Cell-ebrate! Phone-Buying Help Is Here

Cell-ebrate!
Phone-Buying Help Is Here

These days, choosing the right cell phone for your business is like playing some kind of high-tech version of Rubik’s Cube. First off, there are six major service providers — AT&T Wireless, Cingular Wireless, Nextel, Sprint PCS, Verizon Wireless and Voicestream — all with a dizzying array of calling plans offering a slew of different phones from a dozen manufacturers.

Of course, some phones work only with certain providers. So then you’re faced with the question: is it best to shop for the phone, the provider, or the plan? Is it possible to shop for all three at once? You might as well throw Net access into your selection criteria since by the end of the year, all six major carriers will have activated improved data networks that will let you surf the Net via your cell phone.

Few can successfully maneuver through this maze of options and communications strategy. If, like with the maddening possibilities of Rubik’s Cube, this puzzle proves a bit daunting, don’t fret. Help is on the Net.

First, go to About: Cell Phones/Pagers and read up on the latest new models. Here, you will catch up on phone basics, gather information on cheap or fancy phones and learn about available plans.

Next, head for GetConnected. When you type in your ZIP code you can find a plan that fits your calling needs and a compatible phone you like. It’s also possible to research local promotions and check for deadlines.

Once you narrow down your plan and phone choices, go to Howard-Forums, an amazing cell phone message board that allows you to check what users are saying about the ones they picked and offers you opinions on other plans and phones. You can also post questions, get advice and best of all, get deals.

For reviews of the plans and phones you’re considering, go to Epinions.com: Cellular Phones & Service. After you’ve read about the virtues or flaws, you’ll buy with some confidence. Epinions will also show you the latest prices on most models and point you to auctions on eBay if you want to buy a refurbishes or overstocked phone.

For a little more of everything, visit www.cell.exchange.ph. The site has some active — and sometimes brutally honest — user forums. But you can bet you’ll get a pointed answer to your posting. (There’s a lot more cell phone information here, too.)

It’s also possible to buy directly at the site of the carrier you’ve chosen. Remember to always look for rebates or subsidies as part of your contract. You may want to shop at GetConnected or try Amazon. Shopping online means you may get special offers and discounts, but sellers may not always promise to repair your phone should problems crop up.

If, after all of this, you still have more questions, Try Joni Blecher, the self-proclaimed Cell Phone Diva at CNet: Wireless. Blecher tackles any question, no matter how silly. Just for fun, read through her archive of columns. You’ll be amazed to discover the kind of entanglements people find themselves in when it comes to cell phone plans and providers. The site also includes reviews of new phones, buying assistance and news of upcoming models.

Of course, after all of your searching for answers online, you can always leave the virtual world and head to a phone company outlet or a cell phone store in the physical world. Some offer plans from several carriers. At this point, however, you may actually know more than the salesperson.

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