Need A Nerd - Ask us anything techie

Get Smart, Get A Smartphone

A feature-rich handset can boost work and home life productivity.

So you’ve decided to take the plunge, join the masses and by a new smartphone. But while the benefits of these top-end handsets are often discussed, how can you make sure you’ll be able to take advantage of all of the ‘smarts’ in your new phone?
One of the main reasons people shift to a smartphone is the ability to pick up their email while on the move. Many Smartphones make this easy by picking up your email settings when you synchronise the device with your PR or laptop for the first time.
If this isn’t the case for the model you’ve bought, it is relatively easy for your IT professional to set up your email services so those messages will follow you wherever you go. (If that’s really what you want – inaccessibility can be a good thing at times!)
Another benefit of smartphones is their ability to share, update and backup your PC calendar, contacts and task entries using the phone’s syncing software.  Anyone who has ever lost their phone and therefore all contact details on that device will find the peace of mind offered by having that smartphone backup considerable.
If you do happen to lose your Smartphone, Vodafone phone insurance (paid monthly) means that in only a couple of days you can have your phone and all its contacts, calendars and tasks back in action.
The new data plans have certainly brought the price of web browsing right down and it is commonplace for people to Google from their phone while out and about.  In fact, mobile broadband prices in general have come right down and all associated costs with phone calls, text, email and web browsing is making this a useful tool for more than just the business professional.
As prices continue to drop for data and call access when overseas, the use of smartphones as essentially portable internet and computing devices will become even more commonplace.
Many new phones support Wi-Fi wireless internet access as an alternative to mobile data, extending the potential life of your data plan, since using Wi-Fi internet is often a free option. It is also often faster and can improve productivity, with many smartphones able to have additional software installed for editing documents, games and business systems access.
Your smartphone can also be useful in the car, with easy connections possible to Bluetooth-powered hands-free devices, and the ability to navigate using your smartphone’s GPS mapping technology.