My New Google Nexus 5 SmartPhone

Faced with replacing my aging HTC droid phone, and leaving Sprint as my carrier because I had poor signal quality in my primary location AND their unlimited plan was too expensive, after doing some research, I decided that this time I would buy my next phone outright and find a BYOD-friendly carrier. With the Samsung…

Google Nexus 5

Faced with replacing my aging HTC droid phone, and leaving Sprint as my carrier because I had poor signal quality in my primary location AND their unlimited plan was too expensive, after doing some research, I decided that this time I would buy my next phone outright and find a BYOD-friendly carrier. With the Samsung Galaxy and similar phones running $650US+, it was a no-brainer to order Google's latest Nexus 5 with the add'l memory option at $399US, unlocked. Had I stayed with Sprint and upgraded, I would have spent $199US on the Samsung Galaxy 4 or similar. I then took it to T-Mobile, who claimed excellent signal quality in my primary location. $10US later for the SIM, I now have an unlimited data plan on T-Mobile for $70US/month vs. my old Sprint plan at $129US, full signal, and a modern UI, ultra-light phone and 5" display (great for my aging eyesight), running Android 4.4.  Another nice thing? Google doesn't install any crapware on the phone, unlike the major carriers, where you have to root the phone to remove their annoying apps. What were the first apps I installed? Zoho CRM, Zoho Project, Zoho Pulse, Google Authenticator, Evernote, RememberTheMilk, MapMyRide, NYC Subway, Roku, Facebook, Nest, Hootsuite & Twitter.

Zoho Leads

Zoho Leads

I expect Zoho Leads to release shortly for Android, and I'll be able to photograph business cards, OCR them and they'll import directly into my Zoho CRM Leads.

So far, I have great signal quality, an easy to read screen, it's lightweight and I'm saving $59US per month on my new plan. Downsides?  The camera, at 9MP, is meh, but I usually carry a Lumix Point 'n Shoot with far more capabilities, and batter life is reported to be just average, but I haven't had it long enough to know. What are you doing to reduce your recurring costs in your professional life? Drop me a line or comment here with your ideas.