[Luca]

Argh. Well, a few months ago I posted a thread at .com asking about cell phone plans and phones. I'll probably end up buying a plan this Monday. A friend of mine works at one of those little cellular booths in a mall and she said she can get me a bit of a discount on a plan if I want. Of course I want a discount so I said yes.

I'm curious about two things:

1) Area of coverage that the various networks have. I understand that Verizon has about the best coverage around. I have firsthand experience with Sprint... my family has a Sprint phone and the coverage is just awful, and I've heard the same of T-mobile. Not sure about the others, although I know that Cingulair doesn't even have service in my state (Minnesota).

2) Which phones are good and can sync with my address book. I don't care about fancy featurse like games, color screens, cameras, or internet access. I want a phone, not a PDA, so I will probably go for about the cheapest phone that is also compact, has good battery life, and can sync with OS X's address book.

Thanks for any help you can give me.

[FFL]

Motorola T720 is a nice phone - compact flip-phone style, NO Bluetooth (uses a USB cable to sync Address Book and iCal).

[DMBand0026]

I love Verizon. Good deals on the plans, unlimited night and weekends, free calling to any other Verizon customer. And best of all, great coverage. I drove to Southern Illinois about two weeks ago and I had full reception the whole way (I get free roaming too) and if you've ever been south of I-80 in Illinois, you know it's the world's largest cornfield. Pretty impressive if I do say so myself.

[Paul]

any variation of the v60 by motorola will serve you well... all you need is a $10 (some places less) cable and you can isync with address book.

the v60 series is widely supported by verizon and I bet you can get the speakerphone version pretty cheap... (I'd say under $100, but who knows, maybe your friend can get it for you for free)

plus you can use it to go online

[thuh Freak]

i just bought a p-hone, and it arrived yesterday (its a samsung a680). my main objective was basically the opposite of yours: i wanted a camera, games, color, etc. cuz i figured it'd be cool. and it is. its unbelievably cool. (well, my phone coolness measuring stick is a bit out of date, since my last cell was like 5 years old. it had vibrate, which at the time i dont think was across the board yet). no syncing (that i know of), so i manually reentered my items from my old phone. i dont keep an up-to-date address book on the computer, so it wasn't a concern for me. i woudln't be surprised if this little bugger has some kind of syncing doodad that i haven't discovered yet. one of the best parts of this guy is its like half, or a quarter the size of my previous phone, which was a nice surprise.

i have sprint, and i realize you're against them, but in my area (nyc) i typically get great coverage (well, until recently when my last phone would decide of its own accord when to die). i haven't had time really to try out the new phone, but coverage has only recently been a problem for me.

[noleli2]

Verizon does indeed have the best service around, but it has a terrible selection of phones, mainly because it uses a CDMA network. T-mobile, Cingular, and AT&T (not sure about Nextel and Sprint) all use GSM, which means you can get Bluetooth phones. The nice thing about Verizon is that they offer backward-compatibilty with the old analog networks which is why you can get service in the middle of nowhere (as DMBand said).

I should also mention that for some reason, Ann Arbor, MI is the opposite of the rest of the country. Verizon is terrible, and Sprit and Nextel work great.

So basically, if you want service, go with Verizon; if you want Bluetooth, go with something else. I currently have Verizon, and I'm going to stick with it unless GSM service in North America gets a lot better, because I really want a Bluetooth phone.

[HOM]

As a Cell Phone Spec Whore that I am I figured it was time to chime in.

Apple's iSync page lists a few Moto CDMA phones that work with iSync via USB cable. I gotta warn you to stay away from the T7XX line of phones. They have some significant quality control issues and RF performance issues. The V60 is a solid no frills phone, but it's a little bulky by today's standards.

As for network coverage, Verizon has the best one today, but by the end of the year the combined Cingular/ATTW network will be better. As mentioned above, Verizon does have an analogue backup network which works if you're out in the middle of nowhere.

If you're going to go with Verizon and you can forgo iSync compatibility I would highly recommend the LG line of phones. I had the VX 4400 and it was a really good phone. Good RF, good UI, and a solid build. If I went back to Verizon I would get the VX 6000. Same UI, but an upgraded screen, camera, and OLED outer screen.

[NosferaDrew]

The Nokia 6620 is my next phone. It's a series 60 smartphone and works with iSync.

