Everyone's got one and they all stink. Yes, this week the Duo discuss mobile phones. These days, your phone can potentially send messages, shoot photos and video, record voice memos, play games, and even provide both music and television programming, right in the palm of your hand.
(Suppose they'll ever make one that doesn't drop your calls?)
The cell-phone carriers, and by extension the companies that provide those phones, would rather talk about the non-call-related features. After all, service providers can charge you more for fancy gear, and they can charge you more for services--like ring tones that can cost you more than the whole darn song. But the ever-practical Duo declare that they're going to make the assumption that the main reason you buy a phone is to talk--and maybe even to listen.
Angela clarifies the first rule of phone shopping: Unless you've absolutely got your heart set on one particular phone that you can only get from one carrier (e.g., her beloved Sidekick II), the first decision you should make is which carrier is right for you. And for that, you need to talk to your friends, your family, your colleagues, and especially your neighbors.
The friends-and-family part is probably clear--most mobile-phone companies offer discounts if you and yours use the same service, of course--but why your neighbors? Steve reminds you that since they're often in the vicinity of your house, they're likely to know what coverage is like in the area. The carriers know, but they won't always tell you, and sometimes when they do, they're wrong. For instance, continues Steve, T-Mobile has great maps that work down to the block level. But on a corner where he knows from repeated experience that the service consistently drops out, T-Mobile says the coverage is supposed to be "great: rarely drop a call." So find out from people you trust how they like the coverage from their carrier at the places you're most likely to be using your phone. Here's a tip: The coverage probably is not so good anywhere you see people yelling, "Can you hear me now?"
Next, the Duo turn their attention to the tech you need to know. There are three basic types of mobile-phone networks, and your next phone will use just one of them. First there's the Global System for Mobile Communications, or GSM, which is what Cingular Wireless and T-Mobile use. Second, there's Code Division Multiple Access, or CDMA, which is what you get from Verizon and Sprint. And then there's Nextel's system, called Integrated Digital Enhanced Network, or IDEN; as the Duo headed for the studio, it still wasn't clear whether that technology would survive the Nextel-Sprint merger.
In general, says Steve, GSM phones have somewhat better battery life and more features, and work in more parts of the world. And GSM phones can use SIM cards, which let you take your phone book and your phone number with you from phone to phone ... in theory, anyway. But U.S. carriers often lock their phones so that they only work with their own cards.
CDMA phones, on the other hand, don't use those cards. They tend to be more about the network's capabilities than the features of any specific phone--for example, the network sets the time on your handset, which is a small good thing for frequent fliers. CDMA companies also have been faster to offer high-speed data services. And some models include a fallback to analog, which is still the only connection you may get out in the sticks. You won't get data out there, but you'll still be able to talk.
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