CARPHONE CONFUSION

I, not by my own choice, have two mobile phones. A Blackberry from work to keep me connected; and an iPhone 3 (yes I haven’t upgraded) for keeping my personal life as organised as it can possibly be.

 

I am constantly told by service providers that I could switch to a better deal, and frequently get enticed by all the bells and whistles on my friends’ new handsets. But the idea of navigating through a barrage of information, which may as well be written in klingon, fills me with dread.

A friend recently suggested I consider the Samsung Galaxy SIII, a very sharp looking mobile that, whilst a little bigger than my current handset, is lighter and seems easy to navigate. The majority of iPhone users appreciate how easy it is to navigate our phones and Apple devices. So working on a new layout can be tricky. Nonetheless, I decided that my sworn allegiance to Apple may only be due to a sense of comfort, and it’s high time I ventured away from the calls of Siri.

I went to my local phone shop in a bid to see what other contracts were available. After what felt like an eternity of chatter, I left the store wondering what a parrot and jellybean had to do with buying a new phone. I even told the sales assistant, a suited pushy teenager who apparently uses a daily tub of Brylcream in his hair, that I’m not completely up to speed with mobile technology. Instead of explaining it to me like I suspect most people would appreciate, I was directed to a large wall of handsets that I should consider purchasing, none of which were the phone I had initially asked about. Needless to say, I left feeling more of an idiot then when I arrived.

A lot of my friends are great with technology, and on hearing my plight, directed me to some websites. There is a lot of great information and reviews such as Techradar, pocket-lint and What Mobile, and I started to understand why certain handsets are better for different tasks.  But there are also some sites that cleverly look helpful until I realise they are trying yet again to direct me to the most expensive phone, one that coincidentally spent a large sum on online advertising.

I still don’t get why the industry feels the need to name operating systems (OS) stupid terms including jelly bean and ice-cream sandwich. I get the feeling they are trying to keep less tech-savvy individuals like myself out of their inner circle, leaving us to fall victim the clever sales people.

Thankfully I have not yet signed up to a 24-month contract on a phone that is “basically like the next iPhone,” with a slightly different operating system, but better camera and lower price tag, and add-ons to increase my data. But it’s not because I’m picky about which phone to get. I’m still  just a little confused on which phone is best for me. Is there a simple phone that does everything for me, gets me organised, looks nice, and doesn't cost me half my annual salary? Or is this wishful thinking?

Do you have the same phone frustration? Have you been duped into signing up to a contract and then realised it’s not what you wanted? Do you understand tech speak? Or do you know any phone shops that have actually been helpful? Let me know