"The Smartphone Experiment" book--how to select your smartphone in 5 easy steps, has been released and is now available for you to order. The book includes a full coverage of the 81-day-experiment blog and a methodology for selecting your smartphone.
Book Introduction
Call it insanity or naivety, but for 81 days, I have switched to a new smartphone every 9 days—from Treos, to BlackBerries, to Windows Mobile devices, and one of the Symbian devices. It sounds as if I was on a search for the perfect smartphone (that, or I like torturing myself by calling technical support centers around the globe to get their help synchronizing my computer with different devices).
Actually, it was an experiment—an 81-day Experiment which included 9 devices for 9 days each. In a way, I was on a search for the perfect device. But let’s face it, there is no such a thing as the perfect device for everyone. It all depends on what one’s needs are. It actually goes beyond needs to involve style, personality, and maybe even self-image. So I was on a search for determining which devices are best for which needs and preferences. Having been entrenched in the “productivity” field for some time, helping busy professionals use technology more effectively, I wanted to feel the pulse of the smartphone technologies first-hand, and share my findings with the users.
In addition to providing a snapshot of where the smartphone technologies are at the moment, this book provides a methodology that one can use to select a smartphone wisely. The methodology presented in this book is independent of the current smartphone technologies and applicable even when these technologies change.
Who is this book for
This book is mainly for business professionals who want to better undersand the world of smartphones and select the one that best fits their needs. This book is not only useful for first time buyers who want to get educated quickly about the topic, but also for those considering upgrading their smartphones, and who want to become aware of the latest developments and make an informed decision.
What is unique about this book
Aside from the fact that it is written in plain English and you don’t need to be technology savvy in order to understand it and make use of its recommdentations, this book is unique because:
§ It presents a methodology for selecting a smartphone which can be used now and in the future as the smartphone technologies continue to evolve.
§ It provides valuable information about the smartphone market that would otherwise take weeks or months to gather.
§ It represents an independent opinion not influenced by the providers.
§ It is based on the 81-day Experiment which included using 9 smartphones for 9 days each.
§ It is supplemented by the 81-day Experiment blog (81dayexperiment.people-onthego.com) which continues to provide updates as new devices are released.
The main objective of this book is to turn this potentially confusing and overwhelming process of selecting a smartphone into a manageable and successful one.
How to use this book
If you are new to the smartphone world, I recommend you read this book in its entirety. This book reads easily and includes many practical tips and useful insights relating to smartphones and to the selection process.
If you have already educated yourself about the smartphone market, then you can choose the sections or chapters that are most applicable to you. For instance, you may have already narrowed down your choices to a smartphone category or to two or three specific smartphones. In this case, you can read the chapters in section 1 that describe the specific smartphones you are considering, and the chapter in section 2 that relate to your desired category, and then go through the methodology described in section 3 in order to rank the smartphones and finalize your selection.
Below is a description of how the information in this book is organized.
Section 1 of this book (title “The 81-day Experiment blog”) consists of the entries from the 81-day Experiment blog organized by device and in the order in which the devices were reviewed in the 81-day Experiment. This includes the daily observations relating to purchasing, setting up, and using each of these smartphones. Your experience with your new smartphone is likely to resemble the experiences described in this section. This section will help you set your expectations and be better prepared to deal with the issues you are likely to encounter. This section includes:
§ The Treo 700p
§ The Treo 700w
§ The Motorola Q
§ The BlackBerry 8100
§ The T-Mobile MDA
§ The BlackBerry 8700
§ The Nokia E62
§ The Cingular 3125
§ The T-Mobile Dash
§ The BlackBerry 8800
§ The Samsung BlackJack
Section 2 of this book (titled “The Findings”) presents the overall findings of the 81-day Experiment and insights into the selection process. This section is organized by smartphone category:
§ The first chapter in this section (titled “Four Smartphones Compared”) presents the findings about the BlackBerry Pearl, the Cingular 3125, the T-Mobile Dash, as well as the Cingular BlackJack. These are some of the latest arrivals in the “business/social” category and are serious contenders to the previously established smartphones like the traditional Treos, BlackBerries, and Windows Mobile devices.
§ The second chapter (titled “Strictly Business—Blackberry 8700, BlackBerry 8800, and Nokia E62”) discusses the “strictly business” category which includes smartphones that focus on the business features without much attention to multi-media and form factor.
§ The third chapter (titled “Dual personalities—Treo Vs Treo”) examines the Palm OS and Windows Mobile Treo devices. It describes the Treo 700p and 700w in detail, and provides an update about some of the new Treo devices such as the Treo 680 and 750w.
§ The fourth chapter (titled “Which Smartphone did I choose and why?”) summarizes the selection process I went through, including the four quadrants system I used to categorize the smartphones I reviewed, and the reasoning behind my smartphone selection.
§ The fifth chapter in this section (titled “How to pick your next smartphone”) describes the steps involved in selecting a smartphone. These steps are then detailed later in the book in section 3 where the actual ranking charts are provided.
§ The sixth and final chapter in this section (titled “Smartphone rankings summary”) provides the rankings of the smartphones that were used in the 81-day Experiment.
Secion 3 (titled “The Methodology for Selecting a Smartphone”) includes the details of the recommended steps in the selection process. After all, in addition to our practical needs, we all have our preferences, and furthermore, the smartphone capabilities and technologies are constantly changing. This section provides the structure that is necessary to make an informed decision, and make it in 3 days. It provides the necessary checklists and ranking charts to make the selection process easier
How to stay up-to-date
Of course the market is changing and new devices are coming up every day. So how can you still manage to stay up-to-date and take the newly released smartphones into account when you make your selection? Here are some thoughts and recommendations that can help:
§ After you read this book, visit the 81-day Experiment blog, and other smartphone blogs, and identify any new smartphones that fall within the criteria range you determined in the charts in section 3 of this book.
§ Add these new devices to the charts in section 3 and rank them. As suggested in the methodology, make sure you put your hands on each device you are considering and rank its usability.
§ Refer to the case studies section in the 81-day Experiment blog to see if other users have recently acquired these new devices and submitted case studies. Subscribe to the blog so you stay updated.
§ Finally, to make sure others benefit from your experience, submit your case study to the 81-day Experiment blog.
Good luck in your 3-day Experiment
With the information and the methodology presented in this book, you will most likely make an informed decision and end up with a smartphone that better fits your needs. As you explore different smartphones, you are likely to ask better questions, and look into issues that you may have otherwise overlooked.
After you acquire your smartphone, you are likely to have more realistic expectations relating to what it takes to get it fully configured and optimized, and to the kinds of issues that you will run into, and how to deal with them. At the end of the day, my wish is that this selection process, that would otherwise be confusing and frustrating, be easy and successful. Once you make your selection, hope we will hear from you on the 81-day Experiment blog so we can together continue to build the body of knowledge that helped you with your selection.
Best wishes for a productive and successful smartphone selection experience!
Click here to order The Smartphone Experiment book now!