Analysis of Cell Phone Comparisons - Report Example

Memo of Transmittal Subject: Memo of Transmittal for a Formal Report on Cell phone Comparisons I am enclosing the report on Comparison made of five models of cell phones of different brands for a cell phone user. It contains the features of different cell phones their strengths, USP etc and a recommendation as to what a user can buy. To understand this report I expect the reader to know what he is looking for when he wants to buy one. I believe that it would be easier to choose if one is clear of what one wants when he is going in for a cell phone. So I expect the reader to be clear in his requirement before he looks in to this report. I have built this report on visiting a number of sites, whose reference you will find in the report and also laid emphasis on basic and widely used features. You will find that the cell user will have the prices, functions, physical ease of use and practical points like stand by time compared in this document. After comparing the brands and the models on basic and practical features, they have been compared for the additional feature like camera resolution since this is widely used by all the cell phone users. On all these grounds Nokia 6230i has surfaced as the best buy due to lower price than the other competitors.   Cell Phones: A Comparative study of Brands and Models Summary Although a mobile phone is a simple instrument to make and receive calls, it has developed into a very complex, sophisticated and multiple use product. Making and receiving calls is obviously the basic function of a mobile phone but apart from this, there are few features that have become basic like sms or phone book or even games and there are features that have become popular recently like- web surfing, camera or music player. While choosing and comparing mobile phones, there are certain features that should be taken into account. These could be listed as- Weight, size, messaging, email, MMS, colour display, WAP, IrDA, Bluetooth, GPRS, and other things like java, radio, camera, video camera, MP3 player etc. The list of possible features is very extensive. So first of all one needs to one’s needs and then look for features related to that. Ideally one should not be buying anything one does not need. One should consider the basic design like block or candy bar phones, flip phones or may be swivel flip or slider phone. Then compare the physical features like size and weight or placement of buttons. After that look for the battery life, talk time and memory. As per your need choose the additional features like a camera or music player. After doing a market survey one can narrow down the models and the brands, compare them and go for the best features at the best price. In the study done in this article Nokia 6230i has come up as the best choice with all the desirable features. Contents Introduction Basic features in a cell phone Size Organizer applications Web Browser Messaging Camera and video recorder Speakerphone/conference calling: Push to talk Bluetooth& IrDA Multimedia options and memory Accessories and personalization options Standby time and talk time Design Know your needs Brands Models Comparisons Conclusion Recommendation References Introduction The cellular and wireless technology has developed very rapidly over the past few years. Many new features and designs have come up. When it is combined with the large number of brands and models of cell phones, doing a review of cell phone features and ratings becomes more complex. For doing a comparison one needs to know differences in mobile phones, including information about different phones' features and capabilities. Once the information is available, it is easier to observe the differences between various models when they are placed side by side in a chart. Many of the cell phones on the market today are packed with features the average user will never utilize. Narrowing down the list of features is becoming more difficult as more and more options come up. Do you need a cellular phone that doubles as a VGA megapixel camera phone? Do you need a mobile phone with a color screen? These are important questions to ask before buying a particular cell phone. If you can narrow down which features you prefer, comparing cell phones will be much easier. As with anything else, more features cost more money. One basic thing to see is the type of phone. It could be a CDMA- code division multiple access or a GSM- global system for mobile communication phone. CDMA carries have better coverage in US, GSM has a larger global foot print and is the standard in Europe. From the different brands of cellular phones, people have preferences for one manufacturer over another. Basic features in a cell phone Size Size affects usage and convenience