So I'm Looking To Get A Cell Phone . . .

moultano · August 2004

<div class="IPBDescription">. . . and I don't know where to begin</div> I'm heading back to college in a week and I've decided I needed to get a cell phone for this year. I'm going to have more time since I'm taking slightly easier classes, and I'm intending on being more social and keeping in contact more effectively with my friends here at home.

That said, I know absolutely nothing about cell phones. What should I look for/watch out for? How can I investigate the quality of coverage in the areas I'm going to be in primarily? (Cincinnati and Pittsburgh) Does it really make a difference what carrier I go with? I would imagine that most of the information I need is somewhere online, but I don't really know where to begin. If anyone can give me advice or direct me to a good source of information, it'd be a big help.

RandomEngy · August 2004

I kind of need one too. But I only would use it like 5 minutes per month, so the $30 per month plans don't sound to thrilling to me. Is there a way to just buy the phone then get charged per minute?

im_lost · August 2004

There are some "pay as you go" plans out there, though I can't think of any off the top of my head. As far as knowing the quality of coverage, you aren't going to get that information from cell phone companies. You can probably find a map on their web site of areas that they claim to have coverage in. However, the actual signal strength will depend on your proximity to a cell tower, along with a hundred other things.

As far as finding an actual plan goes, I don't have much advice for that.

RPG_Jssmfulhud · August 2004

There are many different phones and many different plans, which you can buy.

The most popular, with the teenage groups, are the pre-paid plans, where you buy a card for your phone (the cards cost the amount you want to buy), then you enter the code into the phone (which is sent to the service) and the amount is added to your account.

The other much more useful plan (at least to me) is to get a pay-as-you-go. This means you have a monthly subscription fee (not all of them) and you pay as much as you talk and send SMS (or use WAP and so on).

As for which phone to chose, there's a huge pool of phones, which go from the very very cheap, ugly and sucky, to the high priced ones with built in cameras, GPRS support, video talks, etc...

I suggest you go to your local services and get some catalogs of phones and plans. (They usually also sell plans+phones, which is sometimes a better choice, depending on the plan you're going to buy). Take your time and examine, what you actually need.

Every phone will support talking and usage of SMS (short messages), but only the newer and costier ones (with the more advanced plans, of course) will support MMS (picture and video SMSs), WAP (although it's pretty widely spread already), GPRS and so on.

Hope this helps a little... <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/smile-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile-fix.gif' />

EDIT: By the way, I'm telling you this from <i>my</i> experience over here. It may be a bit different in your country.

RandomEngy · August 2004

At the Verizon station I went to, the only thing they were offering was the $30-per-month-and-we-give-you-a-phone deal.

RPG_Jssmfulhud · August 2004

</div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (RandomEngy @ Aug 21 2004, 11:26 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> At the Verizon station I went to, the only thing they were offering was the $30-per-month-and-we-give-you-a-phone deal. </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'>
If that's 30 US dollars + call charges, then it's a total ripoff.

DOOManiac · August 2004

Depending on how "l33t h4dc0r3" you are and also depending on your funds available, you might want to purchase a phone w/ Windows Mobile on it. Its exactly what it sounds like: a phone running a specialized version of Windows. There's medial payer to play music and video and internet explorer for browsing the interweb on your phone.

Of course the real magic is that Microsoft put out an SDK for the phones and there are many, many programs you can download and put on the phone (through a USB cable you hook up to your pc, comes w/ the phone)! Tons of stuff. DiVx and MPEG players, games (DOOM engine has been ported to the phone and runs great, they're working on Quake 1 too), and if you're a classic gaming fan, an array of emulators from Atari2600 to SNES (though it takes a pretty powerful phone to run the SNES emulator. Mine barely handles it so only slower paced games like final fantasy are playable).

<img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/uploads//post-10-1072322593.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' />

One word of warning though: If you do decide to get a SmartPhone, check them out w/ reviews and such first and pick one with a long battery life! After owning my Motorola MPx200 for 8 months it can now only keep the battery charged for a day and a half before dying, which is pretty stupid considering that I don't even make that many calls...

taboofires · August 2004

For anyone who wants just an emergency phone, I pay like $11 every 3 months with my AT&T prepaid. There are some reasonable startup costs, but after that it's dirt cheap.

I don't get a lot of minutes, but plenty more than I need to call for a ride or something. You're just out of luck if you want to make lots of long distance calls, or talk for hours.

CommunistWithAGun · August 2004

Doom's phone is why people get killed with cell phones while driving <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif' />

Spooge · August 2004

I was pushed into the cellphone world a few months ago by the GF so maybe I can help. Here's a few things I found out:

1. Specific phone models work for specific carriers. Each carrier offers models from most if not all brands of phone makers, but the models are generally carrier specfic.
2. Cool phones are expensive (relatively speaking). I didn't plan to use my phone much other than receiving calls from the GF. I went in thinking I'd just get a plain Jane open faced cheapo phone and walked out with a flip phone that cost 3 times as much. But, I'll admit it has come in handy when trying to coordinate with family and friends when I'm not at home. It also doubles as a watch.
3. Don't get talked into a plan you don't need. If the prepaid system works for you, use it. If you think you'll be making 3 hour long distance sessions with some far off love slave, plan accordingly.
4. Check websites or ask local dealers about their coverage area.

Here's a list of some.

<a href='http://www.alltel.com/' target='_blank'>Alltel</a>
<a href='http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/index.jsp' target='_blank'>Verizon</a> (I use this and have no problems)
<a href='http://www.attwireless.com/' target='_blank'>AT&T Wireless</a>
<a href='http://www.t-mobile.com/' target='_blank'>T-Mobile</a>
<a href='http://www.sprintpcs.com/' target='_blank'>Sprint Wireless</a>

Also, here's a link to a consumer comparison website - <a href='http://www.cellphonecarriers.com/' target='_blank'>Cellphone carriers.com</a>

HTH.

MadCow · August 2004

Don't forget Cingular.

Also, if you sign a two year agreement you can usually get a nice phone for free. And if you plan on having a phone for that long it might be a good idea. I got a color screen flip phone that's pretty small for free (after rebate) when I signed up. As far as plans go, you can always change the plan between months if you find you need more minutes or are not using them up. Go with a local plan unless you think you are gonna be travelling a lot because it's a little cheaper than a national plan.

So I'm Looking To Get A Cell Phone . . .

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