Smartphones are all the rage these days and they really are smart when you consider the number of things you can do with them. As with many electronic devices these days, the choices available can be overwhelming. To receive value for money, you need to develop some purchasing criteria that will strike a balance between price and functionality. If you need a phone just for making phone calls, you likely don't need a smartphone. If price is no barrier, then the delights of modern technology can transport you to portable touch screen heaven.

Price

Don't use price as the primary criteria because even the most expensive smart phone on the market will not be a good buy if it doesn't do what you need it too. Price is one criteria but not the only one and you should stick to a budget that delivers the features you need.

Functionality

This is perhaps the most important tip. Always carefully check the functionality and features that come with the smart phone. A good rule of thumb is to always consider the internal storage because cheaper smartphones that are otherwise equipped to handle a never ending supply of apps often don't have enough storage to accommodate them. This means you might end up purchasing another phone in the long run in order to take advantage of the phone's functionality.

Brand

You will essentially be choosing between Apple and android. Apple makes the iPhone, while a variety of other brands such as Samsung, Nokia and HTC, to name just a few, make up the android market. A good tip here is to stay with the one brand, either Apple or android. If you have a Mac Book, iPad or Mac desktop and intend to sync up your smart phone, just remember Mac is compatible with Mac and android is compatible with android. You cannot mix them up, so this must be one of your purchasing considerations.

Hit Tap Magazine.

This is a digital magazine that you can access at Hit Tap Magazine and it is packed full of information about portable touch screen devices and always worth consulting for purchasing advice, albeit a smart phone or other portable touch screen devices. It's a great opportunity to access some quality information that is always in touch with all the latest technological developments. Technology specialists and educators had an chance to seem at furthering the role of the iPad in education from the purpose of view of scholars, educators, innovators and technologists. Parents can be happy to understand that the overall opinion expressed at the conference was that yes, there's life after apps.