How to Buy a Chinese Smartphone

Posted on May 25, 2016 by Vince Font

There are excellent smartphones coming out of China. And they’re cheap! While some, like Huawei handsets, have a small foothold in the US, most only ship to other overseas markets. So how do you get one Stateside? Read on to find out.

Why Buy Chinese?

Honor 5X

Low cost is the most compelling argument for anyone considering buying a Chinese-manufactured smartphone. Xiaomi is widely considered the best price to performance. Its designs brazenly rip off Apple and Samsung (which might explain why they’ve avoided the US market), but the company offers its wares at a fraction of the cost of US flagships. In addition, the Xiaomi smartphone specs are top-notch and compete well in a “Pepsi Challenge” test among casual users seeking functionality over brand recognition. For example, the Xiaomi Mi5 launched in March has a 1080p display and comes equipped with a Snapdragon 820 processor, up to 4GB of RAM, and internal storage options ranging from 32 to 128GB. The fully tricked-out version goes for less than $400. The Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 edge have higher-resolution displays, but the same internals. And those can cost up to and above $700.

But it’s not just about cosmetic ripoffs. Some, like Huawei’s Honor 5X, are uniquely inspired devices that rank high in performance and can be had for about $200.

Extended delivery wait times can be an issue if you need your phone yesterday, but if you’re shopping in advance that isn’t much of an issue. Pricey costs for overseas delivery is a potential issue with some retailers, but considering the amount of money you may save by buying Chinese, you’ll still end up significantly well ahead.

Where Can You Buy a Chinese Smartphone?

ZTE Grand X3

The availability of Chinese smartphones through traditional channels is one of the greatest barriers to ownership. Don’t expect to be able to pick one up from any of the big four carriers – and before you buy one from a third party, make sure the smartphone you’ve got your eyes on will work with your existing plan. This goes for smartphones manufactured by Huawei and Xiaomi, but also includes Meizu, Lenovo, Oppo, Vivo, and ZTE.

NewEgg, GearBest, Chinavasion, and GeekBuying are your best bets for getting your hands on a Chinese smartphone in the U.S., as are Amazon and eBay. Some of these sites offer free shipping, but they aren’t the only sources out there. Many manufacturers make their mobile devices available to U.S. buyers directly from their websites. This may provide a little more peace of mind than going third-party, but you may have to pay heavy shipping.

Stuff to Consider

Issues of network compatibility with stateside carriers are your chief concern when buying a Chinese smartphone. For example, the aforementioned Mi5 from Xiaomi was originally advertised to support US LTE bands, but that has since been proven not to be the case. Hence, the serious need to do your homework before you spend money on a Chinese-made smartphone.

One excellent resource that you can leverage to perform this pre-purchase resource can be found at Will My Phone Work. A quick look here reveals that the previously mentioned Honor 5X – although a good, cheap smartphone – has only a handful of sub-models that are compatible in the States for 3G and 4G connectivity. The vast majority can only be used running 2G, which will likely be a deal-killer for most tech-conscious users.

Taxes and customs can also add to your overall cost. You may be charged a duty fee on top of the device and shipping.

Finally, CYA when it comes to payment, and avoid paying direct with a credit card, debit card, or bank transfer. A PayPal account is likely your best bet. You can always channel any disputes through PayPal should things not work out.

Words of Warning

Huawei Mate 8

Without doubt, one of the most compelling reasons to stick with an American-made or U.S. carrier-warrantied smartphone is your easy access to service. If something goes wrong with your iPhone, getting someone to look at it is as easy as walking into the nearest Apple store. And if your Samsung takes the plunge, there are plenty of places where you can bring or send your smartphone in for repairs or—if it’s covered—replacement.

Getting quick customer service on a Chinese smartphone, on the other hand, can be a lot like negotiating a maze without the benefit of a map—and with a potential language barrier thrown in. Also, shipping costs to send your smartphone overseas for repair can be exorbitant. There’s always the option of taking your smartphone to a local repair shop if something goes wonky, but the vast majority of stateside experts specialize in readily-available brands, and you may have trouble finding someone local with the know-how to crack open and fix a Chinese-made smartphone. You’ll have even more trouble finding a resource that has access to individual replacement parts.

Security issues can also rear their ugly heads. It was reported recently that Taiwanese-manufactured MT6582 chips, which are in wide use on low-end smartphones from Huawei and Lenovo, can give root access to malicious software and hacker attacks. That said, no smartphone in the world is immune from attack, but it’s something worth considering.

Lastly, there’s the far less frightening—but equally important—issue of receiving timely operating system updates, which many adopters of Chinese-manufactured smartphones complain aren’t frequent enough.

Want to learn more about buying a smartphone? Read all about network technology, including LTE, GSM, and CDMA. And then read all about no-contract smartphone data plans and pricing. Finally, learn all about smartphone specs, the differences between iOS and Android, choosing the right data plan, recycling your smartphone, and buying an unlocked smartphone.

The post How to Buy a Chinese Smartphone appeared first on Brighthand.com.

How to Buy a Smartphone: Picking the Right Smartphone Plan

Posted on May 17, 2016 by Vince Font

Now that you’ve picked a wireless carrier, it’s time to pick a plan. Fair warning: this can be almost as difficult as picking a carrier, and the on-again/off-again nature of special deals can serve to make it even more frustrating. Not to mention, wireless carriers have a way of nickel-and-diming you into a significantly higher bill. Here are some tips to help you decide what options are right for you.

Eliminate the Fluff

Don’t bother spending money on Verizon cloud storage.

When you buy a smartphone and sign up for a data plan, expect to get offered a large number of features and add-on accessories. Many of these you won’t need. Verizon offers free cloud storage for your media ranging from a free 5GB to 250GB for $18 per month. This is extremely pricey, considering you can get 1TB of cloud space on Dropbox Pro or Google Drive for $9.99 per month, or 1TB of cloud space on OneDrive for $6.99 per month. On top of that, it may be overkill. Google offers both Android and iOS users free photo backups for Google Photo users, and Amazon does the same for Prime members.

T-Mobile offers a slew of additional add-ons that include things like Stateside International Talk and Web Guard if you have kids, but depending on your circumstances and how often you’ll use the services, these are also superfluous.

Protective cases are always a good idea, but keep in mind that shopping around can help you discover a greater diversity of choice and sometimes even cheaper products that’ll meet your needs. This also goes for accessories like Bluetooth headsets and car chargers, which can almost always be found cheaper elsewhere. By way of example, AT&T and Verizon charge you $60 for an OtterBox Defender iPhone 6s Plus case. You can find the same at Amazon for $39.

Visual voicemail is another feature that sometimes comes at added cost, but isn’t always necessary – although voicemail service absolutely is. You also have free third-party options with respect to setting up visual voicemail, such as Google Voice, which is free and comes with visual voicemail. Other add-on services like roadside assistance may be just a waste of money if you’ve already got that option included with your auto insurance or have a AAA membership.

To Insure or Not to Insure?

As you go through the online (or in-person) checkout process to buy a new smartphone, you’ll invariably come across the hard sell of device insurance. Sure, smartphones aren’t indestructible and sinking money into a $600 smartphone without insuring it against damage sounds like a bad idea at the outset. But there are others who’ll tell you it’s just a waste of money you could be spending elsewhere.

Smartphone insurance isn’t expensive measured month to month, typically costing around $5 to $10 per month – an amount well spent if you accidentally drop it two weeks after your purchase. But this obviously adds up at the end of the year, and there’re other costs to consider.

For one, the insurance payment doesn’t mean you’ll get a replacement at absolutely no cost if you break a device. There’s still the issue of having to pay a deductible, which can range anywhere from $50 to $300. If you’re on the back end of paying a device off, this is not a good deal.

There are also conditions on insurance, depending on the carrier and the device that you buy, which don’t include all possible scenarios. For example, most will cover a cracked screen, and some cover theft, but not all loss. Additionally, since insurance plan providers get to call the shots on what that “replacement” really is, you are often likely to receive a refurbished phone than a brand new one or a check. And if your insured smartphone is no longer available, you may have to settle for a replacement of equal value that’s different to what you’ve grown accustomed.

One other thing to consider: many homeowners and renter’s insurance policies cover smartphones. The only drawback here is that if your deductible is over $1,000 it may not be worth it to file a claim. And more often than not, filing a claim that does work out in your favor could increase your homeowners or renter’s insurance premium.

If you are considering buying additional insurance from your carrier, be sure to review all of your options before signing up. Verizon offers several different types of protection plans, some of which cover theft and damage, but others that do not. For example, Verizon’s Total Equipment Coverage insures you even if you drop your phone in water – however Verizon’s Wireless Extended Warranty only covers you against device defects.

T-Mobile is a bit less convoluted, but only the premium plan covers you against theft, loss and accidental damage – this includes if you happen to accidentally drop your phone in water. Sprint also protects you against accidental drops and unintentional water exposure, but takes things a step further by offering next-day replacement (in most cases) for a covered loss. AT&T offers declining deductibles that reward you with a lower premium if you don’t file a claim for more than 12 months.

The majority of smartphone insurance plans cover accidental damage from drops, and theft. Most of the time, insurance covers only the phone itself and may exclude coverage for the battery. Exclusions apply if your phone is damaged due to being improperly used.

Looking beyond carrier-based insurance, there are also alternative options worth looking into. For example, HTC’s “Uh Oh” protection plan guarantees replacement of HTC One (M8 or M9) smartphones if they come to harm from accidental drops or water exposure within the first year of ownership. This is offered free of charge.

If you buy an iPhone, you get a freebie called AppleCare, which covers you against defects for a full year. For a single payment of $129, you can upgrade to AppleCare+, which extends that warranty out to two years and covers you against accidental damage and water exposure (but not loss or theft). With AppleCare+ you can claim up to two replacements, each of which will run you a deductible ranging from $79 to $99.

Other options include SquareTrade, which runs from $4 to $6 per month and covers you against drops and water exposure, and Mobile Rhino, which adds theft and loss to damage coverage on iPhones and iPads starting at $129. You can also cover your smartphone with Best Buy’s Geek Squad Protection Plan, which starts at $7.99 per month and offers coverage against drops, spills, cracks, wear and tear, and mechanical failure. Geek Squad’s “complete” protection costs $10.99 per month and includes loss and theft coverage.

Whatever you route you opt for, make your decision quickly. Most smartphone insurers (whether direct from the carrier or via third-party) require that you insure your mobile device within the first 60 days.

The team at NotebookReview is split when it comes to smartphone insurance. As with any policy, it’s that thing you don’t need until you need it. Android smartphone owners have it slightly easier in forgoing insurance thanks to the rise of low-cost Android smartphones with premium features, like the Honor 5X. Apple iPhone owners face a more difficult decision given that the iPhone is still a premium-price product.

Taking a Look at Your Data Habits

A 2GB per month data plan may not sound like much if you’re unaware of how much data you actually consume. But a well-informed wireless consumer approaches his or her choice of plan based on knowledge of their data usage habits.

Android and iOS make it easy to monitor data consumption.

If you like to stream music or movies from your smartphone and do so frequently, it makes sense that a high-GB or even unlimited data plan is ideal – especially if you’re not into the idea of paying overage fees or having your data connection slow to a crawl when you max out. But if you have near-constant access to Wi-Fi and next to never stream over a cellular connection, paying an exorbitant amount of money monthly for an unlimited plan could be a waste of money.

As written earlier, exploring cellular networking technology, streaming a 90-minute movie in SD on Netflix will eat up approximately 1.5 GB of data. In HD, that same movie can devour 4.5GB of data. Data usage when streaming music varies, and depends on the quality of the stream. If you stream music at 320kbps, you can burn through some 115MB in an hour, and nine hours will consume about 1GB.

Here’s another thing to consider: all of the carriers offer tools that will help you monitor your data usage. Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T and Sprint offer a handful of such tools, including text message alerts that’ll inform you if you’re coming close to your limit. Additionally, you can manually check your data usage yourself by sending a predetermined text to a specific number to find out where you stand. If you use automatic text notifications, keep in mind that performing a huge download may take you over the limit before the system has had a chance to notify you.

In addition to these manual methods, carriers offer downloadable widgets and apps that you can launch to check your data manually.

Finally, both iOS and Android make it easy to find the same information. It’s found in the settings in “Cellular” or “Data Usage.”

T-Mobile Binge On allows users to stream various video services without a data cap hit.

Currently, T-Mobile is the only carrier that actually gives its subscribers access to free streaming over cellular connection to some of the most popular streaming services. Their Music Freedom service, which comes as a free inclusion with certain data packages, gives you free streaming access to about 40 different services. These include Apple Music, Google Play Music, Pandora, Rhapsody, SiriusXM, Spotify, and even SomaFM. Similarly, Binge On is T-Mobile’s free video streaming platform, and is only available for data plans of 3GB or higher. With Binge On, you can stream for free from over 40 different platforms including Amazon Video, HBO Go, Netflix, Vevo, and Vudu.

Don’t forget that T-Mobile’s free streaming service only counts when you stream through the official apps. If you use your smartphone’s web browser to stream, it’ll count against your data.

Other Considerations

Carriers often strike deals with corporations to offer incentive to employees to choose them. Before you settle on a particular carrier, talk to someone in your workplace administrative office to find out if there are any special wireless discounts. You might be surprised to discover you can get a small (but not inconsiderable) discount on services.

Additionally, you don’t have to be blood-related to go in a family plan with another person or persons. Family plans aren’t just for “family” – you can sign up for a cellphone carrier family plan with a roommate or significant other, provided you both share the same address.

