[Zoom]

The marketing and technology around cell phones seems to change monthly and trying to figure out the "best deal" (tm) is a real pain. I'm looking for advice on strategies for buying a cell phone in today's market.

I figure there must be some web sites out there to help with this, but I also figure many of them are biased or just plain crappy, and it's not always easy to tell just by looking.

So, if you were in the market for a new cell phone today, how would you go about...

(a) identifying the phones that meet your needs
(b) evaluating those phones (without actually buying and trying them all)
(c) choosing a provider
(d) finding the best overall deal

The task just seems too daunting. There are dozens of phones to choose from and new ones hit the market every day, most phones are still tied to specific providers, providers have multiple rate plans with dubious claims of "free" this and that, every service claims a certain coverage area that never matches reality, there are dozens of resellers on the web with wacky deals, rate plans and rebate offers from the providers seem to change monthly... I just don't know where to begin - and I doubt I'm alone.

So, I'm looking for some insight from people who have recently purchased a new cell phone and actually spent some time on it.

For what it's worth, here are my personal priorities:

- reception: nothing matters if I can't use it
- size: I like small phones
- form factor: clam shell (with external caller ID)
- features: decent address book, would love Bluetooth & iSync support

But honestly I'm looking for more general information.

[Weezer]

I use Sprint and have had no problems, although some people claim they are the devil. Some things that I really like are that my free nights start at 7 PM instead of 9 PM, which is really nice. I also get unlimited PCS to PCS calling, so I can talk as long as I want to anyone else on sprint. I also really like my phone, Sanyo RL 2500, color screen clamshell. I had a Samsung but it can't compare to the Sanyo. There currently is only one bluetooth phone with sprint though, and you have to call them directly in order to get it.

[ort888]

Don't go for anything other then a one year deal. The two year deals will screw you. Who knows what the market will be like in two years. Don't get stuck with a bad deal.

[Randman]

The best way is to take a flight out of the US and head to Asia or Europe, since phones in the US are (almost) all cookie-cutter flips with limited offerings. And I'm American, in case someone thinks I'm a anti-Yank phone troll.

[Zoom]

Honestly, all I want is a small flip phone with external caller ID, a nice keypad, a color screen, and good reception in my area. I don't need bells and whistles like a camera, games, MP3 player, etc. Bluetooth and iSync support would be great, but I haven't found anything that meets all my criteria (that's actually sold in the US, anyway). I think I'll give up on that for now and see what's out next year.

A friend of mine had a nice little Samsung from Cingular... don't know the model number, but it was just about perfect. Very small. No BT, though.

The Sony-Ericsson Z600 looks nice, but I don't think those are sold here in the US. (Yeah, I could pay full price and then some for an "unlocked" phone, but I don't want it that badly.)

I just was hoping there was a cool web site that was on top of all this stuff or maybe there was someone reading this that was actually in the industry and could give me some inside info on how to find a good deal on a good cell phone.

[southtdi]

The Z600 is sold in the US but it is a full price phone. Most GSM phones are. There are quit a few companies online that sell them here in the US with no difficulties.

That is another thing you need to look at and decide if it is important to you. The type of network. I prefer GSM over CDMA since it is a world network and I can buy a GSM unlocked phone and just switch over by putting in my chip. With CDMA you usually don't get that. You have to have the phone branded to that particulat newtork which most phones companies will not do.

Another thing is are you wanting to pay for high speed data access through the phone? It can get expensive then you need to find a phone that can do that. At this point it is way expensive for me to care about and a phone like the Z600 is fine. I actually prefer the looks of the Z500 over it but SE seems to gave no pland at this time releasing it with BT.

Just to throw it out there, another phone to look at, if you decide on GSM, is the Motorola V600. Know several people with them and they seem to really like it.

[Zoom]

Thanks for the tips. I haven't seen a Z600 in person, but I'd like to. I don't follow the reasoning on the "full price" stuff, though. Many companies are selling GSM phones and giving the usual discounts with service contracts. Why not the Z600? I haven't seen it sold here anywhere - what service sells it?

I want GSM, but I don't travel the world enough for it to matter. What are the roaming fees like internationally?? Can't be good.

I don't really like Motorola phones or the Microsoft OS. My officemate has an MPX200 and while it looks nice, the reception sucks (compared to a SE T616 his wife has) and the phone actually locks up and requires a reboot from time to time. (Gotta love M$). Plus, the V600 is big.

