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Technology

Where Can I Find Cell Phone Recommendations? 313

Posted by Cliff from the where-is-this-info? dept.
Alex Bischoff asks: "I will likely be buying a cell phone within the next six months. And, while there seem to be half a million sites reviewing hardware, I can't find even one that does reviews of cell phones! Now, I've tried Google, of course, but all I can find are cell phone service providers and reviews on "super cell phones" -- that is, cell phones with built-in PDAs and such. I already have a Palm Pilot, so all I want is a "regular" cell phone. Can anyone recommend any sites that review cell phones, or offer his/her opinions on brands to buy and features to look for? "
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Where Can I Find Cell Phone Recommendations? More

Where Can I Find Cell Phone Recommendations?

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  • This one is decent. (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward
    This may be what you are looking for: http://www.point.com jb

  • Side by side comparisions (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward
    here [lowest-rates.net]

  • Have you (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward
    looked at ephones.com? Not necessary a review site, but it does allow you to compare plans... which in my opinion are far more important the phone you choose.

    As for phones, I like my Nokia 6185 (with the long life battery). Also, if you live in a PCS area - go PCS. It still sounds like you are talking on a cell phone, but less so then analog.

  • As a student, i dont have too much money to spare on a phone considering that the palm is already quite expensive.
    Which cell phone would you recommend for this kind of usage? I know IR solution exists with internal modems but they are VERY expensive, and i dont think i ll be able to use that in a moving BUS (Packet lost, too much IR deviation!:-)
    Am i forced to buy (or build heh) a palm modem and than a cable to connect to the cell?

    ---
  • Posted by Nr9:

    the star tac is damned flimsy
  • Posted by Nr9:

    my experiences are just the opposite

    the startac is the flimsiest phone ive ever worked with while the Nokia 5130 is the most durable. i now have a 7110 and it works great but ive not and i dont want to throw it on the pavement
  • Posted by Nr9:

    From my experience, Nokia phones are the best.

    IF you want a basic phone with no WAP, etc, get a nokia 3210. it looks cool and is very reliable

    ive used the 5130 before but its discontinued now.

    The 7110 is a good choice because of the way the cover opens. It looks cool and it answers the phone just like the one in The Matrix. It also sounds like it.

    Also, if you go to Japan, almost everyone has a phone but they are all japanese made. They are strange and they can only be used in Japan. THey weigh like 50 grams and are small and cheap. one can get a 50 gram small phone for about $30. Unfortunately, they are not for export and they are japanese only.(damned monopoly japs shit)

    everywhere else, nokia's the best. snake is best game.
  • I have a Bell Atlantic Mobile BAM-330D (OEMed LGC-330W), and I'm pretty happy with it, with the exception of a lack of third-party accessories.

    If you want data capability on a CDMA network, go with Qualcomm. They invented the technology. :)

    For a general all-around phone, I'm getting a Nokia 6185 when I renew my service contract. (Unless there's a newer Nokia by then.)
  • Weird... When I was choosing a phone, I had a few people tell me it was flimsy...
  • Some StarTacs do digital, but they're #@$@#@#$ expensive!

    BAM-330D is what I have. Other than a lack of third-party accessories, I love it!
  • I have had several phones, the one I use now is my favourite, a Nokia 8210. It's small, good ui, has Irda, which works with laptops and my palm iii, and it has vibrate. I have had Ericsson (gf788, sh 888), Motorola (8400, 5200) bot nothing beats the Nokia.
  • I've been using SprintPCS for about 7 months and I have been extremely happy with their customer service and their pcs service. I know other people who have been very happy with them too.

    Their customer service reps have always been extremely polite and helpful.

    Just my 0.02...
  • You might want to check out CNet's [cnet.com] pretty good Wireless Phone [cnet.com] comparison DB. It compares phones and plans; it's good for getting a good idea about phones, but not great for phone plans - I found better deals by just calling the service providers directly.

    Regards,
    Brent
  • <a href="http://www.phonebashing.com/">Phone bashing</a>.
  • So set one up.
  • Where can I find cell phone recommendations? [ask.com]

    Yes, yes, there are problems, and I am busy working on them :)
  • the nokia 6160 is the greatest cell fone i have ever had the joy of posessing. its got liION battery, games, like 50 different ring types, games,
    id recommend getting one. a lot of times you can get one for free when signing up for service.
    i also recommend get AT&T service. its the clearest ive ever heard and they have all those nice digital PCS features. they are a bit more pricey then the competitors, but its worth it.
  • I recently got a dual-band digital StarTac from Sprint PCS to replace my Qualcomm QCP-2700. Not only is the StarTac smaller and lighter, but the call reception is MUCH better, even better than my friend's Nokia 6185 (which is also Sprint PCS). I got the StarTac because I think these tiny little Nokia phones are just too damn small for my hands. The StarTac is large enough to hold comfortably when it's open, and nice and small when it's closed. Best of both worlds, I guess.

    Get a dual-band phone, even if you don't plan to leave populated areas that often. One of my friends was in a remote location recently, and another car in his group was in a very bad accident (drunk driver in the snow hit them, grrr). Without analog capability, he would not have been able to call the paramedics.

    I highly recommend the StarTac, it has great battery life and great reception, and it looks very cool.
  • If you don't know what a 14 year old needs a cell phone for, you never had any friends when you were 14.
  • Lies, lies...
    Nokia makes lots of dual-band GSM phones. The 6150 and 3210 come to mind.

    Dual-band GSM means it can do GSM900 and GSM1800. If you're talking about compatibility with GSM and american standards, that's not dual-band, it's something else.
  • I've tried Fido's data service (under Windows only, unfortunately). It works fine - but you only get 9600bps - on digital only.

    Cheers,

    - Jim
  • You know, all these cell phones we find in the US are pretty hot. They look badass and have cool capabilities. However, the US is far from the coolest in cell phone capabilities and looks. We have regulations on what cell phones can do, etc.

    If you want a badass phone, ship yourself to Australia and get the "flip phone" featured from the movie "The Matrix". Tell me that's not a badass phone. Or just go to one of the main Asian countries like Korea and Japan. Ericsson, Nokia, Sanyo, Samsung, etc. All these major cell phone makers make badass phones for other countries except us. Damn these regulations!

    My 2 cents...

  • Sometimes I go out on Friday nights and get into cell-phone-smashing contests with drunk people.

    Have you ever thought of, I dunno, seeing a movie? Or going dancing? I hear bingo's quite fun.

