What Kind of Phone Do I Need?

By Christopher Kugler

In today’s world of wireless communication, simply picking the right cell phone provider and plan isn’t enough to guarantee a hassle-free and enjoyable wireless experience. Once all the jargon of rates, minutes and coverage areas is set aside, the single most important piece of the cell phone puzzle is the cell phone itself.

Like service providers and plans, cell phones come in a hundred different varieties and with enough standard and optional features to make your head spin. While a single service provider might only offer one or two dozen phones, that’s still a lot to evaluate and choose from.

Cell Phones Cost Money

It’s a fact of life: most cell phones cost money, and many are rather expensive. While most providers offer one or two phones that are free with a one- or two-year contract, these basic phones usually don’t include any extra features that are becoming the norm in today’s world.

Cost is always a factor when evaluating a cell phone, so remember that each of the features and options discussed in this article likely add to the price of the phone.

The Usual Suspects: Features on Phones

Air conditioning and CD players in cars used to be the exception rather than the norm. In the same way, certain cell phone features are becoming much more common.

• Many phones now come with a built-in digital camera. Some even come with a flash or zoom capability. Remember that camera phones generally don’t produce high-quality pictures like a regular digital camera, and that transferring your pictures from your phone to your computer might be awkward. Ultimately, ask yourself if you plan on using picture messaging (which usually has an associated fee); if not, you probably don’t need a camera phone.
• The big thing now in phones, PDAs and similar devices is wireless Internet capability, often called Bluetooth (after the technology). Again, evaluate whether you really need this feature. Bluetooth-enabled phones generally cost more, and the Internet service itself often costs $10.00 or more a month. Remember that surfing the Internet on a tiny cell phone screen isn’t quite the same experience as on your home computer; is looking up sports scores, movie times and headline news worth the extra cost?
• Some high-end, expensive phones even come with small keyboards (like on your computer). This would primarily be used for sending emails and complex text messages, but the average user will find it’s not worth the price.
• Another popular feature on some phones are polyphonic ringtones, or clips of music that sound like actual recordings instead of tinny notes. Some phones even let you assign custom ringtones to each person in your phone’s address book, so you can identify incoming calls by what’s playing. Like Bluetooth capability, using polyphonic ringtones often has an associated expense: most ringtones (available through your service provider or other online retailers) can cost between $0.25 and $1.00 apiece. You might also incur Internet-usage charges for downloading the ringtone via the Internet.
• Games are often available on cell phones. Check to make sure that your phone is capable of playing the games (a certain screen size or resolution might be needed). Like the ringtones, there is a cost to downloading games to your cell phone. Again, you might incur additional Internet-usage charges if you download the game via the Internet.
• One hot debate in the world of cell phones is whether ”flip-phones” (the clamshell-like ones that fold in half) are worth it. Some people are concerned that the hinge might weaken the phone. Ultimately, the decision between a ”regular” and ”flip” cell phone is personal.

Ultimately, choosing the right cell phone is a matter of personal preference and need. Just remember to temper the desire for additional features with whether you’ll ever actually use them and what additional charges may be incurred.

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