Confused by all the jargon? Baffled by sheer weight of choice? With hundreds of handsets to choose from, we understand more than anyone just how daunting choosing a mobile phone can be. Don’t worry though - Omio is on hand to help!
In this guide, we help you find your ideal handset by breaking down your options into three distinct categories:
Smartphones
Want to surf the crest of a new wave in mobile technology? You want a smart phone.
What exactly makes a smartphone is a point of contention, but suffice to say that it's a phone which allows you to perform multiple simultaneous tasks: for instance synchronized email, web-browsing, personal organizer functions, plus media software and gaming. Add to the mix GPS navigation and you have a powerful organizational and media tool in your pocket.
Smart phones are also distinct from normal mobiles by the interface they offer – this might include a touch screen or d-pad, or a miniature QWERTY keyboard, or a combination of the above.
Feature Phones
Not bothered about using the internet on the move, but still want a phone that packs the features of one of your other pocket devices? Take a look at the feature phones on offer. In addition to the basics of mobile telephony, feature phones boast either a decent mp3 player or camera, or even both.
Serious about your music? Then you’ll need a 3.5mm jack so you can plug in your own headphones; built-in speakers for playing our music out loud and the capacity to expand the memory via SD card so you can take all your tunes with you.
Nokia’s Xpress Music range have the above features, as does Sony’s Walkman Phone range.
Most phones have a camera, but if you're into photgraphy, there are some models which are definitely better than others. Bear in mind that a higher number of mega pixels doesn’t equal better pictures, but good quality lens components (Leica and Carl Zeiss are like the Rolls Royce and Jaguar of optics) significantly improve picture quality.
Also look out for features such as Xenon flash, Macro, Auto-focus, lowlight capability and shake-reduction, all of which will help you get decent images out of challenging conditions.
The Basics
If you simply want a phone that covers the basics (i.e. voice calls, SMS and MMS) then there are a myriad of handsets that will ably serve your needs.
Nokia and Samsung are both experts at delivering handsets in this category: After shifting 200,000,000 units Nokia’s 1100 is the biggest selling mobile of all time and is a paradigm of hardy simplicity. If that’s a little Spartan for your tastes however, Samsung’s SGH D500 and Nokia’s 6210 Classic are two examples of basic, but well finished phones.
If you travel abroad though, do look for a tri, or quad band phones. Tri band phones operate in Europe, Asia & Africa, while quad band phones also work in America.