[See more 2012 Christmas Tech Deals]
Phones have been called our lifelines to the world and for many people, they are the most personal things that we own. For those of you in ministry, smartphones are a great option because you always go to meetings early, the people you are meeting do not show up on time (if at all), and so you have a solid twenty minutes that you could be checking your email, sending teens a Facebook message, or going over your sermon one last time. For bloggers and business people, smartphones can give you an advantage of connecting with clients and viewers at all times, making them invaluable.
Here are two smartphones that we think will make a great Christmas tech deal this Christmas (and a couple to avoid).
iPhone 4s
Cost: $99
The iPhone has become the forerunner in the smartphone world with its gesture controls, seemingly endless apps, and an amazing branding that makes it a highly coveted item to look cool. The phone has enough memory to store tons of songs and pictures, is a great size and weight, and the camera on it is as good as any point-and-click that you can get at Best Buy. With the cast of extra gadgets like Apple TV and AirPlay as well as perfect integration the industry leading iTunes, this does beat out the Galaxy S3 overall. (by a smaller margin than Apple would be comfortable, I am sure)
Now, some of you may be wondering why I would not just go with the iPhone 5. My question to you is why do you want it? It does have a newer chip in it to make it marginally faster, the screen is a bit bigger, and barely thinner. But with this somewhat improvements (on a smartphone mind you, we are not getting a high performance laptop here) you will be paying a couple hundred dollars more with two-year contracts and several hundred dollars on top of that if you get an unlocked phone.
And for what? So you can say you have the latest thing? That is not how you make smart investments. The iPhone 4s is a perfect device for this Christmas season and the number one on our list.
Samsung Galaxy S III
Cost: $199
This may be the best Android phone experience to date. Equipped with all the amazing features like Google Now, S Voice (some say better than Siri), and LTE equipped hardware for countries that support the network, this is making a run at the iPhone series to become the best smartphone available.
Unlike the Galaxy Note that some would say is more powerful, but more expensive, the Galaxy S3 feels like a phone. The Note be borderline a mini tablet and feels a bit awkward in your hand and your pocket. If you are wanting a tablet alternative, the Note is one of the top at the list, but in the case of a phone, it simply looks silly.
Phones to Avoid
- Nexus 4 For as much as you are paying for it, the fact that it only comes with 8 and 16GB options seems a bit ridiculous. Expect more than that people.
- Lumia 920 Unfortunately its OS is what puts it in this category. The Windows mobile apps have a long ways to go functionally before they can compete.
- Intuition™ by LG A stylus is not a perk at all and if I want a tablet, I’ll get something not made by LG.
- Droid DNA For as much as this phone costs, it is considered by many to be a clunky and cheap phone to begin with. Not a great choice.
- Anything Blackberry There is a reason the U.S. government gave them up. The hardware is as bad as the software.
So there you have it. We would love to hear your thoughts and reactions to our picks. Agree or disagree? Did we miss something?
[See more 2012 Christmas Tech Deals]
Jeremy Smith
Jeremy is owner of ChurchAndMentalHealth.com and the Co-Occurring Program Coordinator and a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor at a community mental health center. Jeremy has a history of working as a ministry director for Youth for Christ for 8 years and then working as a mental health and substance use adult counselor in Colorado and Ohio, specifically running an Opioid Residential Treatment Center.
I would disagree with the BB sentiment. First, not all government agencies have given them up – that’s too general of a statement. For security reasons alone, BB is a solid platform. Behind that, I don’t have to restart my BB near as often as my iPhone friends. But, I am running one of the newest models with the latest OS release, which may make a difference.
Granted, BB has not helped itself with the long delay in releasing their new BB10 hardware and OS.
Some are saying that Blackberry will be completely done if BB10 does not work out. Having played with the latest of their phones, I simply cannot recommend them, no matter how many times I might need to restart them.
OK…the last part of your statement made no sense. BB users don’t have to restart their phones like iOS users do.
For what it’s worth, Best Buy has $50 instant rebate on iPhone 4S and iPhone 5 through the end of the year. You could actually get the 4S for $49 and a 5 for $149.
Thanks for the share. That is a great catch! Any catches with that? (Have to sign up with Verizon or sign a two-year contract?)
My pleasure. The “catch” is, that pricing is still, as always, subsidized pricing, which does in fact require a new 2-yr contract with your carrier of choice.