to carry that is the primary function of a cell phone in the first place. Along with size comes the weight. The lighter the phone the easier it is to carry. Organizer applications : Even the most basic handsets offer organizer applications. Like a calendar, an alarm clock, a calculator and also reminders. Phone book and voice dialing: Consider how many contacts you can store. Voice dialing lets you make calls without using the keypad, which is particularly handy when you're on a headset. Web browser: This lets you surf the wireless Web and get information like news and sports recaps, weather reports, and stock quotes. WAP (Wireless Access Protocol) browsers are optimized to view sites configured to display on small, mobile devices. In addition, you can use some Internet-friendly phones as a modem, but you'll need to purchase the proper data cables to take advantage of this feature. Messaging and e-mail: Text messages send text only, and multimedia messages send pictures and videos as well as text. Some handsets support instant messaging. If you'd like to receive personal or work e-mail on your handset, make sure it supports this feature. You might also consider a phone with an integrated keyboard for faster typing. Camera and video recorder: These are used for taking pictures, shooting brief video clips and sharing them with others. Some are low-grade VGA models, but some camera phones now have resolutions of a few megapixels. This should always be checked.. Speakerphone/conference calling: A speakerphone is useful for those who often need to work on a computer while holding a conversation. One may look at a full-duplex speakerphone, which allows both parties to speak at the same time. Business travelers need to set up impromptu meetings and may want to look at a phone that supports conference calling. Bluetooth& IrDA: This feature lets you wirelessly connect with external devices, such as a headset for making calls. Many phones also allow you to wirelessly exchange or sync data with other Bluetooth devices or Bluetooth-enabled computers. Multimedia options and memory: These features include a digital music player, support for MP3 files, and an FM radio. Now many phones support streaming video and videoconferencing through 3G services, while other handsets can download music from a carrier. For making the best use of these features, make sure your phone has plenty of storage space. If it has an external memory card slot, that is the best. For music phones one should always check whether it has dedicated music controls on the exterior of the phone. Display width becomes important to enjoy the video or pictures. Know your needs Since cell phones come with a wide range of features, one needs to look at his own needs. The need of a student may be different from a corporate person. A student may need just one basic set with good organizer features. For a corporate person the look, good contact syncing, a speakerphone, conference calling, bluetooth, world phone capability, e-mail, and a QWERTY keyboard should be the basic requirement. If you're always travelling, consider handsets that have a long battery time, push-to-talk support, or a cool foldaway keyboard for easy messaging. And if your travels take you abroad, a world phone will help you call home. If you are driving most of the time then a bluetooth headset becomes important. For the music lover, the capacity of the phone is very important to store all the music. An extendable memory is very helpful. The set should have FM and media player. Some brands have introduced special series of music phones with very high quality sound. Cameras have come up as the highest used feature in a mobile phone(Moore, J.F.) as one can capture any moment any where and also send it across to his friends on phone and also on email. Although cell phone is a utility based gadget, it has developed as a fashion statement and most of the people carry it as a status symbol more than the use of the features offered. If that is your look out then you will have to look for style. Flip phones are considered more stylish than the block or candy bar style phones. Whatever it is, one should know the need before making a choice. Brands Nokia – this is the world leader in mobile industries, leading the way for everyone. Sony Erricson – they are the largest suppliers of mobiles in the world . According to Alpha talk 40% of the total calls are made through their systems(www.alphatalk.com) BenQ- BenQ by Siemens is known for its exclusive designs and has immense brand value. Motorola – This is a global leader in wireless broadband and automotive technologies Samsung – they are known for cresting superior products and services LG – They are known for all kinds of electronic appliances for homes including mobiles. Models Nokia 