Getting a new mobile phone

[editor]

It's been about three months since my wife ran my Ericsson Z600 through the washing machine. Little sucker never recovered, so I've been using my crappy old Ericsson T68mc from 1999 ever since. Well, I finally got fed up with it, and have purchased a new phone. Behold the latest object of my affection:

SonyEricsson M600i (I picked the white one.)

Here's hoping it's everything I hope it is. I have to wait five days for it to get here from China. It's going to be the longest five days of the year.

[brijonmang]

It looks pretty sweet. Dont have too much fun with it

[native_Houstonian]

Let us know how you like it. Does this have an mp3 player?

I'm in the market for a new phone myself. My ideal phone would be Blackberry type format with an mp3 player.

Anyone have any suggestions? Or which phones I should definitely avoid?

(By the way, it would have to be compatible with TMobile. I'm on my company's plan)

[Jeebus]

Editor, so you can get a phone from anywhere in the world as long as you get the type that takes sim cards, so you can just buy the sim cards for each country traveled in?

Here's the phone I'm "pimping" now. It does more than everything I'd ever want. I don't pay for Vcast though. I think its still too gimicky.

[Jeebus]

Let us know how you like it. Does this have an mp3 player?

I'm in the market for a new phone myself. My ideal phone would be Blackberry type format with an mp3 player.

Anyone have any suggestions? Or which phones I should definitely avoid?

(By the way, it would have to be compatible with TMobile. I'm on my company's plan)

Try looking at the Tmobile MDA. We almost went with Tmobile, and I was going to get this phone if we did.

[editor]

Let us know how you like it. Does this have an mp3 player?

I'm in the market for a new phone myself. My ideal phone would be Blackberry type format with an mp3 player.

Anyone have any suggestions? Or which phones I should definitely avoid?

(By the way, it would have to be compatible with TMobile. I'm on my company's plan)

I've read that the M600i I'm getting comes with Blackberry software. It also does Microsoft Exchange. The M600i is the "business" version of the W800 series, which means they took out the camera and filled it with business applications, like a PDF reader, a VPN client, and programs that can edit Word and Excel files.

It does play MP3's. It also plays AACs, so if you've ripped your CDs with iTunes, it will play those m4a music files, but not the ones your purchased from the iTMS. And it plays MPEG4 video. I've seen a video of it playing video, but haven't looked too much into this. It appears you can turn the phone on its side and watch the video full-screen if you want.

In the company I work for, just about everyone has a Blackberry. I've resisted getting one because I don't want to be tied to work 24 hours a day. My excuse to date has been that I travel so much that a Blackberry would be useless. I'm not going to let anyone know my new phone does Blackberry.

Oh, and I will be using it with T-Mobile. So this might be a phone you'd be interested in.

[ProHouston]

I'm in love with the Motorola Ming (a1200) that is also only available in China. It's still going for about $450 on eBay though, a little to high for me.

[editor]

Editor, so you can get a phone from anywhere in the world as long as you get the type that takes sim cards, so you can just buy the sim cards for each country traveled in?

Here's the phone I'm "pimping" now. It does more than everything I'd ever want. I don't pay for Vcast though. I think its still too gimicky.

My boss has a phone like that. I wonder if it's the same one. It seems really solid, which is good since I keep my phone in my pants when I sit down.

To answer you question, I can get a phone from anywhere in the world as it operates on tri-band GSM (900, 1800, 1900 MHz) or quad-bad GSM (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz). All GSM phones have at least one SIM card slot.

This phone is tri-band GSM plus G3 UMTS (2100 MHz), for high-speed voice, data, and video in Europe and parts of Asia. My understanding is that Cingular has rolled out UMTS in some American cities, but changed the frequency, so my phone is not compatible with Cingular's non-standard UMTS. This isn't Cingular's fault -- the 2100Mhz frequency it needed wasn't available at the time. But the FCC has a new auction of 2100Mhz coming up, and T-Mobile is expected to buy in and roll out standard UMTS on it. That means that with a T-Mobile SIM (or USIM) card and the right phone, you could have video, voice, and high-speed data in New York, London, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Paris, or just about any large city.