I really like the Samsung flip phones, like the SGH-s307. For some stupid reason, Cingular doesn't seem to be offering that phone in my area. Why would that be? They have GSM service here!

I've been doing some searching, and there are lots of mobile phone web sites. I'll just have to slog through them all and see if I can find a good one.

[Weezer]

Originally posted by Zoom:
Honestly, all I want is a small flip phone with external caller ID, a nice keypad, a color screen, and good reception in my area. I don't need bells and whistles like a camera, games, MP3 player, etc.

Sounds like my phone:

http://csb.sprint.com/servlet/Catalo...duct=770010286

[filmmaker2002]

I have a Z600...kicks ass. Here's what I would do. Go to amazon.com and get a Sony Ericsson T610 for -$150...that's right, they pay you $150 to get the phone with a one-year service from T-Mobile. I have T-Mobile and for $40 a month I get unlimited data access for internet on my Powerbook, 600 anytime minutes, and unlimited nights and weekends, and no long distance or roaming charges. Use the T610 for 90 days, get it unlocked for free from T-Mobile, sell it for around $150, take that and the $150 you got from the rebates, and buy a nice shiny new Z600. There ya go...

[Zoom]

Originally posted by filmmaker2002:
I have a Z600...kicks ass. Here's what I would do. Go to amazon.com and get a Sony Ericsson T610 for -$150...that's right, they pay you $150 to get the phone with a one-year service from T-Mobile. I have T-Mobile and for $40 a month I get unlimited data access for internet on my Powerbook, 600 anytime minutes, and unlimited nights and weekends, and no long distance or roaming charges. Use the T610 for 90 days, get it unlocked for free from T-Mobile, sell it for around $150, take that and the $150 you got from the rebates, and buy a nice shiny new Z600. There ya go...

Wow. Interesting plan. What's the bit about unlocking it after 90 days about?

I'm in Raleigh, NC. I'm not even sure T-Mobile offers service here. If they do, it can't be too good. I don't personally know anyone with that service here.

How come no service providers are selling the z600??

And as for Sprint - their service sucks here. I had it and switched after my contract was up. Many of my coworkers have it, and they can't get calls in the building at all. Voicemail indications often come hours or days after the message is left. It's horrible here.

Thanks for the advice, though, really - keep it coming. I actually think the T-Mobile plan might work, except with another service provider like AT&T or Cingular, except maybe that I don't think Amazon deals with them.... anyone else offer the ridiculous cash back thing? I've seen that on Amazon many times.

[Krusty]

Originally posted by Zoom:
Wow. Interesting plan. What's the bit about unlocking it after 90 days about?

I'm in Raleigh, NC. I'm not even sure T-Mobile offers service here. If they do, it can't be too good. I don't personally know anyone with that service here.

Just FYI, I was up in Durham last weekend and met up with a buddy of mine who was out from California. He has T-Mobile in Cali but had to connect to Cingular while he was in the triangle. In other words, apparently T-Mobile doesn't officially exist there and just has an agreement so that its users can "piggy-back" on Cingular's network when they are in that area.

BTW, just find the type of network your favorite provider is on. If it is GSM, you can go buy a large variety of "unlocked" phones online .. just pop in your SIM and you're in business. For a long time a used an "Europe only" Ericsson phone that way. No problems.

[TheMosco]

Because that phone doesn't use the 850 band which rules out Cingular and ATT. That leaves T-Mobile as the only other major GSM carrier that can carry it. Alot of people talk about how good GSM is because you can buy any phone you want. Thats not true. T-Mobile is the only carrier in the US that you can use any GSM phone with effectively. Currently, phones like that can be used in certian ATT/Cingular markets but I am not sure how long that will last if the merger goes through. They might move control channels to 850 and the call channels to 1900 which would make a 1900 phone useless. And for a majority of people, T-Mobile is useless because of the lack of coverage in their area.

So why you ask does t-mobile not carry it? Who really knows.. They are just now getting the Moto V600 the 26th of this month.

If I were you, I would not listen to anyone one of these people, simply because you can't. None of these people live in your house. None of these people go to the places you go. These are places where you want your phone to work.

