Phones and Docks

Looking to buy a new smartphone? There's a far bigger selection of handsets now than when you last looked. Half a dozen mobile platforms, multiple screen sizes and form factors, single- and dual-core processors, and price tags from $99 to $999 are but a few of the things you'll need to decide on when picking out your next device - and it's usually one or two of these factors that will have the most influence on your purchase.

If you're wedded to a particular platform - either because you've got a lot of apps and games for that operating system already, or you just prefer the way it works - then that will narrow your choices down considerably, and you can then hone your shortlist down even further based on your budget and preferred form factor.

All of the mobile platforms have either just released a major update or are about to in the next few months, so if you're keen on having the latest software, it's worth checking whether the handset you decide on will be upgradeable to the new OS. Apple has just released iOS 5 as a free update to existing iOS devices, and Microsoft has followed suit with its 'Mango' update for handsets running Windows Phone 7. BlackBerry and Android have both announced unified operating systems that will run on both their smartphones and tablets; in the case of Android, the 'Ice Cream Sandwich update began shipping on the Samsung Galaxy Nexus in November and will be available on selected other devices, RIM, on the other hand, is yet to announce when devices running BBX will be available and whether there will be an upgrade available for existing BlackBerrys.

The first dual-core smartphones landed in 2011, and that processor spec will continue to be one of the key differentiators between high-end handsets and the rest of the herd. As of writing, dual-core processors were limited to smartphones running iOS and Android, but we're expecting to see some dual-core Windows Phones announced before Christmas. For now, though, it's mainly gamers that'll see the benefit of the extra processing muscle - smartphones with single-core 1GHz processors still offer the best bang for your buck.

Screen size is the other great divider, and you can generally expect to pay more for smartphones with larger displays- But the physical screen size isn't the only thing you should be looking at - display resolution is just as important, as this dictates how many pixels you can fit on the screen at once.

Speaker Docks

You can't swing a dead Creative Zen or SanDisk Sansa these days without hitting an iPod dock, and let's face it: the vast majority of us are listening to music on iPods or iPhones anyway. But the tide is slowly turning towards using any smartphone as a music player, and while most docks are custom-designed for Apple devices, you can normally use them with other phones. MP3 players and tablets by using the auxiliary input.

Thankfully, iPod speaker docks aren't your only option for digital media playback. Speakers that connect over Bluetooth can make it just as easy to connect Apple and non Apple devices for music playback - even easier, in fact, as you don't even need to dock your music player The advantages of a Bluetooth speaker dock are that they're cheap, easy to setup, and work with almost all mobile devices; the downside is that Bluetooth compresses audio tracks even further, so you're not going to get the best sound quality from them. The limit range, around 10 meters, means you can't really use Bluetooth for streaming music to another room, either.

The latest speaker docks ate all about wireless convenience. Nokia's Play 360 mobile speaker can pair with NFC-enabled gadgets over Bluetooth simply by tapping the two together* Admittedly, we can count the number of NFC phones available in Australia right now with three fingers, but we're expecting to see a lot more of them in the coming year* Airplay is another technology that lets iOS devices stream music to Airplay-enabled speakers over a wireless network at CD quality - although speakers that support this technology are still few and fair between, not to mention pricey DLNA is similar to AirPlay in that it works over a wireless network, but it works with a greater range of devices and it supports uncompressed music streaming - ideal if your music tracks are encoded at a loss-less format like FLAC or AIFF.

Best for audiophiles with deep pickets

PHILIPS FIDELIO SOUNDSPHERE DOCKING SPEAKER DS9800W

Were not sure what it is about high-end iPod speaker docks and outlandish industrial design, but it seems like you cant really have one without the other. Philips continues the trend with its luxury Fidelio Sound Sphere, an AirPlay stereo speaker system that looks more like a pair of aliens out of a Will Smith movie than something designed to reproduce music.

But reproduce music it does, and it'll transform your flat-sounding MP3s into a rich symphony of detail and nuance, thanks to Philip FullSound technology and advanced post-processing algorithm. It's pretty loud, too. with each speaker able to output 50W RMS. It comes with a docking cradle, stereo line-in cable (for non-Apple devices) and a remote control.

Best for NFC users

NOKIA PLAY 360

The Play 360 packs a big 360-degree sound Into a stylish tittle aluminum body, with a unique top-firing speaker design that can fill a room If you haw one of the few smartphones with built-in NFC. you can pair it with the Play 360 just by tapping it against the casing; otherwise, you can connect any Bluetooth-enabled device wirelessly. The Internal rechargeable battery Is good for up to 21 hours.

Best for music on the go

EDIFIER MP15

A compact size, built-in battery (good for up to six hours), and bundled lanyard and pouch make the MPI5 perfect for the beach. BBQs. and other outdoor activities. It connects to your musk player's headphone Jack using a 3.5mm lead (included), but you don't even need it if you're traveling light, as it's got a memory card slot for playing music directly from an SO card.