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Your Next Cell Phone

These days, choosing the right cell phone is a little like playing a game of 3-D chess. Six major service providers with a dizzying array of calling plans offer scores of different phones from a dozen manufacturers. Some phones work only with particular providers; others are branded confusingly (Is this a Samsung or a Sprint PCS phone?). Do you shop for the phone, the provider, or the plan? Is it possible to shop for all three at once?

Then there’s Net access to think about. By the end of the year, all six major carriers will have activated improved data networks that will let you hit the Net via your cell phone (in most cases, your new cell phone, perhaps with a color screen) at a speed of 50–60Kbps, similar to that of a dial-up modem. While that speed won’t yet put true Web surfing in the palm of your hand, it has the potential to change your relationship with your phone, and it will bring us closer to the more Net-centric experience that Japanese, Korean, and Scandinavian callers currently enjoy. Take a tour through today’s cell phone landscape with us, and find the perfect phone and plan for you.

How the Web Helps You Choose

1 Go to About: Cell Phones/Pagers [cellphones.about.com] and read up on the latest new models. Catch up on phone basics, gather info on cheap or fancy phones, and learn about available plans. For some introductory thoughts, also visit Consumer Reports.org: Recommendations for Choosing a Cellular-Service Plan [consumerreports.org/Special/Samples/Reports/0101cell0.html].

2 Head for GetConnected [getconnected.com] and type in your ZIP code. Look for a plan that fits your calling needs and a compatible phone you like. Research special local promotions and check for ever-changing deadlines.

3 Once you’ve narrowed down your plan and phone choices, go to HowardForums [howardforums.com], an excellent cell phone message board. Check what users are saying about the ones you’ve picked and gather opinions about other plans and phones. Post questions, get advice, find deals.

4 For reviews of the plans and phones you’re considering, go to Epinions.com: Cellular Phones & Service [epinions.com/elec-Comm-Mobile]. After you’ve read about the virtues or flaws, you’ll buy with more confidence. Epinions will also show you the latest prices on most models and point you to auctions on eBay if you want to buy a refurbished or overstocked phone.

5 You can buy directly at the site of the carrier you’ve chosen (look for rebates or subsidies as part of your contract), shop at GetConnected, or try Amazon. Shopping online means you may get special offers and discounts, but sellers may not always promise to repair your phone should problems arise. You could also head to a phone company outlet or a cell phone store (some offer plans from several carriers) in the physical world. At this point, you will probably know more than the salesperson.

The Lingo

CDMA: Code-Division Multiple Access. The major cell phone technology that most carriers have used for several years. AT&T Wireless has used TDMA, a competing standard, but it’s now fading away.

CDMA2000 (1xRTT). The latest and greatest CDMA technology that in theory allows speeds of up to 144Kbps. In practice those speeds are 40–60Kbps. Sprint PCS and Verizon Wireless are in the process of upgrading to it.

GSM: Global System for Mobile Communication. This is the network that makes so-called world phones work internationally. AT&T Wireless, Cingular Wireless, and VoiceStream are all in the process of migrating to it.

GPRS: General Packet Radio Service. The technology that GSM uses to transmit data. It’s part of the infrastructure, not something you shop for.

2G: The “second generation” cellular technology that we’ve all been using since 1996. Net-access speed is a terrible 14.4Kbps, max.

2.5G: The “always-on” technology that started showing up in late 2001 and is now appearing everywhere. Net-access speeds get up to about 40Kbps.

3G: Cell phone nirvana, with maximum Net-access speeds surpassing those of broadband. Some carriers are trying to pass off their current service as 3G, but at speeds of 40–60Kbps, that’s closer to 2.5G. When speeds hit 144Kbps and up, that’ll truly be 3G. Estimated to arrive in two to three years.