Cell Phone Primer??

STGRule · 09-08-2006, 09:55 PM

Help? I need to find the best phone to fit our needs. I'm staying with Verizon so that part is non-negotiable. Is there a site that can step me though the best phone for our needs? The ones I've found so far don't include the things that are important to us. The biggies for us are tri-mode and best antenna (for fringe areas). Next on the list are voice dialing, battery life, and built-in ringtones (the more the better). Don't care about games, cameras, what's down loadable, or music.

And as an aside, I'm wondering how important it is to have a tri-mode (for the analog) these days? Hunting in the middle of nowhere and little towns on the south coast make up a lot of the area we need the best coverage possible.

JustCallMeDave · 09-08-2006, 10:40 PM

And I came in here to ask why you were going to paint your cell phone.

STGRule · 09-08-2006, 10:51 PM

Primer, not primer. Silly man. :grin:

Don't you love the English language?

JustCallMeDave · 09-09-2006, 08:33 AM

The last time I was buying a cell phone I had in mind what I wanted as far as a plan and chose my carrier first. Then I wrote down what I wanted as far as features and went to the carriers website and started with the free phones and moved up in price until I found what I wanted. Sometimes you get lucky and phone has everything you want and it's free or cheap, other times you sacrifice something to stay free or cheap.

STGRule · 09-09-2006, 09:03 AM

That's what I did last night and this morning. I'm off to adventure land (phone store).

AnnaDraMoss · 09-09-2006, 05:14 PM

What features in a cell phone does a person need besides the functions.
I'm only asking because I dont know what is available.

flapbreaker · 09-10-2006, 11:30 AM

I've been told that Nokia is known for good signal reception and voice clarity.

SeanD · 09-10-2006, 01:32 PM

Yep, you need the tri mode. Or maybe the dual mode. I have had tri mode phones for the last 6 years or so. But they dont make my model anymore. Last year the guys from deer camp called their wives on my phone, instead of driving 10 miles where they could get reception. I have had the best luck with audiovox phones, my current is two years old and I had audiovox before that for 4 years and it still works fine. The old ones were indestructable.

Pete · 09-10-2006, 04:01 PM

I'm a fan of Kyocera equipment, since they now own CDMA technology. It's supposed to be more secure than TDMA technology.

As for coverage maps, everybody has one, but they really don't tell you what you need to know. I had Qwest service, which showed I should have good service here in SE Portland. Nope. How many bars? Zero. Signal? Nope. Then they moved their service center from Beaverton to Denver, which was not convenient for me. So I picked up Verizon and have far superior service.

When I was shopping for service I learned that there are two kinds of service maps. There are the ones used in promotional material. Those look pretty good for everyone. Then there are the "tower maps", which show the actual coverage areas within a certain distance from each tower. It's rare that you'll get to see a tower map!

In making my decision about service and equipment, I talked to a couple real estate brokers, who both carried AT&T phones provided by their employer and Verizon personal phones. Same answer from both - said they ended up using their personal phones for business frequently, but never the other way, due to coverage.

Of course, you probably already have a new phone. Hope it works well for you.

STGRule · 09-10-2006, 04:21 PM

That's the reason I'm staying with Verizon. I too have a ATT work and Verizon personal. Have to use my personal for work all the time.

I ended up getting Motorola V325's. They are supposed to have the better antenna. We shall see. Buck50 will be trying his out on his way to the high desert this week.

Point-of-Sale Clerk · 09-10-2006, 11:21 PM

try this one

UTFA · 09-11-2006, 07:51 AM

Here Ya Go!
http://www.phonescoop.com/carriers/carrier.php?c=2
BTW......The kids are still talking about,"All that corn" lol.

MacFish · 09-11-2006, 08:03 AM

I have an LG 6100 for my Verizon plan and am happy with its performance, although I have no basis of comparison for the antenna. It's not a spendy phone, but seems reliable and has a cheaper non camera model and has all the features you are looking for. I've had mine for a year, so they've probably got newer versions of both

8-guage · 09-11-2006, 08:09 AM

One thing I can say is Nokia phones are very durable!
I've dropped mine a lot and it has never had a problem.
Tough little phones and rarely a dropped call but, I use T-Mobile.

Cool Texan · 09-11-2006, 08:49 AM

DONT GO TO THE PHONE STORE!!!! The best deals will not be had at the Verizon store. Go to Amazon.com or wirefly.com or any of the other online retailers. The plans are all the same, but you'll get a better deal on a phone. Example (Cingular example)...go online to their site, and a Razr used to $99-$149 something like that. Amazon (or any of the others) had them for free. No brainer.

STGRule · 09-11-2006, 02:18 PM

Well, the verdict is in. Success! He called me earlier from 45 miles south of Rome, Oregon. From the middle of a big old desert.

The connection was sketchy but we were able to chat for a couple minutes. He had called from Burns thinking that would be the last of the cell coverage, but he said he had almost full bars where he usually only has 1 or 2. At this point in time we are very happy with the Motorola V325's

.

Cool Texan · 09-11-2006, 02:52 PM

You got those free...right?

STGRule · 09-11-2006, 04:16 PM

No, and I don't want to talk about it.

And I was waiting for you to chime in over the weekend. It was not very nice of you to let me go out and spend money when I didn't have to.

In reality I needed the phones on Saturday as Jim was supposed to leave on Sunday and we didn't get back into town until Friday evening. I will believe that I paid for the convenience of getting them that day. It will make me feel better.

Super Fluke · 09-11-2006, 05:49 PM

Quote:

And I came in here to ask why you were going to paint your cell phone.

Same here

STGRule · 09-11-2006, 06:11 PM

Again, you guys.

Primer, not primer. Sheesh, you'd think we didn't speak or read this wonderful language of ours.

Cool Texan · 09-11-2006, 06:17 PM

:grin:

Sorry....wasnt really online over the weekend. D'oh!

But yes, if you needed them ASAP then you didnt have much of a choice.

Fish_N_Russ · 09-11-2006, 10:00 PM

anyone have a RAZR? My two years are up and I can get one for free if I sign for another 2 years......actually I can get several other models, just that one was the highest priced that I can still get for free :smile:

Cool Texan · 09-12-2006, 08:13 AM

I've had a Razr for about a year....and really like it. Great size, good battery life, bluetooth, etc. Nice little phone (and free too).

crabbait · 09-12-2006, 08:25 AM

Quote:

anyone have a RAZR? My two years are up and I can get one for free if I sign for another 2 years......actually I can get several other models, just that one was the highest priced that I can still get for free :smile:

Got one. Like it. Wish I knew all the things it will do but I don't have the six months it would take to ge my cell phone doctorate. Guess I could always ask the average 15yr old...