Mobile phones provide portable, convenient and easy-to-use personal
communications. But new technologies and products confront consumers with a
bewildering array of choices of mobile phones, features and calling plans.
If you buy a phone that does not meet your primary needs, you will not be
happy with your phone. You could become frustrated and waste you time and money.
Considering the amount of time you will likely spend talking on the phone, and
the importance of good communications, it is worth your while to be aware of the
issues discussed below.
There are three ways you can choose a mobile phone and carrier plan:
- Shop by service provider – Select a wireless service provider by
brand (reputation and trust) or recommendation. Then buy a plan and phone from
them that meet your needs.
- Shop by calling plan – Select a calling plan from available
providers that meets your mobile calling needs and budget requirements. Then
pick a phone from them to go with the plan.
- Shop by handset model – Identify a phone handset that has all the
features you want. Then either buy it separately and sign up with a provider
or buy it with a plan from a service provider.
Because carriers determine which phones are available or work on their
network, most consumers first choose a wireless service provider and then buy a
calling plan and phone handset from them. More sophisticated phone users first
buy the phone they want and then sign up with a carrier with which they know it
is compatible and works where they live, work and travel.
Calling plans range in price from about $29 a month and up depending on
features and usage. Mobile phone handsets range in price from free to $800.
depending on the features and length of contract.
Each person has a unique set of needs for using a mobile phone. Their needs
are based on their individual work, travel and communications behaviors. Be
honest with yourself about why and how you will use a mobile phone. Then you
will buy the right phone for you and be a happy consumer and user.
Answer the following questions to determine your mobile phone needs and
budget:
General Phone Use
Estimate your phone usage:
- How many people are in your phone address book?
- How many people will phone you or exchange e-mails or messages?
- How often will you use the phone during a typical day or weekend?
- How many minutes of local calls will you make per month? Typical usage
patterns: Low: 400 minutes; Average: 700; High: 1,000.
- How many minutes of long-distance calls?
- Where will you use the phone: in the city, region, nation, international?
How often?
- E-mail – How many e-mails will you send and receive each day?
- Messaging – How many text, picture and instant messages will you send and
receive each day?
- Do many of your friends or colleagues use a particular wireless service
provider or e-mail service?
- Web browsing – What information will you retrieve from websites? How
often?
- Games – Will you play basic or advanced games? Will you play online games?
When and how often will you play games?
- Ringtones – How many ringtones will you add to your phone?
- Personal information management – Will you use and store your main
address, calendar and task information on your phone? Do you need to
synchronize the data with your computer?
- Do you need two or more phones for you and your partner or family?
Are there any other mobile features you will use such as: Hands-free,
speakerphone, push-to-talk (walkie-talkie)?
Can you use a mobile phone provided by your employer? Will you pay for any of
it's usage?
What is your budget for the initial purchase price and monthly expense for a
mobile phone?
Business Use
People who use a mobile phone for business must understand the limitations of
mobile devices, such as lower bandwidth and limited battery capacity. Even top
smartphones or PDA phones cannot perform as well as a wireline-connected
personal computer.
As a business expense, the total cost of ownership and return on investment
are important. Estimate the time that employees save each day and turn into
productive time by using as mobile phone. How much is the total net gain in time
worth annually?
Consider less quantifiable, but no less important, issues such as being more
aware of high-priority issues, dealing with customers faster and making
decisions faster.
How does a mobile-enabled workforce integrate with existing people, processes
and technologies? What business problem does it solve?
The two primary concerns for a business wireless strategy are coverage and
reliability. Where must your employees use a mobile phone? What is the
guaranteed up-time of the network?
Consider the security and legal aspects of a mobile workforce. Where is
important data stored? Who has access to it and how? What happens if a mobile
device is lost or stolen?
Mobile Phone User Groups and Needs
Mobile phone users generally fall into one of the following groups based on
their role, activity and needs. Certain mobile phone features and applications
meet those specific needs.
| User Group |
Role or Activity |
Mobile Phone Needs |
Mobile Phone Features |
Example Phone |
| Basic Phone User |
Housewife, student, senior |
Low-cost, basic phone. For occasional use or
emergencies |
Basic phone: Convenient size. Simple controls.
Prepaid calling plan. |
|
| Advanced Phone User |
Networker, socializer |
Constant use, anywhere, anytime. Stylish and
easy-to-use phone. |
Advanced phone: Large address book. Easy dial.
Good call quality. Voice-mail. Easy-to-mute ringer |
Sprint International Phone IP-A790 (Samsung).