Want to learn more about buying a smartphone? Read all about network technology, including LTE, GSM, and CDMA. And then read all about no-contract smartphone data plans and pricing. Finally, learn all about smartphone specs, the differences between iOS and Android, recycling your smartphone, and buying an unlocked smartphone.

The post How to Buy a Smartphone: Picking the Right Smartphone Plan appeared first on Brighthand.com.

How to Buy a Smartphone: Recycling Old Cell Phones

Posted on May 17, 2016 by Vince Font

Good smartphones are now cheap, which means good smartphones are now disposable.

The Honor 5X is a $200 phablet from Huawei.

The Honor 5X is a quality $200 phablet from Huawei.

According to the EPA, some 130 million smartphones are added to landfills every year. The lead, mercury, cadmium and other scary-sounding internal ingredients found inside can leak into groundwater and eventually find their way back into your mouth via the food chain.

We’re not just throwing away quality handsets, but also perfectly usable quality handsets, which can turn around and be resold.

But even an old iPhone with a cracked screen and dead battery still has use. Again, according to the EPA, every million smartphones recycled in the US results in 35,000 pounds of copper, 772 pounds of silver, 75 pounds of gold, and 33 pounds of palladium.

So whether intended for reuse, or set for recycling, don’t ever just throw your smartphone away.

Donate Your Smartphone to a Good Cause

A growing variety of nonprofit organizations are more than willing to take your old smartphone off your hands and put it to significantly better use than it would see in a landfill. Here are just a few suggestions.

Cell Phones for Soldiers is a nonprofit agency that’ll take your old mobile device (including flip phones, smartphones, tablets, even MP3 players) off your hands. Contrary to popular belief, they don’t send these devices to soldiers in the field – instead, they recycle these devices for money and channel your donation into prepaid international calling cards that soldiers can use to place calls to family and friends while they’re deployed. They’ll even offer to send you a shipping label, and your donation is tax deductible.

The Cell Phones for Soldiers website specifies the need for “gently used” devices, so if you’re looking to get rid of an old iPhone with a cracked screen, this may not be the best option for you.

The carriers themselves have their own established charitable contribution channels, like Verizon’s HopeLine, which takes smartphones of any make, model or condition and uses them to help victims of domestic abuse. Smartphones in good enough condition to be refurbished are resold, with the proceeds going to various domestic violence nonprofits. Often times, these proceeds go to buy usable phones for victims, but even phones that can’t be refurbished are stripped for parts, which are recycled for cash. That cash is then donated to various advocacy and prevention agencies. Please note, donations to HopeLine aren’t tax deductible.

Recycling for Charities takes old phones, iPods, digital camera and PDAs and lets you pick the charity the recycling proceeds go to. You’ll have to pick up the tab for shipping, however.

Gizmogul operates in a similar fashion, but it lets you kill two birds with one stone: you get paid, and the company donates money to help build schools across the globe. The donation is $1 per transaction generated.

Sell it Online

Not everyone’s a technophile who demands next-gen technology the moment it’s available. There are actually people in this world who’d be perfectly happy to own an iPhone 5S or Samsung Galaxy S5. If you’ve got a few of these lying around, you could turn them into cold, hard cash by selling them to folks who’ll put them to use.

You can still use ancient, last-century platforms like eBay and Craigslist, but we suggest checking out some of the sites below.

Apple Buyback
Buybackworld.com
Gazelle.com
Glyde.com
Nextworth.com
Samsung Upgrade
Swappa.com

For example, you can sell a well-cared-for T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy S5 through Glyde for between $95 and $145 (the lower you set the price, the quicker it’s likely to sell). Over at Buyback World, you can sell a 64GB iPhone 5S that’s in excellent condition for $77. If you’ve got an unlocked 32GB Nexus 6 in good condition, listing it on Gazelle will fetch you about $105.

Samsung Galaxy S5 on Glyde

Putting Your Old Smartphone to Work

You can always recycle your old smartphone by putting it to work for yourself.

For example, you can install any number of security apps (some free, some pay) that can turn your spare smartphone into a home security camera that you can access remotely to check in on your digs or your dogs. While this requires that your phone is still operational, you can get past the need to have cellular signal by connecting it via your home Wi-Fi signal. Apps like Alfred and Presence are functional across Android and iOS devices and can save you money on expensive security cameras.

Other uses for spare, disused smartphones abound – including leaving it in your living room to be used as a multi-purpose remote control for your TV, keeping it permanently plugged into your home stereo for streaming music services like Pandora, or pairing it with a Chromecast as a Netflix box.

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How to Buy a Smartphone: Buying an Unlocked Phone

Posted on April 14, 2016 by Vince Font

Buying a smartphone from a third party site like Swappa or Amazon can save you quite a few dollars, especially if you buy it used or refurbished. Also, big box retailers like Best Buy sometimes offer deep discounts on new handsets you may not be able to score by going direct through the carrier. But keep in mind, not all smartphones you buy from third parties will work on just any carrier.

This brings up the issue of compatibility, and the discussion of the differences between GSM and CDMA. T-Mobile and AT&T utilize GSM technology for their handsets, while Verizon and Sprint use CDMA. The practical difference for users used to boil down to the fact that GSM smartphones came with removable SIM cards that could be swapped out to work with other services, whereas CDMA smartphones typically had no SIM cards, with user data stored with the carrier.

This severely limited smartphone and carrier compatibility. AT&T and T-Mobile users had the most success in switching to one another, but most users were stuck with their service unless they wanted to pony up for a new smartphone. Carriers also locked smartphones to their respective networks, especially if they were purchased under with a subsidy under contract, making the process of switching all the more difficult.

The good news is that things are loosening. Thanks to the FCC, all of the major carriers are required to enable smartphone unlocking so that it can be taken to another carrier. There are still some limitations that require you to meet the terms and conditions of any service contract you sign, but by law the carriers are now required to assist you with unlocking your smartphone.

Buying an Unlocked Smartphone

The Moto X Pure Edition is an unlocked smartphone that supports all major US carriers.

In your search for the perfect smartphone, you will come across numerous third party sites and manufacturers that sell their phones already unlocked. An unlocked smartphone is one that doesn’t have to be used with a specific carrier. In that sense, you’re not “locked in” to a particular service and you have the freedom to choose and switch to another if you’re not happy.

Things get a bit complex when it comes to unlocked smartphones, however, because of the aforementioned GSM vs. CDMA incompatibilities. It was once the case that an unlocked GSM device was limited to carriers that work with the device’s technology. The vast majority of unlocked smartphones were GSM. For this reason, buying an unlocked smartphone meant you could move between GSM-based carriers, but you still weren’t be able to use it with CDMA carriers like Verizon and Sprint.

There were and still are exceptions to the rule. The iPhone 6 and 6s, Motorola’s Moto X Pure Edition, and some Google Nexus smartphones are recent devices that support both GSM and CDMA. In fact, many devices were and are manufactured with both CDMA and GSM antennas and one not active depending on the carrier. It’s simply cheaper this way, rather than make unique devices for the various networks.

SIM Cards

Regardless of GSM and CDMA origins, most new phones manufactured today include SIM cards, and here’s where things get muddled.

In the case of Verizon and Sprint, the carriers still use the CDMA method of verifying their subscriber service against an internal whitelist of accepted devices. The reason for the SIM card is LTE. The current networking standard, often referred “4G” as it is widely considered the fourth generation of consumer cellular networking technology, requires a SIM card in order to operate.

This growing convergence to 4G LTE support means that some GSM phones could work on CDMA networks, in theory, provided the phones support the proper LTE band.

LTE Bands

LTE networks are grouped by frequency bands. Each carrier shares slices of the proverbial LTE network pie, three to four bands each, with some overlap occurring. Each has a main band that handles most traffic, with the others dealing with overflow, speed and signal boosts, and/or stability.

AT&T
Bands 2, 4, 5, 17
Frequencies 1900, 1700 abcde, 700 bc

Sprint
Bands 25, 26, 41
Frequencies 1900 g, 850, 2500

T-Mobile
Bands 2, 4, 12
Frequencies 1900, 1700 def, 700 a

Verizon
Bands 2, 4, 13
Frequencies 1900, 1700 f, 700 c

If you want to buy an unlocked smartphone, one of the first things to do is determine which carrier will support the smartphone of your choice. This is accomplished by looking at the smartphone’s spec sheet, then comparing the supported LTE bands with those of the carriers. You’ll want to match as many bands as possible, especially the main bands. For AT&T, that’s band 17; Sprint, band 25; T-Mobile, band 4 and 12; Verizon, band 13.

Smartphone APN settings page

And there’s more. Remember that whitelist we mentioned? This particularly true with Verizon, if it hasn’t whitelisted a phone, it can muck up things for users looking to activate that device, regardless of support. This happened with some Moto X Pure Edition and Nexus units just after launch. There’s a workaround that involves activating an LTE SIM card on another smartphone that has been whitelisted, and then inserting it into the non-whitelisted smartphone.

Wait, there may be even more. Though most smartphones already have this information in the system files, you must sometimes dive in manually set the Access Point Name (APN) settings. The APN is basically the gateway between the cellular network and any other network, like the internet or a VPN. The carriers use the APN to set things like IP addresses and security.

While this seems like a highly technical and involved process, it’s not. The carriers are happy to provide the proper settings, and users can enter them easily enough via keyboard by diving into the device settings, typically under “wireless” or “networks,” and then “mobile network.”

Voice Over LTE

Even if you manage to connect a CDMA smartphone on a GSM network, or vice versa, you might not get voice call or text support. This is because most carriers still use the old standard for these signals. In fact, many use the old second generation GSM and CDMA networks.

Thankfully this is changing, as carriers look to move on from GSM and CDMA. In addition to Wi-Fi voice calling, FaceTime, and Skype, as well as messaging apps like Google Hangouts, iMessages, Facebook Messenger, and What’s App, carriers are transitioning voice data to the LTE network.

VoLTE, short for Voice Over LTE, also sometimes branded as HD Voice, provides users with clearer calls that connect faster. Voice latency is reduced, as is the common crackle and hiss. That means VoLTE calls sound better, and callers step on each other less during conversations. It also better serves smartphone batteries, as smartphone won’t need to switch antennas from LTE to GSM or CDMA. It will also result in simpler, data-only smartphone plans.

Prior to VoLTE, some carriers marketed an “HD Voice” feature that wasn’t VoLTE-based. Rather, it was just simply a tech that improved voice call quality.

For futureproofing, make sure any new smartphone you buy supports VoLTE. Carriers are rolling it out region by region as of this writing.

SIM Card Sizes

Not all SIM cards are made equal. This can be the source of additional headaches if you want to swap your SIM card into another handset, or drop a prepaid SIM card into your phone for use overseas.

SIM cards come in three different sizes: standard SIM, micro SIM, and nano SIM. Most new phones are nano, but some mid-range and budget handsets still support micro.

SIM card sizes

More recently, a fourth size, eSIM, has been spotted in the wild, appearing in the Samsung Gear S2 smartwatch. eSIM cards are essentially embedded cards that are programmable for use with different carriers. The benefit of eSIM will be that you won’t have to physically swap out your SIM card if you want to use a different carrier service. This also saves on precious space as manufacturers looks to make lighter and thinner devices.

You can contact your carrier and ask for a SIM replacement if you buy a handset requiring a different size SIM, but this may incur additional expense. You can actually cut a micro SIM into nano SIM size and have it work in a smartphone, but that sort of DIY tinkering is best left to advanced users. You can also find SIM card adapters on the market, but keep in mind that some smartphones are incompatible for use with adapters. These are generally smartphones that utilize the push-in card slot mechanism to insert and remove SIM cards.

The post How to Buy a Smartphone: Buying an Unlocked Phone appeared first on Brighthand.com.

Meizu Pro 6 Looks like an iPhone, Has a iPhone Features Too

Posted on April 13, 2016 by Vince Font

China-based Meizu is blasting after prospective iPhone 6s buyers with the release of its brand new Pro 6, a 5.2-inch Android smartphone with a 1080p Super AMOLED display and 3D Press technology that sounds just like Apple’s proprietary 3D Touch.

On the surface, the Meizu Pro 6 is slim and handsome, measuring just 7.25mm thick (which is thinner than the iPhone 6s Plus) with a metallic unibody available in gold, silver, and black. A single mTouch button located on the front of the device enables fingerprint recognition with what Meizu calls a new-generation algorithm that offers improved recognition speed. The smartphone’s two antenna bands are situated on the back and are integrated into its sleek design.

3D Press technology imbues the screen with pressure sensitivity, allowing the user to access a shortcut menu or preview content (photos, email, SMS messages) based on the level of pressure placed on the screen. It supports tactile vibration and visual effects. The screen is protected with Gorilla Glass 3.

Below the surface, it’s equipped with everything to make the Pro 6 a viable challenger to the various high-profile Android flagships flooding the market. First and foremost is its 10-core Helio X25 processor, which makes it among the first “deca-core” smartphone to hit market. It carries 4GB RAM and is equipped with eMMC 5.1 flash memory. Internal storage options are 32GB or 64GB.

The smartphone’s main camera is equally impressive, with a 21-megapixel Sony IMX320 processor that’s been customized to fit the Pro 6’s slender profile to eliminate the obtrusive bulge that sometimes accompanies high-performing shooters. The camera flash is 10-LED (which is a reported first), and updated processing algorithms work with phase-detect autofocus to achieve focus speeds as fast as 0.7 seconds. The rear camera is 5-megapixels and brings along the typical beautification filters you’d expect from today’s selfie-cams.

