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| The
Specs Explained |
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| While
a wireless phone can make your life easier,
just getting one can be a huge hassle. When
you look at wireless phones and service plans,
the sales reps will bombard you with a ton
of terms and restrictions. |
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| The two most
important questions to ask yourself before
you decide on a phone and plan are "How
much will I use the phone?" and "Where
will I use it?" These two questions will
help determine how many minutes you need and
whether to go with a local, regional, national,
or international plan. |
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| Remember
that you will be charged--either in airtime
or a per-minute fee--for calls you receive
as well as calls you make. With a local service
plan, you can make and receive calls from
within your local area without so-called roaming
charges being added; on a regional plan, you
can call from a wider area without incurring
additional charges; a national plan allows
you to call from anywhere in the United States
and some parts of Canada without additional
charges; and an international plan lets you
use your world phone abroad. |
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| The
Specs Explained |
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| Feature |
Low
End (free with rebate to $149) |
Recommended
($150 to $299) |
High
End ($300 to $550) |
| Weight |
4
to 6 ounces |
3
to 5 ounces |
3
to 6 ounces |
|
An
important consideration. Because
you'll be carrying the phone, weight and
size are fairly important. Generally, the
more expensive the phone, the smaller and
lighter it is. (The exception to this rule
is phones with built-in PDAs.) |
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| Battery
life (talk and standby) |
1.8
to 3 hours talk, 110 to 180 hours standby |
2.5
to 4 hours talk, 130 to 150 hours standby |
3
to 7 hours talk, 130 to 336 hours standby |
|
An
important consideration. This determines
how long you can go without recharging,
and you don't want to be stranded with a
dead battery. Standby refers to battery
life while phone is on, but not in use. |
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| Capabilities
and features |
SMS,
MMS, e-mail, limited Internet browser, Java
or BREW support, color or black and white
display |
SMS,
MMS, e-mail, Web access, Java or BREW support,
color display, built-in camera, video playback
and/or recording, voice dialing, voice recording,
speakerphone, Bluetooth- or infrared-enabled,
push-to-talk-capable |
SMS,
MMS, e-mail, Web access, Java support, color
display, built-in camera, video playback and/or
recording, voice dialing, voice recording,
speakerphone, Bluetooth- or infrared-enabled,
PDA functions |
| Somewhat
important. Today's phones allow you
to do more than just talk. You can send and
receive instant messages and even download
and watch videos. |
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| Wireless
mode |
Single |
Dual |
Dual |
| Somewhat
important. Dual-band phones work on
both analog and digital networks. They provide
far greater coverage because digital networks
do not cover the entire nation. However, sound
quality on analog networks is not as good,
and you may have to pay additional fees if
you use the analog network on a digital plan. |
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| Band
support |
Single
band |
Dual-
to tri-band |
Dual-
to tri-band |
| Somewhat
important. The more bands a phone supports,
the more frequencies it picks up. Tri-band
phones, as their name suggests, operate across
three frequency bands. Theoretically that
means they provide better coverage than dual-
or single-band phones. |
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| Service
Plans |
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| Feature |
Low
End ($20 to $35) |
Recommended
($30 to $70) |
High
End ($70 and up) |
| Plan
type |
Local,
regional, or national |
Local,
regional, or national |
Regional,
national, or international |
|
An
important consideration. The plan
area determines where you can originate
a call without incurring extra charges.
Regional plans usually include the state
you live in plus areas of nearby states.
Some national plans include urban areas
in Canada as well. |
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| Anytime
minutes per month |
10
to 300 |
400
to 1200 |
750
and up |
|
An
important consideration. Service
plans include a set number of minutes you
can talk on the phone, during peak or off-peak
hours, without extra charges. Many plans
also offer additional night and weekend
minutes with the monthly fee. |
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| Cost
per extra minute |
$0.40
to $0.45 |
$0.25
to $0.40 |
$0.25
to $0.35 |
| Somewhat
important. This is the rate you'll
be billed per minute of usage after you've
exceeded your monthly allotment of minutes.
|
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| Length
of contract |
1
to 2 years |
1
to 2 years |
1
to 2 years or month-to-month |
| Somewhat
important. When you sign up for discounted
service, you often must commit to remain in
the service plan for a fixed time period.
If you decide to leave the cellular service
provider before the end of this period, you
may be charged hefty fees to break your contract. |
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| Extra
features |
Voice
mail, call waiting, caller ID, text or multimedia
messaging, downloads |
Voice
mail, call waiting, caller ID, text or multimedia
messaging, photo sharing, downloads, e-mail,
wireless Web browsing, push-to-talk service |
Voice
mail, call waiting, caller ID, text or multimedia
messaging, photo sharing, downloads, e-mail,
wireless Web browsing, international roaming |
| A
minor consideration. What additional
services do you want included in your monthly
charge? Nationwide long distance does not
necessarily include calls made from outside
your area code. And phones are notoriously
poor Web browsers: If you plan to surf or
use Internet messaging services built into
your phone, such as AOL Instant Messenger,
make sure you test the phone model you want
in the store before you finalize your purchase. |
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| Next
Page: Wireless
Phone Shopping Tips |
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