Are SmartPhones and GPSs Necessary for Business Success?

[sandilou]

A week or so ago there was a thread about your favorite non-PC tool to help you with your business. Many people mentioned SmartPhones and GPSs. I don't have either! I just have a simple phone that doesn't even text. What will a SmartPhone do for me? If I were to get one (and I am due for an upgrade), what should I look for? I understand what a GPS will do for me -- help me not get lost -- -- but are some better than others?

TIA,
Sandi

 

[txprincesskp]

It all depends on how electronically inclined you are as to how much it will help you. I use my smartphone for many uses. I run 2 businesses from it one of which is PC. I schedule my entire life in it and that works for me. My other business is by appt. plus all contacts to include all clients as well as any hosts. And that's just for starters. I can go on the web and come to chefsuccess and learn more when I'm on the go but somewhere waiting as well as go to CS and view my shows/edit, see any new info etc. I get my PC emails right to my phone so I know when someone has ordered or requested info. off the website as well as when all shipments occur within minutes. Basically anything I can do from do from my home pc via the net I can do through my phone. I can download any pdf or microsoft works file from this site and even print it to my wireless printer. It also has GPS which works well most of the time but will say that sometimes my signal could be better but in a pinch I can always mapquest using the internet and still het there. I can call my host as well as text and that's just touching the surface of my smartphone. I do have one with windows platform which I personally like simply because it runs so closely like my laptop with windows. Good luck with your choice but if I only had one choice.....I'd say SMARTPHONE

 

[raebates]

My phone's not quite as smart as txprincesskp's, but I love it. Having web access, including basic emailing capabilities, helps me to be able to do some things on the road* that used to have to wait until I returned home.Whoever you talk with at your phone store should be able to walk you through the features available on each of their phones. Some are basically mini laptops. Others, like mine, are something midway between a phone and a laptop. *Not literally, of course. I'll talk on the phone while I drive, but that's it. I don't even dial while my vehicle is moving.

 

[NooraK]

Here I am again with my commercial for the Pre

http://www.palm.com/us/products/phones/pre/

I can get my email on it, and access the web. It syncs with Google, so I can also use the calendar feature online and on my phone. I could even link other people's Google calendars to the phone and see them in different colors, great for coordinating, and we'll probably do that once DS gets old enough to have a schedule.

The back up process is "cloud" based, which basically means that it's out there in cyberspace (protected, of course), and can be recovered even if your physical phone dies. I have all of my contacts for PC as well as personal in there, and I can edit notes in the contacts so I always know what we last talked about.

It also pulls and merges my contacts and calendar from Facebook, so I have the most up to date contact information whent my friends update it, not when I remember to. There's a GPS feature, as well as a camera which functions for video as well.

I use the Memos feature to jot down my mileage when I get in my car. I use Pandora to listen to music. There's an app called "What's For Dinner" that I can store recipes in and create shopping lists. I can pretty much copy and paste SBRC recipes from CC and I'll never have to worry about forgetting to grab the ingredients list for a recipe when I head to the store (even though having a physical SBRC is a conversation starter). I even have an app that locks the screen and displays a keypad that my 2 year old DS can play with, and it calls out the numbers and plays songs for him.

The WebOS system has gotten a lot of critical acclaim, but is very underrated in the market. It is very user friendly and quite intuitive and easy to learn.

 

[kdangel518]

I just got rid of my smart phone and downgraded to a regular cell. If someone needs me immediately, and they email me, they get an auto response from my email saying I will return their email within 24 hours, however, if it's urgent, to please call me. My signature on my email has my phone number.

It wasn't worth the $30 a month for the data plan that I've been paying for for... I think THREE years or so... I got to the point where I was getting annoyed every time it buzzed or beeped and I found myself not being able to fully dedicate my attention to the emails that I should have. Now I dedicate some time every night to checking my emails and providing them the attention they deserve.

My Verizon phone has a GPS on it, which I need, because I can't find my way out of a paper bag with a map and a flashlight, and that is only 9.99/month. That I can handle. But you can definitely get some inexpensive GPS systems out there- $100 and under. Inexpensive compared to what they used to cost anyway!

 

[NooraK]

It wasn't worth the $30 a month for the data plan that I've been paying for for...

This is why I decided to go with Sprint. They don't charge $30 per line per month for the data, it's built into the plans. Between the two smartphones we have, we get 1500 Any Time, Any Mobile minutes, free mobile-to-mobile calls to any network, unlimited text & pic messaging and data, and free nights and weekend starting at 7 PM. The plan is $129/month and PC offers an 18% discount, though we get a 23% discount through our 9-5 job.

