Top Ten Tips Before Buying Your PDA

If you don't want to worry about the battery running down buy Palm OS otherwise ensure a good practice of charging regularly. If you want compatibility with your organisation's computers and want to be able to
access a large range of downloadable material buy a Pocket PC.
Before you buy, try and use the PDA outdoors. Many screens have poor backlight options for the screen in outdoor conditions.
Think if you want to connect to the Internet and check email. For example do you have a WiFi network at home or access to one at work? Can you have VPN software added to ‘dial’ into your organisation's network? If you want ‘always on’ push-email and Internet consider a Blackberry device eg RIM BlackBerry 7290. If you want regular safe access to the web buy a PDA/phone with GPRS connectivity. Generally, the more money you spend on a PDA the more likely you will have all the Internet enabling functions.
Does the device have Bluetooth. Can you enable/disable it easily?
Will you be typing large quantities of text on the PDA – emails, documents and notes? If so, you'll need to buy a separate keyboard – Bluetooth, USB or Infrared.
If you intend to project animated PowerPoint presentations then buy a high-end device with Windows Mobile 5.0. You may also need to purchase cabling to connect the device to the data projector.
If you intend to use the device to store images, documents especially personal data then it's a good idea to buy SD or Flash memory cards. Has your device got a suitable expansion slot?
What extra software will you need to purchase in order to use the device fully or produce the kind of shared documents you need to achieve? Don't forget that many software programmes have free trials before purchasing.
Do you need phone or VoIP functions i.e. voice, SMS text messaging, MMS messaging, Skype? Consider buying a smartphone or PDA/phone.
Do you intend to use the device to take images? Ensure the device has the highest megapixel camera available. A 2-megapixel camera achieves much clearer images than a 1.2 megapixel camera.

Top Ten Tips for Buying a Smartphone

What size is the screen? Consider the largest if you're going to use a Gallery of images and video. Do the review suggest the screen scratches easily? Can you buy a case to fit? Does it have a stylus or touch screen? Can the screen be seen in Landscape as well as Portrait? If you want to read e-books a Landscape option makes it easier to read.
What Operating System should you have? Symbian is most popular but many devices have Windows Mobile 5.0. The software you wish to add to your device will determine the OS you use.
Software for synchronisation from phone to your computer is supplied when you purchase a phone. Is it PC or Mac compatible? Do you have cables or a cradle to use?
Is the device 3G? What's the coverage of 3G in your area? Use the Coverage checker to see if 3G supports voice, picture and video in your area. The cost to connect and download varies according to the network provider you choose. If you choose a contract this can vary between £30 and £40 a month. Alternatively, purchase the handset and use the PayasYouGo option.
Check if the phone allows for streaming video and video conferencing. Usually requires fast broadband and 3G speeds.
Do you want to use Push to Talk which allows other PTT devices to act as walkie-talkies. This means there's no cost at all to speak to many people and no need to connect to the Internet or use a network. Check if the device has PTT availability.
What's the sound quality of the handset for recording voice as well as listening to mp3 files? Does the device use Realtone or only polyphonic tones.
Do you need FM Radio on your phone? Some smartphones have Fm radio tuning facility.
Can earphones be connected to the phone and could a headset with boom microphone be used for easier use?
Can Skype be used on the device? If you have mobile-Skype users as friends you will want to be able to use mobile Skype on your device. Check this website to see if the device can use mobile Skype http://www.skype.com/download/skype/mobile/

Top Six Tips for Buying a Digital Audio Player

Can you replace batteries easily? Some MP3 players use power quickly especiallyif it has an LCD display screen. Are the batteries readily available and cheap? An Ipod drains its power if you view a video (about 2 hours play time). For listening to music or other sound files you can get 6 – 8 hours play time. Ipod batteries can be re-charged quickly but the charging cable doesn't come in the box with the device.
Do you want to store a large quantity of sound files? Consider a hard-drive MP3 player like an Ipod. If you want to do voice recording and transfer the sound file to a Power Point presentation in class or use the player to record conversations and discussions easily, then a flash memory MP3 player/recorder will be sufficient.
Check if the MP3 player need special drivers or software loaded onto the computer in order to transfer sound files to the device. Is it Windows XP or Mac compatible? Ipods work with Itunes for uploading and downloading files and images.
Can the MP3 player work with various sound file formats? If you want to put music from a CD onto your MP3 player it might not be able to ‘read’ the file. You will need special software to convert it to MP3 format.
If you want to record group conversations and discussion check the MP3 player has an external microphone input point. Cheap microphones can be purchased from high street catalogue store or in online stores.
Is the LCD screen display easy to read? Does it have a backlight to show the display in poor light? Check the instructions to see how easy it is to use the buttons.