Wednesday, August 29, 2007

What to look for when buying a mobile or cell phone

Cell phones are arguably one of the best inventions of our modern age. Cell phones allow us to keep in touch no matter where we are globally and have proven to be life saving tools in countless emergencies. Designers, however,have long surpassed the ambition of simply designing a product that willmake a phone call. Today’s cell phone is handheld gaming platforms, a portable music or video player, a personal organizer and much, much more.

The enormous variety in models and the different features supported by carriers make choosing a cell phone extremely difficult. Not only must you choose a suitable phone, but you must choose a suitable carrier as well. Most cell phones will only work on one or two networks, so it is usually
best to find your provider before shopping for the mobile.

When choosing your provider there are several things you should look for. How much and for what purposes will you be using your phone? Decide exactly what you intend to do with your phone. Most companies offer custom customer packages. The variety in packages helps enormously in finding the company with the best rate and service for your needs.

Who will you be calling? If you are making mostly local calls, choose a package that offers unlimited or high minutes for that purpose. Keep in mind, however, that your rates for long distance calls will most likely be huge. Work in reverse if you make primarily long distance calls. Consider also when you use your cell phone. Many packages offer lower rates for evening and weekend calls. If you know you will rarely use your cell and want it primarily for emergencies, consider looking at a pay as you go plan, ensuring that you pay only for those minutes you actually use.

Now consider what extra features you will need. Do you need to access your email? Browse the web? Features like these usually cost a certain amount per minute of connection time. If, however, you are a high volume user, you will most likely be able to find an unlimited plan.

When it comes to the actual phone, your options are almost limitless. While most plans will offer a free base model with an initial contract signing, if you opt to upgrade you have a difficult choice to make. One of the hottest trends right now are the dual-purpose phones that combine all the
traditional features with the additional use of an mp3 player. This is something to consider if you are considering the purchase of an mp3 player and would just rather have the added ease of carrying around one device instead of two.

You may prefer a cell phone that will play games and run applications such as personal organizing software. In this case, your best bet may be to find a Java enabled phone. These models are highly customizable and have many more features than the average phone.

There is a wealth of options available in both your carrier and service provider. Figure out ahead of time what services will be the most used, what features you most require. With these decisions already made, shopping around will be so much easier. Don’t forget to check the Internet. There are hundreds of sites that offer reviews and extended advice of each model on
the market. Knowing exactly what you need will make you much happier in the long run.



http://www.articlesearchnet.com/Article/What-to-look-for-when-buying-a-mobile-or-cell-phone/803