As for buying multiple SIM cards, yeah, sometimes I do that. Sometimes I don't. If I'm only going to be in a particular country for a few days and don't plan on making many calls, I'll just stick with my regular SIM I use in America and pay the roaming charges. When I was in London last, it was something like 49 cents a minute for incoming and outgoing calls. The benefit, though, is that even though I'm on the other side of the world, people are able to call me just like they would call my regular American cell phone number.

When I was in Vienna a while back I knew I was going to be there for a while, and knew I was going to need to make lots of phone calls, so I picked up a cheap pre-paid SIM at a tobacco store and the calls were something like 8 cents a minute outgoing, and free incoming calls. The downside was that my phone then had an Austrian phone number (something like +43 699 126 90 001). But all I did was slap my American SIM card in at the end of the day and check my voice mail.

Interestingly, when I was in London in the fall, I didn't bother changing to a local pre-paid SIM since I was only there a few days. I ended up paying Orange Telecom roaming charges for the two calls I made, and an outrageous amount for roaming text messages (something like 40 cents a message). BUT I wasn't charged AT ALL for the data I used through my laptop. Had I known that, I would have sent more e-mails, and fewer text messages.

[editor]

I'm in love with the Motorola Ming (a1200) that is also only available in China. It's still going for about $450 on eBay though, a little to high for me.

Wow! Nice phone! That one went completely under my radar. I'm glad my wife doesn't read this forum, or I'm sure her current phone would suddenly become inadequate.

That's a clear shell that lifts up, right? And the display stays active when it's closed? Great idea. Is the shell just regular plastic, or is it something more substantial?

The phone my wife picked up in Hong Kong in March is the Nokia 6111.

It's pink, and pretty capable. Quad-band GSM plus EDGE. The camera is 2mp, I think, but while the photos are crisp, the colors are washed out. The phone is actually much smaller than it looks. My only complaint is that you have to remove the back faceplate to change the battery or SIM. I'd much rather there was a real compartment for that sort of thing.

[sevfiv]

i would get a spiffier phone, but get frustrated with wee little keyboards and such.

although i opted for a camera-less phone, i really wished i had one yesterday - i saw a small sign in a clothing store that said "active bottoms." that's the kind of thing camera phones are good for - of course i had to be conspicuous and take a picture of it with my regular 'ol camera

on another note, when i saw the title of this thread, i first read:

Getting a new mobile home

[editor]

i would get a spiffier phone, but get frustrated with wee little keyboards and such.

although i opted for a camera-less phone, i really wished i had one yesterday - i saw a small sign in a clothing store that said "active bottoms." that's the kind of thing camera phones are good for - of course i had to be conspicuous and take a picture of it with my regular 'ol camera

on another note, when i saw the title of this thread, i first read:

Getting a new mobile home

I can understand your frustration with wee phone keypads. My Z600 was nice. I'm 6'2", with the hands to match, and I was able to pound out text messages very quickly. Now I'm using my T68mc, and it's a painful experience. Very slow and hard to press just one key.

My wife's 6111 has larger keys, but for some reason they're recessed. Deeply recessed. So pressing buttons along the top row is hard because I can't get my fingers down there.

I'm hopeful about the M600i. Most of the keys are actually rocker switches. Left side of the button is Q, right side is W. That sort of thing. If the buttons don't work out, I'll have to use the handwriting recognition, but I'd rather not so I don't dull the screen with the stylus like I've done to Palm Pilots.

If you do a lot of texting, or e-mail on your phone it might be worth looking into a fold-up Bluetooth keyboard. I used one for about six months and it was really great. After getting used to it, I would really fly - almost as quick as my regular computer keyboard.

[Subdude]

So it sounds like if you want international coverage, you should go with Cingular or T-Mobile. Right now I have Verizon, which half worked in Mexico and nowhere else. My contract runs out at year-end, and I'm thinking of switching. The other thing that is annoying is that Verizon's music service is proprietary, whereas I belive Cingular is iTunes compatible.

[editor]

I've heard that Verizon and Cingular work on some cruise ships. If you're someone who takes cruises every summer, that might be something to consider.

It's not Cingular that's iTunes compatible, it's the Motorola phone. You can buy any unlocked iTunes-compatible Motorola phone and use it on Cingular or T-Mobile and with iTunes.

[ProHouston]

Wow! Nice phone! That one went completely under my radar. I'm glad my wife doesn't read this forum, or I'm sure her current phone would suddenly become inadequate.

