How to Choose a New Cell Phone

Once you've decided on the features that you need, you can look for a service provider. Your choice of service provider will affect which models of cell phone you can choose from. Carriers use different technologies, and as a result each carrier usually has a selection of phones that will work with its service.

Carriers buy phones in bulk from cell phone manufacturers. They give basic phones away for free with a contract, and heavily discount high-end models when you sign with them. How can they afford to do this? It's simple; they charge extra fees for services like e-mail and Web browsing, often on top of the per-minute charge you pay when using these services. They also make up the cost when you go over your allotted monthly time and over the life of the contract.

Other than the obvious requirement that a phone have all of the features that you want, there are some other features that you should consider:

- Battery life¡ªSelect a phone with a battery that holds a charge for a significant amount of time. You don't want to ran out of power during a call.

- Car power adapter¡ªYou want to be able to charge your phone in your car.

- Hands free headset¡ªDepending on where you live, a headset may be required by law if you plan on making calls while driving.

- Hands free speaker kit¡ªAn alternative to wearing a headset, the speaker kit lets you make calls while driving.

- Battery charger¡ªThis is a must, and should be included with your phone. A good battery charger has a place to dock your phone and one or two additional batteries.

- An extra battery¡ªConsider this insurance, as well as a convenience. You'll be sure to have at least one charged battery on hand so that you can always use your phone.

- Car antenna¡ªYou can get antennas that will improve your cellular reception when you are placing calls on the road.

- Interchangeable faceplates¡ªIf you accessorize with your phone, you may want a model that has interchangeable faceplates so that your phone will always match your couture.

- Data cables¡ªAlmost any cellular phone can be used like a cellular modem, albeit a very slow one. If you want to dial up on your laptop via your cell phone, you are going to need a data cable.

- Bluetooth accessories¡ªYou can get Bluetooth wireless headsets and hands-free kits. Many new phones are now Bluetooth-ready.

- Carry cases and holsters¡ªA case will protect your phone from scratches and damage.

- Cameras¡ªSome cell phones have camera attachments available that enable you to take and send photos.

Consider getting a flip phone with a folding microphone or earpiece that covers the keypad when not in use. This will help prevent "pocket dialing," accidentally placing a call when keys on your phone are pressed while in your pocket or in your purse. As much fun as it may be for someone to talk to the inside of a purse (and I have done this many times), it will waste your minutes and eventually annoy everyone on your speed dial list. You can lock the keypad when your phone isn't in use, but in practice most people get sick of doing this and simply stop. Get a flip phone, it's easier.

Digital versus Analog

With over 80 percent of the U.S. cell phone market now digital, analog service is dying. Still, in rural areas there are a lot of analog cell sites. If you live in, or travel through rural areas, a phone that works with both digital and analog services can be a lifesaver. Recently, after being evacuated from my home during some of the worst wildfires in the history of southern California, having a phone that worked with analog towers allowed me to connect and place calls while other evacuees were without cell service or landline phones.

One thing to remember about analog service is that while you are connected through an analog cell site, you won't be able to use all of the nifty digital features of your phone. That means no text messaging, e-mail, Web browsing, or instant messaging. It also means no sending or receiving digital photos, or using walkie-talkie features. You also may incur roaming charges while using analog service. Still, it's a nice backup to have when digital service is unavailable.

Gaming on Your Phone

Some newer cell phones enable you to download and play simple video games. This can be a fun way to kill time while sitting in an airport, or a really boring meeting. Depending on your carrier, games may be free, or you may be charged a per-download fee plus airtime. The big thing to remember is that playing games runs your battery down faster than placing calls does.

Most games aren't especially advanced; they're more along the lines of an old Atari system, but they can still be addictive. Recently Nokia introduced the N-Gage. The N-Gage has games with graphics that are on par with the original Sony PlayStation. It's an MP3 player, and when you're sick of your MP3s it also has a built in FM radio. Oh yeah, it's a fully featured cell phone too. The N-Gage also has Bluetooth wireless support built in for head-to-head game play between N-Gage units, and supports e-mail and Web-browsing.

Accessing the Internet on Your Phone

If you want to have access to the Internet from your wireless device, you have to choose between Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) devices or devices like PDAs that can give a better approximation of "real" Web-surfing. WAP devices deliver Web pages as text, based on Wireless Markup Language, which is a streamlined version of HTML designed for the tiny screens on most mobile phones.

WAP devices surf the Internet via a WAP gateway that delivers WML pages and encodes and decodes HTML into WML for delivery to tiny screens. When a cell user requests a Web page, the page request is directed through a WAP gateway which then requests the page from a Web server. The Web server delivers the page to the WAP gateway, which then translates the page into WML and delivers it to the cell user's phone.

With larger, color screens, PDAs and some smart phones can deliver a Web-browsing experience closer to that of a PC. Even though the graphical interface is better on these devices, the overall speed of browsing is much slower than with a Wi-Fi or broadband connection.

Depending on your wireless service plan, additional charges may apply to Web browsing, as well as time charges. Review your plan carefully to keep from exceeding your allotted minutes.

Another option, if you have more than one user in your family, is to go with a family cell phone plan, also called a shared minute plan. Many times, adding a new user to an account only increases the monthly fees by $10 per month per user, plus taxes and fees.