When I first went to University in Aberystwyth back in 2000, I borrowed my mother's mobile to regularly keep in touch with home. It was a brick with an ariel but was very much of its time I suppose.
My first personal mobile 'phone was bought probably a year or so later - a good decade back. I'm pretty sure that my mobile number now is the same number that I had with my first mobile. Certainly since I was elected to local government in 2004, I've had no desire to change my number as it has become well used by friends and work colleagues alike. Over the years, they have been upgraded one-by-one and as technology has moved on, have become more advanced in their functions.
I have always been with Orange as the signal over here in the west is best served with them and particularly now with the addition of the T-mobile network. My current version was purchased 18 months ago and is a Samsung. It was a particular leap forward for me as it was the first touch-screen mobile that I'd ever owned - it certainly took some getting used too!
iPhone, Samsung Galaxy, HTC or other?
But what next? I'm now entitled to a free upgrade but having asked friends for their recommendations, have unsurprisingly found that everyone has a different view.
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| The Samsung Galaxy 2 |
I've made a number of enquiries in recent days and have made progress with my view on the matter though as I'm not intending on making the change until next week, thought that this would be one final opportunity to gather views on the back of what I have learned and on the specifications that I desire.
First of all, though there has been some backing for the HTC, I have on the whole heard that it is unreliable and not comparable to the iPhone or the Samsung Galaxy.
My gut instinct was to go for the iPhone and have found that for the £40 or so per month package that I'd be looking for that I could purchase one for as little as £95 which is not unreasonable as I see it. It is of course, the status symbol mobile to own and I gather that on financial functions, it is the business. However, an android such as the Samsung Galaxy will be a free upgrade for me and has comparable if not better entertainment functions than the iPhone. It is also more accident friendly as it is more shatter-proof than the glass iPhone. I also gather that the iPhone is a killer on the battery. I'm one that has my mobile on me 24/7 and it resembles more of an extra limb for me than an inanimate object. I always charge my mobile at night but I gather that the iPhone if used regularly could need to be charged as often as every 3 to 4 hours which would be hopeless for my usage.
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| Apple's iPhone 4 |
There are positives and negatives for all types of course but another small thing that I've learnt is that on the Samsung Galaxy it is possible to watch live TV (I didn't know such a thing were even possible) but that on the iPhone it can only be done so on the iPlayer. Also, I gather that the camera on the Galaxy is 5 megapixels but barely 3 on the iPhone.
So in taking all of this in, I'm clearly edging towards the Galaxy android. But I've got a final few days to mull it over so would welcome comments from those who know about these things.
Have I underestimated the HTC, is the iPhone better than I make out, has the Galaxy got pit-falls and are there any other phones that I'm not even mentioning that should be considered?
It's a world away from my first mobile 'phone a decade ago but in moving into the android era, I want to make sure I make what for me, is the right choice.
