How to Select a Smartphone

 Choosing the right smartphone for you is a matter of determining what you will be using your smartphone for and finding a phone that excels at that task. For example, photography enthusiasts should find a phone with a high resolution camera, while audiophiles may be more concerned with the device's audio storage capacity and playback quality. With the wide variety of smartphones available, you should be able to find one that is just right for you.

Step 1

Choose a network for your smartphone. Visit the Web pages for wireless service providers and compare their available plans and networks. Check their "Coverage Area" maps to make sure that you'll have coverage in the areas that you frequent. Look at the plans that the carriers offer. Select a plan that offers the right amount of data and voice usage. Also, consider what network your friends and family members use. Many networks offer free calling to other users in the same network.

Step 2

Open the "Phones" page on the network's website and select "Smartphones." Most carriers allow you to select phones based upon their features, using a search bar on the left side of the website. This will help you narrow down your options. You can click on a phone to bring up information about the phone and use your browser's "Back" button to return to the list of phones.

Step 3

Decide on the input method that is best for you. You may want to try out a few of your friends smartphones to get a feel for the different input methods. Smartphones with a touchscreen as their primary input method tend to have a larger display, but some people find them difficult to type on. You may also consider a phone with a slide-out physical QWERTY keyboard or a phone with a smaller screen and a QWERTY keyboard on the front.

Step 4

Think about the amount of data that you intend to store on the phone. If you plan on storing a large amount of music or videos, you should select a smartphone with a large internal memory or with an expandable memory card slot.

Step 5

Consider the devices that you want to connect to your smartphone. Most smartphones feature a micro-USB or mini-USB port for data transfer and charging and a headphone port for audio, but some smartphones use proprietary connections that require special cables. Specialized smartphones may also have video-output connectors so that you can connect your smartphone to a larger screen.

Step 6

Compare the screen size of the phones. Larger screens are better for browsing the Internet and watching videos. Typically, a larger screen requires a larger phone. Consider the amount of space that the phone will take up and how you typically carry and store your phone.

Step 7

Check the smartphone's data transfer rate. If your network offers 4G data speeds in your area, you may want to purchase a 4G-ready smartphone to take advantage of the higher data speeds when browsing the internet or downloading files.

Step 8

Think about how often you want to charge your phone's battery and how often you use the phone. Select a smartphone that has a battery that will last throughout the day.

Tips to Clean Your Smartphone

 At some time or another, we all drop our smartphones. We also put them in pockets or purses crammed with keys, forget to charge them, and leave them in hot or wet locations. Some of us have even taken them swimming. A dirty phone screen won't give you much pleasure--or much information.

Screens are delicate, however. Clean them the wrong way, and you ruin them for good.

The main tool you need is a microfiber cloth. You can get a very small one, perhaps even for free, at your optometrist's office, which should be just fine for a phone. You can buy larger ones for a few dollars at camera stores, electronics stores, hardware stores, or online.

Here's how to get your smartphone screen nice and clean:

As a safety measure, remove your phone's battery. If the battery cannot be removed, turning off the device will suffice.

Wipe the screen gently with the dry cloth. Don't press hard on it, but for particularly stubborn dirt you can apply some gentle pressure.

If a dry cloth doesn't do the job, you'll need to use a wet one--and that can be tricky. Distilled water is the safest and cheapest liquid for a screen. If that isn't strong enough, mix it half-and-half with white vinegar.

Put the liquid into a spray bottle, and spray it onto the microfiber cloth.

Wipe the display as described above, and then wait until the screen is completely dry before turning the device back on.

Here are a few tips to protect your phone from wear and tear while also prolonging its life:

Be careful where you carry your phone. That pocket full of keys was fine for your old, clamshell-style "dumb" phone. But your smartphone almost certainly has a screen--quite likely a touchscreen--open for all the world to scratch. So put your handset where nothing can scratch it.

Buy a case for your phone--preferably one built for your specific model--and keep it in that. Most cases leave the screen uncovered so that you can use it, so buy some screen protectors as well. These thin, transparent membranes fit over the screen, stay in place, and let both light and touch go through them. They're also reasonably cheap and disposable: You can buy a pack of three for as little as $6.

Turn off the touchscreen before pocketing the phone. Not only does this stretch your battery life, but it also avoids butt-dialing.

 If your phone feels hot to the touch, turn it off and (if the phone allows it) remove the battery. Let the handset sit awhile where it can breathe. If the phone or the battery is still too hot an hour later, contact the vendor; something of a chemical nature may have gone wrong inside.

Get in the habit of charging your phone every night when you go to bed. That way, you'll seldom (if ever) run out of juice in the course of a day. If you still have trouble charging, buy an extra charger or two; one that plugs into your car's cigarette lighter may be useful.

Don't worry too much about wearing out the battery. It will wear out eventually, no matter what you do, but probably not before your contract is up and you're ready to upgrade to the next new thing.