That's a clear shell that lifts up, right? And the display stays active when it's closed? Great idea. Is the shell just regular plastic, or is it something more substantial?

The phone my wife picked up in Hong Kong in March is the Nokia 6111.

It's pink, and pretty capable. Quad-band GSM plus EDGE. The camera is 2mp, I think, but while the photos are crisp, the colors are washed out. The phone is actually much smaller than it looks. My only complaint is that you have to remove the back faceplate to change the battery or SIM. I'd much rather there was a real compartment for that sort of thing.

Yep, it's clear and very sturdy. The earpiece is attached to it as well, there are tiny wires you can barely see in the plastic the connects it to the phone. The phone is as big or smaller than your average flip phone so it can slide into your pocket easily. You can view data even when the phone is closed and it operates on the Linux OS. It syncs with MS apps and allows editing. It also has FM radio, MP3 player, bus. card reader, and can use the SD slot to store any type of file. You can also use graffiti or a small popup keyboard with the included stylus. Real nice. See why I'm in love?

[editor]

Yep, it's clear and very sturdy. The earpiece is attached to it as well, there are tiny wires you can barely see in the plastic the connects it to the phone. The phone is as big or smaller than your average flip phone so it can slide into your pocket easily. You can view data even when the phone is closed and it operates on the Linux OS. It syncs with MS apps and allows editing. It also has FM radio, MP3 player, bus. card reader, and can use the SD slot to store any type of file. You can also use graffiti or a small popup keyboard with the included stylus. Real nice. See why I'm in love?

Totally.

I went by my favorite shady overseas import store on the way to work today, and they had it. Too bad my new phone is already at a FedEx distribution facility a couple of blocks from my home waiting to be delivered in the morning. My local slim shady had your phone for $490, but they're known to run a little high over there.

[editor]

Woo hoo! It's here! Actually, it turns out it's been here since Saturday, which is exceptional since I ordered on Thursday night, it shipped from Kowloon, China on Friday morning and arrived here the next morning.

Unfortunately, I didn't find out about it until today because part of my address got cut off on the label, so the doorman sat on it until I came looking for it.

Here's HAIF on the M600i

And here's the wee keyboard

[MidtownCoog]

The Motorola Ming looks like you can break it just by looking at it.

[harmsuploe]

The Motorola Ming looks like you can break it just by looking at it.

I was surfing the Internet looking for some software for my new Motorola Ming and came across this old forum. What a coincidence. (Used to live in Houston, now living in China).

The Ming is quite sturdy. Just bought it today. What a great phone. I passed my SE K750 off to my wife. I loved that phone dearly but haven't even thought about it once since. Not even a bit of remorse. I think this phone will go a long way towards breaking Motorola's image (here at least) of big on style but not substance.

[editor]

Good point. Motorola has done a lot of fundamental work lately. I can't speak about their reliability, but their featuresets have really grown. Even their most basic phones have Bluetooth these days. It wasn't too long ago that Moto said Bluetooth was dead. For me, it's a dealbreaker. Fortunately, Moto has seen the light. Their phones come in with EDGE, GSM, UMTS, and a ton of other features that cater to power users, while remaining unobtrusive to regular users.

I haven't used a Motorola since my 1994 bag phone, but I might consider one next time around since they seem to have gotten their act together.

[native_Houstonian]

Editor,

How is your new phone working out?

Being a non-techie, I'm looking for any and all advice on purchasing a new phone. I have to stay with my TMobile service, so I'd have to get a phone that is compatible, right? Or, will any unlocked phone work with any service as long as I use my TMobile SIM card?

These are the features that I'm looking for:

a. quick text messaging capabilities (preferably a QWERTY keyboard)

b. able to download and play MP3's

c. being able to synch with Outlook contacts

Any suggestions anyone?

[Pumapayam]

Now I can see how you get your fix of HAIF.

It looks great even on the small screen.

[editor]

Editor,

How is your new phone working out?

Being a non-techie, I'm looking for any and all advice on purchasing a new phone. I have to stay with my TMobile service, so I'd have to get a phone that is compatible, right? Or, will any unlocked phone work with any service as long as I use my TMobile SIM card?