    But if you're determined to get into phone-bashing: www.phonebashing.com [phonebashing.com]

    --Yoz

  • www.point.com is not bad. They give you a quick overview of all your choices. But for more in depth, IMHO, the best (but limited) reviews can be found at www.arcx.com/sites/default.htm

    --
  • aheam... bull cookies! I've used my 6120 on both circuits, analog and digital, with out a hitch.
  • Ericsson brings functionality at the cost of reliability. I have had 3 different so far, the two last being the GS18 and the SH888. Ericsson actually replaced the GS18's in my company with SH888's because they couldn't fix the GS18's.

    Even the SH888's have software that feels like a late beta at best. The user interface is terrible. They turn themselves off constantly, whether because of software or hardware I don't know. Every time we get a phone repaired it fails less often for the next month or so, and then it's back to the daily crashes.

    Just to top it off they have zero coverage in places where a Nokia 7110 reports "half" coverage and goes through flawlessly.

    Never again Ericsson.
  • Psst, this is my own thoughts, not AT&T Wireless. I just work there. (;

    Phones.
    1. Nokia is rock solid, great battery life, and the easiest menu of them all. Get a 61xx model.
    2. Nokia Faceplates Skinz. ;) Dont like the 1 piece color? How about clear (imac), animals, metals, etc.. Check out http://www.phoneart.com [phoneart.com].
    3. Nokia, get the ear piece adapter. Makes it easy to drive or work on a computer.
    4. Nokia has a few dozen ring tunes, the UK models can be programmed with private tunes.
    5. Motorola StarTac will impress the babes, looks cool, but doesnt have the battery life.

    Service
    1. AT&T has the largest coverage area, with an extended roaming area for those who live in the back woods.
    2. AT&T Digital One rate, you cant beat the price. http://www.att.com/onenet/
    3. Family plan, up to 5 phones, unlimited talk time to each other (Same calling area).
    4. AT&T prepaid (For those with ok credit)
    5. Sprint - Not bad, not great. Works ok, but limited coverage area.

    Internet Phones
    Mitsubishi T250 with AT&T Pocketnet Service.
    http://www.attws.com/business/pocketnet/index.html [attws.com]
    Pocketnet has been out for 3 years. But LARGE Personal Launch date is a few weeks away.
    The Mistubisi T250 is the same siza as a Nokia, had the best display, with Indeglow backlight.
    1. 1. The phone uses CDPD network (Largest Wireless data network, with your own IP)
    2. Supports TML, HDML, WAP, WML, WMLSCRIPT.
    3. Email, Pageing, Internet surfing, bookmarks, Pop email, Personal site to configure services.
    4. PIM (sync with exchange, notes, domma delimited text files, etc..) and much more.

    IMHO,
    ---IronWolve---

  • No, PCS isnt 1900-GSM. Its just that some providers start using 1900-GSM in the US now in addition to the (sadly) still dominant PCS system.
  • Well.. I bought me a then-expensive Motorola CD930 (gsm).

    And I have learnt the following;

    • "vibrate, then ring" is a must-have feature. Once you have tried it, you question the sanity of those that don't. The CD930 has this feature.
    • TEST the address book features (phone book). They SUCK for the phone mentioned. You want ease of copy between an old sim card and a new one. You want an easy to use interface for finding and modifying adresses. The CD930 have crippled versions of both of these.
    • TEST sending and receiving of SMS-messages. A phone that just shows you the phone number of the sender, even when you have the adress in your addressbook, well.. it sucks. And so do the CD930.
    • A useful feature with a cellphone is a builtin clock. But only if the clock is accurate, and worthy as a feature only if it is used for anything. You will want 'last received calls' to be timestamped. The CD930 does not, even though it has a clock builtin.
    • I never believed this would be an issue, but test the response times for menues. When you browse SMS messages and press the down button, wait a bit and then select the ok button; what message do you get? The one shown or the one next? Ahem.. I replied to the wrong people some times before I got that this was the problem.

    I am very concerned with the user interface for gadgets like this that you use every day. For the Motorola CD930, I can only uphold it as 'flunked'. Even my other phone from autumn 1994 has a better user interface.

    And now that I'm finished ranting, I'll read the other posts and hopefully find my next phone. Only it will not be a Motorola. (Ps: If someone from Motorola reads this, can you please restaff your quality assurance department? And send me a upgraded phone?)

    Regards, Jørn Jensen. Slightly pissed.
    --

  • Yeah, I know it doesn't apply to analog roaming (of course, neither does Sprint's plan either). If you have a Nokia 6190, you have to get the Plus module to do Analog.
  • GSM, if you ignore the fact the US uses different frequencies, is a worldwide standard. I can take the SIM card out of my phone in the US and plug it into a European phone. My identity and phone numbers are stored on the SIM card, so no muss when I travel internationally. GSM hasn't caught on in the states for various reasons.

    GSM phones allow far more customization. The Nokia phones allow you to do custom ring tones and graphics, have built-in Data and FAX capabilities (with the right software and cables) and Short Messaging Service (can send and receieve Internet email either through SMS -> Email gateways or through your provider).

    The downside to GSM in the states is that there are still some major holes in coverage (though I understand that Dallas and Chicago will have GSM coverage soon). Also, GSM may not be usable in smaller areas, so you'll have to make sure you can roam in Analog mode (if you've got a Nokia, you will have to get the Plus module) and pay analog roaming costs. Other than Voicestream's North American Neighborhood plan, (it's not on their website -- you'll have to call them and ask about it), I don't know of any GSM provider with a nationwide no-roaming, no-long distance plan. I just signed up with this plan (ditching the Death Star), so we'll see how it compares.

    -- PhoneBoy
  • I'm using a Sprint PCS phone which has been ok. I haven't tried using it outside my coverage area. I don't know about all the service plans but I would think you'd get a much better deal if you buy the phone instead of getting one of those free phone deals. The deal I first checked out was a free crap phone and expensive contract with hardly any air time. So I payed about $130 for a good phone and got a nice service contract.
  • I hate to burst everybody's bubble, but there has been at least one study done positively linking cell phones to brain cancer and malfunctioning pacemakers. Read this article, [essential.org] which comes from a really good listserv [essential.org] on corporate misdeeds.
  • I previously worked at an AT&T Callcenter and through my experience there I saw a lot of phones come and go. The most popular phones seemed to be Nokia's, Ericsson's & Motorola's. Motorola: good sturdy phone that can take a beating (unless it's a startac, in that case they can be flimsy). Ericsson seems to make reasonable phones for a low cost. They aren't too sturdy, but if you're low on bugdet you can get a good DMN (Digital MultiNetwork) phone for much less than say a Nokia. Nokia on the other hand didn't seem to haev as many problems than the others. If you have a problem with your phone you can easily get good customer service from Nokia. I found the 5100 series to be the best, but the 6100 series has many more features. In my opinion I would probably choose a Nokia 5160. It has everything you need without the terribly high cost of some other phones.

