Cell Phones in general (1 Viewer)

[Chad Ferguson]

I'm about to buy a cell phone and I was just wondering what things I should be looking for one in general. I want the text messages, digital, vibration. First of all I live in Regina Saskatchewan, Canada, so I don't not have access too all the phones. The one I was thinking about getting was a motorola 120T. If someone could tell me if there is anything wrong with this phone then please do. I don't care about games on the phone. The one thing I hate is the bad connections or all around bad sound so I do not want to skimp out on that part too much. The phone I was looking at does not have GSm, whatever that is, but my friend said it was a better quality connection. Any info would be great on this subject and if it matters, I plan on going on a pay as you go plan.
Thank you
P.S. on a side note, I was really wanting a phone like they had in the Matrix but those don't seem to be around. My friend told me that when they were the mouth part didn't shoot down like the movie either.

 

[Jason Reich]

Ah, the Nokia 7100 series, yes the mouth piece does extend down, on the 8100 series it does not. the phone from the matrix(7100) is not available in North America to the best of my knowledge. It is a GSM phone in Europe/Asia.

 

[LewB]

Chad:
I just got the Motorolla 120 (not sure if it was a 'V' or a 'T'). Cost was 29.95 USD. Phone is nice enough and I don't have a problem with it's sound quality but what I think you really have to watch out for is your provider's signal quality in the area you plan to do most of your talking in. My phone (and the last one for that matter) work fine when I am out in traffic, the mall, etc. Problem is that there is virtually no signal in my house ! I'm guessing that the fact that I'm in a low lying area has much to do with it. You might want to factor the signal in general when making your provider decision.

 

[TerryS]

I've been very happy with my Nokia 3360. The sound quality is much better than my old 5365 (or whatever the freebie was at the time). Even with no external antenna I usually get better reception than my wife's phone.

 

[MickeS]

GSM is just a standard for communications that's used worldwide, as opposed to the other cellphone systems in the US that are just used nationally. If you travel a lot in Europe or Asia, get a tri-band GSM phone, otherwise I don't think it makes a lot of different which digital system you use.

 

[Seth_S]

I have the Nokia 8260 serviced by Cingular with a North East roaming plan. It has all the bells and whistles you want, is very small - fits easily into your pants pocket, and I never have reception problems inside. I also use the HDC-5 Headset with it. Since I've had the phone for over a year, I'm guessing that there is an updated model.

 

[TylerN]

Hi Chad,

IMO, a GSM phone is the only way to go. I had digital PCS for my previous 2 phones and the GSM was a big step up. People on the other end of my phone conversations think i'm on a regular land line because it is so clear. I'm in Regina too BTW.

I have a Nokia 8390, its the best phone i've owned. Its a GSM phone, small enough to fit in your pocket, vibrates, downloads rings, etc.. In talking to the cell repair guys in town here the Nokia's have the best track record for reliablity, and the Motorolas are among the worst. Don't get me wrong, all phones are built to last, but some are just a bit better.

If you've checked out SaskTel mobility you're probably noticed they have some pretty wild prices for phones/airtime/features. They also have an OLD network... IMO they can't compete with Rogers even with their broader network coverage. I'm often on the road to Yorkton, Toontown, Price Albert, Swift Current, i've ALWAYS had a signal on my GSM phone in the cities AND on the highway.

A good place to go is 2Send on dewdney and albert street, they are the only rogers location with a repair depot and they've got some pretty knowledgable guys down there. Check out the 8390 for sure. I think it can be had for $49.00 right now.

 

[Zen Butler]

I second the 8390. I have went through 6-7 phones over the years. This by far is the best. I received my 8390 about a month ago, when I switched to GSM.
What a difference the GSM service is, and the phone is great. Ironically, when I switched from digital to GSM, the ATT computers here in the US were down. So Canada's Rogers/Att (sp?) took all the calls. They were very nice and helpful explaining everything. I've been with ATT since they were LA Cellular here. Great service.

 

[Shane Bos]

The phone you are looking at Chad is the Motorola V120T (T=TDMA).
Side note: There are 3 diferent digital network types in N. America TDMA, CDMA, and GSM

If you are lokking at Rogers and you want a Pay as you go phone. You have 2 options 1) The Motorola V120T or 2) The Nokia 3390 GSM. IMHO as a Roger's dealer your best bet at this point in time is the Motorola V120T. It has a slightly farther reaching network because it does have a analog ability for fringe areas. Your indoor reception will suffer with the 3390 becasue of the frequency it runs on it has poor penetration into buildings.

All that said if all you plan on doing is staying on the beaten path and using the phone outdoors the 3390 is cheaper and has better quality reception.

As far as where to buy Costco is your best bet for prices here in Alberta the 3390 is $139.99cdn and the V120T is $189.99cdn.

If you do go with a monthly plan my phone recemendations would be the Motorola V60TorG, The Motorola P280G, Nokia 8390G, or the brand new Motorola T720G.

P.S. The Matrix phone was only available in Australia.

