The features that make a cell phone “best” are a matter of personal preference, and largely depend upon what you plan to do with the phone. With the number of cell phones out there increasing by the day, you may just wonder what makes for a great phone, and which manufacturer holds the top spot for making the best phones today. This post takes a look at what makes a cell phone the best and which cell phone manufacturer makes the best one in terms of features and usability.
iPhone – Truly One of the Best Phones Out There
As far as utility, storage, performance and extras go, though, Apple sits at the top of the heap with their latest incarnation of the iPhone. Here’s why.
Design
You can recognize an Apple iPhone with a single glance, and it’s not due solely to the logo that graces the back of the product. The phone’s distinctive design gives it a sleek, attractive appearance that stands out in the marketplace of similar-looking cells. When in use, the iPhone’s large icons are unmistakable. The screen, though not the largest on the market, provides clear, crisp images, making the iPhone easy to read and perfect for watching videos.
Navigation
Those large icons on the iPhone also make the phone’s features easy to navigate. Scrolling through the application library to find the program you need requires only a thumb. The layout of the icon library also ensures that features don’t get “hidden” or misplaced, which is easy to do on some competitors’ phones.
iOS 5
From its inception, Apple’s iOS platform has provided outstanding security for the company’s mobile products. Its newest version of iOS – iOS 5 – retains the level of security that consumers have come to expect from Apple devices.
Within the past few years, other cell phone carriers have dealt with attacks on their phones. In 2011, malware directed at mobile operating systems was up by 155%, according to ZDNet, while malware directed specifically at Android devices – which could be viewed as iPhone’s closest competitor – rose an unprecedented 3,325%.
Apple’s iOS has remained, as of yet, unaffected by malware attacks.
Applications
With Apple mobile products, at some point it always circles back to the applications. For good reason. The fact that Apple opened up the design of applications to freelance developers from the very start has given the company a library of applications with which other companies simply cannot compete. Though Google has made an attempt at freelance applications for their Android devices, there is a lower quantity and lower quality of available apps for Android devices thus far.
Android applications have also been a point of weakness for the devices. Applications are largely responsible for the increase in malware directed at Android devices.
Business
Though the most famous iPhone applications may be those that provide a user with more novelty than actual purpose, many applications available for the iPhone are directed toward business users. These apps provide enhanced functioning to the unit, and can be specifically selected to give the phone exactly the functions that you need. Though many other cell phones offer elements aimed at business, none offer the choice provided by the iPhone.
iPhone 4S
With the iPhone 4S, Apple has introduced a new feature that makes the phone even easier to use – Siri.
Some would say that Siri is the iPhone 4S’s most useful new feature. The voice-communication system allows you to operate your cell phone simply by speaking into it. What provides more utility than the ability to ask your phone a question like, “Do I have any appointments today?” and having the phone answer you. It’s an entirely hands-free system that can serve in situations where it’s not easy to look up information manually.
iPhone Connectivity
Despite the popularity of the iPhone for its features, apps and top-of-the-line devices, such as the built-in camera, each incarnation of the iPhone has come with the same basic complaint. Service for the iPhone can be spotty, especially when the phone is blocked by the hand, which, of course, is any time that the phone is in use. With the creation of the 4S, Apple aimed to overcome these past complaints by upgrading the wireless components of the phone to ensure a stronger connection, preventing dropped calls, slow surfing and dead zones.
Cross-Platform Utility
Many of the arguments against the iPhone are directed at the Apple brand itself. While it’s true that the iPhone is designed for easy integration with the company’s other products, it should be noted that Apple has provided cross-platform compatibility since the iPhone’s initial release.
ITunes is the software used to sync the iPhone to a computer, and iTunes is available for both Mac and Windows systems. So, owning a PC doesn’t prevent your iPhone from operating at full capacity.
The truest indicator of the iPhone’s top position amongst today’s cell phones, though, may be found in the attempts of other companies to follow Apple’s lead. Companies are starting their own app stores and toying with voice recognition to bring their own phones up to par. So, apparently, even other manufacturers secretly acknowledge that, when it comes to cell phones, Apple reigns supreme.
Author Bio
Alyse is a marketing, photography, and tech addict who spends her time investigating the next generation of technology. When she is not brushing up on her art of the scientific know how in the world, you can find her contributing to ATTSavings or on Twitter @Alyse_1.
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