    Of course if you have the money you can splurge and get a Nokia 8800 series phone and be able to check your hair on its chrome shell.
  • Wouldn't deja.com [deja.com] be what you're looking for?
  • I have a question about Sprint PCS's service. I'm looking for a digital phone and I went to my friendly Radio Shack to grill them about PCS. I was a little skeptical about the benefits of dual mode phones - they just seem to juice you for roaming charges.

    During my conversation, the salesman told me that a dual mode phone was better, because even if the phone is operating in digital mode, the analog network will be used to improve the quality of the call, without any additional cost. This seems like a load of horse crap to me.. isn't the PCS network digital only? Wouldn't it have to use a competing analog network, like Bell Atlantic? I'm real skeptical.. I've heard of salespeople lying about coverage and features in order to make a sale. So, was this guy speaking the truth or lying through his teeth? Thanks

  • There is a risk of misunderstanding when it comes to Nokia phones in the US vs Europa. I don't understand, do the Jovian moons use a different type of signal? :)
  • Had my 5120 for a year. I'm still in love with it. Simple UI, not too tiny as to be uncomfortable to use, good signal quality, and nigh indestructable. Besides, the Wireless Web is a load of unusable crap anyway.
  • One unfortunate thing about that article is that it doesn't say where we can find documentation on George Carlo's findings. The article doesn't indicate what journal he's published his findings, and seems to suggest he hasn't published yet, rather that he's taken the issue directly the public. That tends to set off warning bells in my mind.

    I can accept that Carlo may feel a need to raise the alarm immediately, but I would feel better if I thought his conclusions had been peer reviewed. I'd be even happier if they'd been corroborated in a separate study.

  • Decide.com [decide.com] is pretty damn impressive, IMHO. I used them to validate that my choice, GTE, was the best in the area. The audio playback of particular services compared against each other at specific locations (find one near home, near work, and along the way) was a big win. I haven't taken the time to check the others, but I'll have try them out sometime soon.

    Their reviews of phones is pretty useful as well. Although I was convinced that the "Thin Phone" should be pretty awesome based on their reviews, I can't bring myself to ditch the StarTac I've had for the last year and a half after having actually tried it.

    $0.02
  • Anyone have 1st-hand experience with the situation in europe (GSM phones)? Are they really better, or is it more hype?

    I don't know about the whole Europe but the situation in Finland:
    #1. Buy a phone. Any phone.
    #2. Get a subscription. Any subscription.
    #3. Ask the staff to insert the SIM-card into the phone.
    #4. Wait 20 minutes for the activation.

    I.e. The phone and subscription are separated. It is illegal for the provider to subsidise the phone. Selling phones tied to only one operator is also illegal. Freedom Rules :) Also take into account that whole Europe uses same standard => You can use your phone in whole Europe + World (-Japan & America).

  • Actually... All hand-held (digital, analog, whatever) cellular phones are limited (in the US) by the FCC to 600mW of output, due to concerns over the potential for Bad Things to happen when a significant portion of the radiated energy passes directly through the user's head before it goes anywhere useful.

    The only way to get around this restriction is to use a genuine wired-in-place car phone, or a somewhat messy contraption which acts as a cradle for a handheld, and includes a 3 Watt amp (which is the maximum legal power).

    Besides, power has nothing to do with how good a 'digital' call sounds, but rather the CODECs used, how forgiving they are of errors in the bitstream, and the bitrate at which they operate (which is often dynamically adjusted depending on system load). Take a poor-sounding 600mW phone, and boost it to three Watts. It will continue to sound horrible.
  • I've been real happy with the sprint samsung3500 dual phone. sprint offers a $50/mo for 500 anytime free long dist. mins + 30 wireless web updates (yahoo email, weather, stock quotes, etc). I live in LA, and work along the coast in costa mesa/newport and so the service is great. dual band is nice, although analog is roaming at .40/min, the coverage is inclusive of almost anywhere in the us.

    nextel is another provider some friends of mine have been happy with...the i1000 and so on..

    ---
    Jedi-Bene Gesserit

  • I'm with you... I switched from BellAtlantic Mobile to SprintPCS due to BAM's poor customer service. The reps at the physical stores can't cancel service, and can't access records you have with the 1-800 customer service. At BAM stores, if you ask for a manager, they actually tell you to go home and call the 1-800 number. Not only SprintPCS customer service been great, but I bought a Samsung SCH-3500. I can check my Yahoo! mail, use the $99 Data connection kit and get a slow but reliable 14.4 connection to the net. BAM did have better local coverage in the Pittsburgh, PA area, but Sprint's coverage is definetly acceptable. I recently traveled from Pittsburgh to NY, NY. On the way, I found my phone was in full digital (non-roaming) service in areas that weren't even on Sprint's roaming map. And even people using AT&T and BAM have trouble on the PA Turnpike (the world's worst highway). Another unique Sprint concept is that you're not charged roaming as long as you're on their network - you're only charged long distance (unless you're on a Free & Clear plan as mentioned above). If you travel or need Wireless Web access, Sprint is the way to go.
  • The antenna is a little banged up, but it still works like a charm

    I've had Nokia phones since 1996, with a 21xx-series. The antenna broke (a major stress-point on a mobile), and my service provider allows a cheap upgrade every 12 months.

    So I bought a 61xx series phone. After a year or so, the antenna was so broken, the phone kept crashing from intermittent contact.

    Well, I've finally got my 7110 (you know.. the WAP one with the springloaded slider). Very nice -- software a bit crashy. However, the antenna's still the same design. I give it about four months before the antenna starts to crack. They're putting internal antennas on the 3210 and the new ruggedized 6250, but right now it's annoying.

    Other than that, Nokia thrash Motorola. I had a Motorola while I was waiting for the 7110, and I had real fun destroying it last night. =)

  • I wouldnt go for the Nokia 7110 unless you REALLY need WAP

    I recently got a 7110, and as long as you don't use WAP (it's crashy) and you've got a reasonably recent OS revision, it's fine... and a lot nicer than the 61xx range.

    Plus, the Matrix-style springloaded cover is cool. =)

  • <em>I think all Nokia's end in '0'</em><p>

    Nope.. the first 'base' phone in the range often has a '0'... most often "xx10", like the 6110, 5110, 7110, 8110, 2110, etc. The second digit starts as '1', but later phone ranges for the same market up that one (eg. 3110 was a consumer phone with no pro features, just like the 3210 is now).<p>

    Often the last two digits represent a variant for a different type of network (2148 being a GSM-1800 variant of the 2110) or a functional change in design (6250 is a ruggedized phone similar to the 6210)<p>

    <em>I would love to have one of those compact chrome phones</em><p>

    Incidentally, IIRC, the chrome on the 8810 phones acts as RF shielding for the head, while the back (unplated) radiates. Neat idea. Probably explains the signal issues though.
  • www.point.com
    www.decide.com
    www.myrateplan.com

    These ask you detailed questions about your intended use, then suggest the best rates in your area. I would try all of them, think about my actual/possible use, find a good plan, then look at the phones, and decide what you must have, and if that plan can provide it. I ended up with a Nokia 6161, which is a triple mode (both digitals and analog) with a long battery life, but also look at the nokia 6185 (also triple mode) which can attach with a special serial cable to your cpu/palm.
  • Just go for a phone with a long lasting LiOn or LiPol battery with good soundquality (you'd have to try that for real, mock-ups won't do ;-) and if you can with vibra-call.. And then just choose whatever phone goes with the best service..

