OT- Thinking about getting a cell phone

[Paul LC]

I would like to join the 21st century, or at least the late 20th. The problem is that I don't have a clue. Who is the best provider? What about service plans, or texting or internet access or Blackberry, or iPhones, or...?


Do those little plastic cockroaches attatched to the sides of people's heads eventually burrow into their brains?

[BlaineCGarverakaTubbyTuba]

I have Verizon. It's ok. I think if I were to do it again, I'd get a GoPhone (prepaid provider) and just buy the minutes as I need them, kind of like a debit card. These companies offer so much, it's hard to get just enough get by anymore.......I don't need to watch TV, text, listen to music or anything...just a dang old phone

[Old Ironsights]

Answer:

Depends on a lot of Depends on.

In Huston, Verizon is a good carrier. AFAIC Verizon is probably the "best" carrier for general dinking around the country, but they may NOT be the best for your AO.

OTOH, at least in the Chicago market, Verizon has a deal where if a phone you buy with them doesn't work where you want it yo, you have somthing like 25 days to turn it in for no loss to you.

Now, if you do NOT intend to use it much, I would suggest one of the carriers like "Tracfone". While their coverage isn't as good, you can get 800+ minutes of Airtime each year for less than $150 (less than $200 on the year you buy the phone) which is CONSIDERABLY less than even a $30/mo "minimalist" plan.

I have Verizon (and a phone I can "tether" to my laptop to get Leverguns/Internet access with). My Parents have Tracfone.

Take it for what it's worth.

Caviat: If it seems like I know more about Verizon than the other carriers, I do. I worked for US West Cellular in the Bag Phone era, then Air Touch for the "Flip" phone, then Verizon for the introduction of the TAC phone (to use Motorola Product as an example).

[Buffboy]

I use a trackphone, I usually buy a year card for $100 and add minutes as I need them.

[Tycer]

Talk to the people who live near you. Tradesmen who travel your area. Different carriers may have more or less towers in your area. Here in the mountains it's Verizon for the most complete coverage, although I have ATT.

I'm not a gadget phone user. I like a flip open style. I like a phone with dedicated talk and end buttons.

I've had challenges with both SonyEricsson phones I've owned. Samsung, Nokia and Motorola have all treated me well.

Phones do not last. Get insurance for it. IMHO spending a bunch on a phone is not a great way to spend cash.

Since I work physically, I beat a phone up. I always ask at the repair desk which phone they never have to work on.

Nancy and I have a 1400 minute plan and use 1200 a month. Nancy mostly talks to her kids and me (same carrier, no charge), so not many of the 1200 are hers. We use a total of around 4000 minutes.

[Rusty]

The first phone I got for my son was a Virgin Mobile pre paid phone and we always got good coverage with it. When he got older and I figured he wouldn't loose the phone I put him on my Verizon account. where I live in Fla. I've found that Verizon seems to have the best coverage of all the carriers. Check coverage maps in your area and the areas you frequently travel to if you want to find out what carrier would be best for you.
Some larger metropolitan areas have such intense competition that there are no contracts. Look before you buy.

Rusty <><

[Bob A]

If you live in a rural area, you have to make sure the phone will work where you need it. Verizon does not work in our corner of the California foothills but Cingular (now AT&T) works fine. You can't trust the coverage maps they put on the internet. I always get the cheapest phone they have. I don't care about cameras and blackberries but the people who like that stuff can't live without it.

Bob A

[20cows]

Be careful about advancing too far into the present!

When we moved here to run the little rancho, my wife said I needed a cell phone in case I got hurt out at the place.

"Yes, Dear," I said.

Two weeks after acquiring one, I had to call her while laying in a pasture with a broken leg. (Minor horse wreck) .

Welcome to the 21st Century!

[PaperPatch]

Do those little plastic cockroaches attatched to the sides of people's heads eventually burrow into their brains?

I'm also a Tracfone user.....simple, and pay as you go; which to me, keeps me in the 20th century. I can communicate though, like I'm in the 21st century.

[AmBraCol]

another vote for a tracfone or one of the other prepaid phones. You can pick them up for about $20-30 or so and then invest in minutes as need be. Net10 is 10 cents a minute. Tracfone depends on what card you buy. I was given a tracfone last year when we were in the US for a while. I put a "double minute" card on it which gives you a year's worth of minutes - and double the amount of $$$ on any card you install within that year. If I were to buy one on my own I'd probably go with the Net10 - which is what we got for my wife. If you find that you really DO like having a cell phone then you can go ahead and get a contract with Verizon or who ever you want. If you don't use it much or at all then you'll not be out much $$ and won't be tied to a contract.

