Monday, December 3, 2012

The digital puppy: Think long and hard before giving a smartphone

When people ask me about buying a smartphone as a gift for someone they care about, I suggest that it’s not the simplest of presents.

“It’s kind of like giving someone a puppy,” I say. “It’s cool when you first hand it over, but it quickly becomes obvious that there’s a lot of responsibility involved.”

Indeed, when you give someone a smartphone particularly a recipient who’s never owned one you’re giving a whole lot more than a nifty handset. You’re committing her or him to a software platform and ecosystem, a method of staying connected to the world and, perhaps most importantly, a monthly bill. Because of this, it makes sense to think long and hard about giving a smartphone. Don’t just give it because you’ve got one and love it your recipient may not feel the same.

Ideally, a smartphone should be a collaborative gift, one the recipient knows is coming and thus has provided helpful guidance. But for givers who insist on the element of surprise, there are things you can do to go make sure the present is something that will delight rather than alarm.

Keep reading…

Read also:

The state of the smartphone (Ars Technica)

ComScore: Android, iOS approaching 90% US smartphone market share (Fiercemobilecontent)

AppStore Earns 4 Times As Much Revenue As Google Play (Caribbean Media Vision)

Explore: 34 additional articles.

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