By Scott Westerman
Help! I need advice on the perfect cell phone!
I admit it. I’m starting to tire of how ineffective the iPhone keyboard works with my fat fingers. I miss my Blackberry Pearl and it’s fast, intuitive thumb board.
And, of course, AT&T’s coverage in my neck of the woods (perhaps it my phone) leaves a lot to be desired.
So when my term comes up, I’ll be shopping a new phone.
So help me make a list of the essential characteristics and applications that are most important to you. Here are a few of mine.
The Phone:
- It must have a really powerful radio and an effective antenna (Think the latest iPhone issues – nuff said.
- It’s gotta be easy to type. Fast, intuitive and shouldn’t require too much accuracy.
- Effective Speech to Text functionality – So I can listen to and respond to emails n such while driving.
- It should also double as a wi-fi access point. I love my MiFi, but why should I pay double?
- It must have GPS functionality (see the app list below).
- It must have hands free capability – Bluetooth, wired headset.
- Text support must be first class.
- The browser must render well, whether or not the website recognizes it’s a mobile phone.
- Camera functionality should allow for easy uploading to TwitPic, Facebook and fast MMS conversion, plus high rez for Flickr, etc.
- It’s gotta vibrate – I don’t use ringtones.
- It must have a really good media player – And the ability to play my faves from my MP3 library and my movies.
- A reliable alarm clock.
- It can’t be too small or too big – Has to fit in my shirt pocket. I don’t wear holsters.
The apps:
Must Have:
- Twitter (multiple account and scheduled tweet support)
- Facebook / Linked-In
- Mail – Must work seamlessly with GMail and Microsoft Outlook Enterprise.
- RunKeeper – Yeah, I’m a mutant who loves pounding his joints on asphalt.
- The Weather Channel and a really, really good real-time radar app
- Amazon Kindle
- Integrated Skype functionality.
- Zenbe – My favorite to-do list manager
- A radio stream player that works with NPR, BBC and the Spartan Network (I’m not into Pandora).
- A calculator – just in case.
Nice to have:
- WordPress – So I can update my blogs on the go.
- LogMeIn – So I can manage my computers on the go.
- Hulu Plus
- Netflix (not just a queue manager.. a player)
- Ustream streamer
- Tripit
That’s my list. Bring on the feedback! What am I forgetting? Which phones do you recommend? Use the comment functionality so we can all discuss and debate.
I promise to amplify this across all my networks, so your input will help others!
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