    I bought a motorola cd930 (or the 920, the one without the flip anyway) a year ago.. At the time it came with incredibly cheap service, it has a great battery, EFR and vibra-call.. But I'm not entirely satisfied with the sound, the service's coverage, and the fact Motorola phones don't have the snake game on them ;-)
    --

  • I've had a nokia 5190 for about a year now and it's awesome. Definately go for a pcs or digital phone..analog is crap. The only place i couldn't get reception on pacbell pcs was underground in a concrete structure.
  • That's what I'm thinking..they haven't documented any side effects in humans..only rats..
    I'm thinking the effects of cell phones are probably the same as aspartane (spelling) aka nutrasweet in that it rots holes in your brain.
  • I really don't know whether GSM is really better than PCS. On the other hand, I have been using a 900 Mhz GSM for almost two years now and rarely get loss of coverage. Works fine in the subway as well and in most parking garages, as long as you are not more than one floor underground. My 1800 Mhz phone has a bit more coverage trouble, but generally speaking it is still far better than the horror story you are telling. Interoperability is never an issue, for a starter. In fact, it is not uncommon to buy a phone in a phone store and get a separate SIM from the mobile operator, although the vast majority of subscribtions are sold in a package deal.
  • Decide.com [decide.com]
  • I think he's referring to GSM digital pulses. Any GSM phone emits the same. You try to decide if you prefer 800 MHz radiation that penetrates the body further than 1900 MHz...and 800 MHz analog phones emit more wattage.

    Or get a headset and put the transmitter elsewhere.

  • I chose the Nokia 5190 due to the interfaces being understood [www.hut.fi] and the progress on a Linux interface [fatburen.org] (data calls now complete -- enough for TCP/IP). I would endorse it more strongly if Nokia was emitting more documentation.
  • First, worry about the service/carrier first. Talk to people, find some reviews for your geographic area on who has the best coverage and service, since this is FAR more important than the actual phone you use. (In NoVA/DC Metro area, I've always liked Bell Atlantic, but YMMV.)

    I've used the Nokia 630-series (older, kinda clunky, didn't care for the NiMH batteries), the Motorola i1000's with Nextel service (kinda spotty coverage, though the two-way radio thingy is neat, if your employer is willing to eat the bill), and the newer Nokia 5180 (cute, indestructable so far as I've seen, good battery life, fun to play with).


    ------------------
  • www.wirelessdimensions.com - compare up to 5 phones at a time, then quicklink to the ones that interest you. Also pretty detailed info on who your local providers are, and what specials they're offering.
  • Of course, there are epinions and deja .coms.

    Or you could save yourself the effort and just get a Mitsubishi G150 if you only need PCS, or a Nokia 6100 series if you need analog too.

    I have a G150 and it's a much better phone than the highly touted Nokia 2100 series, the Ericssons, and pretty much any other phone I've looked at. It has better reception than pretty much any PCS phone, and to me, that's the most important feature in a phone. The feature set isn't bad at all, but you can't play games or check your calendar on it like you can with the Nokia. :-) Which has terrible reception, by the way.

    Good luck with your search.
  • This [nokia.com] phone from Nokia is waterproof, shockproof and dustproof. I doubt you can beat it with any Motorola :-)

    No, I am not working for Nokia. Sorta.

  • Posted by Nr9:

    Nokia's the best. All the motorola phones ive seen are so unreliable. Star TAC especially sucks with a problem with the SIM card. Any star tac owner who's used it more than a month will know of the check card problems. Ive owned a nokia 5130 and have dropped the phone lots of times. its pretty reliable. i recently got a 7110 and its bestest. The games are good and the way the cover comes off is like mankit. I dont like long tunes but it might be useful because here in taiwan, almost everyone has a cell phone in public areas and its hard to see which phone is ringing. Nokia is best quality and also best style. the 88x0 series look very good.
  • Except for the fact that the nokia phones put out about 3 times the radiation of other phone and they direct the waves right at your brain instead of away.

    Reference?

    -Doug

  • Wrong. I've had a digital StarTAC for about a year now, and your post is the first time I've ever heard about the "check card problem." I have nothing but good things to say about this phone. Reception is excellent, voice quality is far superior to the Nokia's that several of my friends have. And the size is excellent. Folded up and clipped to my belt, it's actually smaller than the pager I used to have to carry. My friends with larger phones are constantly feeling the need to set them down, and consequently lose them from time to time. My phone never leaves my belt unless I'm talking on it.

    As far as durability, I've dropped this thing more times than I can count. Never a problem. Last summer I got careless and jumped into a lake with it clipped to my belt. I let it dry out overnight, and haven't had a problem since.

    Having said that, it's important to keep in mind that there are many different models of the StarTAC. Mine happens to be the 800(?) Mhz TDMA model. Other models may provide a completely different experience.
  • This is definitely true in my area. I haven't checked analog rates recently, but about a year ago when I upgraded from analog to digital I more than doubled my airtime and my monthly bill dropped by about $10.

    In addition, I got caller-id, voice-mail and several other goodies thrown in for free that aren't even available on analog (at least with my provider).

  • I understand your point, that a buyer needs to concentrate at the services in your area and not the actual phone.

    Well, that's a good point, but what do you do once you've already selected the provider? Just take any random phone the salesman happens to be trying to unload that day?

    Choice of service provider is very important, but now that I've made that choice, I for one would be very interested in reviews of the actual equipment since I'm planning to upgrade my phone again soon.

  • I have used half a dozen models of cellphones. My favourites are the Nokia 6162 [suncom.com] and the Sony D-Wave Zuma CM-Z100 [sony.com].

