Smartphone: What do you want to buy?

It used to be that all a phone would do was make and receive calls.
Not these days, instead you can have a mini computer in your pocket, one that you can use to access your email, search the internet, update your Facebook status, play games or make high definition videos on.
The possibilities seem almost limitless so it's hardly surprising to be overwhelmed with choice when trying to buy one.
How do you know you're going to get the one that will fit all your requirements? What's Android? And what will you need with an app?
It pays to get clued up on what smartphones can and can't do before heading to a store to buy one. Most smartphones will allow you to surf the internet, applications can be downloaded to do anything from convert currency to chart your fertility, work out your calorific intake or have live aquarium wallpaper.
Android is the application platform for most phones, while iPhones have iTunes and BlackBerries App World.
"You need to know what you want from it," Dick Smith Electronics assistant manager Andy Sill said.
"The cheaper phones will do Facebook and Twitter but they're not Android-ready. Prices and technology are changing so fast but if you set out to spend between $300 and $400 you can get a phone that would suit most people.
"The sky's the limit. Ten years ago a cellphone was a luxury. Now it's commonplace for an 11-year-old to have one as the prices and calling rates are easy to handle."
Mr Sill owns a high-end Samsung Galaxy. He bought it because it was the closest smartphone in specifications to the Apple iPhone but using the Google Android software.
He can get three days' battery life from it, but play a game, such as the popular Angry Birds, and you're looking at four hours. It might pay to buy an in-car recharger or a spare battery if you are going to be a heavy user.
His phone, like many others, is Wi-Fi compatible, which means he can piggyback off his broadband connection at home, or use Wi-Fi in cafes around Rotorua.
But to guarantee use of the internet at all other times you need to have a mobile broadband data pack. These are available from your service provider and can be pay-monthly or prepay packages.
"Knowing how much data you need is all about trial and error," Mr Sill said.
"I pay for 100MB a month and if I use half of that I'm very impressed. It's better to have it than not to and have to pay over that.
"Before this plan I was paying $5 per megabyte. One Google search can use 4MB so it can get expensive. It's best to talk to a specialist about what you want to be using the phone for. Emails don't use much, unless you receive photos."
His final advice: Don't be afraid to ask.