[Tycer]

On the prepaids, do you need to pay by the year to keep the charges down?

One of my employees got a Verizon pay as you go and it costs him $30 just to keep the number. No minutes. No voicemail.

[Old Ironsights]

On the prepaids, do you need to pay by the year to keep the charges down?

One of my employees got a Verizon pay as you go and it costs him $30 just to keep the number. No minutes. No voicemail.

Yes. No. Maybe.

With Tracfone you get Voice Mail. It IS cheaper to buy a "one year" card. Cheaper yet to, as I & AmBraCol do, buy a "double minute" Year card.

I just bought one for my father's tracfone. 800 minutes for $139... and any airtime card I buy within the next 365 days gets "doubled".

Dunno how that works with other carriers like Virgin.

Net10 is owned by the same people as Tracfone, but uses a different system (non GSM).

[AmBraCol]

On the prepaids, do you need to pay by the year to keep the charges down?

One of my employees got a Verizon pay as you go and it costs him $30 just to keep the number. No minutes. No voicemail.

I'd suggest tracfone or Net10. Both of them had good coverage where we travelled (between Indiana and Washington state with many points between for the tracfone and from Indiana to Colorado and points between for the Net10)


I recall seeing something about the Verizon prepaid and wasn't impressed. I'd suggest looking up the services on the 'net and seeing what's current. Also take time at the prepaid section of your local chinamart type chain store and read the cards, phone boxes and such for info. And then go home and check it all out on the web again.

Like I mentioned, if I were buying one for myself rather than receiving a gift from a friend I'd pick up the Net10 - it seemed like the best deal to me - last year. I've NO idea what changes - if any - have happened this year in the prepaid market in the US.

Buying the double minute card on tracfone gave me a year's service. I think you have to put in a card every month or two in order to not lose your number. Buying a year's service means you don't have to worry about it for a year unless you use up the minutes. If you have the "pay as you go" then you'll have to pump a card in every month or so - I don't recall the interval for sure - just to keep your number. But with tracfone and net10 you'll also receive minutes each time you enter a card number.

[Old Ironsights]

Even as an ex Verizon lacky I also am NOT impressed by Verizon's feeble attempt at a pre-paid plan.

Skip them unless you are willing to Contract or need Cellular Internet.

[Andrew]

I have GoPhone with Cingular, and it works pretty good.

I refill mine online with my debit card, and it is just that fast. As soon as the confirmation page comes up, my credit is usable.

I paid $20 at Wally World for the phone and it works just fine, even without the camera/bluetooth/webbrowsing stuff. Yes, it is all stuff.

BTW, I didn't get it until my wife got pregnant last year and it is my first/only cell phone.

[roundup]

Just remember that whatever service you get, talk loudly in public about your lovelife and problems with your hemmeroids and how much the Patriot Act is violating your privacy!

[model55]

could make good targets.Nah not enough there! Actually we have Verizon which is supposed to be the best but was looking at AT&T because they had a plan that would cover Long Distance ,Internet and cell phones for less then Verizon with just the cells.Personally do not use-wife and kids do

[Pete44ru]

I guess I'm going back to two tin cans on a string.

I gave my cell phone to a local women's shelter when I retired - I don't want anyone to get ahold of me !

[Ysabel Kid]

I use a trackphone, I usually buy a year card for $100 and add minutes as I need them.

I'll second Buffboy. My wife has used a tracphone for years. She has a cell phone for emergency use, and a bit of convenience, but is not one of those idiots we all see that live with one 24/7 on their ear (and she never will be). We just got my mother one as well. This is a great way to start your first year with a cell phone and see what your actual needs are.

I use a Treo for work with Verizon service. Think of it as a Blackberry-wannabe. For me, having the e-mail is critical; the cell phone is secondary. Just the nature of my job.

[Hobie]

This is a question with which I'm struggling.

My wife and I are cheap. This is how we have prepped for our retirement (and get investments taxed twice... ) and we struggled with getting a cell phone (one). We finally got the cheapest Tracfone possible when we went on the big RV trip so that we could call to check on Mom. Tracfone gave good coverage in the 19 states through which we traveled. We once called from a rest stop between Casper and Cody and from Hardin, MT. My wife has that phone still and only uses it when she wants to. Cost is/has been about 1/4th of what a "plan" would cost.