PalmOne Treo 650. |
| Busy Business-person |
Executive, entrepreneur, sales-person, |
Multi-function communicator. Information
organizer. |
Business phone: Address book, tasks, memos,
contact-synching. Speakerphone. Conference calling. Reliable global
service. Good call quality. High-capacity battery. |
Nokia 9500 Communicator |
| E-mail/Message Junkie |
Manager, field support, student |
Easy calling and messaging. |
Messaging phone: E-mail, SMS, IM. Qwerty
keyboard. Maybe wide roaming. |
Danger Sidekick 2, RIM BlackBerry, Nokia 6820, LG
F9100 |
| News & Information Hound |
Stock investor, sports fan |
Up-to-minute news, sports, financial & info.
|
Data/Web phone: Data plan for messaging. Large
display. Mini-browser. Content alerts. |
Danger Sidekick 2 |
| Multimedia Bug |
Music lover, image collector |
Play music. Capture & view images. |
Multimedia phone: Audio player. FM radio. Photo
& video camera & player |
Nokia 6620 |
| Fashionado |
Women, teen. Stylish or bold. |
A fashion accessory. Trendy looking. Impress
friends. Simple and affordable. |
Stylish phone: Unique or stylish design. Sleek
size. Local calling plan. Mid-priced. |
Nokia 7610, Motorola RAZR V3 |
| Gamer |
Play games anywhere, anytime |
Download or online games. |
Game phone: J2ME or BREW. Large TFT screen.
Durable controls. Dedicated gaming keys. |
Nokia N-gage QT |
| Gadget Freak |
Early adopter. Gadget user. Tech geek. |
All the latest and coolest features |
Has-it-all phone: Full-featured. Latest
technologies. No accessories needed. Top priced. |
HTC Blue Angel (i-Mate PDA2k) |
Sports/
Adventurer |
Sports/
outdoors person. Weekend warrior. |
Durable design. Good reception. |
Sport phone: Tri-band, GPS, two-way radio. Long
battery life. |
|
| Child |
School-age children |
Contact parents. Very simple to use. |
Kids phone: Limited features. Low priced. |
|
Most wireless service providers (or carriers) that serve busy areas offer
competitive calling features and plans. But some plans are more suitable to the
needs of certain mobile user groups (see above).
In general, you can't go wrong with one of the major providers. But smaller
providers often focus on a market niche and might have better features or
pricing that might suit you.
Follow these steps to choose a wireless service provider:
- Identify which service providers provide mobile service in your local area
and the areas to which you will travel.
- Research public consumer information sources, such as Consumer Reports,
J.D. Power Customer Care and Cost and Service Plan Options ratings for your
area, or other review organization.
- Identify which calling plans match your calling needs and budget
- Ask detailed questions about rates and extra charges or fees.
- What is their customer service like? Try phoning them for billing and
technical support. Ask your friends and colleagues about their experiences,
good and bad, with their mobile phone.
- Do they offer a money-back satisfaction guarantee or trial period? Try it
at the critical locations for you, such as the office, parking garage, home,
airport.
To compare wireless service providers and calling plans, see our Wireless
Carriers & Plans: Reviews.
Wireless (or mobile) number portability allows subscribers of wireless
services to keep their phone number when switching service providers. It is the
mobile-number equivalent of local (landline) number portability. Wireless number
portability is available in the U.S., Europe and parts of Asia.
The phones themselves are not portable. If you switch to a new wireless
service provider, you will likely have to buy a new phone, unless you can unlock
or reprogram it.
Look at the handsets offered by retailers or wireless service providers that
met your needs as described in the sections above. See what new models, features
and prices are available.
"Must Have" Features
Which features must you have on a handset to satisfy your primary mobile
phone needs? Popular must-have features for most people are:
- Simple controls, such as keypad, volume and mute.
- Good reception.
- Voice mail.
- Adequate battery life.
Now add any features that you must have in order to meet your specific
mobile phone needs. For example, if you will write a lot of e-mails, you need a
Qwerty keyboard.
If you travel outside of your local area, be careful about getting a handset
that does not work on the analog network (AMPS). AMPS is older technology but
still has the most coverage in the US Avoid this scenario: "I'm getting a lot
more dropped calls since I "upgraded" because my new phone does not have
the feature to use the analog network when digital isn't available." Maybe AMPS
is a must-have feature for you.
"Like to Have" Features
Which features would you like to have to make the phone better for you? There
is a myriad of choices for all types of mobile users and needs. .
Like-to-have features are less important than must-have ones on your needs
list. They are of less value (less benefit or not worth the cost) to you. Be
strict with yourself here, especially if you have a limited budget. If you can
go through a typical day without using the feature, then it goes here and not in
your must-have list.
To compare handset models and features, see our Reviews of Handsets and
Devices.
After you have identified and prioritized the features you need, you are
ready to go shopping with a clear idea of the handset and calling plan features
you should buy.
There are several strategies for buying a mobile phone that can help you get
the right features and stay within your budget:
Strategy for budget-conscious consumers – Get the least expensive
phone package that meets your "must have" needs. Don't subscribe to extra
features that you don't need. Use the phone up to the plan limits. As prices
fall and you renew, you will always be getting the most value for your money.