The Pro 6 has two nano-SIM card slots, dual 4G, and a USB-C cable that Meizu says will deliver rapid, 60-minute charge-up times for the 2560mAh battery from a zero charge. Audio is delivered by way of a Cirrus Logic CS43L36 chip.

Stateside availability for the Meizu Pro 6 hasn’t been announced yet, but the smartphone is available for preorder in China at the rough estimate of $390 US dollars for the 32GB version. The 64GB variant will cost the approximate equivalent of $430 US dollars. It comes on the heels of other high-end smartphones with mid-range prices, primarily from Huawei and Xiaomi.

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How to Buy a Smartphone: Understanding Smartphone Specs

Posted on March 29, 2016 by Vince Font

Did you ever take a close look at a smartphone spec sheet? Have any idea what the numbers and letters mean, what they tell you about the smartphone? While Apple fans have argued for years that “specs don’t matter” because they often don’t directly translate to the actual user experience, they can serve to guide to a buying decision. Here’s what you need to know.

Processor

The processor is sometimes listed as the SoC (system on a chip) or just CPU (central processing unit). The processor is essentially the brain of the smartphone, and as such is one of the single most critical specs to consider. On smartphones, the processor houses both the CPU and GPU (graphical processing unit), and it’s typically based on the ARM architecture.

ARM processor A processor’s speed is rated numerically, in megahertz (MHz) or gigahertz (GHz). These numbers define the processor’s “clock speed,” and it’s a reflection of the number of instructions a processor can handle per second. A processor running at 1 MHz can handle 1 million instructions per second, while a processor running at 1 GHz can handle a whopping 1 billion (1000 MHz roughly equals 1 GHz). As you might imagine, the higher the number attached to the CPU, the faster the processor speed, and you won’t find a new smartphone with an advertised speed of less than 1 GHz. Higher processor speeds are generally desired if you like to game or run intensive apps, but high speeds aren’t always necessary for casual use.

The next thing to look at in a processor is the number of cores, or processing units on a chip. Processors come in single-core or multi-core varieties. The differences are easy to grasp. The more cores there are, the more processing units, and the more tasks a smartphone is able to perform simultaneously without experiencing a significant lag in speed. As of this writing, smartphone processors top out at eight cores (octa core), but many still ship with four (quad core).

Multi-core processors are built for multitasking, and any new smartphone released in 2016 will have at least two cores. It’s important to note, however, that more cores and higher clock speeds don’t directly translate to better performance. Software plays a big role, and efficient software doesn’t need as powerful a processor to run swiftly. In addition, software has to be written specifically to take advantage of multiple cores and clock speeds.

Apple presents an excellent example here. The iPhone often lags behind Android flagships on the spec sheet, but new iPhone performance is always top notch. This is because iOS is very efficient, a benefit Apple enjoys because it produces both the hardware and software itself.

You may also see a “64-bit” processor. This is an upgrade over the traditional “32-bit” processors. 64-bit processors are able to access bigger chunks of memory, run more complex apps, and are better able to handle multi-tasking

Display

A smartphone’s display is often front and center to a buyer’s decision, and rightly so. You look at it and interact with it more than any other part of the phone, and displays that aren’t of sufficient size or quality will spoil the experience. But with the vast number of terms you’re likely to encounter, making the right choice can be tough. On the spec sheet, you’ll find references to display type, size, and resolution. All are important considerations.

Samsung Super AMOLED display The spec lists for smartphones are packed with an alphabetical overabundance when it comes to displays: AMOLED, Super AMOLED, IPS, LCD, OLED, Retina, LED and TFT, to list some of the more popular. Each of these refer to a specific technology behind the display.

At the time of this writing two of the best options in terms of the visual experience are AMOLED and IPS. Super AMOLED is a next-generation AMOLED, and LCD is sometimes called LED. IPS (in-plane switching) is an LCD variation that delivers extra-wide viewing angles so the contrast and colors on the screen won’t shift if your viewing angle changes.

Many Android smartphones feature some version of AMOLED. It’s a newer display technology that many prefer for its deep blacks and vibrant colors. Its high contrast makes it great for cutting through overhead glare, and it potentially results in thinner devices because it doesn’t require a backlight … which also makes it more battery efficient than LCD. Each pixel in an AMOLED display is individually lit separately (or off completely, which explains the deep blacks).

Apple still sticks with good-ole LCD for its iPhone and iPad (the Apple Watch is OLED). It’s a tried-and-true technology that produces more balanced colors and brighter whites than OLED. Because it’s backlit (you can often see hints of light bleeding around the edges), blacks appear slightly washed out. IPS delivers a better viewing experience at odd angles compared to a traditional LCD but requires a more powerful backlight, which can quickly drain the battery. You’ll see IPS displays on higher-end smartphones and phablets. TFT, which stands for thin film transistor, is a modern variation of the traditional LCD. It’s cheaper to manufacture, but won’t deliver the wide viewing angles of IPS and therefore is found in low-end smartphones.

After that, you’ll find marketing terms to define pixels and other unique display tech. Apple’s “Retina” is probably the most famous. It signifies a high pixel density. You can’t make out any one individual pixel when viewing a Retina display at a certain distance (10 to 12 inches for a smartphone display with 300 pixels per inch). All high-end smartphones currently exceed the Retina designation, but only Apple uses it because Retina is Apple’s trademarked term.

gorilla-glass You may also see “scratch proof/resistant,”or “Gorilla Glass” mentioned, or maybe even “Sapphire.” These are protection technologies built into the glass used for displays. Gorilla Glass is made by Corning and it’s what keeps your smartphone display from shattering when you drop it. Motorola has a similar technology in Shattershield.

Display size is another important consideration. It’s measured diagonally, corner to corner. Most Android phones exceed 5 inches, while the iPhone 6s stands at 4.7. For infrequent use, you don’t necessarily need to have a phablet-sized smartphone (exceeding 5.5 inches). However, if you’re buying a smartphone to act as a mobile media device capable of streaming movies, consider picking a screen large enough to view movies comfortably.

Big displays also equal bigger phones, and therefore may not be a good fit for you if you prefer single-handed use. But it’s important to keep in mind that as components shrink, so to do smartphones. It’s possible to squeeze bigger displays on smaller devices than it was just a few years ago.

Finally, display resolution is a straightforward spec. Think of a smartphone as a grid, with pixels running up along the side of the device, and then along to top. The number of pixels on those sides represent the resolution. Common resolutions include Full HD (1920 pixels by 1080, just like a common HDTV) and Quad HD (2560 x 1440), but these numbers vary. The iPhone 6s has a 1334 x 750 display, while the Sony Xperia Z5 Premium has a 3840 x 2160 display. More important than the resolution is the pixels per inch (PPI), or pixel density. High-end Android smartphones top 500 pixels per inch, while the iPhone 6S has a pixel density of 326 ppi. The higher the PPI the better, but there are diminishing returns as the number goes up. Anything over 300 is typically indistinguishable by the human eye unless you’re viewing the screen at extremely close distances (such as using your phone with a VR gaming headset).

Connectivity

We’ve covered cellular networking technology, and all smartphones now support Wi-Fi, with most supporting the latest Wi-Fi standard, 802.11ac. Some budget smartphones top out at 802.11n; previously the highest consumer standard. Most smartphones also support dual-band Wi-Fi, which means it can connect to both 2.4GHz and 5GHz Wi-Fi networks. The 5GHz networks typically provide faster and more reliable Wi-Fi, in part because they are less crowded with devices. But that’s not all. Smartphones have a few other networking technologies:

Bluetooth is a standard on all smartphones and is the preferred method of choice when connecting your mobile device to wireless speakers, headphones, keyboards, and other accessories. Bluetooth variants include 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, and 4.0. Version 4.0 is also often referred to as Bluetooth Smart, BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) or just LE (Low Energy). As of this writing, version 4.2 reigns as the state-of-the-art upgrade to the technology, which enables faster connections, improved internet connectivity, and increased security. Apple has also developed its own class of BLE tech called iBeacon.
Bluetooth is reverse compatible, which means you can pair a Bluetooth 4.0 smartphone up with a set of Bluetooth 3.0 speakers. Smartphones have to have equivalent or higher Bluetooth tech in order to communicate with external devices. What this mean is that if you own a Bluetooth 4.0 headset, you’ll need a smartphone running 4.0 in order to pair up.
NFC, or near-field communication, allows you to transfer data, like photos and contacts, to or from your phone to another NFC-enabled device without the use of cables. Uses for NFC also include things like point-of-sale payments like Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, and Android Pay.
USB Type-C, full-sized USB 3.0

USB connectivity is used to charge smartphones and also enables the transfer of data via a wired connection. The prevailing USB types on today’s smartphones are microUSB (version 2.0) and the newer USB Type-C (which supports the USB 3.1 standard). Smartphones equipped with USB Type-C ports are convenient because the cable ends are reversible and can transfer data faster when connected to another USB 3.0 or 3.1 device. One of the drawbacks of adopting a Type-C device is that it requires a different cable, rendering all those spare microUSB cables you have lying around useless. Additionally, Type-C cables aren’t compatible with traditional USB ports for your computer or external devices and require a USB Type-C-to-USB adapter to enable the connection.
When looking at the type of USB connectivity, consider the fact that sometimes a move “up” in handset iteration doesn’t always mean an equal move forward with respect to technology. A good example of this is the Samsung Galaxy S5, which came with a faster microUSB v3.0 port, and the Galaxy S6 and S7, both of which took backward steps in speed by re-incorporating a microUSB v2.0 port.
If you’re looking at an iPhone, take note: Apple has its own proprietary connectivity port called Lightning (replacing the large 30-pin connector), which is incompatible with micro USB and USB Type-C cables. This means that in order to connect your iPhone to another device, you’ll need a Lighting cable to do so.

Memory

Screenshot_20160321-104142 System RAM and Flash RAM aren’t the same thing, but both fall into the memory category. The amount of system RAM (random access memory) impacts the smartphone’s ability to multitask, just as it does on your computer. Therefore, more RAM means more speed and stability – but it’s also possible to overkill on RAM if you’re not going to be utilizing it all that often. High-end smartphones top out at about 4GB RAM as of this writing.

Flash RAM or Flash memory is often found on spec sheets as “internal storage” or “capacity,” and it reflects how much storage space the device has to house things like photos, videos, music, and apps – all of which can quickly fill up your device. The amount of internal storage available to you, as opposed the GBs being consumed by the device’s OS and included apps, differs from one device to another. Some smartphones ship with 10 GB of the internal storage already gobbled up by the operating system and the bundled apps out of the box. Before you buy, look into how much of that storage is actually available, as this is a more accurate representation of how much storage space you have.

In general, smartphones ship with 16, 32, 64, or 128GB of internal storage. Most find 16GB to be insufficient, especially as apps become more sophisticated, and photo/video files become larger. If you purchase a new smartphone capable of recording 4K video then you probably don’t want anything less than 64 GB worth of storage.

The presence of microSD card slots on some smartphones makes it possible for you to expand on the internal storage. Some Android smartphones have a feature that enables users to mount microSD cards as internal storage, using them to store and run apps. Otherwise, microSD is suitable for storing media, like photos and videos.

Sensors

Smartphones come equipped with all sorts of sensors that improve the user experience and turn them into something far more than “just” phones – or devices to be used for time-killing exploits like playing games and watching movies. Here’s what you’ll find on a smartphone spec sheet.

Accelerometers and gyroscopes detect motion in your smartphone, performing quick functions like automatically switching between landscape and portrait mode. Other smartphone features that allow you to launch certain actions with a shake of the phone, are reliant on an accelerometer or gyroscope.
Proximity sensors are helpful for identifying the difference between your fingertip and your cheek. Smartphones with proximity sensors won’t accidentally launch applications if you’re having a conversation and your face accidentally brushes up against the screen.
GPS, when engaged, uses satellite technology to find your location and is used for functions like mapping routes and finding your smartphone if it’s been lost or stolen. Many smartphones now ship with GPS and GLONASS, which are different, but do the same thing. While the US was deploying GPS satellites in the 1970s, the Soviet Union was deploying GLONASS. It’s now commercially used as a GPS alternative, or in conjunction with GPS for an overall better experience.

Camera

The lens and image sensor make up the bulk of the camera spec. Megapixel is the most common spec, and it refers to the number of pixels in an image, measured in the millions. Five megapixels is five million pixels. The more megapixels, the higher the resolution, and the greater your ability to crop a photo without experiencing pixelation.

aperature This isn’t to say that more megapixels always make for better quality pictures. Some image sensors have larger individual pixels, which are able to pick up more light and perform better in low-light conditions. Because they are physically larger, there are less of them, and the images have fewer megapixels.

The camera lens also affects image quality. A smartphone camera lens is measured by the size of the diaphragm, often called the aperture. The more open the diaphragm, the more light that can get in, the better the camera performance in low light. This is expressed in f/stops, or “f” followed by a number. The smaller the number, the more open the diaphragm. Many smartphone cameras hover around f/2 and f/1.9, with some now shipping at f/1.7. Remember, the smaller the number, the better.

Stabilization is also important. OIS stands for optical image stabilization, and it’s basically a suspension system that keeps the lens steady from shakes, twitches, and any other movement. Without it, your videos would look like earthquake footage and your photos would be blurry. The alternative to OIS is digital image stabilization, which uses software to correct images. OIS is better.

Video resolution is another consideration. A smartphone capable of recording video in 1080p or Full HD resolution at 30 frames per second (fps) is the base standard. Many flagships shoot Full HD at 60fps, and newer phones even record 4K video.