These are the features that I'm looking for:

a. quick text messaging capabilities (preferably a QWERTY keyboard)

b. able to download and play MP3's

c. being able to synch with Outlook contacts

Any suggestions anyone?

Once that new phone smell wore off, I started to hate it. It was super buggy and didn't work the way one would expect. That problem was solved by upgrading to the latest version of the firmware, which made virtually all of the bugs disappear. Now it's a great phone.

Upgrading the firmware requires a Windows computer, which I do not have. I ended up using an old laptop from work.

You don't have to stay with T-Mobile to use this phone. You can pop a Cingular SIM card in whenever you want to switch phone companies. Or if you're traveling outside of the country you can pop in any telephone company's SIM card (pre-paid is usually a good idea) and you're good to go. I usually keep my T-Mobile SIM in the phone when I'm traveling, that way when my mother calls me, she's still dialing an American phone number and it doesn't cost her anything extra whether I'm in Canada or China or the Czech Repubic. I have to pay extra to receive and make calls when I'm overseas, but T-Mobile's international roaming rates are very reasonable IMO.

If you already have T-Mobile, it might be worth getting a pre-paid Cingular SIM to see if their coverage is better where you live. Then you can just keep whichever SIM is best for you.

It's important to note that each SIM has its own phone number. This is useful in that when you're traveling with a foreign SIM you have a local number and local calls cost less. At the end of the day, or whenever is convenient for you, you can pop in your American (T-Mobile, Cingular, whatever) SIM and magically it becomes an American phone and you can check your voice mail.

Of course, all this assumes you don't have a contract with T-Mobile. Someone at work recently mentioned that she'd renewed her Sprint contract. I just can't wrap my brain around why anyone would have a contract with any phone company. You don't have a contract with SBC for your landline. You don't have a contract with TimeWarner/Comcast for your cable. You don't have a contract with your internet provider or the water company or trash service. Why should you have one for your cell service?

[foxmulder]

I just can't wrap my brain around why anyone would have a contract with any phone company. You don't have a contract with SBC for your landline. You don't have a contract with TimeWarner/Comcast for your cable. You don't have a contract with your internet provider or the water company or trash service. Why should you have one for your cell service?

SBC, Doesn't give you a "free phone", Time Warner doesn't give you a "free" modem, digital cable box. The cellular industry subsidizes the cost of your "free" phone to ensure you don't get free phone or rebate phones for nothing and then cancel. Have you seen the cost of a phone straight from the manufactor? Not even close to the $150 you can get a razor for. They lock it to the carrier, and customize it. T-mobile buys it for let's say $100 and gives it away. Right off the bat they lost $100+dealer commisions(they pay dealer $200). They make you sign a contract you've made them the cost of the phone back. I don't have a problem with contracts...People that sign 2 year contracts for a phone that is junk is what makes me laugh.

[Guest Marty]

It's been about three months since my wife ran my Ericsson Z600 through the washing machine. Little sucker never recovered, so I've been using my crappy old Ericsson T68mc from 1999 ever since. Well, I finally got fed up with it, and have purchased a new phone. Behold the latest object of my affection:

SonyEricsson M600i (I picked the white one.)

Here's hoping it's everything I hope it is. I have to wait five days for it to get here from China. It's going to be the longest five days of the year.

All i got is a 20$ tracphone. Your phone is more powerful than my old Apple IIe computer.

[editor]

SBC, Doesn't give you a "free phone", Time Warner doesn't give you a "free" modem, digital cable box. The cellular industry subsidizes the cost of your "free" phone to ensure you don't get free phone or rebate phones for nothing and then cancel. Have you seen the cost of a phone straight from the manufactor? Not even close to the $150 you can get a razor for. They lock it to the carrier, and customize it. T-mobile buys it for let's say $100 and gives it away. Right off the bat they lost $100+dealer commisions(they pay dealer $200). They make you sign a contract you've made them the cost of the phone back. I don't have a problem with contracts...People that sign 2 year contracts for a phone that is junk is what makes me laugh.

AT&T (the real one, not the one formerly known as SBC) used to give people free phones. All the phone companies did. They stopped in the 70's and 80's (depending on where you live) to save themselves money, and we as consumers let them get away with it.

