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NEWS
Switching to a smart phone makes more sense for some
HUNTINGTON -- Expanded cell phone and wireless broadband coverage in Cabell County may mean that getting a smart phone makes more sense for some people.
The increase in the number of cell phone towers in Cabell County will not only benefit cell phone users but also "smart phones" owners.
Unlike basic cell phones, smart phones have Web-based features such as e-mail, Internet access and music and video downloads. PDAs, or personal digital assistants, offer services such as data messaging, e-mail, computing, date books and other information management capabilities.
Smart phones rely on broadband, or Internet, access emitted from cell phone towers. According to J.R. Van Ooteghem, assistant director of Cabell County 911, any tower that emits a cell phone signal also emits a broadband signal. The speed of the broadband depends on the features and location of the tower.
As new towers are being built in both rural and urban areas of the county, Van Ooteghem said the purchase of a smart phone will be a more viable option for cell phone users. But using it will cost more.
A basic voice plan for a cell phone from major carriers costs about $39.99 a month and includes 450 anytime minutes. The basic plan does not include text messaging, e-mail and picture sending.
A premium smart-phone package that includes unlimited voice minutes and unlimited e-mail, Internet text messaging and a number of other features is $139.99. For people who need their e-mail, Internet access and communication capabilities at their fingertips, smart phones have become the solution.
Mike Stone, a recent Marshall University graduate, has owned an iPhone since March. As an AT&T customer, Stone said he made the switch from a basic cell phone to an iPhone because of its Web-based applications. During daily use, Stone said he checks his e-mail from his iPhone about 15 times a day.
"I like that I can take it, put it in my jacket, listen to music and take calls while I'm skiing," Stone said. "It's a lot easier than taking my phone and an iPod."
Stone hasn't had a problem accessing the Internet in Cabell County and said connection speeds are getting much quicker around town, due to Apple's new 3G technology. Van Ooteghem said AT&T already has upgraded its antennas in Huntington with 3G technology.
Stone has, however, had connection problems in more rural areas of the state, including his hometown of Elizabeth, W.Va.
Stone recommended the iPhone to anyone who will use the features consistently and continue to maintain the phone with new applications. He wouldn't recommend the phone for those who want to use the Internet or e-mail once or twice a week.
At times, he said, the bill can get large. His $120 monthly bill includes unlimited minutes, data, texting and an international plan that enables him to talk and message his girlfriend in Germany.
According to a June 2008 report by research firm Gartner, smart-phone sales in the United States totaled 7.3 million during the first quarter in 2008, or more than double the sales from the same period last year. Research in Motion, the company that created the BlackBerry Curve and Pearl, ranked number one in the U.S. with 42 percent of U.S. smart-phone sales. Apple Inc. ranked second, with 20 percent, in the U.S. with the iPhone.