There’s a lot more to cameras, including focus technology/speed, and camera software capabilities. And just like the display, the spec sheet is loaded with marketing terms.

The Importance of the Test Drive

There is much more to smartphone spec sheets, including networking bands, networking category, battery size (the bigger the mAh number, the better), charging technology, and build material, to name a few. Just remember, the spec sheet best serves as a high-level guide. Our advice is always to realistically evaluate your needs, read professional reviews, and then pay a visit to your local big box store and devote some time to testing out your available choices.

Specs aren’t everything. Thanks to recent advances in smartphone technology, it’s possible that a $200 smartphone will do everything need – including saving you hundreds of dollars.

Want to learn more about buying a smartphone? Read all about network technology, including LTE, GSM, and CDMA. And then read all about no-contract smartphone data plans and pricing and picking the right smartphone plan. Finally, learn the differences between Android and iOS.

The post How to Buy a Smartphone: Understanding Smartphone Specs appeared first on Brighthand.com.

How to Buy a Smartphone: Android vs iOS

Posted on March 22, 2016 by Vince Font

Once you’ve narrowed down a carrier and a smartphone plan, it comes time to choose a smartphone. This part can be easy if you are happily tied to a particular platform or fond of a particular manufacturer, but if you’re looking for a change or coming in fresh, choosing a new smartphone is a daunting task thanks to the dozens, if not hundreds, of options.

There’s only one way to approach this to ensure you get the best device for your needs: start at the top. That means first pick your operating system. For the vast majority, that comes down to Apple iOS or Google Android.

At a basic level, both platforms are similar. You can get the same work done on an iOS device as you can an Android. And you can watch movies, play games, browse the internet, send messages, video chat, take pictures, and manage email just the same. But if you dive in, core differences emerge that lend the platforms to specific types of users.

The Issue of Choice: Android vs iOS

Picking between Android and iOS requires that you take something of a bird’s-eye view on what separates the two. The biggest difference between Android and iOS lies in customization. Simply put, Android smartphones offer more customization than iOS smartphones. As a consequence, there’s a natural trade-off: because iOS devices can’t be tweaked to the same extent as Android, they’re seen by many as more intuitive and user friendly.

The Android Way

android logo None of this is to say that you need a degree in computer science to operate an Android smartphone. But if you like to tinker and you want the ability to tweak your smartphone to give it a more unique and personalized interface, an Android smartphone is probably best for you.

Customization of Android smartphones is limited only by the functionality of the device and applications it’s running. This includes installing any number of themes; adding interactive widgets to home and lock screens; designating certain apps to launch specific file types; downloading third-party app launchers, app trays, dialers, keyboards, email, and SMS apps; and changing default fonts. Even better, Android smartphones enable app sideloading, which is the act of downloading apps to your smartphone from a source other than the official Google Play Store, like the popular Amazon Underground, or even straight off the internet.

Screenshot_20160315-113755 There’s more. If you’re not happy with the level of customization you can get with your Android, you’ve always got the option of “rooting” your device. Rooting is the process of stripping away all layers of control put in place by Android smartphone manufacturers or the carriers. The benefits of rooting your Android include having greater ability to sideload apps, removing bloatware and custom skins, and doing away with the ads that come with free apps. This last part is accomplished by installing ad blocking extensions for your browser, which are typically only functional on rooted devices. Again, this doesn’t require a computer science degree, but it’s best suited for advanced users, and there is always a risk of bricking (rendering your smartphone inoperable).

The Android OS is also known for having more functional quick launch buttons in its pull-down notification bar. With an Android, you can single-tap from the pull-down bar to toggle Wi-Fi or Bluetooth on or off, turn on GPS, engage airplane mode, mute the volume, lock screen rotation, read and respond to texts, and more. Holding down the function icon even launches the settings menu for each. In comparison, iOS devices include a pull-up Control Center that have many of these functions and let you toggle them on or off, but if you want to make any settings changes there’s no shortcut to getting there.

In short, Android sets a loose set of boundaries and allows users a certain level of freedom in determining their own workflows and preferences. This necessitates some trial and error, but Android fans would insist that’s all part of the fun.

The Apple Way

Apple iOS devices are a different animal. Apple has loosened iOS up with recent updates, adding interactive widgets to the Notification Center and third-party keyboard support, but aside from that and wallpapers, iOS is a very uniform and inflexible environment. Out of the box, users cannot sideload apps or universally change default apps like the browser or email client. If you click a link in an app, it will open in Safari. There are workarounds whereby users can designate defaults going app by app (instructing the Gmail app to open all links in Chrome, for example), but it’s cumbersome to say the least.

If you want to customize your iPhone to the extent that you can customize an Android, you’ll have to jailbreak it. Jailbreaking is basically the act of stripping away Apple’s iOS software restrictions, of which there are many. One benefit is the ability to sideload apps from sources other than the Apple App Store (which haven’t been approved for use on iOS devices). It also lets you do things like install custom themes, resize and change app icons, universally designate default apps across the device, gain access to system files, create gesture shortcuts, and customize your lock screen.

itjustworks Apple strongly discourages people from jailbreaking their iPhones and iPads because, according to them, doing so can cause your operating system to become unstable and susceptible to frequent crashes. Not only does jailbreaking an iPhone or iPad void your device warranty, but it also leaves you more vulnerable to malware that could gain entry through the sideloading of untrustworthy apps. Jailbreaking an iOS device also prevents you from being able to take advantage of frequent iOS updates. And again, there always the risk of bricking your iPhone and turning it into an expensive paperweight.

So why iOS? For all its rigidity, it’s very intuitive and relatively stable. If something breaks or doesn’t work right, Apple is quick to push out a fix. Apple iOS is also polished in ways that makes Android users envious. Apple once adopted the “It just works” slogan, and that applies here. There’s a uniformity with iOS and makes sense to users, and makes it very easy to pick up and use with little or no experience.

App Availability

Despite the fact there are more Android smartphones in circulation than there are iOS devices, many app developers hit the iOS market first. One reason for this, fragmentation. With literally thousands of different Android devices on the market with different RAM, processors, and display sizes and resolutions, and numerous versions of Android in use at any given time, it’s a challenge for app developers to keep up with support demands. Squashing hyper-specific bugs can be daunting. There’s also the issue of testing, which is significantly simpler when dealing with a handful of iOS devices versus thousands of Android handsets.

appstore

As a result, iPhone users sometimes get access to apps far in advance of Android users. In some cases, apps initially released to the iOS market may never make it to the Android market, like the excellent Photoshop Sketch and Tweetbot. The same can be said for apps created specifically for Android devices, but these are typically limited to apps like Tasker, which leverage customization capabilities iOS devices aren’t capable of off the shelf.

Generally, Apple’s tight grip and limited device variability ensures a level of quality control not found in the Google Play Store. It’s more commonplace for Android users to experience app failure or bugs after upgrading to the new OS because app developers haven’t had an opportunity to adapt their apps to the new software. This is a less frequent occurrence with iOS apps.

googleplaystore

Just because app developers sometimes lead with iOS doesn’t mean Apple holds the lion’s share of applications. On the contrary, there are more applications available to Android users thanks to Android sideloading support. But even looking at the official repositories, most estimates suggest the Google Play Store has a few hundred thousand more apps than the Apple App Store.

Other Things to Think About

The mobile carriers may make it easy for you to trade in your iPhone for a Samsung, but that doesn’t mean the cross-platform migration will be without its fair share of road bumps and obstacles. For one, any apps you downloaded on one platform will have to be downloaded on the new. Most importantly, any apps you paid for will also have to be purchased again.

For those unsure about making the leap, Apple has released an official app called Move to iOS which eases the transition by helping you to transfer content from your Android to your iOS device with ease. Google also offers a similar resource for Android adopters that help with transferring music, photos, contacts, and even offering assistance finding replacement apps.

moveios

The issue of USB hosting and general accessory support is another big consideration. Android smartphones are far more versatile with the number of USB-based peripherals that they can be attached to, like keyboards, mice, game controllers, and external hard drives. Apple uses its proprietary Lightning cable, and even with the proper adapters wouldn’t support an Xbox 360 controller like an Android device. Apple and third-parties offer all sorts of iOS hardware accessories, but most are Bluetooth-based with some exceptions.

What about Blackberry and Windows?

Windows logo Blackberry and Microsoft have been in the game for ages, and technically serve as alternatives for iOS and Android. There are a few things to consider here: Windows devices may be greatly appealing if you’re a dedicated PC user comfortable with the Windows environment, and BlackBerry was once the choice of businesses for its tight security controls. Both Windows 10 Mobile and BlackBerry 10 are fine operating systems in their own right, but both are crippled by their app situations and limited hardware selection.

The list of missing apps is as long as it is varied, including Pinterest and Snapchat, and a quick look at mobile operating system marketshare suggests the situation is only going to get worse, with both BlackBerry and Windows combining for about 4% of the total and trending in the wrong direction. Why would developers spend time working on platforms virtually no one is using?

In terms of devices, the last BlackBerry smartphone, the BlackBerry Priv ran Android instead of BlackBerry 10, and last BlackBerry 10 device, the BlackBerry Leap, launched in April 2015. Acer, HP, Microsoft, and a few others are still pumping out Windows 10 Mobile smartphones, but with the exception of Microsoft’s Lumia brand, most are budget or niche devices. BlackBerry_10_logo Bottom line: Technically these are iOS and Android alternatives. We would still recommend avoiding them unless they pull an incredible market turnaround.

You Do You

Once again, both operating systems will serve you well. Remember, there’s not much you can’t do an Android that can’t also be done on an iOS device, and vice versa. It’s more a matter of how you go about doing those things. If you want less restricted freedom to customize your smartphone and workflows, Android is the way. If you prefer to use a slick device that’s ready to go straight out of the box, iOS is the way. Pick your poison.

Want to learn more about buying a smartphone? Read all about network technology, including LTE, GSM, and CDMA. And then read all about no-contract smartphone data plans and pricing and picking the right smartphone plan. Finally, learn all about smartphone specs.

The post How to Buy a Smartphone: Android vs iOS appeared first on Brighthand.com.

How to Buy a Smartphone: Understanding No-Contract Smartphone Plans

Posted on March 9, 2016 by Vince Font

T-Mobile killed carrier contracts and paved the way for their complete eradication. With contracts, so too goes the subsidized smartphone pricing we were all used to paying. All of a sudden that $200 iPhone is now $700.

T-Mobile killed data contracts in 2013. The other carriers have followed.

So with freedom comes choice, which can be confusing. Carriers now offer month-to-month plans with varying data allotments. Also, if you can’t pay the full amount of the smartphone you want up front, carriers offer payment plans that divvy up the cost into monthly installments that are then added to your overall bill. The good news here is that once you are done paying for the smartphone, you can count on your bill going down (assuming you don’t want a new one). Or, if you have a compatible smartphone you already like, thank you very much, you can use that as well and just pay for the data.

For purposes of clarity, the information provided below lays out your monthly payment expectations for service only – not including any fees and taxes that invariably find their way to your monthly statement, or any device payments.

Current Individual and Family Data Plans

Individual data plans are ideal if you have one phone and don’t need to share your data with anyone else – although some of the carriers still allow you to share the wealth with your other devices, such as tablets and smartwatches. The only outlier here is T-Mobile, which doesn’t allow you to share your data and requires you to sign up for a separate (albeit slightly cheaper) plan to add a tablet or other device to your account with its very own dedicated data.

As stated earlier, bear in mind that your bill will vary due to additional fees and taxes. The examples we’ve outlined below are for no-contract plans that don’t factor in anything else you’ll pay for fees and taxes, or additional bucks you’ll spend to on phone installment plans. These are strictly month-to-month plans that you can exit at any time if you decide to take your business elsewhere. The costs include the actual data allotment charge and any “access fees” carriers tack on for devices, well, accessing the data.

AT&T

As with most of the others, AT&T’s plans are simple to understand if you think of it this way: you pay for your monthly data, and you pay an “access fee” for each device using that data directly. On plans of 5GB or less, the monthly access fee is $25 per phone. That drops to $15 per month when you sign up for a data plan of 15GB or higher. AT&T doesn’t offer any specific family packages. You can add up to 10 lines total on any given plan. All plans include unlimited talk and text time in the US, Canada, and Mexico. Here’s how AT&T’s monthly data plans break down for individuals.

300MB: $45/mo. ($20 for data, $25 monthly line access fee.)
2GB: $55/mo. ($30 for data, $25 monthly line access fee.)
5GB: $75/mo. ($50 for data, $25 monthly line access fee.)
15GB: $115/mo. ($100 for data, $15 monthly line access fee.)
20GB: $155/mo. ($140 for data, $15 monthly line access fee.)
25GB: $190/mo. ($175 for data, $15 monthly line access fee.)
30GB: $240/mo. ($225 for data, $15 monthly line access fee.)
40GB: $315/mo. ($300 for data, $15 monthly line access fee.)
50GB: $390/mo. ($375 for data, $15 monthly line access fee.)

Once again, a family or group of individuals can share in any plan. For examples roommates sharing a 15GB plan would be charged $130 per month ($100 for the data, and $30 monthly line access fee).

That’s not all. Data from your chosen plan can be shared with other devices, outside of smartphones. The limit remains at 10, and includes tablets, wearables (smartwatches), laptops, notebooks and hotspots. Smartwatches get access not only to the shared data, but also to unlimited talk and text.

AT&T charges a $10 monthly access fee for wearables as well as “tablets, gaming and connected devices,” and a $20 monthly access fee for laptops, netbooks, and hotspots.