Strategy for advanced mobile phone users – Get the most advanced phone
you can afford and for the shortest contract term. Use the phone and all its
features a lot. As new models and features are introduced, you can upgrade and
will always be using the latest technology.
Strategy for corporate buyers – Get the lowest "total cost of
ownership" package, including rates, service and upgrades. Be diligent about
network coverage in all areas where employees must travel. What is the
guaranteed up-time of the network? No or poor reception for sales or field staff
is expensive. Give employees the simplest phone that meets their basic needs.
Employee service and support for a complicated phone is expensive. Your
employees' time is worth more than the phone, so buy a phone and plan that
maximizes employee productivity.
The retail business for mobile phones and calling plans is very competitive
in most countries. Even after all the discounts and rebates, the retailers,
providers and suppliers are in business to make a profit.
A handset and calling plan are often sold as a package characterized by its
features (handset, plan, quality, performance), contract term, and total price.
When you buy a package you have to make a trade-off of these three
characteristics.
You can pick any two characteristics that you want. But then the third one
will not be what you want. For example, you can get a free phone with lots of
minutes, but you will pay a high monthly fee for three years. Or the phone, plan
and price are good, but coverage is lousy.
For all combinations of tradeoffs, the wireless service providers make their
profit on a sale in one of three ways:
- Upfront with an expensive handset and no contract, or
- Over a mid-length term contract with a mid-priced handset, or
- Over time a long-term contract with a low-priced handset or limited
calling plan.
Either way, in general, you get what you pay for. The best "deal" for you is
probably where you can find a package comprised of a handset and calling plan
that best matches your needs and budget; no more and no less.
After you get a new phone, it is important that it performs as designed,
works with the calling plan features and meets your needs.
Test the operation and reception of the phone. Make some local and long
distance calls, especially from important locations such as home and office. Ask
some friends to make some local and long-distance calls to you. Were all the
calls completed? How was the reception?
Ask friends to leave you a voice mail. Did you receive them properly? Ask
them whether your voice-mail's outgoing message is clear.
After recharging the battery three times, how long does it hold a charge? The
talk time and standby time should be near the rated times. If they are
constantly below, you might have a defective battery or charger. Or improper use
of the charger. Use some of your phone's advanced features, such as the contact
list, or download a message, image or ringtone.
Next, try group e-mail or messaging, or three-way calling. Eventually use all
the features your phone has that are important to you. Make sure they are all
working properly and you are comfortable using them.
Have fun with your cellphone!
After using your mobile phone for a while, your needs might change. Or you
just want a new phone. Review your past use of the phone and it's
performance.
- Which features did you use the most? The least?
- Which additional features would you like to use?
- Did you incur any additional usage fees? What types? How often? How much?
- What problems did you have with the handset? Size, weight, dialing,
handling, dead battery? Did you have to consult the manual often to figure out
how to use the phone?
- What problems did you have with the service? Dialing out, reception, busy
circuit, dropped calls?
- Did you have any billing problems? Unjustified additional charges,
incorrect calling charges?
- Did you have any unsatisfactory customer service experiences?
If you want to get out of your current calling plan contract, what is the
penalty fee?
What is your new budget? How much more or less do you want to spend on a
mobile phone and service?
With your updated needs and budget, go through the process in sections 1,2
and 3 above to choose and buy a handset and calling plan.
Upgrade tip – If you travel outside of your local area, be careful
about getting a handset that does not work on the analog network (AMPS). AMPS is
older technology but still has the most coverage in the U.S. Avoid this
scenario: "I'm getting a lot more dropped calls since I "upgraded"
because my new phone does not have the feature to use the analog network when
digital isn't available."
Billing problems account for the majority of problems with mobile phone
service. Common problems are unjustified additional charges and incorrect
calling charges.
- Can you understand the detailed billing report? If not, ask customer
service to explain it.
- Are the charges within the terms of the contract?
- Are the problems resolved or unresolved?
- Were the customer service staff polite or rude?
Common technical problems are:
- Poor reception – Where were you when the reception went bad? Can
you identify anything that would interfere with the calls? If you are
frequenting a dead spot, report it to your provider.
- Busy circuits – What area and time of day were the calls made? The
cell area may be under-served.
- Dropped calls – What area and time of day were the calls made? It
could be a problem with the reception, network or both.
- Battery goes dead too soon – Defective or worn-out rechargeable
battery? Defective or improperly used charger? Check the condition of the
battery and your procedures for recharging.
- Phone crashes – Does it reboot or restart? It could be a software
glitch or electronics problem. Take the phone in for service.
- Virus infection – Does the phone have slow, random or unexplainable
performance? Get virus scanning and cleaning software.