    Nokia 6162
    Excellent phone. Dual-mode TDMA and AMPS. (SunCom [suncom.com], perhaps the worst provider ever [waldo.net], tried to convince me that it was tri-mode: "PCS, TDMA, and cellular." No amount of arguing would convince them that there's no such thing as PCS.) It's small, durable, and easy-to-use. Good OS that's easy to hack. (Type in *3001#12345#). I abused it pretty badly, and it held up really nicely. It was a bit big for me, though most would consider it to be small. The battery life was really good, and I very seldom had trouble with low battery life. It holds 200 names and numbers, and the flip cover on the 6162 is really nice. (The junior versions, the 6160 and the 5160, are good, too. But the 6162 is worth it, just for the keypad cover.) It's got a million stupid rings and two vaguely reasonable ones. It's embarassing having other hear some of the lame little tunes that chirp out of this phone.

    Sony D-Wave Zuma
    I love this phone. It long held the title of Smallest CDMA Phone. (I think the Nokia 8860 [suncom.com] or the Motorola StarTac [suncom.com] gets that title now.) It's just right in size -- I can sit down with it in my jeans pocket, and not have to adjust my pants. The signal isn't as good as the Nokia, largely due to its smaller size. It's a single-mode phone, though having CDMA instead of TDMA is great. This holds 99 numbers, and spares you from the games and other weird shit in the Nokia. I'm won over by this phone's cuteness, unusual look, and solid OS. (The jog dial is great, too.) The only downside is that the mic arm tends to get wobby and need to be replaced every 6 months or so. Gotta love that warranty. It's got just a few rings that are perfect for reasonable human beings that aren't interested in hearing the 1812 Overture when somebody calls. For those of you that need AMPS and CDMA, give it a few weeks and the dual-mode Zuma [sony.com] will be released.

    You'd do well with either of these phones.

    -Waldo

  • try epinions.com they offer user-based opinions of a lot of products and services
  • I had a Nokia 6160 and now I have a Motorola
    StarTac Digital.

    Both good phones, but for different reasons.

    The Nokia has really good battery life, great features, was easy to use, and has good sound quality. However, it is sort of bulky (it doesn't fit into a pocket well) and lacks a vibrate feature so you can wear the thing in a meeting. This can be corrected by buying a battery with a vibrator in it, but still...

    I bought the StarTac because I wanted something smaller, and my brothers really love it. It's a good phone; and it can be easily tucked into a pocket. The battery life is pretty good (but not as good as the Nokia), and the vibrate feature is built in. However, this phone has less features that the Nokia. Ths sound quality is pretty good, but the phone is not as comfortable to hold. It also feels more flimsy.

    Both phones work on TDMA digital systems and do analog as well. Both cost about $200. Both have plenty of after-market "hands-free" kits, batteries, and other accessories. Get the Nokia if you want features and battery life, get the StarTac if you want to put it into a pocket.
  • Steve Punter [arcx.com] has a good site for Canadian cell users. Non-Canadians might want to have a look too since it has a great deal of information about different kinds of phones.

    What makes it a Canadian site is that he's ridden around on his bike and MAPPED all the cells in the Toronto area. He documents how to do this, so maybe someone in another city wants to copy the technique and map their area too :-)
  • Check out kmennie's opinions for the Canadian perspective, she wishes she never left Canada. :-)

    (She's pretty funny, too).

    D

    ----
  • It looks to me like this varies dramatically by geography. I know people who got and dumped Sprint PCS service because the quality was so crummy. They have the best advertising, but (as far as I can tell) the worst service.

    But it looks like this varies dramatically depending on where you live, so get a local recommendation. My guess is that their service is going to be worst in lage and expensive cities where ramping up service is pricy.

    I'm in Los Angeles, and here I would under no circumstances get Sprint PCS again - service was horrid.

    I have a Noika 6100 series flip phone and it's a very cool piece of technology. My AT&T service is pretty good, too, but like all cell phones I'm aware of, it's not perfect.

    D

    ----
  • In Japan you can program the ringer with the latest pop tunes. Pretty cool, but I think I would go insane if I heard Ricky Martin every time someone's phone rang.

  • It's got a tiny text window and a minimal set of features, but it's terminally cute and rugged as heck. I've splattered it across the pavement about 5 times by having it fall out of my pocket when I'm riding my bike... and no damage. I had to clean the battery contacts once. I will definitely buy one again - one that's even smaller (although the 768 is *still* one of the smallest after being out almost 2 years). I just which I could program it myself though, because I know I could do a better job. *sigh*. Will hardware makers ever get it? All they have to do is open the specs, and we'll make their phone twice as good as it already is.
  • Yeah, but you can get like an additional 200 minutes of nights/weekends for $9.95 or something, which about half price. you can buy as many 200 minute blocks as you need.

    Plus they got 1000 minute plan for $75 through to the middle of next month...

    Instead of looking at your nights and weekends being free, you have to look at what you are paying for that...break it down to a per-minute
    charge for the time your using, because just because you have unlimited nights/weekends, that doesn't mean that you're paying any less for them.

  • Which is a bunch of nonsense. Basically it all depends on the cell size. If you are in an urban area, say Western Europe people often won't notice that you are using a cellular phone instead of a analog fixed one. And that phone is operating at probably 0.5 Watt, because any more is a waste of power in microcells anyway.
  • I too have a Nokia 6150. It was a great phone when it came out, and had some really nifty features.

    I agree, some of the ring tones are quite long, and i guess were ONLY put in because of marketing reasons ("hey this phone has 26 ring tones"). Considering the UK mobile phone consumers seem to LOVE these sort of things, it does tend to get many sales.

    But lets look at the phone without any of the gimmicks. You still have a good phone that is rugged, has EXCELLENT call quality (using EFR, most poeple I call still cannot believe I am on a cell, rather than a fixed line). Also its menu system is rather sane, and logical.

    However, this phone is now quite old, and has been surpased by newer models

    Those wishing to buy a phone now should look instead at the 8250. The 8250 is the 6150 equivelent, with voice dialing, predictive text input (absolutely essential for people who use SMS a lot), and is small, with a hidden antenna.

    I wouldnt go for the Nokia 7110 unless you REALLY need WAP.

    I dont like Ericssons much, because their user interface are not that intiutive.

    Moterolas are known for their ruggedness.. however, thier phones are quite basic in features.

    Nokia is certainly the best provider of mobiles, and i used to work in a cellphone shop, and that is the comments from our customers too.

    my two cents.

  • I understand your point, that a buyer needs to concentrate at the services in your area and not the actual phone.

    But, I really feel the need to defend my Sprint PCS phone. I concede that they don't have a unlimited off-peak plan, almost. They do have an off-peak option that for $10 gives you 200 minutes for free and clear plans and 500 minutes for standard plans. While not optimal, remember that free and clear plans have free long distance, this is 5 cents/min long distance on a cell!

    Now, about using it... absolutely wonderful. Since most of my calls are long distance, free and clear is perfect. Their coverage area is most of the urban US. I'm covered in NJ where I live and work, NY when I have to go there, OH where my folks live, and most of the other places I find myself traveling. All for the same price. Does anyone else beat them in coverage area (without roaming fees)? If so, you might get me to switch.

