Which Cell Phone Do You Have?

[launderess]

And do you like it?

Am considering purchasing cell phone in the New Year, but the choices have overwhelmed one's mind. *LOL*

Pretty much settled on GSM service, and a "unlocked" phone so one can use any pre-paid service provider. GSM phones are standard for Europe, this would save having to have different phones when travelling abroad.

Really like several of the Nokia series (E-Series and N-Series to be exact), but for every great review, there is one bad.

 

[ronhic]

GSM....is standard in most places of the world these days....

i-Phone, is the phone of choice in this house. We were at dinner the other night and 8 of the 12 people there had i-Phones.....

 

[cycla-fabric]

Phone choice or carrier choice is what it comes down to.

The i-phone's are nice, but AT&T service is lousy. Verizon has the best service in the USA. I have a friend who has the i-phone and while as nice as it is, it stinks as a phone, always dropping calls and missing calls, and we live in NJ! Check Consumer Reports as they just recently tested phones. Get a phone on the basis of what you use if for the most, and go from there. Good Luck

Doug

 

[panthera]

Several variables

I had great luck with Motorola until 2007 when their quality dipped enormously.
Although GSM is the standard in Europe, we don't use the same frequency as the US, so be sure any phone you buy can handle both (nearly all can).
3G phones are often built with GSM capability, you might be able to have the best of all worlds.
I-Phones are overpriced and overrated, like most apple products. I find the LG touch screens work much better.

Of course, given the price of cell phones in Europe, it might be worth it to just buy a phone to meet your needs in NYC (where there are 3G service problems) and a cheap pay-as-you-go in Europe.

 

[jamiel]

You can use most (but not all) prepaid GSM providers with an unlocked phone...TracFone/Net10/StraightTalk is the notable exception (must use their phones).

Make sure if you wish to use phone outside North America that it is a quad-band phone (nearly all mid-level and up phones are quad-band). UMTS frequencies (higher-speed 3G networks) are not standardized. (e.g. AT&T and T-Mobile 3G networks are not compatible). A couple good sites: www.cellguru.net (especially if interested in prepaid) and www.mountainwireless.com (for the Mountain states)

 

[hydralique]

If you want a phone that can be used anywhere in the world make sure you check out any specific countries you might visit. A few months ago I was in Japan and discovered that my AT&T phone, which is supposed to be a "worldphone", has the right technology to work in Japan, but not the specific frequencies. Thankfully my travelling companion did have a phone (also AT&T) that worked. I think his phone is a Motorola, while mine is an LG, made in Korea, which shares the same frequencies as Japan . . . go figure . . .

My buddy's phone came in handy in Yokohama when we tried to do laundry at his mother-in-law's apartment. The Hitachi machine had only Japanese characters on the control console, and since the mother-in-law was out of town we had nobody to ask. My friend does speak and read some Japanese, but didn't know any of the characters used for wash cycles. Eventually it took three phone calls back to LA, where his wife got on the Hitachi website and found the manual to the washer, translated the important bits, and called back to Yokohama and relayed instructions. We never quite figured out what cycle we had the machine on, but it worked and we had clean clothes.

 

[thomasortega]

I have a Motorola A1200 and It's great!

It's a quadriband GSM and I bought it unlocked.

It works everywhere I go, it doesn't have thousands of aplications and softwares like Iphone but it works really nice and I love it.

Here it's not unusual to see people having a drawer full of phones to match their clothing. (the Nokia goes with a black suit, that Sony Ericsson I'm going to "wear" when I go to the swimming pool, that Motorola over there for special ocasions, etc)

I have only two cell phones (this Motorola A1200 and a very cheap Motorola F3 (It costed less than 5 dollars and does nothing else than make and receive calls ans SMS)LOL.
This Motorola F3 is very useful when I go to the swimming pool or a nightclub, if something happens to it, well, it's a 5 dollars POS. much better than something happen to the cell phone I payed a thousand dollars 2 years ago.

GSM was the best thing they created after the first cell phones. Everything stored in a tiny SIM card so I can change the phone and have all my contacts and my line with me.

When I travel to a foreign country
I just need to buy a SIM card, which is very chap or even free, deppending on the area.

THe only thing I don't like about Nokia are the slow menus, but they are also excellent phones.
I hate LG and Samsung phones! they won't last more than 1 year and you always need to install an special software to access it from the computer.

Motorola is simple, doesn't have all the resources that Nokia has but it's reliable, fast, easy to use and I'm sure mine will be working for at least more 2 years.

If you don't worry about the money, don't think twice and grab an I-phone. that device has gps, email, internet access, washes, irons and can be used as a dishwasher too, there's a built in water heater, can do your kids homework and also has a live boat and a survival kit hidden under it's battery and can be used as a lawn mower too. If you need a vaccum cleaner, you just have to download a software and you'll have the most powerful vaccum cleaner money can buy. LOL

Before I forget and you can also use that little wonder to make and receive calls. The best option in my opinion.

 

[kenmorekid]

Cell Phone

My partner and I currently have BlackBerry Curves..Had them for about 2 weeks now and I really like it. They had a buy one get one free deal and after rebates we only ended up paying $50 for both. It was a good deal, that I couldnt pass up!

 

[panthera]

Laundress,

I just spoke to a friend who, like me, bounces back and forth between the US and Europe all the time.
She has now had a Blackberry for two years and is totally satisfied - both with the quick learning curve as well as with the quality.
The support, both in the US and in Germany has made using the phone to log in her laptop much easier than it was with other phones. Her newest is a 'Curve'.