I'm very aware how much a phone costs direct from the manufacturer. In small batches they're quite a lot. My phone cost me about $400. It's the price of freedom. But Verizon/Cingular/T-Mobile/Sprint or whomever wouldn't pay nearly that much for the same phone because they buy tens of thousands at a time. Their cost is closer to $50 for high-end phones, and much less for the crappy ones most people use.

It's amazing the "suggested retail" prices that the wireless companies put in their ads to scare you into thinking you're getting a bargain by signing up for their contracts. Like you, I've seen RAZRs listed as $300, or just $150 with a contract. Strangely, you can buy the same phone with no contact, sometimes with extra features unlocked, new for $150 or less in other countries. You can even get unlocked RAZRs here from independent dealers for $130 and no contract.

I think you and I both agree -- the big wireless companies are dishonest with their customers, and very few customers realize it.

All i got is a 20$ tracphone. Your phone is more powerful than my old Apple IIe computer.

Heck, with 80 megs of RAM, 1 gig of storage, 384 kbps internet access, and a screen with 65,000 colors, it's more powerful than my old Pentium 1 box.

[FilioScotia]

I just can't wrap my brain around why anyone would have a contract with any phone company. You don't have a contract with SBC for your landline. You don't have a contract with TimeWarner/Comcast for your cable. You don't have a contract with your internet provider or the water company or trash service. Why should you have one for your cell service?

The "cell service" is what that company is selling. The actual phones are the hooks they use to get you in so they can lock you in for 24 months of that service.

They could give their phones away and still make a lot of money off the two years of service they require you to buy. They're constantly adding all sorts of new feature bells and whistles to their phones, so customers will spend more and more time on the phone. The more time you use, the more money they make. Multiply your typical monthly cell-phone bill by 24 and you'll see what I mean. The price you paid for that phone is a pittance compared to what that company makes off you over a two year contract.

You do have a choice you know. If you don't like that arrangement you can always go back to living without a cell phone. We all did that very well once upon a time.

And, by the way, Time-Warner, AT&T and the water company all have monopolies in their service areas and they don't need a contract. They're the only cable, phone amd water outfits in town, and they enjoy acting like it. Internet providers don't require contracts because changing ISP's is such a hassle most people stay with their original ISP no matter what.

Cell phone service providers don't enjoy monopoly status. They have to compete for your money, which is why they require contracts.

[editor]

And, by the way, Time-Warner, AT&T and the water company all have monopolies in their service areas and they don't need a contract. They're the only cable, phone amd water outfits in town, and they enjoy acting like it. Internet providers don't require contracts because changing ISP's is such a hassle most people stay with their original ISP no matter what.

Cell phone service providers don't enjoy monopoly status. They have to compete for your money, which is why they require contracts.

I've lived in cities where there were competing cable companies, and they didn't require contracts. Heck, you can hardly say that TimeWarner has a monopoly in that arena since satellite TV is so strong these days.

You don't have to have a contract for your land-line long distance service -- and there's competition there.

You don't have to have a contract for your electricity -- and there's competition there.

When I lived in New Jersey there were even competing water comapnies, and no contracts were required.

I think too many people have been conditioned into thinking contracts are required for everything, and that they are somehow subserviant to the big utilities and if they fill out these giant "application" then maybe.. just maybe.. Big-Cell-Co will be nice and "approve" them and let them be customers.

I look at it the other way -- What can Big-Cell-Co do for me? Not enough? I'm on to the next provider. No contract. No strings. No looking back.

I believe very strongly in invoking my right as a consumer to spend my money elsewhere.

[FilioScotia]

I've lived in cities where there were competing cable companies, and they didn't require contracts. Heck, you can hardly say that TimeWarner has a monopoly in that arena since satellite TV is so strong these days.

You don't have to have a contract for your land-line long distance service -- and there's competition there.

You don't have to have a contract for your electricity -- and there's competition there.

When I lived in New Jersey there were even competing water comapnies, and no contracts were required.

I think too many people have been conditioned into thinking contracts are required for everything, and that they are somehow subserviant to the big utilities and if they fill out these giant "application" then maybe.. just maybe.. Big-Cell-Co will be nice and "approve" them and let them be customers.

I look at it the other way -- What can Big-Cell-Co do for me? Not enough? I'm on to the next provider. No contract. No strings. No looking back.

I believe very strongly in invoking my right as a consumer to spend my money elsewhere.

