So you thought the cell phone would be a nuisance in GTA V? Well it's not even close to that in this installment, it's awesome, actually.
What was a personal nemesis in GTA IV, has been changed into a fantastic time whale for GTA V. The cell phone has become a game in and of itself. While it does have your basic functions such as text messaging, emails and your contacts, it brings a few new additions.
Why this phone is better and makes such a difference is because of the size of this phone compared to the one in GTA IV. The size allows things to be spread out nicely like most smartphones are nowadays. Lastly, for those of us who do not have monstrous TVs, the added size of the phone helps people to see things without having to sit a foot away from the TV.
In addition to the size, there is newly added color and icons that help make the device much more pleasing to look at. Players are not looking at a mono-colored phone anymore and it really lends itself to a person who would like to spend a decent amount of time becoming more familiar with it.
These two things are not crucial aspects to the phone, but they do make what is a necessary part of the game, much more enjoyable to use.
Players can check out a new app called Check List, which is just that. It's a list of things that details a player's progress through the game so far. People can check out to see just how many missions of any type they have left to complete and how many they have completed.
Players can also alter settings on their phone like its background, profile (sleep or normal mode), ringtone, theme (color) or whether or not it is on vibrate.
GTA V's phone has a new quick save button. That was something players deeply wanted in previous installments of the game, and saves people the time of having to go to a safehouse and save their game.
People should keep in mind that during missions, you will not be able to use the quick save feature.
Next, we have the always reliable Snapmatic, which is of course handy for building up your Lifeinvader profile or for staking things out for a potential heist.
However, the main course on this device is the Internet. Once again, GTA sports its own Internet, but don't worry you do not have to find an Internet cafe to surf the web. Your camera phone does that for you.
This cell phone app is another major time suck, as players can browse for nearly anything. You can check things out like media and entertainment. You can also look at restaurants around Los Santos. Once you see the results for things you can go to the company's website to see what they offer. Some restaurants though, you may not want to know how they make their tacos. Some things are just better left unknown.
Another thing players can surf the web for is the recently announced social media network called Lifeinvader. Here you can see your friends, your own profile pic, photos of yourself, your occupation and your relationship status. You can also see messages that your friends have sent you lately along with checking out the companies you are stalking (Facebook "likes" equivalent).
After you're done being anti-socially social, you can then check out a few financial websites where players can invest money into the stock market. It's rather smart to do this, especially since you can impact the market in your favor.
Finally, we have the section where players can browse for more lavish forms of transportation. Here, you can acquire your very own helicopter, airplane, exotic sports car, upscale bikes and boats of your choosing.
If none of that interests you at all, there is always the military style of shopping you can do. There are military trucks, helicopters and of course, tanks.
All of these things will require you to save up money for. In case you were wondering, the tank will run you a cool $3 million.
GTA V's cell phone is indeed a major improvement from what we saw in GTA IV. You can see for yourself when GTA V hits tomorrow. For all of our latest exclusives, previews, reviews and features, follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook. Game On.
