Cell phone time

Our contract is coming up for renewal, so we get discounted new cell phones. My husband had the free Motorola last time and it was awesome in terms of signal strength when he's out in the mountians logging. He really wants to find that again in his upgrade, so, here are our choices. Do any of you guys have any experiince with any of these models, especially in out-of-city limits for reception? He doesn't care for the camera and all that jazz...just a phone with great signal strength.

LG C2000
Sony Ericsson W300i
LG CG225
Sony Ericsson Z525a (this is my personal fave for me)
Nokia 6102i
Samsung D407
Samsung C417
LG CG300

 

He wants a phone that functions as a phone?

Not sure that exists... When people ask me if I have a mobile I tell them "No, but I have a good camera..."

My monster takes stunning photographs, it works as a modem on any puter, anywhere in the world, I can check msn (I think, haven't tried it..) and I think it can cook, even though I never found that button.

But does it operate as a phone? No! I never hear the blasted thing, loudest signal can't be heard outside my bag, and whenever I try to text someone it saves the text in the middle and doesn't allow me to edit, I have to start over...

And people ask me why I never get in touch with them anymore!

I miss my old nokia brick!

I wish there was some way I could program my own phone. Get rid of all the extra "fluff" that I don't want, and just keep the things I use...

 

They're all flip phones - *yawns*

Not a fan, as my last flip phone snapped in 2, probably because of the way I treated it, but still!

Compare all the GSM/GPRS strengths, and that gives the best outcome.

If I had to go with one though, I'd go with the Nokia, because you can't go wrong with a Nokia. Samsung have been slated over here for just producing unreliable phones - I have friends with the D600 and D900 and have had many things go wrong.

 

My new upgrade mad: ) is a LG VX5200, with camera, think they all are anymore and I don't care for it at all. I had Samsung a610 I just passed on to my granddaughter, also camera, but it was great. I never lost calls it held a charge forever. Can't seem to get through a call now without being dropped. Seems if it were the server it would have happened with the other phone.

 

Afriad I can't help you here...I just upgraded to a PDA phone (The Verizon Pocket PC) But I went from a flip phone, and I personally like the flip phone because you don't have to spend the extra time to lock your keypad!! You just flip it shut and no worry of bumping the keypad and unknowingly call someone while you're taking a wiz!! Actually happened to my boss!!

Roger

 

To the Brits......clamshell phones (as they are called here) are big. Most people don't have anything else. My last umpteen phones in both the USA and UK have been clams. Mostly Motorolas, which are awesome phones. The phones I listed are the only ones offered to us on the upgrade and renewal of our Cingular contract. Anything else would cost megabucks, and we're just not prepared to pay silly money.

@Solange - yes, how silly of me huh, expecting a phone to work as a phone, and not a coffee maker, hair stylist and car mechanic Bring back the bricks

Samsung - my current one is a samsung and it is crap. I would never touch them again. I cannot hear it ring; sometimes when it is in my jeans pocket I don't even feel it vibrate (and no, there is nothing wrong with my butt!). During calls it cuts in and out more than anybody's mother-in-law ever has, and that's only if I can hear the person in the first place. You have to hold the phone in the precise position against your ear to hear them. I'm so sick of saying "I'm sorry, you cut out, can you repeat that?". I have tinnitus, so I need a phone that is clear to hear and loud to ring.

I'm tending toward the Ericsson W300i for me (because I like all the extras and it is only $20), and the LG CG300 for my husband, as all reviews I have read says it has exceptional range and clarity.

@Mankind. Glad your Nokia is great...the review on this one fell short on the signal strength, and only this model is on offer, sadly.

Thanks for your input guys

 

Hi Lev,

Well this is my 2c

I 'used' to be a complete phone freak, honestly, it became an issue!

I always had to have the latest model, the best sound, best screen, best powerful features, best best best.. sad really!

Anyways, out of it I learnt one thing, go to a phone store, sick back let the rep try and con you, then tell him to shadup, and try the phones that look good to you or your hubby! Be aware of yourself though, its easy to get wrapped up in the awe of features, that you probably will never use, but pay out the nose for it!

Personally, out of all the models I had, I was never disappointed with a nokia handset, I dunno, they just felt better and more universal to me, now I currently a 3220, standard type of phone, but with lights on the side, that are hella bright, plus you can buy the wave-messaging addon which rocks BTW! cost around $149 Australian now, so probably pittens over there in the US.

Dave

 

Hi Lev, I have a Motorola V3 razr and it's fine for me. I'm not interested in the camera I want a PHONE! I have to say if your service provider wont be flexible with you then just tell them you are going elsewhere....I think you may find that they change their mind!