3230- This has some features like creating your own ringtones or printing your mobile images. You can also play games over a wireless bluetooth connection (www.fonearena.com) Nokia 6230i- this has a 1.3 megapixel camera that can also shoot video clips with sound. It can be used as a digital storage device as it has 32 MB internal memory and support for MMC cards up to 512 MB. Sony EricssonK700- This has all the features one would need to run a business like emailing and it also acts as modem and remote control for the PC. It has a media player as well(www.sonyericsson.com). BenQE61- This is the product to make a style statement. This design was awarded the coveted iF Design Award at CeBIT 2006(www.benq.com). The best feature of this phone is one touch MP3 controller keys placed on top of the phone. MotorolaA1000- This model is a combined mobile phone and PDA. It has a 1.3 megapixel camera, bluetooth technology, GPS( global positioning systems) services, video calling and access to 3G technology(www.filesaveas.com) Comparisons The first thing in cell phones is ease of carrying and operating. For this we need to consider the following factors- weight, height, width, standby time and talk time. Here is a comparison of the selected brands and models:- WEIGHT HEIGHT WIDTH STANDBY TIME TALKTIME Nokia 3230 110 gm 109 cm 49 cm 150 min 240 min Nokia 6230i 99 gm 103 cm 44 cm 30 min 300 min Sony Ericsson K700 93 gm 99 cm 47 cm 300 min 420 min BenQ E61 88 gm 101 cm 44 cm 215 min 200 min Motorola A1000 160 gm 116 cm 58 cm 200 min 225 min Source- www.esato.com According to the above comparative chart one can see that BenQ E61 is the lightest phone followed by Sony Ericsson K700 and Nokia 6230i. While Nokia 3230 is 110 gms, Motorola A1000 comes the last choice with 160 gms. Sony Ericsson K700 also has the highest standby time and talk time. Apart from the physical attributes and talk times, we need to consider camera resolutions, and display width along with the price factor. Camera resolution Display width Price Nokia 3230 NA 176 GBP 200 Nokia 6230i 1.3 208 GBP 125 Sony Ericsson K700 NA 176 GBP 120 BenQ E61 0.3 128 GBP 112 Motorola A1000 1.3 208 GBP 490 Source www.esato.com As we can see from the above comparison that both Motorola A 1000 and Nokia 6230i have the best camera resolution here. In Display width again Nokia 6230i is the same as Motorola A1000. When we compare these two price wise then Nokia 6230 wins all the way as Motorola is very expensive at GBP 490. The prices in cell phone industry gradually fall down as newer models are introduced. Since Nokia 6230i has been around for a longer time, the prices have gone down and it seems to be more economical than the Motorola model. Nokia 6230i also has a 32 MB memory plus support for MMC cards up to 512 MB. BenQ E61 does not have IrDa, email, blue tooth or java. It does not have Fm radio either. Motorola A1000 has all the features excepting IrDA and FM. Once again we find Nokia 6230 having an edge over the other models. Style of all these models is similar, i.e. block. So there is no advantage of style among all the chosen models although Benq always is considered most stylish. Conclusion After conducting this comparative study, we can see that on physical attributes BenQ E61 has the lightest followed by Sony Ericsson K700 and Nokia 6230i. As per the sizes, Sony Ericsson K700 is the smallest. It is followed by BenQ E61 and Nokia 6230i. Sony Ericsson K700 also has the highest standby time and talk time. Out of the 5 models chosen, so far the three best are Sony Ericsson K700, Nokia 6230i and BenQ E61. In the next parameter comparison Motorola A 1000 and Nokia 6230i have the best camera resolution while in Display width again Nokia 6230i is the same as Motorola A1000. Motorola was eliminated in the first study itself and moreover the price comparison makes it clear that Nokia 6230i is the best model. Recommendation As discussed earlier, the main feature of cell phones is convenience to carry and from the value added features, cameras have come up as the most widely used feature. The last but the most important factor is price vis-à-vis features. Keeping all this in mind, Nokia 6230i seems to be the best choice. Here one gets a lightweight and small easy to carry phone with a good camera resolution and has the highest storage capacity of 32 MB internal and 512 on MMC cards. It has all other added advantages like IrDA, BlueTooth, java, email etc. All this comes at an attractive price of GBP 125. that makes it highly recommendable. References www.benq.com www.cellphonefacts.com www.cnet.com www.esato.com www.filesaveas.com www.fonearena.com Moore ,John Frederick, How to Do Everything with Your Camera Phone (Osborne-McGraw, November 2004). www.motorola.com www.nokia.com www.sonyericsson.com Read More