    All of the extras are included, caller ID, voice mail, 3-way, call waiting, numeric paging. But these are a given when talking digital phones.

    Finally, my favorite part, no contracts! When they come up with better plans, you can switch. You have to buy the phone, but when their phones start at $100, this isn't too bad.

    So, yes it comes down to who you are and what is available in your area. For me, no contract was first and foremost, followed closely by coverage area and cheap long distance. Sprint PCS fits this bill nicely.

  • Try Deja [deja.com]
  • Go get yourself a Motorola whatever, from whatever service providers. Unlike the Nokia phones, these things really are indestructible.

    This is sort of true. I've had both Nokia and Motorola Phones. The first Nokia phone's display would keep fading out, even though the batteries were completely charged. If you smacked the phone against the palm of your hand it would come back for a while then fade away again.

    My second and third Nokia phones were rendered completely inoperable by simply falling out of my jacket onto the street when I got out of my car. All of these Nokias had that fancy padded leather case too.

    Once I dumped AT&T as a provider and went to Omnipoint, I got a cheap Motorola (g520) which has been indestructable. It doesn't have a leather case, and has survived a few really hard drops.

    One time I was carrying a bunch of things, and the phone slipped out of my hand. I used to play "Hackey-Sack" when I was a kid, and I tried to kick the phone back up and try to catch it. All I wound up doing was kicking the phone about 10 feet away onto a set of brick steps, and it bounced back down. It got scratched up pretty good, but it still works.

    A service provider is just as important as a phone too. I've used Sprint, AT&T (local NYC and One Rate), and Omnipoint.

    Hands down AT&T is the worst provider out there, I think about 2 out of 10 calls would go through in the NY Metro Area. I had their One Rate, as I travelled a lot, and most cities would have bad connects or no coverage at all. The only city I think AT&T worked well was Atlanta, where our Engineering HQ was who made the decision to go with AT&T. Whenever the Atlanta guys came up here they always bitched about AT&T not working.

    Sprint was pretty bad too, unless you were far away from New York, Jersey City, Newark, or another built-up area. The only place my Sprint phone seemed to work was at the shore :)

    Omnipoint so far has been great. I've had them since August, and use the phone a few times a day usually. I only had two bad connects, and one was during Hurricane Floyd, so that probably doesn't count. :)
  • I've been the happy user of a Nokia 6000 series for over 2 years now. The battery life is great (especially with the big battery), and the voice quality is ok. The problem with all these tiny digital phones is that they're not 3Watt phones.

    For those of you who have never had a 3W phone installed ina car with a great antenee, you don't know what you're missing. There's nothing clear about digital phones except the money it makes for the provider.

    I see comercials on TV using word like "Crystal Clear" and "Digital Clarity" and I just have to laugh. They all use less than 3W of power, and the quality suffers as a result.

    So get whatever phone you want, but take a trial period, carry it around for a week or 2 and make sure the coverage is good. As a previous poster said, it's all about coverage, if they ain't got it, you ain't dialin'.
    _______________

  • Er, no.

    I've been through three cell phones in the last year and the Motorola StarTAC was the worst. Hard to use, flimsy case, poor sound quality, shitty battery life, awfull.

    I got rid of it after 6 months. I now have an ericcsson. Much better. The Nokia was even better, with battery life of upto a week.

    Chris.
  • Actually, it only costs more if you go with a local plan. As to Motorola signal receiving, and dual-mode phones, the newer ones actually choose the strongest signal strength, regardless of whether it's analog or digital, providing the person with the clearest call support for that particular area. And while analog signals do use up more battery life, isn't that an argument to get a phone that supports digital signals, and EXTEND your battery life?

    My key consideration in picking my cellphone, after having used several brand of cellphones (Nokia, Ericsson, Motorola), was the ability of the phone to pick up a usuable signal in different areas. Of all the phones I've tried, the BEST one at doing this was the Motorola StarTac Digital (model 7797 - AT&T's version). While the Nokia 6100 series (with extra life vibrating battery) does have the longest battery life of all the dual mode phones I've used, the signal pickup isn't as good as the StarTac Digital.

    I researched cellphones for a year and a half before I bought my first one (Nokia 6160), and it was great for what I wanted to do then.... The main question you have to ask yourself is how you're going to use the phone - are you going to want to use it outside your area/for calling outside your area? Different providers use different phones - not all have the phone you may want. And depending on what kind of coverage you want (local vs. larger area), you'll need to pick a certain kind of provider (local vs. large area).

    IMHO (assuming you live in the US), if Sprint covers the areas you want covered, then I'd do their $50/500 minutes package, and just be happy with that. You can go most places in the US, and use the phone w/out roaming charges, as well as call long distance on it. I chose AT&T because they're the only large-area provider that covers my hometown digitally (in NY), and they have the largest coverage (analog + digital) of all the providers.

    Twykr -The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese!
  • I recommend Steve Romaine's cellular information site [geckobeach.com]. If you're Canadian, this is really all you need to know. A lot of the discussion of plans will be immaterial for yanks, but he also has detailed reviews of the various handsets. I found this really helpful. -Tim

  • My father bought a cell phone recently for his trip to LA. My father isn't a Luddite, but he's not technologically crazy; he prefers writing on yellow legal pads to Word (but can you blame him?) and his laptop still runs Win 3.1. So when he bought a cell phone, he wanted it as simple as possible.

    And the damn thing still has Internet access.

    Expect to have trouble going for "simple" when you buy a cell phone. They're getting to be like computers these days: if you buy them from an outlet or company, they tend to be loaded with stuff you don't want.

    But if you can just grab a soldering iron, you can fix it up before you can say "Netpliance".


    ------------
  • This has got to be a troll.

    Would a motorola with it's flip and antenna hanging off it (moving parts) really do better than an all in one "chunky" nokia? (no/fewer moving parts)

    For the record, my nokia 5190 fell out of my shirt pocket (I'm 6'3", so that's a fair height) on to the pavement, where it was promptly run over by the pedal-cab (with three people in it) I was jogging in front of. It survived with only scratches to my Ginger & Sporty stickers :)

    As others have said, the phone is your last concern, check out the service first.

    good luck.

  • I paid $14.95 for unlimited nights and weekends and used up approximately 2000 minutes of offpeak minutes. This is way cheaper than $10.00 for a 200 minute block.
  • Being a Nokia phone owner, I've noticed they have a zillion different models for each series.

    Sometimes the same series of phones has different features. The 6185 has a built-in vibrator; the 6190 requires a battery with a vibrator.