[Xaqtly]

I have a Sony Ericsson T616 with AT&T service. It's a great combination for me, the service and reception is very good. And of course the phone has bluetooth.

Originally Posted by NosferaDrew The Nokia 6620 is my next phone. It's a series 60 smartphone and works with iSync.

It does? Everything I've ready or heard says it doesn't work with iSync. Anyone know the real deal or if anyone is going to make it compatible.

I will say this though, I used one at the AT&T store for a couple minutes and couldn't be more impressed. If I know this would sync I'd get it in a heartbeat.

[Maciej]

I am a Cingular customer in Wisconsin, and we have great coverage for our area. Since Cingular recently bought out At&T Wireless, it has most of their coverage area, plus its own. I use the T637 by Sony Ericsson. It is a great looking phone, always praised by everyone who sees it, bluetooth, infrared, camera (sadly I don't use it) a great screen, and cool user interface. Also, for more information on phones I would suggest Phonescoop, it is a great site for all sorts of info, rumors, and news, my local Cingular dealer encourages using it, as he does.

[Windswept]

Well, this thread makes me feel good, because I own stock in Motorola and Nokia.

[Mac+]

Well ... judging from the responses, I think I may be the only one on the board who has NOT succumbed to the lure of a mobile phone.

[psmith2.0]

Yeah, I'm a recent convert as well (35 years old and never had a cell phone until a month or so ago). But I like it. I'm not a chit-chatter kinda guy, but it's really come in handy on many occasions. It's simply getting to where you can't find good, functioning pay phones anymore. AND, if you do, they sure as hell don't have phone books with them.

But now I've got all my friends and family (all their home, cell and work numbers programmed in), plus my favorite restaurants like Chili's, Outback, etc. so I can either call ahead for seating or call and place a to-go order without having to stop and find a payphone and hope I have quarters, etc.

It's nice to have and it hasn't changed my life in a bad way at all. People know not to call and just bullshit around (they didn't do it to me on my landline, so they don't do it on my cell). But I like the added security/safety aspect to. Taking off on long trips or on aimless Saturday drives in the middle of nowhere, I don't worry if something were to go wrong (car trouble, accident, etc.).

I have Cingular service and a Samsung x427 flip phone. I'm totally happy with it all, and it's with me 24/7.

[Luca]

Nope, I ended up not getting one. I have a land line phone that costs me $15 a month (more like $20 after taxes, but meh). And of course, a land line phone means I get an unlimited amount of time to talk, I never have to worry about running out of batteries, my reception is always perfect, I can have phones in multiple rooms of my house, I have a backup way of connecting to the internet in case my DSL goes down, I get a discount on my DSL since I'm getting both the DSL and the phone service from Qwest, and I don't have to deal with one of those evil cell phone providers.

And I'm not forced to buy one of those ridiculously stupid cell phones they have nowadays. If I had one, I'd want:

- Flip design (automatically serves as a keyguard)
- Super small and thin
- Excellent battery life
- Monochrome screen
- Address book that syncs with iSync
- Incapable of connecting to the internet
- No camera
- No games or any other software

Unfortunately there's no such thing. My dad recently got Verizon service and he bought the absolute lowest end phone they had, but it still has a color screen for some odd reason. I would insist on a monochrome screen because color serves absolutely no function at all and just drains the batteries much quicker.

Luca
Leading the charge against the evils of cellular phones

(hey, I think I found a worthy sig for myself!)

[hype.it]

Someone tell me...what's a Cell Phone?

[SKMDC]

Originally Posted by hype.it Someone tell me...what's a Cell Phone?

here i am on my new beauty....



NOW THAT'S A CELL PHONE!

[BuonRotto]

Funny, pscates, I have the exact same phone and carrier, probably the same plan too. I got mine about 2 months ago now. The reception is OK, I've had difficult reception when I've spoken mobile to mobile (different carriers) on long distance. The phone itself is pretty good, with some niggles like slow response sometimes to button presses at specific times, and only one non-annoying ringtoone included with it. BTW, if you turn off the annoying blinking external light next to the antenna (mine only flashes when I have a message), the battery life improves quite a bit. I can't seem to find just the right volume setting either, too quiet or too loud, but that probably is just a result of sometimes having it in my pocket versus leaving it on the other side of my apartment.

