<p>While it may seem that the smartphone has become ubiquitous in today's busy world, there are quite a few folks who have never owned one. I see them quite regularly while walking around the busy city. Believe it or not there are still a lot of flip phones out there.</p><p>A caller to my favorite tech radio show, Technology Bytes on 90.1FM KPFT in Houston, got me thinking about these "flip phone" people. This particular caller has never owned a smartphone but was feeling the urge to catch up with his peers by getting one.</p><p>His greatest concern was buying the right smartphone to ensure a good passage into the mystical age of the smartphone. He knew nothing about smartphones, as evidenced by his statement that he didn't even know if he wanted one with a physical keyboard or not. He isn't aware that very few, almost none in fact, have a physical QWERTY keyboard.</p><p>After thinking about this for a while, this guide on how to buy a smartphone for newbies is for this guy and all the other folks toting a flip phone who've asked me about getting a mysterious smartphone.Don't overthink the purchase</p><p><a href="http://www.zdnet.com/how-to-buy-a-smartphone-a-guide-for-newbies-7000017163/">Keep reading...</a></p>