 

[robochick84]

This is why I decided to go with Sprint. They don't charge $30 per line per month for the data, it's built into the plans. Between the two smartphones we have, we get 1500 Any Time, Any Mobile minutes, free mobile-to-mobile calls to any network, unlimited text & pic messaging and data, and free nights and weekend starting at 7 PM. The plan is $129/month and PC offers an 18% discount, though we get a 23% discount through our 9-5 job.

Ours is similar with T-mobile, and we get a discount which brings it down to about $100.....

What do I not love about my Google myTouch phone?

My entire life is in "the cloud" from the phone.... I now, no matter where I am or what I am doing, have access to everything at anytime.

Some of the things I do on my phone:

Work and personal email (you can set up different folders for different email accounts and receive seperate notifications.

Facebook... I am addicted and it is an easy way for me to track what others are up too, or who may be available for a lunch date at anytime.

Allpoint tells me at anytime by GPS where my nearest ATM is available with NO fees.

Barcode scanner... I never buy anything when I initially find it. Whether it is a book or a new kitchen appliance, I scan the barcode and ALWAYS find it somewhere else cheaper.

Camcorder and camera on board...... best I have ever had on a phone.. no need to carry the camera "out" or carry one of those crazy flip videocameras when I don't "need" my BIG camera. Plus you can email or upload them instantly!

GPS ... I get updates immediately... unlike a stand alone GPS where you need to buy a new one every year for new roads and detours or a GPS in your car where you need to buy the new software...... updates all the time for FREE when roads change!

GTalk: I can reach people through many platforms (AIM, Y!, Google, etc) ... send a message and not have to loose "minutes" or "texts" contacting someone!

Music.... my entire iPod is now on my phone.....

My Coupons.... want to grab a coffee at Starbucks... pick up a redbox on your way home? Coupons instantly with promo codes to use!

OurGroceries: keep our grocery list (and other to do lists) instantly sinked between our phones. Anywhere you may be your list is with you, updated, and ready to shop!

WeatherChannel: out for a walk..... worried about rain at a game? Weather instantly with radar.

that's my short list of things that I use "daily" we also do family budgetting and expense tracking instantly between phones.

I am a huge advocate of smart phones, and especially Android's. I had a blackberry first, and my lost work time due to it trashing my email was not worth it... I switched instantly to an Android.

 

[kdangel518]

I should also mention I have an Ipod touch which I can access my email and the web on no matter where I am, as long as I have a wireless connection... so really, why have two gadgets that do that? I'm never somewhere that I don't have a wireless connection that I NEED to access the web IMMEDIATELY!

I won't switch from Verizon. Used to be a Sprint customer, their customer service was horrible and their plans were not as flexible for me and my family's needs as Verizon's are. Verizon gets the best service in my area, plus I also get a corporate discount through Verizon, so like Noora, I am committed to my carrier! I am really just fine without having a smartphone! It's been two weeks and I'm surviving a-ok!

 

[sandilou]

Wow! You guys are fabulous! Thank you for all the information and education!! Decisions, decisions . . . Sandi

 

[Intrepid_Chef]

kdangel518, what phone do you have from Verizon? I have Verizon and am on month to month with them b/c I don't like their "simple feature phone" options. I wanted a Samsung Alias II but now it's changed to the mandatory data plan.I rarely use the internet on a phone but prefer a keyboard when I do ... and don't like the "butt dialer" phones I'm seeing.

 

[kdangel518]

kdangel518, what phone do you have from Verizon? I have Verizon and am on month to month with them b/c I don't like their "simple feature phone" options. I wanted a Samsung Alias II but now it's changed to the mandatory data plan.

I rarely use the internet on a phone but prefer a keyboard when I do ... and don't like the "butt dialer" phones I'm seeing.

Di- I just got the Samsung Infinity. It's very simple, it does have a slideout keyboard which is great for texting (which I do do a lot of) otherwise it's very basic. Not a flip phone but it does auto-lock the keyboard which I LOVE because I have a tendency to throw it in my bag unlocked and it will randomly dial people (my old phones)

So far so good. The camera stinks on it, but really, I don't care! I just want it for the phone, the texting, and the VZ Navigator

 

[sandilou]

I'm with Verizon and won't change b/c everyone I call has it. I just googled an address for next week's party and there is an option to send the map to a GPS. It really can do that? I always thought I was 'up' on things, but suddenly I am in the dark -- deep, deep dark!

Sandi