Wireless telephones

[basket]

Could one of the more tech savvy guys here please advise me on selecting a new cell phone. There is so much new stuff available. All I want is a quality phone, but now I understand that one can do email from a cellphone as well. What kind of phone do I need for that? Can you use the phone to surf the internet as well?

I have Verizon Wireless, so I would have to choose one of their models. There seem to be too many choices. Thanks for the help.

[Guest Rendie]

basket,

 

You should do a little research based on the wants and needs you described. Try CNET, they review most of VZW's popular phones.

 

I'm happy with my Motorola RAZR but I don't use it for email. You can use the RAZR for email thru its web browser for any web based email service (i.e, Google, Yahoo, MSN). You have to pay extra for the web access, I think.

 

http://reviews.cnet.com/Motorola_Razr_V3m/4505-6454_7-31824957.html?tag=pdtl-list

 

If you want a full function cell phone check out the link below for the Motorola Q:

 

http://reviews.cnet.com/Motorola_Q/4505-6452_7-31473357.html

 

good luck

rendie

[RockHard]

CNET is an unreliable source for reviews. They accept money from manufacturers and many people believe this is a conflict of interest. You may have to dig deep but this information is readily available on the web.

 

I hear gsmarena.com is worth a look-see. It's always a good idea to cross-reference your "review" research.

 

Even though they were late in the game (with the strike, et al), Verizon Wireless is considered the best you can get (which doesn't say much) in many American markets. I won't do business with them and I have my reasons, which I won't discuss here, but I know several people who are happy with their service. They are also one of the most expensive services out there.

 

I know several upscale businessmen who swear by their Razor. Motorola has been in the game for a very long time and they are a reliable manufacturer. My WorldPhone is a Motorola and I've been quite happy. I've had it for four years and see no need to upgrade yet.

 

Samsung has certain models that keep winning awards. They, too, have been in the game for a very long time.

 

Nokia has also been a major player but I know several people who traded in because of problems. They never bought Nokia again.

 

Good luck.

[+ deej]

There are definitely too many choices. You need to make a list of available features and categorize them:

 

* Must have

* Nice, but not necessary

* Don't need

 

Personally, I don't *want* a phone that does email, plays movies, walks the dog, and cooks dinner. I want a phone that makes calls and receives calls. I want to be able to hear and be heard.

 

Currently using a Motorolla RAZR and it's far and away the best I've used. It even FEELS sturdy and reliable. The speakerphone feature is actually usable, which I've found is hit or miss with other phones. (Speaker phone is nice when you need two hands on the keyboard.)

 

If you want more features, you might want to move up the food chain to a "smart phone" device. They're a little bigger, but offer more functionality. For me, it would be a waste because I'm never far enough away from a full-featured notebook or tablet PC to need it. (Or if I am it's intentional and I wouldn't be carrying the phone anyway! ;-))

 

You need to decide what you *need*, and then ignore all the marketing fluff that obscures that.

[Guest zipperzone]

>Currently using a Motorolla RAZR and it's far and away the

>best I've used.

 

I agree - I have the same and it is the best I've ever used.

 

BUT - during the "learning curve" I would have liked to torture and kill the jerks that wrote the owners manual. Talk about obtuse!

[basket]

The Verizon Wireless store was so crowded. I decided to look online. Here is what I think I want, although I don't understand it all. Is 10mb of data usage a lot? From what I understand, I can check email and surf the web on this phone. Am I missing something? Thanks for the responses.

 

Verizon Wireless XV6700 (It gets good reviews and has a bigger keypad)

$299.99

 

Holster 1

$14.99

Bluetooth Headset with Flip to Answer Feature 1

$49.99

 

10MB of Data Usage

$24.99/month

 

Text, Picture & Video Messaging (Pay Per Message)

$0.00

 

 

America's Choice® 900

 

Total lines: 1

 

$59.99 Due monthly

[+ deej]

>owners manual

 

<chuckle>

 

It's the same with any consumer electronic device.

 

Seen an owners manual for a FAX machine lately?

 

How many ways can you screw up:

 

1) Put paper face down

2) Dial a number

3) Press send

 

yet last week I saw a secretary spend HOURS getting a new FAX machine set up.

 

See http://www.engrish.com for examples of speaking goodly manuals. ;-)

[+ deej]

I did NOT know this was the engrish.com image of the day until I posted the link:

 

http://www.dfapam.com/lucky-wink.jpg

[londonbear]

>The Verizon Wireless store was so crowded. I decided to look

>online. Here is what I think I want, although I don't

>understand it all. Is 10mb of data usage a lot? From what I

>understand, I can check email and surf the web on this phone.

>Am I missing something? Thanks for the responses.

>

>Verizon Wireless XV6700 (It gets good reviews and has a bigger

>keypad)

>$299.99

>

>Holster 1

>$14.99

>Bluetooth Headset with Flip to Answer Feature 1

>$49.99

>

>10MB of Data Usage

>$24.99/month

>

>Text, Picture & Video Messaging (Pay Per Message)

>$0.00

>

>

>America's Choice® 900

>

>Total lines: 1

>

>$59.99 Due monthly

>

>

10Mb is a lot of usage, especially if you are only using it for email. You also need to make sure your ISP will push your emails to your phone account or if you need the equivalent of a dial-up connection to access them from a cellphone. This can cost extra. Most sites have special WAP versions that strip out a lot of the graphics and reconfigure the information to a small screen.

 

I currently have a Samsung D900 which includes an MP3/MP4 player for audio and video, you add a micro SD card for extra storage. It is also quad frequency so will work anywhere. I usually change phones once a year to get the special offers from another network. The deal I currently have gives me 300 minutes talk and 200 SMS messages a month included in the £30 a month but this reduces to £5 (about $10) for the first 12 months of the contract. The phone was free. Usefully it is not locked to a particular network so I can use it with a pay as you go SIM card as a second back-up next year. The only problem I had was finding a case for it as it has a very large screen and all the covers made for it only partially protect it. I eventually got round that by getting a very cheap and cheerful small camera case (from a supermarket chain here) that has a belt clip and works really effectively.

 

I am not sure if the models you will be offered will be different as not all US networks use GSM. By the way, the Motorola RAZR and another model are also available in a "Product (RED)" version that helps AIDS charities.