Time Warner does have a monopoly on cable service in a wide area of Houston and Harris County. No other company can compete. Not everybody has satellite TV, and not everyone CAN have satellite TV, if their house doesn't have a clear view of the southern sky. Personally, I think cable is obsolete technology that will disappear in about 20 years, the same way buggy whip makers went out of business when automobiles were invented. But as long as it's here, Time Warner has the Houston area nailed down, so they don't need you to sign a contract. You're free to take it or leave it.

Let us know how well you do when you refuse to sign a contract with a cell phone company. It's not like you can use your cell phone with any company. Good luck with that.

[editor]

Let us know how well you do when you refuse to sign a contract with a cell phone company. It's not like you can use your cell phone with any company. Good luck with that.

Actually, that's exactly the point I've been making -- I DON'T have a cell phone contract. I haven't had a contract for any cell phone since 1997, and I've changed providers three times since then. In 1997 I had Cincinnati Bell -- signed up without a contract. Later I moved to AT&T -- still with no contract. Then I went to T-Mobile -- again, with no contract.

I get the same rates as regular T-Mobile customers -- except that I'm free to walk away whenever I want, and I can (and do) change my plan (up or down) whenever I want with no penalties.

I think you've missed the whole point of half the thread -- you don't need a cell phone contract. Thousands of people in America live without cell phone contracts. Millions of people around the world live without cell phone contracts. I don't have one. My wife doesn't have one. None of our close friends have them. Many of my co-workers do, and it's just stupid.

And the other point of the thread you've been missing is that YES you can use your cell phone with more than one company. If you get the right kind of cell phone, and not some carrier-crippled piece of free rebate crap. If I decide I'm unhappy with T-Mobile today, I can walk down the street and pick up a Cingular SIM chip for $15, slide it into my phone's SIM slot, and *bam* I'm a Cingular customer.

So to answer your line, "Let us know how well you do when you refuse to sign a contract with a cell phone company" -- the answer is, "Quite well, thank you."

Freedom is a wonderful thing. But when you've been conditioned to believe the cell companies' lies for so long, I can understand why you can't wrap your brain around it.

[ricco67]

Actually, that's exactly the point I've been making -- I DON'T have a cell phone contract. I haven't had a contract for any cell phone since 1997, and I've changed providers three times since then. In 1997 I had Cincinnati Bell -- signed up without a contract. Later I moved to AT&T -- still with no contract. Then I went to T-Mobile -- again, with no contract.

I get the same rates as regular T-Mobile customers -- except that I'm free to walk away whenever I want, and I can (and do) change my plan (up or down) whenever I want with no penalties.

I think you've missed the whole point of half the thread -- you don't need a cell phone contract. Thousands of people in America live without cell phone contracts. Millions of people around the world live without cell phone contracts. I don't have one. My wife doesn't have one. None of our close friends have them. Many of my co-workers do, and it's just stupid.

And the other point of the thread you've been missing is that YES you can use your cell phone with more than one company. If you get the right kind of cell phone, and not some carrier-crippled piece of free rebate crap. If I decide I'm unhappy with T-Mobile today, I can walk down the street and pick up a Cingular SIM chip for $15, slide it into my phone's SIM slot, and *bam* I'm a Cingular customer.

So to answer your line, "Let us know how well you do when you refuse to sign a contract with a cell phone company" -- the answer is, "Quite well, thank you."

Freedom is a wonderful thing. But when you've been conditioned to believe the cell companies' lies for so long, I can understand why you can't wrap your brain around it.

Look, editor is right on this one.

I was talked into going with a company that ONLY offers international capable phones and I haven't been sorry. I initially gotten a contract (out of habit, I think, but haven't renewed), and I've upgraded my phone by buying them on the web. Going to find some a cooler phone on the web soon. If my carrier (still Tmobile) pisses me off, I can walk away. If they know that, they will bend over backwards for you.

The only thing I haven't been able to do is try to get better deals, but the rate plans that many of the carriers offers are so different from eachother (and even in different regions!) that it's hard to have an apple to apple comparison!

From what I've seen cell rates in other countries are dirt cheap compared to here; whether or not you want to owe it that our cell infrastructure is incomplete, they're constantly updating, or they're still making payments on a cell tower in Denver. I don't know. But I hope rates are dropped as more people are using them as their primary phone.

So there!