Keep in mind, this only includes LTE- and data-enabled devices. You won’t be charged for laptops and tablets that connect over Wi-Fi, or smartwatches that tether to smartphones via Bluetooth.

Data overages are billed at a rate of $20 for every 300MB on the 300MB plan, and $15 per 1GB on all other plans. Unused data automatically rolls over to your next billing cycle with no cap, however it expires after one billing period.

AT&T Smartphone Payment Plans

While no longer offering 2-year contracts at subsidized prices, AT&T does give you the option to make monthly installments on smartphones if you don’t want to pay the full amount up front. Credit approval is required, but no interest is charged. All four installment plans require a $15 activation fee, and if you terminate your service before the phone is paid off you’ll owe any remaining balance. There are four plans to choose from, each with different payoff time frames:

Next 24: Zero down, 30 monthly installments, with the option to trade in and upgrade after 24 payments.
Next 18: Zero down, 24 installments, with the option to trade in and upgrade after 18 payments.
Next 12: Zero down, 20 installments, with the option to trade in and upgrade after 12 payments.
AT&T Next with Down Payment: 30 percent down. The number of monthly installments and the option to upgrade is dependent on the price of the phone you choose.

Sprint

Sprint’s individual data plans run the range from 1GB per month up to 40GB. A low-cost Unlimited plan is also being offered for a limited time. Sprint is also offering a deal that will half your T-Mobile, Verizon, or AT&T bill until 2018 if you switch your number over to Sprint.

Outside of any deals, here’s how much each of the offered Sprint individual plans will run you, not counting any additional monthly taxes and fees.

1GB: $40/mo. ($20 for data, $20 monthly line access fee.)
3GB: $50/mo. ($30 for data, $20 monthly line access fee.)
6GB: $65/mo. ($45 for data, $20 monthly line access fee.)
12GB: $80/mo. ($70 for data, $20 monthly line access fee.)
24GB: $100/mo. ($80 for data, $20 monthly line access fee.)
40GB: $120/mo. ($100 for data, $20 monthly line access fee)
Unlimited: $95/mo. ($75 for data, $20 monthly line access fee.) This price is active as of this writing. Sprint is currently running a special for Unlimited data that may not be available for long, so jump on it while you can.

Sprint’s Family Share Pack lets you share your data with up to 10 other devices you own, but as is the norm with all of the major carriers, you’ll have to pay an extra service charge for each line or device you add. Tablets must be Sprint compatible to add to your shared data plan. Here is the breakdown for how much you’ll pay Sprint to share your data with additional devices, by plan and device:

1GB: $20/mo. per phone, $10/mo. per tablet. Smartwatch connectivity is free.
3GB: $20/mo. per phone, $10/mo. per tablet. Smartwatch connectivity is free.
6GB: $20/mo. per phone, $10/mo. per tablet. Smartwatch connectivity is free.
12GB: $20/mo. per phone, $10/mo. per tablet. Smartwatch connectivity is free.
24GB: $20/mo. per phone, $10/mo. per tablet. Smartwatch connectivity is free.
40GB: $20/mo. per phone, $10/mo. per tablet. Smartwatch connectivity is free.

Unlimited: $45/mo. for the second line, $30/mo. for the third, $0/mo. for the fourth line, and $30/mo. for the fifth through tenth line. Tablets are $10/mo. and smartwatch connectivity is free.

If you max out your allotted data, you aren’t charged any overage fees, but your speed drops down to 2G. Sprint doesn’t offer data rollover, with the exception of its prepaid plans. Sprint’s first-time activation fee is currently $30 per line.

Sprint Payment Plans

If you’re interested in a payment plan, Sprint gives you the opportunity to make 24 monthly installments on their smartphones. The amount you’ll pay depends on the cost of the phone you’re buying. Credit approval is required. If your credit is in good standing, you can sign up for an installment plan with no money down. If your credit rating needs help, Sprint will still offer you an installment plan but you may have to pay as much as $400 down, depending on the cost of the smartphone. The good news is that both options charge no finance fees. You’ll also be able to upgrade once you’ve paid your phone off. If you decide to switch to another carrier before you’ve paid the bill in full, you’ll owe the remaining balance. Eligibility to upgrade depends on the smartphone and plan you choose. The standard $36 activation fee applies. Sprint also lets you make a down payment to lower the amount of your monthly installments, but this is available only for in-store purchases.

Leasing is also an option offered by Sprint, but only select models can be leased. The average lease term is 24 months. Leased smartphones require a lower monthly payment, and once the lease term is up you can opt to buy the smartphone for the balance remaining, exchange it for a new leased phone, or continue to lease month-to-month.

According to Sprint, new and existing customers can still lock in a 2-year contract with a discount on certain flagship smartphones. However, this jacks up the line access fee by $25 per connected phone on all but the Unlimited plan, where it is a flat $25 fee per connected phone.

T-Mobile

Individual “Simple Choice” 4G LTE data plans for T-Mobile start at 2GB and go all the way up to Unlimited. There are no overage fees if you exceed your data limit, however on all plans with data caps, exceeding your allotted data will cause speeds to throttle down to 2G. T-Mobile also doesn’t charge additional monthly access fees – at least not on the surface, claiming that the fee is built into the plan. All plans include unlimited talk and text. Here are how the individual data plans are priced.

2GB: $50/mo. (Monthly access fee built-in.)
6GB: $65/mo. (Monthly access fee built-in.)
10GB: $80/mo. (Monthly access fee built-in.)
Unlimited: $95/mo. (Monthly access fee built-in.) This includes the ability to use your smartphone as a mobile hotspot, with a limit of 14GB per month before throttling takes you down to 2G. Otherwise, there are no limits to the amount of high speed data you can consume on your smartphone with this plan.

Data can’t be shared with other devices, like tablets and smartwatches. In order to get service for your tablet or other mobile device, you’ll have to add service for your desired device by taking on a family plan. The maximum number of lines you can add to a T-Mobile plan through the online storefront is 6 – any more, and you’ll have to get on the phone with T-Mobile to make arrangements. Here’s how much you will pay per phone, by plan:

2GB: $50/mo. for the first line, $30/mo. for the second, and $10/mo. for additional lines up to 6. (Monthly access fee built-in.)
6GB: $65/mo. for the first line, $45/mo. for the second, and $25/mo. for additional lines up to 6. (Monthly access fee built-in.)
10GB: $80/mo. for the first line, $60/mo. for the second, and $40/mo. for additional lines up to 6. (Monthly access fee built-in.)
Unlimited: T-Mobile is offering an unlimited family plan as of this writing for $50 per month per line for the first three lines, with the fourth line free. Outside of the promotion, Unlimited costs $95/mo. for the first line, $75/mo. for the second, and $55/mo. for additional lines up to 6. (Monthly access fee built-in).

The cost of adding a tablet varies. Customers purchasing a device through the T-Mobile Equipment Installment plan save $10:

2GB: $20/mo. ($10/mo. for those that maintain a qualifying phone line.)
6GB: $35/mo. ($25/mo. for those that maintain a qualifying phone line.)
10GB: $50/mo. ($40/mo. for those that maintain a qualifying phone line.)
14GB: $65/mo. ($55/mo. for those that maintain a qualifying phone line.)
18GB: $80/mo. ($70/mo. for those that maintain a qualifying phone line.)

As a side note, T-Mobile is currently running a special offer for tablets that gives you 200MB of data free, per month, for as long as you keep the account active (and, presumably, paid on time).

T-Mobile’s free streaming benefits serve to increase its appeal. “Music Freedom” lets you stream music from services like Pandora and iTunes Radio without cutting into your data. For video lovers, T-Mobile also now offers “Binge On,” which allows you to stream video from third party services like Hulu, Netflix, and HBO NOW without eating away at your data. This is available for plans from 6GB on up. At present, T-Mobile is the only carrier that offers free streaming of music and video on certain platforms.

T-Mobile’s Data Stash feature lets you roll unused data over for up to 12 months. According to the fine print, rollover tops out at 20GB of unused data. Data Stash is available only for plans 6GB and higher.

T-Mobile Payment Plans

Customers are no longer offered the option to sign up for traditional 2-year contracts to get flagship smartphones at lower subsidized costs. But if you’d like to arrange to make monthly installments on your smartphone instead of paying the full amount up front, T-Mobile gives you options. T-Mobile’s EIP (Equipment Installment Plan) is available in 24 monthly installments, and includes a $15 activation fee per phone. No interest is charged on installment plans if you’ve got good credit, but you may be charged an annual percentage rate (APR) if your credit rating is poor. As always, credit approval is required. Customers with good credit can sign up to pay for their smartphones in monthly installments with zero down, but those with less-than-desirable credit may have to fork over a hefty chunk. If you opt to terminate your service with T-Mobile before the phone has been paid off, you will have to pay the balance remaining on your device.

Verizon

Offering a cleverly named range of plans that run from Small to XXL, Verizon data plans all come with unlimited talk and text. You can share your data across other devices (the family plan), but as usual you’ll have to pay extra per device – $20 per month per phone, $10 per month per tablet or hotspot, and $5 per month per connected devices like smartwatches. Data overages are billed at $15 per 1GB. Verizon charges a one-time $20 activation fee on new devices.

Verizon individual and family data plans cost the same per phone, per data allotment. Here’s a breakdown for how much you can expect to pay per month on a Verizon plan, by phone and by data package:

1GB: $50/mo. ($30 for data, $20 for monthly line access.)
3GB: $65/mo. ($45 for data, $20 for monthly line access.)
6GB: $80/mo. ($60 for data, $20 for monthly line access.)
12GB: $100/mo. ($80 for data, $20 for monthly line access.)
18GB: $120/mo. ($100 for data, $20 for monthly line access.)

Verizon is currently offering a bonus 2GB per month per phone on the 12GB and 18GB plans.

Adding phones and supplemental devices like tablets, hotspots and connected devices is simply priced. Here’s how Verizon breaks it all down:

Additional phones: $20/mo.
Adding a tablet or hotspot: $10/mo.
Adding a connected device: $5/mo.

Verizon Payment Plans

As with all other mobile carriers, Verizon gives you the opportunity to get a smartphone on a payment plan so you don’t have to fork over the entire balance at the time of purchase. Verizon’s monthly device payments require a 24-month agreement, during which the cost of your phone will be spread out over monthly payments. There is a one-time $20 fee when you activate a new line under this option. If your credit rating is good, you can sign up for Verizon’s installment plan with no money down and a zero percent APR. Customers with poor credit can still sign up for the installment plan at no interest, but will be required to put a sizable down payment on the smartphone. The amount of the down payment depends on the smartphone’s retail value.

Following T-Mobile’s lead, Verizon no longer offers new customers the option to sign up for 2-year contracts that deliver their flagship smartphones at discounts – however, for the time being, they are continuing to offer this service to their existing customers.

If you decide to switch carriers before you’ve paid off your smartphone, you will have to pay the rest of the balance in full. The same goes for upgrades – if you decide you want to trade up before the balance of the smartphone has been paid in full, you’ll have to make up the difference before you can make the switch.

How Much Do Smartphones Cost?

For those looking to pay off a smartphone in interest-free installments, expect to payments to exceed $20 per month, which will be tacked on to your monthly bill. For example, AT&T charges $695 for the new Samsung Galaxy S7, which breaks down 30 monthly payments of $23.17. Verizon charges $672 for the same smartphone, which breaks down to $28 per month over 24 months.

Confused?

Join the club. The cynic would think carriers purposefully offer slightly different plans from one another in order to make comparison shopping difficult. But there is a way to cut through the confusion and find the best plan for your needs.

Start with carrier coverage. Find out how well each carrier performs at home and at work. Don’t rely on carrier coverage maps solely, because there are dead spots hidden within those large swaths of color. Check with neighbors and neighborhood social networks, like Nextdoor. You can also return smartphones within a few days should you find the coverage lacking, though you may get hit with a restocking fee.

After that, figure out your specific needs: number of lines and total expected data consumption. As we will outline in the next article, there are plenty of easy ways to check how much data you’re actually using through apps and smartphone settings.

Looking at the prices and balancing out access fees while disregarding any current promotions as of this writing, T-Mobile has the best individual rates for single users averaging less than 6GB of data consumption per month, and some of the cheapest family rates for those that consume low to moderate amounts of data. Otherwise, one of the other carriers has the best specific plan for your needs.

That aside, this is a highly competitive and saturated market. To gain customers, the big four can’t rely on attracting new users upgrading to smartphones for the first time. They have to steal customers from one another, attracting with special deals and great offers. That’s great news for consumers.

Want to learn more about buying a smartphone? Read all about network technology, including LTE, GSM, and CDMA. And then read all about picking the right smartphone plan.

The post How to Buy a Smartphone: Understanding No-Contract Smartphone Plans appeared first on Brighthand.com.

How to Buy a Smartphone: Understanding LTE, VoLTE, GSM, & CDMA

Posted on March 2, 2016 by Vince Font

When T-Mobile dropped contract requirements in 2013, it shook up the wireless world. The other carriers that make up the “big four” – AT&T, Sprint, and Verizon – eventually followed suit. As a result, smartphone manufacturers began making their “unlocked” wares available for purchase, bringing an entirely new level of freedom to smartphone vets and would-be smartphone owners. While this big change may have simplified things financially, it has also made things a bit murkier for discerning customers who need to know: Which carrier will meet my needs the best, and which one should I choose?

We’ve got the answers.

Coverage Technology

Digging deep into the various carrier offerings, you’ll find terms you may be familiar with (LTE) and others you might only have heard of in passing, if at all (CDMA, GSM, HSPA+, and VoLTE).

