Some people believe the iPhone was the game-changer concerning what you could do on a mobile device. I say no, because the Danger Hiptop (a.k.a. the T-Mobile Sidekick) predated the iPhone by four years all the way back in 2003.
I state this because the ability to do things ordinarily reserved for PCs and laptops only have been on mobile devices for well over 5 years. In this span of time there have been numerous improvements both to the devices and the networks they use, but The Big Question is:
Can you use a mobile device for it all?
The answer to this question is best answered by drilling it down Q/A style.
Can you use a wireless carrier as your only ISP?
Yes. Any wireless carrier that offers internet-enabled smartphones has the connectivity.
If you chose to do so, all of your internet stuff could be performed on the smartphone and nothing else.
Is using a wireless carrier as the only ISP cheaper or more expensive?
In some instances it’s actually cheaper. T-Mobile Sidekick Prepaid for example is a dollar a day, and that gives you unlimited text/web/email and more.
Data-only plans for most wireless carriers can be as low as $35 monthly. Bear in mind that’s just data. Voice plans are still considered separate, and even though you can combine the two, it does add cost. Were you to add on voice, this would most likely be an extra $40 monthly.
Is the data connectivity fast?
The opinion is generally the answer of no.
The way in which we get data connectivity on mobile changes every few years. We had EDGE, then 3G (current standard) and there will be 4G in the future.
Most people are willing to accept that 3G simply isn’t as fast as in-home broadband. This is fine because the mobility more than makes up for it.
With 4G and beyond in the future, speed won’t be an issue. But at present it is.
Is mobile web browsing the same as it is on a PC?
Somewhat.
You run into three issues when browsing the web using a smartphone.
First is the issue of no mouse. This is replaced by your finger on touchscreen-enabled phones. Some people don’t have a problem with this. Others hate it.
Second is the issue of browser plugin support. Namely, Flash. If you’re using Flash on a mobile browser, it’s Flash Lite. This is obviously not the same as regular Flash. Most Flash content will work with it.
Third is the issue of screen size. You’re working with a 3.5-inch screen and while it’s true you have zooming capabilities, it’s still small. And the problem is that you can’t go any larger else the phone won’t fit in your pocket. Sure, we’d all love to have 5-inch screens on our phones, but that’s just too big for mobile use.
(Incidentally, the solution to this problem would be a flip-out dual screen setup, one on handset and one on flip, with touch enabled on both screens.)
Do I have the ability to use real-world apps on my phone?
Yes, you can use Word, Excel and PowerPoint on mobile. With your browser you have all the access you’d ever want to email. All the big webmail names have mobile versions (Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo Mail) and they all work great. And with app stores you can get all the other stuff you need easily.
But it all boils down to three things
- Can you deal with a 3.5-inch screen?
- Can you deal with a touchscreen or thumbpad as your only keyboard?
- Can you deal with the only sound coming from tiny chintzy speakers?
Here are my three answers:
No, no and no.
I like my monitors (I have a dual screen setup).
I like my full-sized keyboard.
My speakers, even though dirt cheap, still sound better than anything that comes out of a smartphone.
There’s no way I could ever switch 100% to mobile for those three reasons. There are others, but those are the biggies.
However that’s not to say I wouldn’t entertain the idea of using mobile with 4G (when available) and tethering capability. Using a smartphone with tethering so you have both the mobile and the "big" laptop (or desktop for that matter) is a good combination. In this fashion you have the best of both worlds, that being mobile and in-home when sitting at the desk.
But 100% mobile? I personally just couldn’t do it.
My two issues with going completely mobile are that
A. The screens are too small
B. The UI ,especially the PHYSICAL UI, is simply too clunky. And if I want to use a smooth UI – both physical and graphical – then I’ll be paying about as much as I would for a nice full-fledged laptop!
It’ll never happen. Portability and usabilty will always conflict with one another.
There is absolutely, no possible way to logically ditch the PC in favor of going completely mobile.
The PC, whether it be in Mac, desktop, laptop or netbook form is a ‘work horse’ – mobile is mobile with a lot less less features than the traditional PC. Example: Video editing, audio editing, 3D design, computer-aided design and web design are at this point impossible to do mobile – you need a PC of some form to pull it off.
Until the time comes that you can check off features that are, at this moment and will be in years to come, impossible to do with a smart phone, going completely mobile is absurd really. If anyone thinks they can truly go mobile and still do things on their smart phone that are reserved for PC’s only have rocks in their head.
There is no way I could go 100% mobile. Since I’m just 25 maybe I will be able to in the future like another 20 years from now. By than maybe things will be a while lot faster and more realible.
Am I wrong or is it also impossible to pay bills on a mobile. I tried with no success. I think a PC may be mandatory for that.
Summed up, they’re working on it.
See this for an example of what’s to come:
http://www.paymentsnews.com/2009/04/western-union-cps-verisign-to-pilot-mobile-bill-pay-solution.html
I agree, why not own an iPhone and a PC and have the best of both worlds. To add to you three reasons, the smartphones just can’t handle some of the software that is needed, especially if you are trying to run a business.