How to choose a phone: touch or classic mobile?

In Spain, 44 percent of the mobiles that populate the market are smartphones . They are data from Google, published at the end of last February, and show the good health that these types of terminals enjoy ””, very well connected, tactile and loaded with features that science fiction would only have attributed to them some time ago few years"". In December of last year, Spain was the fifth country in the world in share of smart phones, where 3.3 phones out of ten were a smartphone . However, the latest data place the region as thesecond balloon in commercial penetration of this technology, behind UK.

The fact that in Spain there are more mobile phones than inhabitants ”” the report at the end of 2011 indicated that 46 percent of the total population touched a smartphone per head, with a concentration of terminals that amounted to almost 20.8 million units, being 35 percent of the almost 59 million devices that inhabited the Spanish market "" supports the quota values ​​described above. Undoubtedly, it expresses the concern of the users of our country when making the leap from the classic GSM terminalsto that other territory enriched with the features of a small computer and vitaminized with the universe of applications that is necessarily associated with what is understood by a smartphone .

Faced with this trend, there will be those who consider changing their lifelong phone, with physical keys and simple control system, for a more advanced one. However, is there really a need to change our simple and functional mobile for one that broadens the user experience? To begin with, you have to consider several aspects that are necessarily tied to the fact of getting a smartphone .

To begin with, of course, we have to take into account that we will use a touch screen. There are two types: capacitive and resistive. Less and less devices have panels of the second type. The sensitivity between the two is, in practical terms, the main difference. The capacitive ones recognize the incidence to the touch more easily and quickly, in addition to recognizing multi-touch gestures, while the resistive ones do not. Despite everything, mobiles that carry this second type of screen are usually cheaper.

The Finnish Nokia, for example, uses this technology in its entry phones. In fact, its Touch & Type range allows us, for a very bearable price, to have a first approximation with what it means to have a touch mobile with many features for the most affordable costs. In addition, these terminals combine the touch panel with traditional keys, which can make the transition more comfortable. The mobile phones of the Asha line of this same manufacturer also participate in this philosophy, and in fact, they are devices with which Nokia intendsextend its excellent position in the budget mobile segment.

Another aspect to consider when purchasing a ask touchscreen phone is the autonomy. Compared to more traditional phones, smartphones are loaded with features that, unsurprisingly, will shorten battery life between charges. Although with the classic mobile we could go several days without considering plugging it into the power supply, with a smartphone the habit can become almost daily. Logically, this is subject to the type of use we make of the device: if we use the multimedia player frequently, use the photo and video camera regularly, connect to the Internet from the terminal several times a day and make many calls, we will have to get used to the idea of ​​feeding the battery at least once up to date; if the end use we give to the smartphone will resemble to the one we used with the classic phone, you may hardly notice the difference, depending on the model we acquire.

Among the many benefits that the smart phone can include with which we will practice the transition from one device to another, there will be one to consider especially: connectivity. Many of the classic-style telephones on the market already integrate more or less advanced connections. "" Almost all of them allow access to the Internet through GPRS or 3G "", although they are not essential to take advantage of all the possibilities offered by the terminal.

In the case of a smartphone , to get the most out of it it is always advisable to have full access to the network, and although most of them have Wi-Fi so that we can access the Internet for free from the home or office connection, if we want to be constantly connected without us getting scared on the bill, the solution is to hire flat data rates. With this, in many cases, the jump to the smart mobile requires a small extra expense that, depending on the operator with which we contract the service and the connection fee we choose, will be variable but necessary.

And, of course, the final price of the terminal will also determine the decision to switch to a smartphone or continue with the usual phone. Classic-cut devices will rarely cost more than 100 euros in free format "" being free in practically all the cases in which we get telephones as part of hiring a line with this or that operator "", while the expense it is presumably higher in the case of smart phones. However, the trend is becoming more balanced, and it is not strange to find advanced phones at very affordable prices.

We have talked about the Nokia Asha, for example. This line is the perfect transition between one category of mobile and another. They combine touchscreens with traditional keyboards. In some cases, very complete connections are integrated, and although it carries the simplest version of the native system of the Finnish firm ”” S40 ””, it is possible to customize the functions of the terminals by downloading applications. However, the best is in its prices, which are in a range of between 70 and 120 euros in free format.

Nokia has other really interesting terminals in this regard. The Nokia Lumia 610, for example, will be one of the smartphones with which you intend to hit the table in the smartphone segment. It carries an operating system, Windows Phone 7.5, which, despite being among the last to arrive at the party of advanced platforms, has received applause and praise from professionals and users. The Lumia 610 is the economic proposal of the firm, with a price of 190 euros in free format. It has not yet been put on sale, although when it does it is expected to absorb a good part of the attention of the entrance public, by condensing very interesting features in a mobile full of functions at a fairly low cost.

The Sony Japan also advocates a similar line. Just a month ago he introduced its new line Xperia, including a terminal that moves in this area sneaked: the Sony Xperia U. The proposal moves into another category depending on its platform. We are talking about Android, Google's system, which allows you to download selectable applications from an assortment of hundreds of thousands of available options. The idea of ​​the Xperia U is that, for about 250 euros in free format, you can have a mobilethat has little to envy to first-line terminals, integrating really powerful features in a very compact format. By the way, if what we want is a compact phone at an affordable price, we could also consider the option of the Sony Ericsson Xperia Mini, at a cost of 200 euros, although in this case with more modest features.

Another of the firms that includes smartphones designed for users who are new to this technology is HTC, although in this case, the prices are above what is seen. Among its most current phones, the HTC One V stands out, which will be worth 300 euros when it hits stores in the next few days. The proposal moves within a bias similar to that of the Sony Xperia U, although as we see, for a somewhat higher price. If we wanted to opt for an option below 200 euros in the Taiwanese catalog, the most recent choice would go through the HTC Explorer.

We have mentioned that with the Nokia Asha line, the Finnish wants to strengthen its catalog of affordable mobile phones. In this line, the closest rival is Samsung, which also has a large share in this market. In fact, among the options that the Korean firm deploys in the sector of smart phones we could consider, at a very bearable price, the Samsung Galaxy Y, which includes complete but modest features in a compact phone that costs less than 150 euros ”” about 1 70 euros if we talk about its version with a full frontal keyboard ””.

In a somewhat higher line ”” in power and, of course, in price ”” we would have the Samsung Galaxy Ace, made up of a line that began with the mobile that gives its name to this family of phones and continues with the imminent Galaxy Ace 2 and Galaxy Ace Plus, with acquisition costs of between 200 and 300 euros. Hovering precisely around 200 euros, by the way, are the Samsung Galaxy Mini and Samsung Galaxy Mini 2, which are somewhat lighter in features, but also more tailored to the needs of input users.

Of course, as we raise the bar we will find increasingly complete terminals, although the increase in power will be accompanied by a notable growth in price. We are talking about devices such as the iPhone 4S, which costs between 600 and 800 euros "" depending on the internal memory that is equipped "", although it is also possible to get terminals with spectacular benefits at more reasonable prices. For approximately 500 euros, for example, you can get the Samsung Galaxy S2, while the Nokia Lumia 800 can be ours for about 430 euros.