If I were you I would sign up for the trials. Most should atleast offer 14 day trial period where you can try out their service. Its going to cost you alot since you have to pay those activation fees, but atleast then you wont be a stuck in a 1 year contract with sub-par service. If you don't want to go this route, ask your friends how they like it.

[Link]

Friends don't let friends get Sprint. I really don't care about the good reviews because I've seen thousands of bad reviews, just don't get caught up in a contract with them.

FWIW, you can get some damn good deals on amazon, including on the V600 phone

[Timo]

Originally posted by Zoom:


(a) identifying the phones that meet your needs
(b) evaluating those phones (without actually buying and trying them all)
(c) choosing a provider
(d) finding the best overall deal

This is what I did:
(a) I used iSync's list of compatable phones
(b) I read up on possible candidates at www.howardforums.com, http://www.mobiletracker.net/ , http://www.phonescoop.com/ , and http://www.infosyncworld.com/
(c) with phone picked, I looked at how coverage/price/features stacked up
(d) I got my phone where it was actually in stock (also, check amazon)

A little work, sure, but not so hard.

[tekno_geek911]

Originally posted by Link:
Friends don't let friends get Sprint. I really don't care about the good reviews because I've seen thousands of bad reviews, just don't get caught up in a contract with them.

FWIW, you can get some damn good deals on amazon, including on the V600 phone

I agree completely...I hate Sprint!

Go with T-Mobile and a T610 or Z600.

[filmmaker2002]

Actually, I just remember my girlfriend is selling her UNLOCKED T610 for around $150 shipped. Let me know if you're interested. email me at filmmaker2002@mac.com

[ajprice]

(a) identifying the phones that meet your needs
Get a magazine or phone shop brochure, look through it and see what you like for the price you want to pay, be careful, in the UK anyway, they will advertise phones as free, if its a high end phone, like a Vodafone GX-30 or Nokia 7610, it is possible to get it free, but only on a £50+ a month contract. Make yourself a shortlist.

(b) evaluating those phones (without actually buying and trying them all)
Go to a phone shop, where they have dummy handsets on display for you to fiddle with. Have a look at the phones in your list, see which ones you like, a lot of this is personal preference. The Z600 was mentioned above, to me, that seems like a fairly big phone.

(c) choosing a provider
Look up the contract listings in the back of the magazine, brochure, compare call costs between networks. If you know a lot of people on T-Mobile, say, it might be cheaper to go with that and not pay higher cross network call charges all the time.

(d) finding the best overall deal
The internet is your friend. Look up the phone in the brochure or catalogue, this is the maximum price you want to pay, the shop is ripping you off, and the big store websites probably are too. Myself, I'm looking for a 3g phone, the only 3 network in the UK at the moment is 3 at www.three.co.uk, their contract for 500 minutes is £25, I have found 2 sites so far that offer the phone I want (Nokia 7600 or LG 8110) half price over a 12 months, and 3 months free for a £10 a month extras pack. If I pay full price, I'd be getting the phone and extras for £420 over the year. From these sites, I'd pay £240 over the year. I've just saved myself £180 by a bit of looking around and a bit of net time.

[Powaqqatsi]

If you want a small phone then don't get an Ericcson Z600.

Sjeez, the mobile phone market in the US really sucks. All this talk about having to buy phones that come with your carrier and the hopeless incompatible stuff like CDMA and 850 networks.

Why would you want flip-phone ? They offer nothing more and are fatter most of the time (especially the Sony Ericsson's)

[Zoom]

Originally posted by Powaqqatsi:
Why would you want flip-phone ? They offer nothing more and are fatter most of the time

They're not always fatter, but usually. My main complaint is that the buttons and screen are always exposed on a candy bar style phone. You have to lock/unlock the keys all the time (major pain in the ass) and you have to buy a holder to protect the screen, which makes it bulkier and less attractive.

The flip phones tend to have larger key pads, too - the design pretty much dictates that it be 50% of the total (opened) height. And because it opens up, the effective "human interface" area doubles (though flip phones are usually shorter than candy bars). Most new candy bar phones try to maximize the screen size and the keypads only use maybe 30% of the available space, which really cramps the keys.

I also like the way the "V" shape fits your face, and the overall length is better so that the mouth piece is closer to your mouth. I realize it's not technically necessary, but it just feels more like a conventional phone.

I didn't use to like flip phones because you had to open them to see the caller ID. Most clam shells have a small external display now.