However, we live in a "quiet" zone because of nearby Greenbank, WV where the national radio telescope facility is located. There are places around here, local, that don't have coverage. I'd like a phone that would work well everywhere and let me stay in contact with Mom. I need a phone that closes on the keypad so that the phone won't accidentally dial/turn on/off in my pocket. These are more expensive. Did I say I'm cheap? So I haven't made a decision on this. I'd like to get input on that.

FWIW, the AT&T/Cingular GO Phone and the Tracfone seem to have similar performance and cost.

[AmBraCol]

I need a phone that closes on the keypad so that the phone won't accidentally dial/turn on/off in my pocket. These are more expensive. Did I say I'm cheap? So I haven't made a decision on this. I'd like to get input on that.

Hobie,

A lot depends on the physical phone as much as the carrier. Some phones simply do not work well. We've had good service from Nokia phones. And even though many of them don't fold up or have a keypad cover they DO have a simple "lock/unlock keypad" function. Simply pressing the left menu button and then the * key locks the keypad and doing it again unlocks the keypad. I carry mine in my pocket and don't have problems - as long as I lock the keypad. The little Nokia 1100 has given us as good coverage as anything - for all that it's a basic no frills phone. We've had several of them in the family and they're like the old Timex commercial - take a licking and keep on ticking. I gave my tracfone to my brother when we left the US at the beginning of the year. Then I traded another one to a guy for some work he did for us. But the last one I'm keeping around as a spare.

So don't limit yourself to flipphone type phones. Most of the "open face" ones have some kind of keypad locking sequence that's not difficult to learn to perform one handed if need be. Motorola has given us less quality in the call reception area, but some areas are simply "dead". My mother-in-law has a Nokia 1100 I believe and talking with her at the apartment is murder. And when my wife was visiting there a couple weeks ago for a seminar we had the same experience with her Motorola. So we're sure it's the area and not the phone. There's simply no decent coverage.

Other than going with a satellite phone (and since you're cheap you won't ) you're going to run into "dead" spots in ANY cell phone coverage area.

[Junior]

I have an Alltel pre-pay cell plan of 25 cents per minute. It cost me about $100 for the phone. After that, it costs me 25 cents per month. If I don't make at least one call in a month, it costs $4 a month. So I try to remember to call my land-line answering machine at least once a month.

I use the cell phone only in case of emergency while on the road or in the woods. For a fellow who's had three heart attacks, knowing the cell phone is in my pocket and ready is a good feeling.

[Hobie]

My wife's phone has the locking code. A pain to be sure. Like Junior, I think the cell phone has health and security implications. I think you should have one in the house as a backup to landlines which can be cut.

We are well aware of coverage isues living/playing in the mountainous region of VA in the Greenbank quiet zone.

[AmBraCol]

We are well aware of coverage isues living/playing in the mountainous region of VA in the Greenbank quiet zone.

You might look for a "bag phone" or some such. Some of them had 5 watt power compared to the current crop which are WAY weaker (sub watt?)

[Rexster]

I have never used prepaid phones, so cannot address that part. I have had generally good luck in the Houston area with Sprint and Verizon, though notably, Sprint coverage mostly went down during Allison in 2001, while Verizon mostly worked fine. It was Allison that prompted me to not have all my eggs in one basket, so I have both Sprint and Verizon phones now. With elderly parents and father-in-law, and the variable coverage in some areas, I have held onto both. My original intention was to drop Sprint, but I have found when traveling in the South, such as LA, MI, and AL, Sprint will often stay strong while I lose my Verizon signal, though in places the opposite is true. Verizon is strong at the house in Bellaire, while Sprint is very weak. AT&T has good signal coverage, but my wife had TERRIBLE experience with their customer service and billing practices when they were still using the Cingular name. Also, I like the Sanyo phones offered by Sprint more than the phones offered by Verizon; Motorola may be a big name, but their stuff is somewhat delicate and temperamental. The mini-USB port that some Motorolas use for charging is a delicate little thing, and my wife has been through three AC chargers for her Motorola in a little over a year. Verizon replaces them for free, but it's a pain in the neck to be suddenly unable to charge your phone. BTW, Allison was a tropical storm, for those of y'all not local. If you like Sprint or Verizon, I can bring my phones to your location to see if one has a better signal; let me know.

[9422]

My work requires me to have one, my bad luck encouages me to have one to. LOL

I have U.S Cellular and use a motorola. I asked for the toughest phone they had, concrete an construction is rough on anything. This phone is tough. I lost it one night an threw it hard as I could on the sidewalk where it ricocheted off that against a brick wall. Put the outsides back on the phone an its good as new.