    The first digit is the series number; the third digit usually indicates the technology:
    xx1x GSM 900/1800 (europe)
    xx2x TDMA 800
    xx3x GSM 900/1800 (europe)
    xx5x GSM 900/1800 (europe)
    xx6x TDMA 800/1900
    xx7x CDMA 1900
    xx8x CDMA 800/1900
    xx9x GSM 1900

    2160, 2170, 2180, 2190
    5110+, 5120, 5130+, 5160, 5170, 5180**, 5190
    6110+, 6120, 6150+, 6160, 6161, 6162, 6185, 6188*, 6190

    * = Canada only, + = European, **5180= CDMA 800 only

    Two great sites are Steve Punter's [arcx.com] PCS guide (lots of Canadian info) and Steve Romaine's [geckobeach.com] west coast site (also has Canada-specific info). Even if you're not Canadian, there's tons of info on various phones and technologies.

  • and don't get a single ban phone :)
  • I'm one of the unfortunate ones that has to deal with tech support with cell phones...here's what phones I recommend, etc..Analog Motorola- Motorola phones (excluding the startac) seem to be able to take alot of abuse...although face it...they just aren't all that cool... The Analog Startacs (the 3000 at least) seem to have signal issues.... Nokia - 252, 918 - good all around phones..stay away from 638s.. Stay away from Ericssons..Pansonics, Necs..etc (luckly most, aside from Ericsson, have gone out of the cell business) Tdma, Pcs- Nokia 5100/6100 series are good all around phones....with decent features...stay away from the 8860(at&t), it looks bad ass, but seems to have poor reception. The qualcomm 860-890 seems to be a good all around phone. Cdma- The new Samsung 850 is great and packed with features...battery life sucks on it though... Don't bother with the Samsung 211, you can get a smaller 411 for the same price...these have the same features. Startac 7760- Good Cdma phone...easy to break... really easy to ruin the antenna on this phone.. Audiovox 4000s and up seem to be pretty durable, and look pretty damn cool... Stay away from qualcomm 820's...the jack on the bottom of the phone for charging is very prone to breaking... Have fun choosing... but do yourself a favor..stay away from ericsson some fun- some codes to get into cell phones programming moto- fcn 0(x13) rcl..use the * to scroll.. nokia..252 and up... *#639# ericsson.. 987 menu menu or fcn fcn..the # to scroll.. Audiovox... lock code + function the #1 or #81... fnc #941273#..send to scroll... or 289 fcn#1.. Have fun...

  • Re:Anything except nokia... blech (Score:3)

    by Doug McNaught ( 668 ) on Sunday March 26, 2000 @08:37AM (#1170056)
    gotta love phones that sell based on pretty colours and inline games.... talk about quality

    Have to disagree. I have a Nokia 6150 and the damn thing's practically indestructible (and I'm hard on phones), has a great UI, and excellent reception and sound quality (depending on cell of course). Plus I love the way the keypad feels--really positive and firm.

    plus there is the added bonus of 40 second long tunes for the phone rings... i hate hearing those god-damned rings

    They are annoying, but blame the user for picking the annoying ring--the phone has several subtle ones (or you can buy the vibrating battery).

    I've owned Ericsson, Motorola and Nokia phones and Nokia is by far my favorite.

    -Doug

  • Coverage is more important (Score:3)

    by brassrat77 ( 9533 ) on Sunday March 26, 2000 @08:49AM (#1170057)
    (OK, swallow coffee and try again...)

    IMHO, *all* the cell phone services fail to provide useful maps of usable coverage or realistic measures of what performance to expect.

    I have AT&T's Digital One Rate and a Nokkia 6160 phone. Nice phone, more features than I can keep in my head, and the service has interesting quirks.

    • Paging, voice mail alerts only work when you are actually in AT&T's network and not in digital "extended area" coverage.
    • The system will try to stay on the AT&T network even if it means an unusable signal level vs. full-strength from the "extended network"
    • The gross-coverage maps ignore significant drop out areas -like my subdivision. I couldn't activate the phone from home, had to do it from work. And until a month or so ago, getting incoming calls or a dial tone from anywhere near my house was difficult at best. And we are not in RF-hostile terrain .
    • Interoperability between digital phone networks is poor. Such as dialing procedures.
    • Meaningful comparisons between providers is impossible. Ideally, I'd like to be able to use phones from, say, AT&T, Bell Atlantic, CellularOne, Sprint, and Nextel for a week and see which work best for me. Good luck finding a dealer who will do that. Which ignores what service I'll get on the road.
    • I use AT&T as the example becuase that's what I have. Neighbors on Bell Atlantic, Cellular One, have similar problems. (I don't know anyone on Sprint or Nextel so I can't comment on them).

    A few other points to remember:
    • You're not buying a phone, you are buying a service (with a 12 or 24 month contract) and the phone comes with it. The performance and "features" of the service are far more important than those of the phone itself.
    • Remember that a cell phone is really a radio transmitter/receiver, subject to all the radio propagation effects at GHz-range frequencies. Sometimes it is amazing they work at all!
    • Accessories are important - spare batteries, chargers, a headset for hands-free use. Maybe even a way to sync the phone's built-in directory with a PDA or contact manager database.

    Anyone have 1st-hand experience with the situation in europe (GSM phones)? Are they really better, or is it more hype?

  • Re:epinions.com (Score:3)

    by daviddennis ( 10926 ) <david@amazing.com> on Sunday March 26, 2000 @10:35AM (#1170058) Homepage
    I second this recommendation - Epinions is really a fantastic service, very nicely done. Nowadays, when I want to express myself about stuff, I write epinions instead of adding to my web page - they pay you for it (albiet minimalistically, but that's more the fault of the economics of the web than anything else), and the format is pretty cool.

    D

    ----

  • letstalk.com (Score:3)

    by Jburkholder ( 28127 ) on Sunday March 26, 2000 @09:21AM (#1170059)
    Try letstalk.com [letstalk.com]

    The phone itself is secondary to the service provider, though. A lot depends on how you plan to use the phone. There are 850Mhz cell providers like your Cell One's and Baby Bell's that offer either TDMA or CDMA digital in addition to AMPS Analog. The call quality of these technologies is inferior in my opinion to 1900 MHZ PCS service. Depending on where you live, you might have a choice of different providers using different technology. The difference will be one of national coverage. If you don't "roam" outside your local area, then just go with whoever has the best local coverage, rates and phones. If you plan on using the phone in other cities, you want to make sure your provider has coverage agreements. AT&T wireless has a pretty well-established national coverage, they sell phones that operate on 1900Mhz IS-136 air interface, plus they have multi-mode capability so they can step down to 850 Mhz TDMA or even AMPS if you roam in a city that doesn't have decent PCS coverage.

