Quick Guide to Buying a Cell Phone
Learn the Lingo
- CDMA CDMA Code Division Multiple Access, a venerable cell phone standard that is most prevalent in the United States (used by Verizon and Sprint).
- GSM GSM Global System for Mobile Communications, a cell phone standard used around the world and in the United States by Cingular and T-Mobile.
- 3G 3G A broad term to describe high-speed (around 400Kbps and higher) cell phone services like HSDPA and EV-DO.
- GPRS GPRS General Packet Radio Services, a low-speed data service available on GSM networks.
- EDGE EDGE Enhanced GPRS, a somewhat faster (about 100Kbps) data service than GPRS but slower than 3G services.
- EV-DO EV-DO Evolution-Data Optimized, the 3G high-speed data service available from CDMA providers.
- HSDPA HSDPA High-Speed Downlink Packet Access, the 3G high-speed data service available from GSM providers.
- UMTS UMTS Universal Mobile Telecommunications System, a somewhat older version of the HSDPA network; the terms are often used interchangeably.
- Bluetooth Bluetooth A small-area networking technology, often used to connect a wireless headset to a cell phone.
The Basics
There are 3 main types of cell phones :
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Budget Phones
Pros: Best price (often free); easy to use
Cons: Often lack advanced features
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Multimedia Phones
Pros: Play music; better cameras; some can even play TV
Cons: Can be confusing; downloaded songs are expensive
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Smart Phones
Pros: Usually feature full QWERTY keyboards; allow web and e-mail access
Cons: Usually expensive; require extra data plans (at extra cost); bulky
What Matters Most
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- Call quality
- Try any phone before buying it to test audio quality, and check online coverage maps to ensure a signal in your area.
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- Data plan
- You'll need a data plan if you want to access e-mail or the web via your phone. If you're using for work, check with your company's IT department to see if it recommends a certain phone.
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- Multimedia features
- Most phone cameras are of low quality, but some offer resolutions up to 5 megapixels. Some phones have a media card slot to increases storage space for music and other media.
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- Talk time
- Check reviews to see which phones have the longest battery life. Many ultra-portable phones offer less than one day of battery life.
Dig Deeper
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