GSM vs CDMA

GSM (Global System for Mobiles) and CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) refer to the two primary technologies used by wireless carriers throughout the world to facilitate 3G and 2G networking. GSM and CDMA are incompatible with one another, which explains why in the past you couldn’t take a smartphone manufactured for AT&T and just jump over to Verizon – not without first making hardware changes.

While there are technical differences in how each handles network traffic, for consumers the difference boils down to the fact that GSM-based smartphones store customer ID data in SIM cards. This is why you’re able to pop your SIM card out of a GSM smartphone and pop it into another GSM smartphone (provided it’s unlocked) and get straight to business. Things are different with CDMA, which stores customer plan data within the smartphone. Carrier politics also play a role, as GSM is a more open standard, developed by an industry association, whereas today’s CDMA technology was developed by Qualcomm. CDMA carriers have traditionally been restrictive, “whitelisting” only certain devices, but that’s changing for the better.

Most CDMA-based phones these days include SIM cards, but this is only to facilitate the requirements of 4G LTE.

GSM is the predominant technology used throughout the world, and especially in Europe. Most international carriers use GSM technology, although there are some holdouts (including two of the major U.S. carriers) who remain CDMA-based. Here’s how the four main carriers are split along the GSM/CDMA divide within the U.S.

AT&T: GSM
T-Mobile: GSM
Sprint: CDMA
Verizon: CDMA

4G LTE

LTE (short for Long-Term Evolution and frequently marketed as 4G LTE) is now the current network technology, and is considered the next evolutionary step from both the GSM and CDMA standards. It’s widely considered the fourth generation of consumer networking technology, hence the “4G” designation. LTE is the protocol over which data is transferred, and at the present time is the fastest available data transfer platform for consumers. It’s also fast becoming the dominant technology. Over the past few years carriers have been phasing out older 3G networks in favor of LTE. Some analysts estimate that the move away from 3G could be complete as early as 2018.

VoLTE stands for Voice Over LTE, and is yet another step ahead in the technology that allows for telephone communication to be broadcast over LTE. Historically, voice conversation has been based on much older 2G technology. VoLTE also enables for more high quality voice calls (which is why it’s sometimes referred to as “HD Voice”), in addition to quicker call connections, Wi-Fi calling integration (more on that below) and what industry types call Rich Communications Services. This includes things like video calling and real-time translation built directly into a smartphone’s native dialing app, rather than a third-party app like Skype.

VoLTE will also help hasten the demise of the old GSM and CDMA dichotomy as all carriers will be using LTE for both data and voice, making it much easier to change carriers and keep the same smartphone. That said, LTE is segmented by bands, with each carrier supporting a handful with only a little overlap. We’ll explain that further in a future installment.

WiMAX & HSPA+

WiMAX and HSPA+ are two older “4G” technologies. Sprint launched WiMAX as the first fourth-generation network in 2010, about a year before Verizon launched the first LTE network in the US. It’s since been abandoned in favor of Sprint’s LTE network. T-Mobile and AT&T were marketing their HSPA+ networks as 4G prior to their LTE networks, though it was actually an extension of their 3G networks capable of speeds approaching LTE levels in actual use. HSPA+ is still available, though is being phased out in favor of LTE.

Wi-Fi Calling and Texting

Wi-Fi calling and texting has been possible for a long time, leveraging third party apps like Skype to serve as an alternative to communicating via cellular signal, but never through the traditional smartphone dialer and messaging apps.

This is in such high demand that now the carriers are starting to offer their own Wi-Fi calling and texting capabilities. The convenience is clear: with carrier-offered Wi-Fi calling and texting, you can use your own phone number instead of having to launch a third-party app. This enables calls and texts to be made in areas where there may be limited or zero cellular coverage. Additionally, cellular calls that lose signal can automatically toggle over to Wi-Fi to ensure a continued connection, as long as there’s an open signal available.

T-Mobile was the first to offer it, but AT&T and Sprint have followed in suit, albeit in a more limited capacity. Verizon is the only carrier that still hasn’t caught up to speed. Wi-Fi calling and texting isn’t available on all phones offered by the three participating carriers, but the list is growing. Be sure to check with the carrier of your choice to determine which phones support it.

Speed Ratings

Researching the estimated download and upload speeds for the various carriers can be a grueling exercise. Pulling facts and figures from any of the four main carriers is hard, as many of them appear to under-promise, while others (like T-Mobile) only declare best-case scenarios. According to data provided by the carriers themselves, here are the average 4G LTE download and upload speeds you can expect.

Average 4G LTE Download/Upload Speeds (in Mbps)

AT&T: 12 Mbps (download) / 5 Mbps (upload)
Sprint: 6-8 Mbps (download) / 2-4 Mbps (upload) Sprint claims peak download speeds can reach up to 25 Mbps, and peak upload speeds can reach 10 Mbps.
T-Mobile: 21.7 Mbps (download) / 12 Mbps (upload)
Verizon: 5-12 Mbps (download) / 2-5 Mbps (upload). Peak download speeds can “approach” 50 Mbps.

Again, some of these averages can (and should be) taken with a grain of salt, such as the T-Mobile claim which appears to dwarf the other carriers.

A recent independent report by OpenSignal determined the average 4G download speed in the U.S. is 9.9 Mbps. The report also ranked how the major carriers performed with respect to download speeds at 3G and 4G. These are the results.

3G

AT&T: 2.2 Mbps
Sprint: 0.64 Mbps
T-Mobile: 3.5 Mbps
Verizon: 0.66 Mbps

4G

AT&T: 7.93 Mbps
Sprint: 6.56 Mbps
T-Mobile: 12.26 Mbps
Verizon: 11.98 Mbps

It’s important to note that 4G coverage uptime plays heavily into what you can expect to get around the clock. This is represented by a percentage of time customers of a given carrier actually have access to 4G speeds. In OpenSignal tests, Verizon came out on top with 87 percent uptime; AT&T rated 83 percent; T-Mobile was third, with 81 percent; and once again Sprint placed last with 70 percent 4G coverage uptime.

What it All Means

Your carrier’s download speeds, as measured in Mbps, determines whether or not you’ll be able to do things like stream high quality video without buffering or experiencing hiccups in performance. The greater the Mbps, the greater your speed. Netflix has specific requirements that your device should meet in order to stream its data without interruption: for SD quality, you need at least 3 Mbps; HD requires 5 Mbps. The Amazon Prime Instant Video requirement for SD is 900 Kbps, and HD is 3.5 Mbps.

This leads to the issue of data limits. To put things into perspective, streaming a 90-minute movie in SD on Netflix will eat up approximately 1.5 GB of data. In HD, that same movie can devour 4.5GB of data. Data usage when streaming music varies, and depends on the quality of the stream. If you stream music at 320kbps, you can burn through some 115MB in an hour. Spread that out over an entire month, and it adds up. Some services, like Pandora, stream at lower quality bit-rates, which makes it possible to get away with more for less – but if you’ve got T-Mobile, you can take advantage of their Music Freedom and Binge On features, which let you stream music and video over certain platforms without eating into your data plan.

Coverage Maps

An accurate determination of which cellular carrier has the “best” coverage depends greatly on where you live. But with respect to pure numbers and greatest overall coverage, Verizon ranks first in the U.S. T-Mobile ranks second; AT&T ranks third; and Sprint comes in fourth.

Want to learn more about buying a smartphone? Read all about no-contract smartphone data plans and pricing.

The post How to Buy a Smartphone: Understanding LTE, VoLTE, GSM, & CDMA appeared first on Brighthand.com.

Honor 5X Review: Huawei’s House Brand Delivers

Posted on February 10, 2016 by Vince Font

Honor smartphones are the Huawei “house brand” – a line of affordable, value-oriented mobile devices that may not outperform the Samsungs and the iPhones of the world, but that still perform respectably and appeal to casual users who want a functional smartphone but aren’t willing to pay upwards of $700.

The Honor 5X is a $200 phablet from Huawei.

The Honor 5X is Huawei’s latest mid-range smartphone, a gorgeous devil with a form factor that was supposedly modeled after the Guggenheim Museum in Spain, according to Huawei. That might be a bit of a stretch, but the Honor 5X certainly isn’t hard on the eyes (at least not until you’ve added a protective case). Looks aside, one of the biggest thing the 5X has going for it is price. At just $200, it’s incredibly affordable. But does it stack up against the likes of Apple and Samsung? Keep reading to find out.

Build & Design

The Honor 5X is encased in a curved aluminum alloy body that you can get in one of three colors: sunset gold, dark gray, or daybreak silver. It’s almost a full six inches long, measuring 5.95 x 3 x 0.3 inches, which could make it somewhat unwieldy for those used to smaller phones. Its weight of 0.3 pounds, in addition to its rounded edge design, improve the feeling of comfort in your palm.

The display face is buttonless, relying instead on onscreen capacitive buttons for performing basic Home, Back and Overview navigation. The bottom bezel is thicker than the top bezel, presumably to aid with better handling while cutting down on the occasional fingertip misfires so common with touchscreen mobiles. The top bezel is where you’ll find the 5MP front-facing camera, ear speaker, indicator light and sensors. The side bezels are so thin they’re practically nonexistent.

The Honor 5X has an all-metal back panel.

Rotating the Honor 5X onto its belly reveals the 13MP primary camera lens, an LED flash, and what we consider to be one of this smartphone’s coolest features: its fingerprint ID Sensor, which is ideally positioned for easy one-handed use. We’ll delve into further detail on the fingerprint sensor later.

The bottom edge of the Honor 5X is home to two speakers, one on either side of the standard microUSB (USB 2.0) port for charging and data transfer. Along its top edge, you’ll find a pinhole microphone and 3.5mm headphone jack.

The right edge is home to a one-piece volume rocker and power button. The orientation of buttons is a departure from what we prefer – having one on either side of the device to eliminate accidental power button pushes, rather than being stacked on top of one another – and the positioning of the buttons so close to one another (with the volume rocker above the power button) could pose something of a learning curve.

The left edge of the 5X is where you find another of its big selling points, two side-by-side SIM trays. Both are compatible with nano-SIM, micro-SIM and microSD, and are easily accessed with the included eject tool. Where most dual-SIM phones double up the SIM with the microSD card slot, the Honor 5X doesn’t. This is a most welcome addition.

The Honor 5X has a unique dual-SIM setup.

Display & Speakers

Honor 5X speakers and microUSB 2.0

The 5.5-inch 1920 x 1080 full HD IPS display is laminated and offers a wide range of viewing angles with minimal glare. Color temperature can be adjusted manually from Settings, but the default view offers a vivid range of colors – 16.7 million, according to Huawei. It’s has 401 pixels per inch, which is lower than the 2015 flagship smartphones that top 500, but the difference is only slightly noticeable when held side by side with something like the Galaxy Note5. The 5X display matches some of 2014’s best smartphones, which makes it good enough, especially considering the Honor 5X price tag.

The speakers, which are located on the bottom edge of the device, deliver crisp audio that doesn’t suffer much from the typical tinniness associated with maxing out the volume level. When turned up all the way, the speakers emit loud enough audio to be heard even in a busy environment. Naturally, the Honor 5X’s audio performance is even better when connected to a set of mini-speakers or earbuds, and volume levels sufficient to damage hearing can be easily produced. (We don’t recommend this.)

The post Honor 5X Review: Huawei’s House Brand Delivers appeared first on Brighthand.com.

Everything You Need to Know about Wireless Charging

Posted on November 10, 2015 by Vince Font

Fifteen years into the 21^st century, and we are inching ever closer to the dream of a wire-free existence. Wireless smartphone charging, which is accomplished through the use of charging pads and platters that require no microUSB connection, has been a thing for years. The catch is, there are different standards that don’t work with every device, and some require bothersome adapters. In other words, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution to getting rid of that messy tangle of cables. At least, not yet.

How Wireless Charging Works

The term “wireless charging” (which is a layman’s term for inductive charging) is actually a bit of a misnomer. First of all, it’s not entirely wireless. If you own a charging pad, that pad still has to be plugged into a power source in order for you to draw juice. Second, it requires physical contact or extreme proximity to the charging base, which translates to physical limitations. There is headway being made with respect to charging bases that will transfer power from distances of a few feet, but the trade-off is that the further you move from the base, the less power your device gets.

The technology itself actually dates back to the work of a guy whose name probably familiar with, Nikola Tesla, who identified that electromagnetic fields could make it possible to transfer power from one object to another. In an extreme oversimplification, it works by coiling wires around a magnet and passing an electric current through it. The electromagnetic field generated can then transfer a charge to a receiving device, albeit at a significantly lower rate of transfer than what you’d get if you plugged straight into a wall socket.

Why Can’t You Wirelessly Charge Your iPhone?

Apple iPhone Powermat adapter.

It hasn’t exactly set the world on fire, but wireless smartphone charging is another one of those “neato” features included in a growing number of mobile devices and a slew of add-on accessories. The only holdout in the game appears to be Apple, which has to date failed to include the capability in the iPhone 6s, or any of its mobile inventions save for the Apple Watch. Apple iPhone owners unfortunately require adapters to take advantage of the tech.

Apple has been slow to embrace other mobile technologies in the past, including NFC and LTE. In regards to wireless charging, it could be that Apple is just waiting for the technology to improve to a point where wireless charging becomes faster and more efficient. Though, it could be all about physics, and that the iconic aluminum casing which became the standard for all iPhones starting in 2012 (with the exception of the iPhone 5c) is not conducive to receiving a wireless charge.

