheaper than getting one here.

[Tellemurius]

That's very good advice. I'll probably look into getting if not one of those, then a newly-superceded model.

Also, is it possible to buy a phone in one country and use it in another? I might see if getting one imported from asia might work out cheaper than getting one here.

Galaxy S 3 is out this month. Some phones are international depending on your carrier, i know asia got dual sim cards but they suck nuts compared to most phones.

[foil]

Unless you want to do heavy 3d gaming on a phone id go with an Xperia Ray, Great phone with decent battery life and is thin, small and will be cheap now as its over a year old.  1ghz single core cpu and 1GB ram.

Anything more and it will eat thru the battery with having bigger screens and dual or quad core cpu...  No point ruining the "mobile phone" part of the thing for 3d gaming if u actually need a phone that lasts all day/a few days..


Also with data allowance, If u only plan to use the online part of the phone mostly when home it will link to your router with wifi and only use ur homes broadband allowance if capped.  The 500MB average inclusive phone contract allowance is more than enough for a fair bit browsing out n about unless streaming vids which take a big amount or bandwidth.