Buying Guide: Multimedia Handsets

Portable media is ‘in’ these days. The ability to cart your music, movies and what have you with you on the go is becoming easier all the time. Mobile phone manufacturers are thankfully launching multimedia enhanced handsets very frequently as that IS becoming one of the very valid reasons for owning a mobile in the first place. Plus let’s not forget, a singular device with all the multimedia trimmings negates spending money on additional devices. The MTV generation came, saw and conquered. That being said, here are a few tips to keep in mind when selecting a multimedia handset.

Format Support and Enhancements
It’s important to know what kinds of file formats the phone can read for video and audio. The most common are of course .MP3, .AAC, WMA and .WAV. Other formats could include AAC+, .OGG and FLAC as well, not that too many people use that these unless you’re serious about your music quality. Also look for audio enhancements like EQ presets. More importantly, if you’re a stickler for personal preferences, a customizable setting that let’s you manually adjust the audio with graphic EQs is essential. Other enhancements like Bass Boost or Stereo Widening, Dolby Mobile or 5.1 Surround options are extras that will definitely provide you with a better audio experience.

When it comes to video it’s always better to have a handset that supports popular PC video codecs. What that means is they should read your .AVI files that you’d play on your desktop. Look for a handset that complies with – DivX and XviD formats. Standard mobile video formats include MP4, H.264, 3GP and WMV file formats. A preinstalled YouTube application is always handy for streaming videos but with Smartphones that don’t have it, just get one from the respective app store.

Also, and this especially applies to us, the Indian audiences, make sure that the handset comes with an FM radio. Whether it's with a recording option or not is not really important, but reception is the key factor.

Connectivity
Something else to keep in mind is AV out compatibility. If your handset supports AVI files, you could use it as an external media player and hook it up to a TV via the AV out. Most higher end devices support Composite AV out and newer handsets like the Nokia N8 and Motorola MILESTONE XT720 come with HDMI support. Also check if the package includes AV cables - composite or HDMI.

Earphones
Most importantly you’d need to make sure that the earphones that are provided with the phone are comfortable. First off while selecting a phone, make it a point to check and see what kind of earphone socket the phone has. Essentially there were 3 types – Propriety, 2.5mm and 3.5mm sockets. Propriety meant you could not use any other earphones except the one’s ‘prescribed’ by that phone’s manufacturer. If something goes wrong with these, good replacements aren’t always easy to find. Thankfully the days of the 2.5mm sockets are in the past as most manufactures are incorporating a standardized 3.5mm socket. This way you can use any earphones, the choice is open. Sometimes you may just want to use your own set of earphones that you’re used to just make you feel more comfortable. This way if a company bundles a canal (in-ear) type handsfree that you’re not comfortable with, you can easily switch to a standard type option.

Another option that’s quite popular these days is a support for Bluetooth with A2DP compatibility so you can use a wireless headset and do away with the wires altogether. Just keep in mind, this is also a sever strain on your battery.

Gaming
A multimedia handset should also support more than just the basic Java based games, which, in their own right are quite entertaining. In this day and age though it’s all about better graphics, a 3D-ish feel and motion sensors. So motion based gaming is also a point to consider. You’ll need a handset with an accelerometer for this obviously.