There’s an App Store for that!

Back when a Smartphone was just a PDA and your cell phone was a new thing (the ancient 1990’s), loading third party applications to make your device more fun or productive could be dangerous.  You never knew if you’d create the perfect storm by installing different programs and turn your prized piece of “geekery” into a paperweight.  Thankfully that’s no longer the case.  Every Smartphone operating system on the market right now either has a highly successful app store, or is planning on launching before the end of 2009.  So no matter if you prefer the iPhone, or are totally smitten with Android, there IS an app store for you.

App Store (Apple) – Over 1.5 billion applications downloaded in only one year, with over 65,000 available.  Very impressive.

App Catalog (Palm) – Only a few dozen application available so far, but with more in the works the future looks good for the Pre.

Android Market (Google) – With dozens of new phones launching over the next year, keep your eyes on Android.

Ovi Store (Nokia) – One of the oldest and most popular Smartphone operating systems worldwide.

Windows Marketplace for Mobile (Microsoft) – Still the main competitor from Blackberry in the corporate world; will launch this fall.

Blackberry App World (RIM) – Always popular among heavy email and text users; available in 10 new countries by the end of July.

Do you need a smartphone?

CNET has an article today asking just that question, do you really need that smartphone? They make their case by justifiably pointing out that in order to get the most from your new device, a data plan is required.  Depending on your carrier, this can range anywhere from $25 to $50 per month.  When compared to the $10 or $15 per month that the same phone carriers charge for a feature phone data plan, it seems like a no-brainer to spend less.  Right?  Wrong.  All four major cell phone companies charge more than $150 for their top of the line feature phones, and if you go that route, your options for customization and adding applications are severely limited.  Whether your needs are best suited by a Blackberry, iPhone, Windows Mobile, or Android Smartphone, you aren’t stuck with the same default applications for the life of your phone.  It becomes your smartphone, instead of the cookie cutter experience you get from a feature phone.  On top of that, with a smartphone you can realize up to an extra hour of productivity every day when compared to your peers.  And they can be downright fun to use.

Amazon.com joins the smartphone revolution

Today Amazon announced a new wireless store with the aim to make shopping for a new phone easier and less confusing.  Here at TechMinds, we think it has been a long time coming.  Not only is the shopping experience at Best Buy or AT&T and Verizon Stores confusing, but you never really know if the information you’re getting is accurate.  To make matters worse, the in store price is sometimes hundreds of dollars different than what you can find online.  That confusion over features and price is one of the main reasons we exist as a business.  It’s certainly amazing what can be done on a Smartphone today, but if you get the wrong one based off of bad information from a sales person on 100% commission, then it may as well be an expensive paperweight.

Keep your smartphone battery happy

Have you noticed that your battery isn’t lasting as long as it used to?  You’re not doing anything wrong, and your battery probably isn’t on the way out.  Over time, it’s natural for Lithium-Ion batteries to lose charge, sometimes as much as 3% per month.  You may not notice that kind of decrease immediately, but you certainly will over the course of six months.  The good thing for all of us is that the solution is easy, and you can do it yourself in just three simple steps.

1) Let your phone discharge completely. This means letting the battery run down t the point where the phone turns itself off.  Don’t worry, you won’t be doing this often enough to damage the phone.  Just two or three times a year should suffice.  Think of this as an oil change for your Smartphone.

2) Plug into the wall charger. Don’t turn the phone on, and avoid using your USB cable to charge (it’ll just take too long).  The reason for leaving your Smartphone off is so that when it’s completely charged, your battery meter will be as close to 100% accurate as possible.  We recommend doing this overnight so you know it’s fully charged by the time you get to step 3.

3) Unplug from the charger and turn it on! That’s it.  When your Smartphone boots back up it’ll be registering a much more accurate battery level for months to come.

Here are some tips to keep your battery in tip-top shape.

• Try not to let the battery drop to 0% unless you’re recalibrating using the method above.
• Even if you think your battery will last another day, it’s better to charge more often to increase its lifespan.
• Discharge levels double for every 18°F increase in ambient temperature, so don’t leave your phone in your car!