Once I move, I'm only going to have minimal land line use, basically to justify DSL (cable carrier is a local no-name so I don't trust their reliability) and for emergency use if needed. I figure it's a choice between the criminal mobile phone* carriers and criminal telecoms, and they're all owned by the same holding companies. So Luca, you're stiuck between a rock and a hard place. The hard parts in your list are the lack of color -- almost all phones now are color screens -- and the Mac support. Mac support comes from only certain manufacturers and for certain usually high-end phones. Only the lowest-end phones lack color these days too. The higher end phones are mostlyoften coming with a camera too. So there isn't likely to be one phone you describe as these phones experience a lot of feature creep to keep people spending and distracted. I wanted the same thing you described but gave up. It isn't coming from the big phone makers; it will take someone else to join the fray and give these guys a wakeup call.

*technically, they're not cell phones any more.

[SKMDC]

i use one of those virgin pay as you go phones and i've only had one place where i couldn't get a signal. (between denver and colorado springs, sedalia to be exact) i think it uses the sprint network outside of chicago.

my wife has a nokia 3650 with t-mobile service, and we lose signal in rural illinois but always have a signal when we get to our destination. (my virgin works in the rural places.)
the nice thing about the 3650 is that it worked in china, with an excellent connection i might add, it was a little pricey during prime time but at night/weekend not so bad. (2.99/.99 if memory serves)

the point that should be made is EVERY carrier offers a free 15 or 30 day trial period, so there is no reason for someone to get new service that sucks.

[ast3r3x]

Verizon...how about it doesn't work well in Boston at least. I went up there, and used two friends cell phones, both a completely different make, and both were cutting in and out. Then again I did see a cingular store every block

I think it depends where you are. Just don't go in the woods around my house and expect to get any reception. Everywhere else good reception in my area, but go into the woods, even you are up higher, and your screwed.

"Can you hear me now? No, you can't? Then why am I still talking if you can't hear me?

[psmith2.0]

Originally Posted by superkaratemonkeydeathcar here i am on my new beauty.... NOW THAT'S A CELL PHONE!

Those of you who were "X Files" fans may remember a funny episode. As you know, Scully (mmm...damn, I miss that little fireheaded vixen) and Mulder were always on their cell phones, at least once or twice an episode (to each other, to others, etc.).

Anyway, there was an once a "flashback" episode dealing with the original meeting of Mulder and the Lone Gunmen geeks at some tech tradeshow/conference in D.C. (this was set in the pre-Scully days and they had Mulder with a little longer hair, etc.). Anyway, in one scene, Mulder pulls out a cell phone to make a call and it's pretty much like that model pictured above.



It was just funny, after seeing those tiny sleek ones they'd been using. Firmly placed that episode in the mid-late 80's (or even early 90's).



Anyway...seeing that photo reminded me of that. Carry on with the thread...

[thedustin]

That's what I call a ZMP. (Zack Morris Phone)

[ShiggyMiyamoto]

Anyone here know of a phone that can play MIDI files as ring tones?

[Maciej]

To my understanding any phone will. From what I remember all phones use .MID files as sound files, the problem is getting the ones to your phone free of charge. That is why I use bluetooth, I dl themes, sounds, images and BT. them to my T637.

[BarracksSi]

I never got a cell phone until I needed to be accessible 24 hours a day. Now, it's pretty much become my primary phone -- my land line is only here to carry DSL.

I hate all cell phone companies (no, really, I do -- they ALL SUCK in one important way or another), and I kinda miss being able to get away from everything and everybody. But, the safety & versatility is nice, and I don't think I could go back to not having one.

[ShiggyMiyamoto]

Originally Posted by Sh0eWax To my understanding any phone will. From what I remember all phones use .MID files as sound files, the problem is getting the ones to your phone free of charge. That is why I use bluetooth, I dl themes, sounds, images and BT. them to my T637.

Does it accept polyphonic sounds? Like sounds with several voices?

[Maciej]

Yuuup.

[chipz]

I use an older Nokia phone and get my service from Cingular. The service, while not exemplary, is satisfactory. The coverage area with my regional plan covers from Maine down to Virginia and out to Ohio with no roaming or long distance charges. I have it primarily as a backup phone. After my first year with them, I'm now into my third year, my monthly charges are $24.63. This includes 200 anytime minutes and 3500 night and weekend minutes. I'm happy with the plan and I intend to remain with Cingular.