 

[Anders Englund]

Ah, the Nokia 7100 series, yes the mouth piece does extend down, on the 8100 series it does not. the phone from the matrix(7100)

Actually the phone from The Matrix is the Nokia 8110i. The mouth piece does indeed extend down. However, it's not spring loaded (unlike the 7110) so the phone must have been slightly modified.

Nokia 8110
Nokia 7110

--Anders

 

[Chad Ferguson]

THanks for the replys guys. Looks like I'm going to go head down and check out that Nokia that is recommended. Although I was upset that the Matrix thing was not available in Canada I think I will et over it. Tyler, what kind of deal did you get with the phone? Also, is it possible to buy non-NOrth American phones and make them work here? Thank you
P.S. You would think they would do a Matrix tie-in with the phone :frowning:

 

[Zen Butler]

You'll like the 8390, it fits in the coin pocket of my Dickie's. I haven't seen that Matrix-style phone for a while. I looked at them when they came out, they are awfully big for todays standards.

 

[MickeS]

Yeah, those "Matrix" style Nokie phones compared to today's phones are like a Pentium 200 Compared to a P4 2.4 GHz.

Can you even find one today?

I believe that any tri-band GSM phone can be used anywhere in the world (just change the chip), but of course chargers would have to ahve a powerconverter. I'm not sure though.

 

[Chad Ferguson]

Personally, I like that little bigger size. THen I actually feel like I'm talking into the phone. The new ones are so small that the bottom is around the middle of my cheek.

 

[TylerN]

Chad, I think it was around $150 when i got it, but that was on an upgrade plan a year ago. They're much cheaper now especially with new contracts - around $50. I'm not sure if they can hook the 8390 up on pay-as-you-go, but if they can the phone can be bought outright for around $250.00. (i just bought one 2 weeks ago, my old one got busted!!)

I was in the same boat as you when i first got a cell phone, small phones that only came to my cheek didn't seem to feel right and i felt they were way to small. I soon found out that i carry the phone much more than i talk on it... It didn't take me long to realize that a phone that fits in your pocket, doesn't have external antennas, etc. is alot more convenient. Even though it may feel weird having a tiny phone the quality is even better than the older bigger ones.

 

[McPaul]

Do you have to get a GSM phone? I know GSM seems to be reasonably popular in north america. However in europe, where we all know is years beyond us in such technology, they primarily use a form of CDMA.

I've got a Samsung N370 that I picked up for $50 just before Christmas. It's Bell, CDMA, has everything I wanted, I use text messaging all the time and have paid for unlimited text with bell. one thing I'm not too happy with is the text entry style. T9 word format is not editable so you can't add new words to the dictionary, and punctuation is a bitch to enter. But other than that, I love the phone. I don't know if it's still around though.

I was also looking at the Kyocera 5135 flip at the time which was a good phone, but no call display on the outside of the flip so that was a no go for me. They might have one with that feature now tho. And I know that the 5135's are still available.

If you must get GSM go for nokia and nothing else. I believe the top seller is the 3390 but am not familiar with it.

Chad, let me know if you have any questions. I've got a buddy who's manager at Eaton Center Wireless Wave here in Calgary and I consider him to be a cellphone god. Also, you might want to check for Howard Forums, a canadian site, I don't have the URL so google for it.

Good luck!

 

[Shane Bos]

Do you have to get a GSM phone? I know GSM seems to be reasonably popular in north america. However in europe, where we all know is years beyond us in such technology, they primarily use a form of CDMA

Paul you have this backwards actually. GSM in N. America is very new. Most of N. America runs on a CDMA network whereas Europe, Asia, Australia runs mostly a GSM network.

 

[David-S]

Also, you might want to check for Howard Forums, a canadian site, I don't have the URL so google for it.

www.howardforums.com

 

[Yee-Ming]

ah, the Nokia 8110. I used to use one, then when The Matrix came out I deluded myself into thinking that its "cool factor" had gone further up. they were actually discontinued a long time ago, in fact it might even have been around the time the movie came out.

Chad, like you I've always felt more comfortable with a phone that I felt I was talking into -- hence my initial preference for the 8110. today's equivalent would be roughly the 8850, or maybe the 8890 for North America -- they're the same phone (I think) but the 8850 I have is only dual band (enough for Asia), the 8890 is tri-band, which you might need in North America. I'm sure you can read up at Nokia's website.

and I second the Nokia recommendation. it's a bit of blind faith on my part, but IMHO no other manufacturer comes close to their stuff and I wouldn't even consider a phone from another company. I've seen and handled some, and I've always felt Nokias were better.

 

[Cees Alons]

Paul you have this backwards actually. GSM in N. America is very new. Most of N. America runs on a CDMA network whereas Europe, Asia, Australia runs mostly a GSM network.

Exactly! In fact the word 'GSM' is almost synonymous with 'cell-phone' here.

I actually didn't know you people had wide coverage of a GSM network now too. What is the frequency, is there total coverage and is it coupled? I used to leave my GSM at home when I visited the US, but perhaps I won't have to do that in the future. (Currently I own an Ericsson).

I agree with those saying: buy the smallest and lightest. Whenever I had to hire a US cell-phone (Motorola mostly), I was amazed how big it was - and unhandy.

Cees