That may soon change, however, as the Rezence standard (more on that below) has developed to the point where it can deal with metal casings.

The Dueling Standards

Where wireless charging platters are concerned, there are two opposing standards that – much like VHS and Beta back in the dawn of home video, or more recently Blu-ray and HD DVD – are warring it out for dominion in the marketplace. These are Qi and Powermat.

Qi (pronounced “chee” and not “queue-eye” or “key”) is the standard among the vast majority of Android devices that support wireless charging. Historically, Qi’s power transference hasn’t exactly been as fast as the caveman approach of plugging straight into a wall socket, but it does make life a lot simpler and clutter-free. Recent improvements show Qi is now capable of outputting 15 watts of power to supported devices (up from the early standard of just 5 watts), but much of the effectiveness depends on your device’s limitations with respect to receiving a wireless charge at high speeds. (In other words, pairing up an older smartphone with a new, souped-up Qi wireless charging base won’t speed things up any.) Part of the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC), Qi is considered to be the most widely accepted wireless charging platform. A host of high-profile manufacturers like Samsung, Sony, LG, HTC, Nokia, Asus and BlackBerry all use the Qi standard.

Powermat is actually a breakaway standard that used to belong to the same club the Qi did, until “creative differences” forced the split. Powermat then took its toys home and created the Power Matters Alliance (PMA), which is a standard that’s grown in popularity among corporations for its noted ability to track power consumption of multiple devices.

If you’ve ever charged your smartphone at Starbucks or on a Delta Airlines plane, you’ve used the Powermat standard. Recently, Powermat invited its other rival, the Alliance for Wireless Power (A4WP), to join forces. The A4WP brings to the table its Rezence wireless charging brand, which employs a slightly different technology to send a wireless charge, but initial plans indicate the organizations are going to share information rather than merge into one unified brand name. Powermat also enjoys the backing of AT&T, which is why you won’t find any Qi charging pads at the local AT&T store.

This portends good things for the two brands, as Rezence has some technological advantages in addition to the one described above, including larger charging plates capable of dealing with multiple devices.

Supported Devices

Depending on the mobile device you’re using, it will likely support either Qi or Powermat, and sometimes both. In most cases however, the decision of what kind of wireless charging pad to buy is already made for you. If you own any Android smartphone worth having, you’re probably set up for Qi. If you’re a die-hard AT&T loyalist, the Powermat choice will have been made for you.

But in the attempt to deliver what everybody really wants – choice – at least one manufacturer is starting to put the decision on you by enabling their devices to accept either solution. Samsung’s S6 product line and Note5 support both Qi and Powermat, which could be indication that future support for both may become the standard.

Accessories

The main accessory needed for the wireless charging of your smartphone, whether your mobile supports Qi or Powermat, is a charging base. Also commonly referred to as platters, these come in a variety of shapes and sizes that offer a certain level of aesthetics – from flat mats that fit on a desktop to stands that hold your smartphone at a 45-degree angle.

Samsung Qi wireless charger

Innovations in the design of plates and pads have led to some cool improvements, such as charging pads that act as portable battery packs you can bring along with you. Because of the high heat often generated by wireless charging, some accessory manufacturers have taken to building charging pads with small fans. The average cost of wireless charging pads can range from $10 to $70, depending on how many bells and whistles you demand.

If you’re still happily operating on an older generation smartphone that doesn’t support wireless charging, not all is lost. There are accessories you can buy and attach to that old brick that will enable it to work with a charging pad. You can buy a snap-on wireless charging cover that replaces the back battery cover of your smartphone and lets you set it on a compatible charging pad. Other devices require charging cases that surround your entire phone but don’t require you to remove the back panel. Still others work by connecting to your smartphone’s microUSB port, which we think is pretty much the same as running a cable into your computer or wall socket, only slower. This solution may not be ideal, but it offers an alternative to searching for an unused power outlet or USB port.

There’s also wireless charging furniture. IKEA is among the vanguard of furniture and home appliance providers that actually make it possible to buy a nightstand or a lamp that also doubles as a mobile device charging station. The physical location of the charging station is marked by an X that you rest your phone on to begin charging. If your smartphone doesn’t support the protocol, you can buy a separate charging cover to place on your phone to make it work.

Powermat in Public

Powermat at Starbucks

An increasing number of businesses – coffee shops, restaurants, and airports – are adopting the Powermat platform as a means of serving their customers by installing charging stations on tables and countertops throughout their establishments. Aside from the increased foot traffic generated by this convenience, Powermat’s ability to track and record power consumption enables business owners to identify patterns of activity that they can use to their benefit. As a basic requirement, users have to download the Powermat app to their mobile devices in order to charge up. In turn, business owners can leverage that app to send alerts and promotions directly to customers’ phones.

In New York City alone, there are 300 Starbucks locations with Powermat charging spots. Boston ranks second among big cities with the most widely available Starbucks power-up stations, followed by Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area.

Colleges and universities are also getting in on the action, installing wireless charging stations in public locations throughout campuses. Florida State University and California State University at San Bernardino are two of Powermat’s highest profile educational partners.

Powermat wireless charging stations are also set to begin appearing with greater frequency in General Motors cars, starting with the 2016 Chevy Malibu and Impala models.

The Clear Winner

Ultimately, when standards compete, the everyday user ends up being the big winner. This is likely to be the case as wireless smartphone charging standards continue to go head-to-head in pursuit of the almighty consumer buck. Powermat is growing exponentially as the protocol of choice in public spaces, like the aforementioned Starbucks, Delta Airlines, and even McDonald’s. Meanwhile, with its broad support from top-level device manufacturers, Qi has become the de facto standard for an enormous number of Android smartphone owners.

With Samsung’s recent decision to support of both platforms in its S6 line of products and the Note5, it’s likely just a matter of time before all other manufacturers recognize the benefit of embracing both solutions. When that happens, you’ll be able to bounce from your home-based Qi pad to Powermat while loading up with caffeine at the local Starbucks.

The post Everything You Need to Know about Wireless Charging appeared first on Brighthand.com.

Asus ZenFone 2 Laser Review

Posted on November 4, 2015 by Vince Font

The Asus ZenFone 2 Laser, is now available in the U.S. from $199 off contract. That’s cheap, rivaling the impressive Moto G in terms of price and specs. Not to be mistaken with the ZenFone 2, which was released internationally earlier this year, the Laser boasts improved camera functionality with laser autofocus and dual-SIM capability. Has Asus put forth a handset worth pocketing? Read on to find out.

Build & Design

Asus ZenFone 2 Laser looks like a standard Android smartphone.

Palming the ZenFone 2 Laser for the first time is an experience not unlike one you’re already familiar with. That is to say, the Laser isn’t exactly a revolution in smartphone design – but by now, we’ve all pretty much come to know what to expect of the standard handheld mobile. In that regard, Asus has done nothing remarkable aside from delivering a sleek-looking mobile device.

The ZenFone 2 Laser body is lightweight and slender, weighing an even 6 ounces with the battery installed. That’s a bit heavier than the 5.5-ounce Moto G, but a hair below phablets like the iPhone 6s Plus and Galaxy Note5 that top 6 ounces. It’s also not what anyone would ever call a brick.

Android-standard Back, Home and Menu capacitive navigation buttons adorn the bottom of the front face – however for some reason Asus has chosen not to make these backlit, which can make quick navigation in poorly lit environments a minor challenge. Along the upper end of the face is where you’ll find the phone’s front-facing camera, notification LED, and receiver.

The edges of the smartphone are ultra-thin, measuring just 3.9mm. Its profile deepens around its curved back, reaching 10.8mm in thickness. This curved design is explained as a purposeful choice for effective ergonomic handling, but adding to that a height of 6 inches and width of 3.04 inches makes it somewhat unwieldy for one-handers and requires the use of both hands to operate. This isn’t unusual for large screen phablets, though.

The Asus ZenFone 2 Laser has rear volume buttons.

Owing to its super thin design, there are no buttons or ports on either edges of the device, save for a small fingernail groove for easier removal of the back cover. The volume rocker is situated on the device’s back side, just below the rear camera, which could present a bit of a learning curve if you’re migrating from a smartphone with side-located volume controls. Smartly, the volume buttons have been recessed into the body, which prevents you from accidentally altering volume settings anytime you set the phone down on its back. The speaker grille is also located on the bottom end of the back side, which can result in significant muting when it’s laid on certain types of surfaces. The top edge of the smartphone is home to a 3.5mm audio jack and power button. Along the phone’s bottom edge is where you’ll find the micro USB port and microphone.

The ZenFone 2 Laser ships in five different colors – Osmium Black, Sheer Gold, Glacier Gray, Glamour Red or Ceramic White – and comes with 16GB of internal memory, with the option to expand up to 128GB by way of a microSD port located inside the battery/SIM compartment. There is also a 32GB version of the same phone available for $249 as of this writing.

Display & Speakers

The ZenFone 2 Laser has a fully laminated 5.5-inch screen and a 72 percent screen-to-body ratio, which basically makes the screen look bigger than it is by virtue of the fact there’s less physical real estate surrounding it. The display is a 1280 x 720P IPS HD (with 267 pixel-per-inch density), which Asus claims offers viewing angle capability of 178 degrees.

The Asus ZenFone 2 Laser has a removable back panel.

Colors are vibrant when streaming video or viewing images, and glare is relatively minimal. Manufacturer specs indicate the Laser can achieve 72 percent of the NTSC color gamut. Its 267 pixels per inch are well below the flagship rivals, which top 500, but in line with phones in its class. The bottom line here is that even budget smartphones have excellent displays, so users won’t be disappointed. Scratch-resistant Corning Gorilla Glass 4 adds additional display protection.

According to Asus, their proprietary TruVivid technology imbues the phone with not only added brightness, but also increased touch responsiveness. This is accomplished by shifting from a traditional four-layer display design to a two-layer design that brings the display closer to your eyes and fingertips – but it’s also nothing revolutionary, as this is something that Apple has also accomplished, most recently with the iPad Mini 4.

As we mentioned before, the smartphone’s speaker grille is positioned on the bottom of the back panel, which revealed itself as a problematic design decision after we discovered a substantial muting effect occurs when you set the unit down on any surface that doesn’t reflect sound back – such as your lap or your palm. Speaker volume is also poor, even when cranked to 100 percent, and volume performance was not improved when listening via earbuds.

The post Asus ZenFone 2 Laser Review appeared first on Brighthand.com.

Skype for Business Review: Freemium and Then Some

Posted on October 22, 2015 by Vince Font

Pretty much everyone is familiar with Skype, the freemium video chat application launched in the distant past of 2003. Since its acquisition by Microsoft in 2011, it’s gone through more than a few changes that – for better or for worse, depending on who you ask – have resulted in an evolution few could have seen coming. Today’s version of Skype isn’t just a platform for chatting with relatives on the other side of the world. It’s also got some mighty business features that can be unlocked for use in a diversity of business environments. But do you really need the full-on Skype for Business platform to run your business? Read on to find out.

Skype for Business Pricing Plans

Skype for Business distinguishes itself from its consumer-oriented cousin through a handful of robust features like video conferencing, desktop sharing and audio/video recording of meetings. The basic plan costs $2 per month, per user, but is limited in functionality. The intermediate plan lets you do a bit more for $5.50 per month. Both of these standalone plans require an annual commitment. The third available plan is called Skype for Business Server 2015 and is a lot more expensive and intensive, performing on a level with enterprise-scale VoIP. The Server edition also requires that you procure additional licenses and sign up with a Microsoft-certified “partner” – and depending on who you sign with and what you sign up for, cost can vary.

One of the big problems with any of these Skype for Business options is that, as of this moment, you have to bring your own phone number to the table. This won’t cut it if you’re looking for a way to stop using your personal line for business purposes. There’s also the consideration that small business owners may find all three of these plans a bit too highly functional. In that case, there is still a way you can employ Skype to work for your small business needs without having to sign up for services you will never use.

Skype On A Shoestring Budget

If you’re a sole proprietor or running a small business with little spending cash, you can still take advantage of Skype for basic business purposes, such as getting a secondary phone number so you don’t have to keep using your personal line.

You can download and install the consumer version of Skype for free on your desktop, laptop and mobile devices. For a cost of $18 for a three-month subscription (or $60 for a full year), you can buy a Skype phone number which will allow others to call you from a landline or mobile phone. All calls made to your number will ring through to you via Skype.

Using Your Skype Number On The Go

If you’re constantly on the move and can’t be tied to your computer, you can also receive calls to your mobile phone via the app, as long as you’re signed in to it when the call comes through. Skype’s mobile app is available for Android, iOS, Blackberry, and Windows Phone. It also comes preinstalled on the Amazon Fire Phone and Nokia X.

If you need your Skype number available at all times but don’t want to have to keep the app constantly fired up, you can have calls forwarded to a mobile or landline number. This costs extra, but not much. There’s a pay as you go plan that runs 2.3 cents per minute, or you can subscribe monthly. A monthly subscription for unlimited calls within the U.S. and Canada costs $2.99. To add Mexico, Guam and Puerto Rico to that mix will run you $7.99 per month. A $13.99 monthly subscription will fetch you unlimited worldwide calling and call receiving, with some limitations. To pay for this, you’ll have to buy Skype credit. This can be purchased in increments of $10 or $25, and you can enable the system to re-run your credit card when your balance falls under $2.

Skype numbers backed by a Skype credit balance are also good for placing calls to mobile or landline phones from your computer, smartphone or tablet via the app. This ensures your recipients will see your Skype number on their caller ID.

