Cell phones - need your help

[Roycroft201]

I would really appreciate your opinions on this.

The time has come for me to switch to a new service provider and get a new cell phone. Members here are all over the continental US and many of you travel a lot.

What features on the newest cell phones do you think are worthwhile ?

And which service provider have you found to be the most reliable/offered the best coverage without all the dropped calls, roaming charges, etc.

My daughter claims my current cell phone is a 'dinosaur'. OK - I'll agree. I do need to get a small, discreet-sized phone that vibrates so I can keep it in my pocket at school. I am currently on a VERY old Sprint plan - no contract, 3,000 min.- 200 of which are primetime - for $39.95. New plans offer free phones with new contract, less minutes, but free between family members with the same service provider. That is hopeless with my family - a poll resulted in Verizon, Sprint, T-mobile, and Nextel being used by family members in CT, CO and FL.

What service provider have you had good luck with ?

And which of the 'extras' on the phones are worth the added cost ?

(jeesh - RL is discussing his Lexus' and I'm stuck on choosing a cell phone ! ? ! :D )

Thanks !

[Roguish Lawyer]

My thoughts:

1. Make sure your service provider has good coverage in the areas where you are most often. Bad coverage on your drive to work, for example, should be a disqualifier. You need to speak to people in your area to figure that out.

2. Verizon is my cell phone carrier, and they have very good nationwide coverage. I very rarely have problems with access. My Blackberry uses T-Mobile, which is pretty good, but not as good as Verizon. It used to use Cingular, and I have not noticed much of a difference.

3. I like having internet access and a camera on my phone. I also like having video games. :D

4. I have never paid any substantial amount of extra money to get a "cool" phone. These days, you generally can get a very good modern phone with lots of features for a nominal fee if you commit to a service contract of like 2 years.

[Gypsy]

Re features, it depends on what you want to do with your phone...access the web, take pictures etc. Call me boring...but I have a Sanyo through Sprint with 700 anytime and unlimited night/weekend minutes (night time minutes starting at 7pm!). The plan is $55.00 a month, though with taxes in my area the total bill is about $76.00 believe it or not. (Yet another reason to move out of thieving Cook County!)

I personally find their coverage to be quite comprehensive, and whenever I do travel my phone rarely goes out of service or loses its' signal. I also have it set so that if I enter a roaming area it cuts off my call. Better that than paying the outrageous roaming charges.

If you get another phone and plan through Sprint, you can get either a free phone (decent) or upgrade with rebates (mail in for existing customers) I upgraded to a 200.00 phone and paid 50.00 for it. Not bad.

[Brother Rat]

I've had good luck with Verizon.

[jatx]

You should consider getting a Blackberry. Mine was the only technology purchase I've made in several years that actually exceeded expectations. The ability to handle email while out of the office or away from your desk will allow you to use small pockets of free time much more efficiently. You don't need to be "on call" or in a super busy position to realize benefits from this.

If you go with Cingular, they have a new model that includes Bluetooth, which means you can use a wireless earpiece when making phone calls. Again, very nice. Current price net of rebates is about $100.

[vsvo]

I'm in the process of switching (I've been w/AT&T for the last 6 yrs., with AT&T GSM for the last 2). Now that I don't travel for work anymore, I need the best coverage in my local area (including inside buildings), so that narrowed it down to Verizon (it even works on the DC subway).

I'm not a big fan of camera phones, b/c the image quality sucks, and it makes the phone bigger, but that's changing (check out the new Motorola Razor v3). All the kids seem to love them because when their phone rings the picture of the person calling shows up on the screen.

I also don't need email and internet, because I'm already chained to my desk all day, and I have a laptop. Another reason is that the market hasn't converged to a de facto standard. Blackberries are all the rage here in DC, but Treo is coming on strong, especially with the new 650.

The one "cool" feature I'd like to have is Bluetooth. That would allow me to finally use a cordless earpiece/headset. I'm going to hold off b/c I'm loathe to spend extra money for equipment, per RL's #4. Right now Bluetooth is only on the newest, expensive phones, but in a year or so it should be more widespread.

[Jack Moroney (RIP)]

Cell phone, what the hell is a cell phone? Up here we are still working dealing with face to face, the weekly paper that summarizes all that they think we need to know, and high speed internet means 52kps on a good day. Cell phones, we don't need no stinking cell phones.

Jack Moroney

[Guy]

Cell phone, what the hell is a cell phone? Up here we are still working dealing with face to face, the weekly paper that summarizes all that they think we need to know, and high speed internet means 52kps on a good day. Cell phones, we don't need no stinking cell phones.

Jack Moroney

Take a look at NEXTEL. I believe they went nationwide with their "walkie-talkies" capabilities.

[Polar Bear]

Take a look at NEXTEL. I believe they went nationwide with their "walkie-talkies" capabilities.
They did about a year ago. Nextel is great. But the company I work for just switched from Nextel to AT & T it SUCKS. a 5 min conversation takes 30 minutes because of dropped calls.

[The Reaper]

Verizon.

TR

[AmericanPride]

Sprint has been great for me. They also have a fair and flexible plan that is a pretty good deal, and for a small price you can get no romaing or long distance and Nights and weekends starting at 7:00. I'm very happy with it.

[ghuinness]

FYIW, I would suggest Nextel or T-Mobile.

The key isn't the provider it's the protocol. Pick a provider in your area that supports GSM, not CDMA. If you get a provider that supports CDMA you will be limited in the long run. The frequency map is changing and the 850 spectrum will open up as soon as the FCC approves it. Most of the devices are ready for 1900, 900 and 850.

Prices and plans are always changing. Don't sign a contract and get tied to a plan. Pick a phone/PDA which has the feaures you need. Select a provider which has a coverage map you can live with. If you don't travel outside your city very much don't focus on national coverage. All devices are at least dual-protocol and support TDMA. If you roam all you need is TDMA to make a call. Rural coverage still gets the least attention. If you live in a rural area your options are limited.
Always check roamimg fees with the provider.

Will you make this your primary phone and drop your land-line? Check the international rates and plans of the provider. I use my cell phone for all calls; national and international. The taxes and fees on land-line are absurd.

PDA Phones: The phones available in the USA are still behind the devices available in Asia and Europe. Most people that want everything on one device GSM/Bluetooth/GPS/GPRS/EDGE/WLAN buy the units on Ebay, XDA II for example. This is superior to the Blackberry. GPRS and EDGE are in the early stages. To really get the bandwidth of internet access on these devices you need WLAN. The PDA is the best option if you can afford it. IMO, the slinky picture phones are just toys and you are better with the PDA or not at all.

If all you need is voice and limited text messaging (SMS) , get the free phone from the provider you select.

Nextels Push-to-Talk feature only works between Nextel users; regular voice path otherwise.

You will always have dropped calls and bad coverage areas.

my .02

[Smokin Joe]

Verizon,

Hands down the best costumer service I have ever recieved from a cell phone company.

[Roycroft201]

Wow ! Great information !

Thanks everyone :)

Roycroft201