How to choose from the choices of phones

There are so many phones to choose from these days and you see ads for free phones or get cash back with a new service plan. Get something you are going to be happy with because if you sign a contract, it’s not cheap to purchase a phone without a new service agreement later on. Many of the carriers subsidize the costs of cellular phones when you sign up for a new service plan but won’t offer the same deals to existing customers. It’s not cost effective for carriers to sell $300 phones for $100 every couple of months to the same customer. Last time I checked, collecting $50/mo and offering phones for $200 below costs every 3-4 months doesn’t raise profits for wireless carriers.

If you have the time, go check out the phone you want before making your final purchase. People’s fingers come in different shapes and sizes and so do those small buttons, so check if it’s comfortable. You also want to make sure the screen display is clear enough for you to read the display. It can be very frustrating if you can’t see what is on the LCD display and many phones have different options to adjust the contrast. From my own experience, my parents love Samsung phones, the font is huge and it helps when they don’t have their glasses.

Features

Depending on how tech-savvy you are, you can choose to have a camera, data services, Bluetooth, and so on. Below is a list of some of the most common features that are offered on some phones.

Phone book: Most people don’t have an issue with running out of space in their phone book but if you have hundreds of numbers to store, check to see what the maximum number of contacts you can store.

External screen/caller ID: It’s convenient to check your screen display to see who’s calling before you pick up that phone call.

Phone Internet Browser: You can surf the web with phones to get weather, stock quotes, movie times, and etc. These features usually incur additional charges or you may have to sign up for a monthly data plan.

Text messaging, instant messaging, and e-mail: These features are becoming a popular trend especially among teenagers. Some phones even come with AOL, ICQ, or MSN Messenger built-in so you can message from your phone.

Camera, video recorder, and picture messaging: Camera phones are becoming more popular while the video recorder can take small clips of about 10 seconds. You can share these pictures or videos from your phone and e-mail them to other people.

Speakerphone: Having a speakerphone is great if you don’t like to use headsets or when you’re driving but of course you shouldn’t be doing anything else while driving.

Push To Talk: Made popular by Nextel, the walkie-talkie feature has been adopted by Verizon Wireless and Sprint PCS. You can walkie-talkie people with the same service and even setup conference calls using the walkie-talkie service.

Bluetooth and infrared: These two features let you connect external wireless devices such as a Bluetooth headset to your phone. You can exchange information with other phones, PDA’s, or your computer.

Sound options: You can find different options with ring tones; polyphonic ring tones are becoming standard. You can even find MP3 ring tones and FM radios built into the phone.

Accessories and add-ons: You can find things like faceplates, leather cases, holsters, headsets, ring tones, and much more to personalize your phone.

The scoop on smart phones

Smart phones are very powerful integrating a cell phone with a PDA in one device. These phones are usually very expensive but convenient because you don’t have to carry around two devices at the same time.

You can keep track of appointments, e-mail, and personal notes all from your phone. You can usually sync the contacts, calendar, e-mail, and internet bookmarks with your PC and it’s great for people on the road away from their office.

These devices are not for everyone because the average person doesn’t need all the features of a smart phone especially if you don’t plan on using the PDA. If you do decide to purchase a smart phone, compare all the different data packages that you will need to access the internet or e-mail from your smart phone.