Mobile Tech is Mainstream

BY Editor

Most Americans need to be online for a number of reasons: to get email, to do homework and for normal everyday purposes from job hunting to car shopping and checking in with friends and family on Facebook.

The days when this meant buying an expensive laptop or dealing with a cumbersome desktop are nearly over. You can do what you need on mobile technology, including tablets, smartphones, and devices that combine the two.

Mobile Tech Takes More Americans Online

Today’s buyers are less likely than ever to spend their free time on desktops or laptops. They’re on tablets and smartphones, says comScore, which reported in August 2014 smartphones and tablets are used for 60 percent of all online access. In addition, 52 percent of mobile tech users download apps to reach their favorite sites.

An April 2015 report from Pew confirms mobile’s growing dominance:

• Almost two-thirds of Americans now own a smartphone.
• Smartphone ownership is highest among younger consumers and wealthier ones.
• Ten percent of smartphone owners have only this device to access the Internet from home.
• Another 15 percent say their smartphones are usually the only access they have to the Internet.

The last two items may be due to the still-sluggish economy, but even when (we hope) it regains strength, there’s no guarantee people will go out and buy expensive home access to the Internet.

Mobile Devices are Still Less Expensive than Most Laptops

Old, thrifty habits die hard. For more Americans, it’s just normal to do research from mobile devices. Smartphones are smarter than ever, while tablets seem to be shrinking and are becoming as easy as phones to carry around. Now we have smartphones that combine the two, like the Google Nexus 6, providing great sound and graphics associated with tablets, and durable batteries that last longer and recharge faster than ever.

The average (PC) laptop costs about $500, according to LaptopMag.com; the cost rises to $650 if you include Macs. These laptops won’t deliver top-notch graphics or have particularly great batteries. And you can’t stuff them in your pocket or purse.

Tablets are a good alternative, but they just aren’t as portable as a smartphone.

What to Look for in a Full-Service Smartphone

Tom’s Guide (“Tech for Real Life”) offers useful guidance on how to buy the right smartphone for yourself.

• First, decide on a carrier. T-Mobile, Tom’s says, has “drastically improved over the past couple of years,” and has more favorable pricing than its competitors. It also doesn’t require a contract and gives customers the options to pay for smartphones upfront or over a two-year payoff period.
• Decide how often you want to upgrade. Some people like to stick with their smartphones for at least two or three years. (If it ain’t broke, why fix it?)
• Compare phone designs and weights. If the phone is going to be your major lifeline to the Internet, you want something with great graphics, a good camera and video capability, (Nexus’s latest has 13 megapixels). The tech review site SpecOut notes that lighter phones tend to have smaller screens.
• Connectivity for 4G and 4G LTE. This can improve your Internet speed by up to 10 times, according to PCPro.
• Good processors are often overlooked, but can make or break and otherwise fine phone.