What to look for when you’re buying a new smartphone

I’ve reviewed more than a hundred smartphones over the last decade (maybe even hundreds), and there are a few features in each phone that weigh more when it comes to whether or not it receives a good review or not.

It can be stressful buying a new smartphone, especially as prices climb beyond $1,000. You don’t necessarily need to spend that much money, you just need to know what to look for before you make a purchase.

Here’s what you should pay attention to.

The display

If you’re like most of us, you’re going to spend hours each day staring at your smartphone screen. Make sure you’re buying one that’s bright enough to see outdoors, and sharp enough where text doesn’t look blurry while you’re surfing the web.

If you’re buying a phone with a large screen, don’t go under a resolution of 1920 x 1080p and, if you can splurge, look for the sharper 2560 x 1440 Quad HD resolutions. Consider the screen size, too. Can you easily reach across it? Do you want a larger screen for movies or a smaller one that’s easier to hold and less likely to drop out of your hands?

The battery

Read reviews or talk to people who already own the phone you’re interested in buying. You want one that’s going to last all day, if possible. The biggest complaint I get from friends and family is that their smartphones are “always dead.” If you’re in this bunch, consider a smartphone with a fast charging battery. Most Android smartphone makers include the special chargers that can juice up a battery to at least a half charge in just minutes. Or, if you own an iPhone, consider buying an iPad charger to get more juice.

The storage

I know plenty of folks try to save money by buying cheaper phones, but often they ship without much storage on board. I recommend buying a smartphone with at least 64GB of storage, or more if you plan to download music and movies. Apps are much bigger these days, and pictures can take a lot of space if you’re not storing them in the cloud (Apple Photos, Google Photos, or other services offer these options. Some Android smartphones also offer “microSD” card slots that allow you to boost the storage space.

The camera

If you like sharing pictures with friends and family, make sure you’re buying a phone with a good camera. Most of the more expensive phones (the Galaxy S9 and the iPhone X) are particularly adept at taking pictures in low light, too, which means you’ll still get good pictures in a dim restaurant without the flash. Budget phones don’t usually have great cameras, so consider spending a bit more if this is important to you.

The age

It can be tempting to buy a refurbished or older-model smartphone to save a few bucks, but there are a few things to consider before you do. If it’s too old (typically 2-3 years) it might soon stop getting important software updates, including security patches. Also, as apps become more powerful, the processor and memory but not offer enough power to run the latest games or photo-editing software. If you’re just sending texts and checking e-mail, however, a refurbished or older phone could be a perfect fit.

The company’s reputation

If you can, do a bit of research on the company that makes the smartphone. Apple, Samsung, LG and most other household names are safe bets. Others, like Blu, Huawei and OnePlus, which often sell more “affordable” flagship smartphones, have come under fire for various reasons. U.S. intelligence agencies advise against buying smartphones from Huawei, for example, while Blu and OnePlus have been caught sending private data back to headquarters.

The rest

Finally, consider a few other things that might be important to you now or down the road. Does it have stereo speakers? High-end phones like the iPhone X and Galaxy S9 do, which means you hear audio coming from the top and bottom (or left and right if you’re watching a movie and playing games.) Does it support wireless charging? This can be convenient if you want to just plop your phone on a pad at your desk. Does it have a headphone jack or will you need to use Bluetooth headphones or an adapter with your wired headset? Does it support newer 5G networks? U.S. wireless carriers are going to roll out faster networks this year, which means you’ll be able to download apps, games, files and more at much faster speeds. If you want a bit of future-proofing, consider that, too.