I've only used a Blackberry once, but have a high opinion of her views on phones. She also mentioned that her last Motorola had been a total disappointment.

One thing to consider on I-Phones...because of bandwidth problems, you might end up not getting the full value of one where you live. Personally, I just was not that impressed with the touch-screen.

 

[mrb627]

Samsung Behold

I have a Samsung touchscreen phone.

I'm still kicking myself for ever giving up the Blackberry. I looked at the Storm w/ Verizon. I liked the looks of the phone but the interface seemed slow and clumsy. The Samsung was much better.

My next phone will be a Blackberry again, but I don't know which model or which carrier for that matter.

Malcolm.

 

[maytagbear]

I have a lower-middle

LG, and it has been WONDERFUL. I have had it for over two years, and no problems with it.

It's with Verizon, and I love Verizon. A number of years back I had an AT&T Ericsson and I don't know which was worse...the phone or the service. Kept dropping calls all the time.

Kind friends from church added me to their bucket "family" plan, and I give them 10.00 USD a month.

From where I sit, the provider means more. Tawk to Verizon. It seems that there are equivalent phones from every provider.

Lawrence/Maytagbear

 

[revvinkevin]

I currently have the Motorola Rizr Z3

I've had Motorola phones for years and like this one a lot. I have T-mobile as a service provider, which uses all of AT&T's cell sites/towers, etc. I don't need, nor do I want internet, e-mail, etc access from my phone, just calls and text messages are fine, thank you!

This is a quad band GSM phone and I like it. Though apparently the glue used for the round button pads and the thumb slider bar, is not compatible with the oils from ones face, causing these items to come loose and fall off. I'm on my 3rd phone (in about 4 years) due to that issue, but so far this one is holding a lot better then the other two.

As for getting a phone that will work in other countries, make sure it has a SIM card and is unlocked. When I've traveled (mostly ASIA, but also Europe), I purchase a local SIM card and install it in my phone. This way I have a local number and don't have to pay for International Long Distance for calling (to the US and back) for a "local" number in the country I'm visiting. Of course the same goes for anyone "local" trying to reach me.

It's worked well for me!

 

[mrb627]

T-Mobile

The reason I stay with T-Mobile is the coverage. I like that if not on T-Mobile's network, I will roam someone elses network for free.

A group of friends and I went out to the Grand Canyon a while back. When their AT&T phone could not maintain a signal and kept dropping the calls, mine was flawless. And my T-Mobile phone was riding on AT&T's network which made it the joke of the trip. They all changed over to T-Mobile shortly thereafter.

T-Mobile as almost half the cost of AT&T and Verizon and rides on their networks when necessary. Too funny...

Malcolm

 

[dandureiko]

iPhone

We have had Verizon for years and love the service. I left my Moto out in the rain, and had no insurance, one of our lines was out of contract. I'm an Apple guy, and the only reason I did not get an iPhone was that I was patiently waiting for Verizon to get one.
so I did it, went to ATT and got it. and it is a LIFE CHANGER. I can't belive I waited so long! it's my car nav system, if I am in the car and need to find something I use Google Voice, I do banking, ebay, amazon, check UPS tracking......use it as a wireless mouse for my Apple TV/Mini, and control all the lights in my house with it. check the local supermarket sales and make a shopping list.
Trust me there really IS AN APP FOR THAT
oh yeah, at our winter house in FL witch is way out in the boonies, no cell service. I use the skype app to make and recieve calls via our wifi....

Dan

 

[sudsmaster]

Metro PCS here...

I like the fact that my monthly bill never changes, unlimited minutes and texting. However I can't say I use it that much. It doesn't work inside the machine shop (all the metal blocks reception) and the company has a policy against cell phone use outside of breaks and lunch-time anyway. I have found I need to shut the phone off at work as otherwise it drains the battery quickly searching for a network in the shop.

Anyway, I got the first phone two years ago, it's a Samsung SCH-A870. Flip phone with camera, but no MP3. Sort of basic and rather small.

I've been reading up on more phones and Costco offers a couple Nokia phones that are unlocked. Also in course of research discovered that MetroPCS will unlock phones that were purchased with other services, so they can be used on MetroPCS. But hasn't talked to Metro about that.

The Samsung has some limitations. Can't hook it up to a PC other than to back up contacts. Photos have to be picture mailed to an email address to be viewed on PC. Tedious. No video, but you can record sound to go with a pic. Basically I wouldn't recommend this phone, but one might like the higher priced unlocked Nokias.

 

[frigilux]

I've been using TracPhone for the past couple of years. I don't use my cell often, and switching to this pay-as-you-go service has saved me a bundle of Benjamins.

Having said that....when our local provider merges with AT&T in the coming year, I will be getting an iPhone!

 

[sudsman]

Jitterbug

over 3 years never a single problem simple easy and very strong.

 

[perc-o-prince]

LG flip phone for me and a slider for Rich. Mine has been great, but Rich's has taken on this annoying habit of randomly shutting off then turning back on. Doesn't happen a lot, but it's frustrating when it does.

Verizon service for us (great coverage!). Free calls to each other and all Verizon subscribers (like Ron!!), AND, since I have the bill tied into our Fios bill, we get free cell-home and home-cell calls as well. That was what used most of our minutes previously!

Chuck