Selecting Your Cell Phone Service

1. Not every carrier has every phone. A certain cell phone may catch your eye, but the device is useless if you can't get service where you need it most. Check out the carrier. The four biggest carriers (Cingular Wireless, Sprint Nextel, T-Mobile, and Verizon Wireless) have coverage maps on their Web sites. Independent sites such as Dead Cell Zones track user complaints about locations with poor cellular coverage.

2. Take into account the reception your new phone will get. Most carriers offer a trial period; use this to assess the reception you get at home, on your commute, in your office, and from other locations where you'll be talking on the phone. Nail down the details of the trial period and the company's return policies (which can be quite strict) before you sign a contract.

3. Consider data usage. Surfing the Internet and managing e-mail involve transmitting data, which isn't included in your voice plan. When purchasing a data plan, you should keep a few things in mind:

• You can pay for messaging and data use à la carte--and if you don't expect to move much data, you could save money that way. But you'll likely be charged a higher rate.
• Some carriers bundle voice and data plans together, while others permit you to select a voice plan and a data plan separately. It's wise to sign up for a plan that supplies slightly more voice and data minutes than you think you'll need.
• Most carriers describe their data plans as "unlimited." But before you start surfing the Web to your heart's content, find out exactly what the carrier's definition of unlimited is. Carriers may limit or prohibit data-heavy activities such as uploading or downloading audio or video programming.