8 Tips for Buying Furniture

Buying furniture for your log home should be fun and exciting, not a task you consider one step above a visit to the dentist. But for too many homeowners, that's exactly what happens as they face the prospect of buying sofas, chairs, tables and accent pieces. I'm here to tell you what you want to hear: It doesn't have to be that way. With a little planning and forethought ? plus some research and soul-searching ? you can enjoy the furniture buying process as much as you enjoy snuggling up on that new sofa. Follow these 8 easy steps and your search for furniture will have a happy, stress-free ending. What you can afford is the bottom line for any decorating project, and buying furniture is no exception. Budgeting becomes even more important during the furniture buying experience since large pieces--sofas, couches, chairs and tables--are often the most expensive part of any decorating project. Obviously, setting a budget early in the process will help you focus on what you can afford. But once you learn how to judge quality (see #6 on page 59), it will also help you find the best values within your price range. According to Gefen Productions, which monitors the action in High Point, North Carolina, home to the world's largest annual home furnishings market, the factors that affect cost include: --Design: Original, reproduction or adaptation? --Materials: Real wood, veneer or simulation? --Manufacturing: Handcrafted or mass produced? -- Detailing: Hand-carved or plastic-molded? --Shipping & Storage: Pre-assembled or ready to be assembled at home? After you have a budget, determine what you want to spend your money on. Odds are, your "wants" list will be pretty long. Pare it down by comparing it to a "needs" list. Replacing a broken chair is probably a need; buying that beautiful dining room set you saw in the sales flyer is probably a want. The key to prioritizing is realizing you don't have to have it all at once. Think long and hard while making your list of priorities. Can you live with your old kitchen furniture while you give your great room a facelift? Would you rather turn your bedroom into an oasis before concentrating on public areas like the kitchen and dining room? Or are the rec room and other highly-used spaces more important? Whatever you decide, just remember that furniture with classic lines and simple fabrics will never go out of style, and that means you'll be able to piece together your new room over the course of many months or even several years. How you use your furniture is one of the most important considerations. If you have children or pets, you need sturdy construction and easy-to-clean fabrics. If you're furnishing a room used sparingly, such as a library or den, you can focus more on aesthetics. Your lifestyle will also affect the colors you choose. The guidelines are pretty common sense: White is a no-no for kids and pets; mid- to dark-toned prints will hide a multitude of sins. Remember, however, that even the most durable furniture will wear out if it's abused. You can only have so much furniture in a room before it starts to feel cramped and awkward. On the other hand, you want to be sure you have sufficient seating and table surfaces. To ensure your new furniture fits your space, needs and personality, take the time to carefully plan (if you're still in that stage) or measure (if you're already building or living in your log home) each room in your house. Then sketch your room to scale on graph paper. Include doorways, windows, heating and cooling vents and other permanent features your furniture will have to "live" with. This exercise may sound archaic in the days of computers and scanners, but it can really be helpful. Even more helpful is measuring your existing furniture, sizing it on graph paper at the same scale as your room drawing, and placing it on the sketch. This will allow you to envision furniture placement and see how all your space is being used. With the current trend toward big, overstuffed furniture, this sketching exercise will also help you choose pieces that fit the scale of your room. The soaring ceilings, open lofts and spacious floor plans found in many log homes require special attention in this area. Before you can buy anything, you have to figure out what you like. Just keep one thing in mind: A room full of carefully-combined furniture styles is much more interesting than a room full of matching, same-scale pieces. Don't be afraid to mix n' match styles to achieve the look you want. The five major furniture styles include: Traditional. Features antiques and reproductions of antique styles, damask upholstery, cherry and mahogany. Contemporary. Features bold colors, sharp lines, metal and/or glass accents. Casual. Features earthy colors, overstuffed sofas/couches, wood accents in oak, pine, maple. Country. Features soft cushions, floral prints, painted wood. Eclectic. Features a mix of styles and periods. The hard thing about choosing a style is that what we like is often out of our price range or isn't practical. When that's the case, you have to make a personal choice ? Which is more important: style or practicality--and then live with your decision. Whether you spend $100 or $1,000 on a piece of furniture, you want to know it will last. To make sure you don't get a lemon, educate yourself on quality standards before you head to the stores. There are plenty of books, Web sites and organizations that offer advice on furniture construction. Once you're in the store, don't be bashful; open those dresser drawers, pull the dining table apart, tip over the reclining chair. No one will do it for you, and you may be surprised at what you see. If you're shopping online, check with the manufacturer to find out if they have a retailer in your area that carries the piece or line you're interested in. No matter how you're shopping, here's what you need to consider: Materials. Is it solid wood, veneer or a simulated product? Does hardware match the piece and is it rust-proof and concealed? Construction. Is the frame solid, the support adequate? Does it feature solid joinery (mortise and tenon, double dowel or tongue and groove) and dovetailed corners? Are screws tight, springs concealed and covered? Don't be afraid to try out the furniture samples you see on the showroom floor. Nothing is worse than investing a lot of money in a piece of furniture, only to discover it's hard as a rock, sags like a wet blanket or sits too high or low. In the end, your opinion is what matters most. Don't let a salesperson or even a friend talk you into buying something you don't like. Choosing Fabrics We are all driven by aesthetics. We don't just want a comfortable chair; we want it to be attractive as well. Still, there's no denying the durability factor. When choosing fabric for upholstered furniture, remember that you will get the best wear from tightly-woven fabrics. A common misconception is that the thickness of the yarn used determines durability; in truth, the number of threads per square inch will have a greater affect on the longevity of your upholstered furniture. The most common types of natural-fiber upholstery fabrics include: Cotton. Takes color well, is soft and pliable, blends with other fibers, is durable. May disintegrate in continuous exposure to sunlight. May mildew in damp climates.