 

I am considering that as an option scousetechie. I am seriously disappointed in the options Cingular have right now. Their phone models are crap, with very little choice and nothing in the middle market. They don't even have ONE of the NOkia N-series.

@Mankind...is the 6010 a standard brick style? They don't offer that anymore but they do the 6030.

I've checked out all the reviews on Cnet of what Cingular offer. None leave me gasping for breath, until you get to the PDAs, and with a laptop, I really don't need all that additional crap. The Ericsson W300i I had my eye on just doubled in price overnight, so the deal isn't so enticing now anyway. We have to stay Cingular, as no other provider gets a signal in the remote areas my husband works.

Did I say I was disappointed..... ?

 

The 6030 is a brick phone too...wonder if it is comparable? The reviews say it is a bit plasticy...what do you think to yours? Tough enough to take hunting, fishing,logging etc?

 

Nice to see someone dropping Cingular, rather than it always being the other way around

I was going to go down the store and take a look at them tonight, but my son-in-law got his deer tag filled, so apparently we are cutting up deer tonight

 

LOL....you might be a redneck if you use your chainsaw to cut your trophy deer up with.....


Back to the subject......it may not be much against Kodo's, but I can't justify $400 on a new phone when I have a laptop and just bought a new civic, so, this is my new phone I didn't get it on Amazon, but the site has the best pics.

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-Ericsson-Z525a-Phone-Cingular/dp/customer-reviews/B000HAVNZY

 

Hey Lev hate to mention this but did you read the reviews on Amazon???????

 

Yeah. I read so many reviews on all the phones offered to us in many different places. I read extensively the ones on CNet.com. One thing I learned about reviews, is the quality of the review depends on where you read it. If you go to a more technical forum you get less "whining because I can" and a more indepth critique of the actual functions of the phone.

http://reviews.cnet.com/Sony_Ericsson_Z525a/4505-6454_7-31814617.html

I have a friend who had the predecessor of the z525a and was very happy with it. They live out in a fairly remote location and reception wasn't an issue. I also went and "test drove" the phone at Cingular yesterday and it felt ok as a product. Camera quality I don't care about....I have a good digital camera anyway, but try getting a phone without this deature nowadays! The PTT button isn't a feature I will use (as we have walkie talkies when we hunt) and it is very easy to disable, as I found online.

 

Quote:
Originally Posted by CNet Reviewer
Full user opinion
There's an easy fix for the PTT button. You need some needle nose pliers and a razor blade. Just grab the button and pull the damn thing off the phone. On the backside there's a little nub that actually hits the internal membrane... cut it off with a razor and squeeze the button back into it's hole. It took 2 minutes to turn this into the best phone I've ever had.

Think this is a surgeon?

 

LOL......quite possibly, but if it works, I'm all over it.

 

I did

 

Not sure what I'm supposed to do. Don't want to go back there, was an overload for me this am. Now I'm going to be a whiner the rest of the day.

 

No problem...I kinda hijacked your @Darlene thread anyway

I'll play...just not until tonight

 

Rings on his fingers, rings up his nose, he shall hear jingling whenever he blows....

 

Well Timmie your young, but with time you too, will be just as smart as moi

 

I remember it as - rings on her fingers, bells on her toes and a bone in her nose - ho ho

 

Always knew those southerners were weird

 

So our phones have been shipped via Fedex from Dallas to Oregon. So why the heck are they going via Tennessee??? What's with that? Hellooooooo Mr Fedex Guy....we are over here in the west!!!!!

 

So does that mean it will arrive with Elvis ringtones?

 

LOL Lev
Lev's phone rings to "You ain't nothing but a hound dog" with our Timmie snickering in the background

 

I chewed the guy out at Cingular about them not carrying ANY of the Nokia N-series. I told them their range for loyal long standing customers was crap and had he seen the awesome range Verizon were offering now? HAHA. He looked somewhat embarrassed. Must have been my intimidating accent, which I have been told is a Cottage Grove one (Mankind will know).

So yeah, I've waited 2 years for a phone I can actually hear ring and hear the person on, so wasn't prepared to wait any longer. I've gone for the Sony Ericsson Z525a, Halo

 

?

You must be seeing a different line of Verizon phones than I am. Or I just don't shop for phones that often, cause the last time I looked at Verizon's selection, it sucked.

And I am really starting to dislike Verizon period.

 

Listen and learn Grasshopper........

You say that to the competiton regardless of what you think of the range......if they think you willshop elsewhere all sorts of interesting things start happening

 

Yeah, I know what you are saying and agree with you completely.

I just didn't read it like that for some reason.

And that doesn't work with the Verizon reps around here. They will just cancel your account out of spite.

 

Woooo...they've arrived according to the Fedex tracker. Glad I'm going home early today