Picking Your Skype Number

Like many other secondary number services, Skype lets you choose a specific area code to assign to your number. One of the limitations is that they currently don’t offer toll free area codes. You can set up a Skype number for another country, but there are restrictions and in some cases you’ll have to provide proof of residence to do so. Neither of these restrictions, however, should be an issue if the majority of your clientele are based within the U.S. and Canada or are willing to dial long distance to reach you.

Like many other secondary number services, Skype lets you choose a specific area code to assign to your number.

When you go through the Skype number registration process, you’re first asked to choose the country you want your number to originate from. Assuming you’re picking a number in the U.S., you’re next prompted to choose your desired state. A list of available numbers is presented to you. Once you make your pick, the next step is to key in your address and billing information. The average wait time between signup and availability for use is one hour, although in testing we were able to use ours within 15 minutes.

Bonus Skype Phone Number Features

When you sign up for a Skype number, you can set up an outgoing voicemail greeting. Any voicemail messages you receive are accompanied by an email alert. SMS alerts are also available to inform you of new voicemails, but this is charged against your Skype credit at the standard rate. SpinVox is an additional Skype service that transcribes your voicemails to text and delivers them to you via SMS at the aforementioned standard rate. Supported languages include English, French, German and Spanish. If the voicemail message exceeds the length of an SMS, it’ll be broken into up to three individual texts. Any voicemail messages beyond this length won’t be transcribed, and you’ll have to listen to them like a Neanderthal.

Value

Unless you have a small army of employees or require high performing telephony services that can also double as video conference call platforms, you’re probably far better off meeting your small business needs by using the free version of Skype in combination with a Skype number. For basic use, you can do so at a monthly minimum average of $8.99 plus the low per-minute phone rate – an option that’s likely to prove far more cost effective than paying for a second phone line.

As always, remember that you can’t use Skype to call emergency services. To be on the safe side, always keep an active mobile or landline plan in place.

It’s not just Skype; Google Voice can also be used for business. Read our full Google Voice for business review.

The post Skype for Business Review: Freemium and Then Some appeared first on Brighthand.com.

Line2 Review: Literally, A Second Line

Posted on October 22, 2015 by Vince Font

There’s no shortage of apps and cloud based services that offer you the opportunity to add a second phone number to your smartphone. Operating under the marketing slogan “2 Lines, 1 Phone,” the iOS and Android compatible Line2 lets you make and receive calls (and texts with image attachments) using an assigned secondary phone number that can be used for any purpose you like – whether personal, business, or a hybrid of the two.

Line2 operates on mobile devices and computers, with equal support for PC and Mac via downloadable apps for each. It can be installed on multiple devices, but individual accounts can only be used on one platform at a time. You can sign up for a Standard (personal) plan at $9.99 per month, or a Pro (business) plan for $14.99. The app also comes available as a free version that can be only be used to call and text with other Line2 users.

The Standard plan lets you send unlimited texts and receive unlimited inbound calls. Outbound calls are limited to 1500 minutes per month if you upgrade via the in-app purchase, and 5000 minutes when you upgrade through the Line2 online billing system. Other features of the Standard plan include enhanced voicemail, incoming and outgoing caller ID, do not disturb settings, group calling, and the ability to initiate call forwarding to another number.

The Pro Plan

Although highly functional, the features of the Standard plan may not be enough to meet more complex business needs – in which case, Line2 offers a more robust Pro plan that’ll get you a host of additional features. Besides everything already offered by the Standard plan – including a 5000 per-month minute limit on outgoing calls – the Pro plan offers group conferencing with up to 20 participants, call screening, call forwarding to up to six phone numbers, after-hours settings, and an auto attendant for professional call routing.

The first step in using the auto attendant is to record a standard greeting for all inbound calls that tells callers what their dialing options are (“dial 0 for operator, dial 1 for sales”). Next, you program the specific actions that correspond with each numerical value. You can also program a dial-by-name directory that routes calls to your employees using the first three letters of their last name.

With after-hours screening, you can set the program to automatically route calls to voicemail during certain days and specific times of day – a functionality that is absolutely essential to separating your personal life from your work life. Call screening is another feature that helps infuse your work day with added focus, blocking specific callers and screening calls by caller type.

Online Dashboard

All features driven by the Line2 auto attendant must be configured through the online dashboard and cannot be adjusted through the mobile or computer-based apps. Other features like recording outgoing voicemail messages, call screening, call forwarding, and do not disturb can be programmed from the app itself.

Line2 dashboard

In addition to programming settings, the online dashboard can be used to add and remove contacts lists. All activity for incoming calls, texts and voicemails can be accessed via the dashboard. Voicemail messages can be downloaded as MP3 files or listened to from the dashboard. You also receive an email notification anytime you get a voicemail, however there is no support for text transcription.

Assigned telephone numbers can be chosen via the app or by signing up through the online platform. Phone numbers are limited to the U.S. and Canada, but there is widespread coverage available. Placing calls will display your Line2 number on your recipient’s caller ID.

Line2 voicemail dashboard

As with all other similar services, Line2 calls placed over cellular data connections draw minutes from your mobile carrier plan. Line2 can’t be used independently of a mobile plan. This is something to take into consideration if your existing plan has limited minutes. In typical fashion, all calls made using Wi-Fi will not impact your mobile carrier bill – however they will count against the monthly allotted minutes for outbound dialing using your Line2 phone number.

Read the Fine Print

The Line2 service is rich with features and extra upgrades that include setting up virtual fax service ($120 per year) and transferring your assigned digits to a toll free number (a lengthy and convoluted process). But it’s when you read the fine print about allotted minutes for outgoing calls where things get a bit murky. As we mentioned earlier, signing up for the service through the app limits you to 1500 minutes of outgoing phone calls, while signing up through the online platform will get you 5000 minutes. Additionally, you can only sign up for the Pro plan online. If you try to upgrade via the app, the only option you get is the Standard plan.

When compared with other PBX apps, Line2 is versatile and easy, if not a bit weighted down by its own complexities. At a cost of $14.99 per month, it remains an affordable alternative to installing a landline phone system but may be too complex for your needs if you’re a sole proprietor. The Standard plan is a few dollars cheaper, but it’s missing some of the more useful features that can help you run your business, like auto attendant. We recommend careful consideration prior to commitment. If you’d rather try before you fly, Line2 gives you a seven-day free trial – however, if you don’t cancel service before that time period elapses, your credit card will be billed accordingly.

The web based dashboard is compatible with PC and Mac computers, and apps for placing and receiving calls on your computer are available for Mac and PC. Currently, there is no official Windows 10 app but the developer reports the PC-based application can function using Microsoft’s latest OS iteration. The iOS app requires 7.0 or later, and the Android app requires 2.3.3 and up. Line2 is also functional with Fire OS.

Looking for more than one line? How about six? Read our Flyp review for more information.

The post Line2 Review: Literally, A Second Line appeared first on Brighthand.com.

BusinessCall Review: Free to Try, So Why Not?

Posted on October 22, 2015 by Vince Font

Getting a secondary phone line for business use can be as easy as downloading an app and laying down a few dollars per month. One such app is BusinessCall, which you can try out as a free download for iOS and Android mobile devices. It’s a cheaper and significantly more practical option to adding another line with your mobile carrier or installing a second landline. And the best part is, you don’t have to sign any service contracts or pay through the nose to terminate. We tried out BusinessCall to determine how it works, what it offers, and if it’s sufficient for business use. Here’s what we found.

If you’re gun shy about paying before trying, rest assured. BusinessCall offers you the opportunity to test drive the service before you buy by giving you 100 minutes and unlimited texts for the first seven days of use. It works as a “shared minutes program” which means that all minutes used – including those first 100 minutes – will come off of your existing mobile plan. BusinessCall doesn’t function unless you have an operational cellular plan, and can’t be used as a standalone mobile service.

Pick a Number

BusinessCall prompts you to choose a phone number by scrolling through a list of available area codes in various states.

When you download the app, you’re prompted to choose a phone number by scrolling through a list of available area codes in various states. Even though all 50 states and numerous metropolitan areas are represented, we found that not all area codes are available. For example, our attempt at getting assigned a number in the 801 area code for Northern Utah yielded no available phone numbers in the region. Instead, the app offered up area codes in Las Vegas, which isn’t exactly next door. This could present a problem if your customer base is local.

Once you’ve chosen your desired phone number, BusinessCall next walks you through the process of setting up your contacts by importing names from your smartphone address book. Importing contacts is easy, but each name has to be individually selected and there is no option to “select all.” When you add contacts, you can choose to send individuals a text message informing them of your new business number.

Every time you launch the app, you arrive at a recent activity tab where you can review instant messages received, return calls with one click, and take notes. The notes function allows you to type in call-specific information that will display to you the next time you communicate with that individual.

Tons of Texts

BusinessCall supports making and receiving phone calls, in addition to text messages. As we noted before, all call activity counts against your existing plan limits. Texts are handled different – since they’re delivered through the BusinessCall proprietary database, they don’t count against any limit on your mobile plan. Availability of use is immediate, and there’s no requirement to provide credit card information during the trial period (bonus!).

When you make a phone call through the app, your call recipients will see your BusinessCall phone number on their caller ID. If you prefer to use an existing phone number, as you might do if you just want to take advantage of BusinessCall’s voicemail and routing system, you also have the option of doing that during setup by porting an existing mobile phone number. Take note, this option is only available for mobile numbers and won’t work with landlines.

Incoming calls will display through the app so you know which number your caller is dialing, and a caller ID notification will appear on your smartphone screen. A unique ringtone can also be chosen to better notify you of business calls versus personal calls you may get on the same handset during business hours.

For Sales, Press 1

BusinessCall enables users to set business hours.

The app supports personalized welcome message of up to three minutes in length that plays to callers when they ring you up. This is followed by an automated “choices” menu that lets you program up to nine options for callers to dial. Anything you key into the options menu will be repeated by the auto attendant voice (example: “For sales, press 1” or “For tickle feathers, press 2”).

You can direct these numerical choices to perform one of four options: forward the call to your mobile, play a recorded message, take a message, or forward the call to a different number. This latter option is good for forwarding calls to employees or business partners. You can choose to receive email notifications of voicemails to any email address,

Settings are diverse and you have plenty of options to personalize the menu to your needs. Diving into the Business Settings menu, you’ll find that you can perform a number of neat tricks straight from your handset, like setting business hours for each day of the week. This determines during what hours calls to your BusinessCall phone number will ring through to your phone or go directly to voicemail. You can also set up after hours call handling to allow calls to ring through your mobile and to a secondary phone, like your home landline.

No Contracts

The cost to use BusinessCall is $5.99 a month for a maximum of 100 minutes and 200 texts. If that’s not enough to cover your phone usage (and it probably won’t be, if you plan on using it as your primary business number), you can upgrade to unlimited minutes and texts for $12.99 a month. There are no contracts to sign and there are no such thing as early termination fees. Just don’t expect to have your monthly fee pro-rated if you decide to quit mid-month and you won’t encounter any nasty surprises.

Overall, BusinessCall is a diverse app that comes at an affordable cost and is capable of performing well as a functional front-end phone service. The app UI is uncluttered and intuitive, if not a bit slow when making major changes like re-recording outgoing voicemail messages or rearranging your auto attendant menu commands. In testing, we experienced a few hang-ups that caused the app to clock for an uncomfortable length of time, leading to the conclusion that stability over time may be an issue. Recording quality for outgoing voicemail messages was also poor, but functional.

At a base cost of $5.99 for 100 minutes or $12.99 for unlimited, you could do a lot worse. We strongly suggest testing the service out ahead of paying outright or changing your business cards to reflect your new number.

Before singing on with BusinessCall, perhaps you should check out Grasshopper. Read our full Grasshopper review for more information.

The post BusinessCall Review: Free to Try, So Why Not? appeared first on Brighthand.com.

Author: Vince Font

Why Buy Chinese?

Where Can You Buy a Chinese Smartphone?

Stuff to Consider

Words of Warning

Eliminate the Fluff

To Insure or Not to Insure?

Taking a Look at Your Data Habits

Other Considerations

Donate Your Smartphone to a Good Cause

Sell it Online

Putting Your Old Smartphone to Work

Buying an Unlocked Smartphone

SIM Cards

LTE Bands

Voice Over LTE

SIM Card Sizes

Processor

Display

Connectivity

Memory

Sensors

Camera

The Importance of the Test Drive

The Issue of Choice: Android vs iOS

The Android Way

The Apple Way

App Availability

Other Things to Think About

What about Blackberry and Windows?

You Do You

Current Individual and Family Data Plans

AT&T

AT&T Smartphone Payment Plans

Sprint

Sprint Payment Plans

T-Mobile

T-Mobile Payment Plans

Verizon

Verizon Payment Plans

How Much Do Smartphones Cost?

Confused?

Coverage Technology

GSM vs CDMA

4G LTE

WiMAX & HSPA+

Wi-Fi Calling and Texting

Speed Ratings

Average 4G LTE Download/Upload Speeds (in Mbps)

3G

4G

What it All Means

Coverage Maps

Build & Design

Display & Speakers

How Wireless Charging Works

Why Can’t You Wirelessly Charge Your iPhone?

The Dueling Standards

Supported Devices

Accessories

Powermat in Public

The Clear Winner

Build & Design

Display & Speakers

Skype for Business Pricing Plans

Skype On A Shoestring Budget

Using Your Skype Number On The Go

Picking Your Skype Number

Bonus Skype Phone Number Features

Value

The Pro Plan

Online Dashboard

Read the Fine Print

Pick a Number

Tons of Texts

For Sales, Press 1

No Contracts