Cell Phone Problems and Solutions

The cover story of the latest Wall Street Journal Technology Report features a useful piece by reporter Sarmad Ali called, "The 10 Biggest Problems with Wireless and How to Fix Them," which covers nearly everything you ever wanted to complain or know about cell phone annoyances.

While it doesn't tell you exactly how to fix every single problem, the piece is still a comprehensive update on the ways in which cell phone and other companies are trying to address such issues as spotty coverage (aiming cell phone towers directly at tall buildings in dense, built-up cities), poor customer service (better computer systems so that help-line workers can better identify problems...hmm), complicated bills (have you seen the look of your new Sprint bill? It's still confusing!), and missed calls (a cool service called SimulScribe, which sends voice-to-text messages of your voice mail as an SMS).

As far as spotty coverage and the reluctance of people wanting cell phone towers in their backyards is concerned, I'm surprised more people don't insist on milking the cell phone companies for fancy repairs and restorations of church steeples, schools, and other public buildings (in exchange for letting those buildings be used to hide cell phone towers, of course).

Unfortunately, you'll need to be a subscriber to access the WSJ piece, but you can actually try the online version of the newspaper for free for two weeks. If you don't feel like subscribing, you can listen for free to the author's podcast on what kinds of features people want on their cell phones.

What's your biggest problem or complaint with your cell phone?