  • It was already said, but it bears repeating: (Score:3)

    by nslookup ( 71755 ) on Sunday March 26, 2000 @08:39AM (#1170060)

    Look at this site. It is possibly the best out there.

    http://www.point.com

  • Comparison websites (Score:3)

    by hariya ( 88607 ) on Sunday March 26, 2000 @08:46AM (#1170061)

    I like point.com [point.com] fot comparison shopping cellphones. They let you pick the phone and the service providers or choose a service provider and then a suitable phone. I also go a real neat discount around Xmas. As for phones, my personal favorite is the Samsung SCH-3500. Net capable (SPRINT) and voice commands.

    You can also check out simplexity.com [simplemobile.com]. I tried the web site when it used to be talkingonair.com [talkingonair.com]. Also check out CNETs gadget section for comparison shopping.

    Now git and don't complain about the lack of options.

  • How bout this! (Score:4)

    by DJStealth ( 103231 ) on Sunday March 26, 2000 @08:29AM (#1170062)
    Well, I happened to come accross this site, which lists a bunch of codes for 'hidden' features of a variety of cell phones including ericcson, motorola, nokia, sony, samsung, etc.

    http://www.commservice.net/ItalianBadBoys/Cellul arT&T.htm

  • Cell Phone Reviews Fine but.. (Score:4)

    by Carnage4Life ( 106069 ) on Sunday March 26, 2000 @08:37AM (#1170063) Homepage Journal
    It's more important to find a review of cell phone services or at least get a good opinion of the service providers in your area before getting a phone. For instance, my girlfriend got one of those cool Sprint PCS phones with internet browsing capability and I was smitten and decided to go get myself one. On arriving at Best Buy the Sprint attendant informed me that they had no unlimited nights & weekends plan which my current provider Bellsouth provides. Considering that I average about 3000 minutes a month on my current Nokia 5100 phone (which was cool 1 year ago but seems so clunky and sucky now) it would have been a financial nightmare for me to switch to a cooler phone with Sprint without my unlimited nights and weekend plan as a financial cushion. Secondly I also didn't go with Sprint after fining out that complaints about it's service had a category in Yahoo! [yahoo.com]

    PS: Try Phone Choice [phonechoice.com.au] or Mobile World [mobileworld.org] for phone reviews.
  • You didn't say much about what you DID want in a cell phone, but from your posting it sounds like you don't want too many features, just a basic phone.

    Go get yourself a Motorola whatever, from whatever service providers. Unlike the Nokia phones, these things really are indestructible. To prove the point, I threw mine out my car window while cruising around town. Unfortunately, my timing was off, and it almost went down a sewer drain. I saw the drain and I was really worried it would fall in! But I wasn't worried at all about whether the phone would work. I went back to get it, and of course it still worked perfectly.

    I contrast this to the typical Nokia phone. Sometimes I go out on Friday nights and get into cell-phone-smashing contests with drunk people. I throw my Motorola down on the sidewalk, and I challenge them to do the same with their whatever they have. One guy's Nokia phone didn't survive the encounter. He said it's the fourth time he had to replace it. I've caused quite a few drunks to break their cell phones this way... and the Motorola is still going, even after hitting the pavement dozens of times.
    ---

  • Re:Anything except nokia... blech (Score:4)

    by h_jurvanen ( 161929 ) on Sunday March 26, 2000 @09:08AM (#1170065)
    gotta love phones that sell based on pretty colours and inline games.... talk about quality. plus there is the added bonus of 40 second long tunes for the phone rings... i hate hearing those god-damned rings

    There's a reason why Nokia phones have so many ring tones. Here in Finland, home of Nokia's HQ and where there are more cell phones than land lines, each phone needs to be distinctive as possible so that when someone's phone rings on the subway, not everyone will reach for their phone all at once. The newer Nokia phones even allow you to build your own arbitrary ring tone, but I don't know if such phones are available yet in the US.

    Plus, the games are great for running down the battery when you need to give the battery its occasional "deep recharge" or whatever it's called.

    Herbie J.

  • Here's how to get cell-phone recommendations: (Score:5)

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday March 26, 2000 @08:38AM (#1170066)

    Three easy steps:
    1. Stop at a red light and start yapping on your fucking cell phone;
    2. When the light turns green, ignore it and continue yapping on your fucking cell phone;
    3. Hang up when the light turns red again.

    This proceedure is guaranteed to get you a number of very strong and detailed recommendations about what to do with your fucking cell phone. Some helpful motorists may even be kind enough to help you implement some of these recommendations (which leads to Step 4, wherein you will say to the ER surgeon "I swear to God, doctor, that's really how it got in there!).

  • Each Vendor makes good ones and bad ones (Score:5)

    by labiche ( 78314 ) on Sunday March 26, 2000 @09:29AM (#1170067)
    Try Deja.com [deja.com], Usenet alt.cellular, alt.cellular.*
    There are alot of people selling/repairing mobile phones discussing things in the alt.cellular.tech newsgroups(it's also a good place to ask questions)

    I've been in the mobile phone R&D business for over 4 years now. I've learned that you can't just rely on the brand name of any one individual manufacturer to help you make a good choice. These are tricky devices to make and one model by one manufacturer may be Excellent while another really sucks.

    There are also Software Recalls and Just plain bad hardware. Anytime cheaper phones are built the cost savings can come from economizing on various critical parts(like say in the RF area) that will cause the platform to underperform(ok just plain suck).

    Whatever phone you buy here's a few things I feel are important.

    ---- Digital is a must, longer battery life
    - Coverage may be an issue depending on the network tech. you choose(CDMA,TDMA,GSM,AMPS....)

    ---- RF Performance
    - it it can't acquire the network and stay on it this handset is not for you.
    - Some models perform much better in fringe coverage areas than others. so check out the coverage plans for the service provider you will sign up with.

    ---- Audio Quality
    - hey its a phone. If we can't hear each other why are we talking.
    ---- Accessory availability
    - Car Power Adapter
    - Data Connectors - if you wish to use a Laptop or PDA with it(InfraRed or Serial)
    - Headset/Carkit - I like the portable headsets. ("mic on a rope")

    ---- Nice display
    - nice font size which is quickly read
    - something readable in the dark

    ----- Good Keypad
    - size - good for your fingers
    - Tactile feedback - responds well to your touch
    - layout - some of these suck when you try to use them for basic functions

    ------ Form factor/Manufacturing Quality
    - if it doesn't feel good in your hand keep looking.
    - Materials Quality, if if feels cheap it probably is and will break easily. It will be dropped.
    - Balance, don't want it to feel like it will fall out of your hand when pressing keys(especially if using SMS or browser services)

    Just a small list of things to look for when browsing peoples opinions.
    BTW, Don't forget to check up on software updates for your handset. There will usually be one or two additional software releases once a particular model is put on the market.

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