well... since we're asking for cell-phone advice now...

[billybob_81067]

Alright, my contract is coming up in a couple weeks and I'll be getting a new phone because mine is on it's last leg. I'm pretty hard on phones and usually within a couple months they're scratched into oblivion, and some keys usually stop working... Who knew that welding and phones don't mix???? LOL

Anyways I need something DURABLE! Probably a flip phone would be best so that the damn buttons don't get pushed while it's in my pocket (if i decide to keep putting my phone in my pocket... I may start wearing the damn thing on a lanyard on my neck just so I don't kill it!). Don't give a flip about texting, so no qwerty would be best. Needs a good loud ringer because I'm in tractors and other loud environments quite often. Preferrably something small too, with no damn antenna poking out.

So basically a stripped down no-frills phone that's durable and not huge.

Tell me what you know.

[bornl33t]

varies by carrier, but in any case ask for a mil-spec phone. Each company any now carries so sort of "armored phone" Basically what you said.

[Papa_Smurf]

Here is verizon's tough guy:

http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/store/controller?item=phoneFirst&action=viewPhoneDetail&selectedPhoneId=3665&changingCompletedOrder=

My dad has it, and he is terrible with phones. It's made it 8 months, which is a record.

[rkjunior303]

Sprint has an entire line of MilSpec phones on both the Sprint and Nextel lines of product. If you're a Sprint customer, you may want to wait and pick up the new MilSpec QChat enabled flip from Sanyo.. It runs entirely off the Sprint Network but it has High Speed PTT that is compatible with Nextel - you can direct connect Sprint AND Nextel people with it... It's a ncie phone.

[billybob_81067]

Ahh yes I forgot to include which cell phone carrier I have... I knew I'd leave out some pertinent info! Anyways we're with alltel...

I'll definately look up mil-spec phones then... I had no idea there was such a category of phones...

Thank you!

[bornl33t]

Altel is a cdma network. Verizon, virgin mobile, US Cellular are some other carriers that use the same technology. IF you like a phone from one of these other carriers you can probably find the phone on the manufacturers website for altel.

[Coralis]

verizon bought out altell recently so you'll be a verizon customer before long unless you change carriers

[CaptaiN_JacK]

verizon bought out altell recently so you'll be a verizon customer before long unless you change carriers

woah woah woah...is this a fact? I'm coming back to the states in a few days after 5 months away and now I'm thinking I might wait to get a new cell phone contract until this goes through. Alltell was my old provider (and boy did I hate them, taking away free incoming texts and 7pm nights and weekends ).

[Coralis]

yeah it was in the news last week ... havent seen any mention on either carriers website though.

[trevorjk]

http://www.casiogzone.com/

[teufelhunden]

http://news.cnet.com/8301-10784_3-9960664-7.html

[bornl33t]

woah woah woah...is this a fact? I'm coming back to the states in a few days after 5 months away and now I'm thinking I might wait to get a new cell phone contract until this goes through. Alltell was my old provider (and boy did I hate them, taking away free incoming texts and 7pm nights and weekends ).

Verizon isn't any better ..let me fill you in:

Without a messaging plan you are paying .10 cent for each incoming OR outgoing message even if they are to/from a verizon phone ( no IN calling here )

MMS is going to cost you .25 cent per message

You will be charged per KB you send OR receive. I think the rate is 1.99$ per MB rounded up of course.

And here's the real kicker. If you think that IN calling applies to you're voice mail, guess again. Even though you are calling from a verizon phone to a verizon number you will be charged.

They don't currently have a phone that accurately keeps track of minutes used, because phones start the timer when you connect. Verizon starts the timer when you get a dial tone.

Oh and here's something else that is REAL funny. Verizon will NOT activate a phone that did not come from them. In other words, unlocked phones are a no-go. They reserve the right to determine if the phone you bought used was used on an account with outstanding fees. If so they will not activate you're phone. On the other hand if you buy a verizon phone that is used but basically new they are not obligated to provide ANY warranty at all. You're phone was authorized by verizon to be produced and so the manufacturer does not provide you with a warranty either, since it's technically a verizon phone.




Now any of these may be different from store to store. And we all know that two stores 15 feet apart have different policies but this is how Corporate tells the stores to function.


Disclaimer: I am a Verizon customer and so I have no clue what policies other carriers have. If I hate Verizon so much then why don't I switch? - Because I get a discount through my employer and I'm cheap. You would be too if you're bill was 180$ A MONTH.


For third party information I would recommend the howardforums.com as it seems the least biased all inclusive site, IF you know how to use a search engine.

[Ken Majors]

Alltel and Verizon have merged....or at least that's what the email from my Alltel rep said.

Man I'll bet you're really

[xtreme paintball]

Although Verizon won the JD Power award, T-Mobile is consistently rated highest in customer satisfaction, and either leads or sits close second in every other category.

Plus they have a GSM network, so any GSM phone will work, just pop your T-Mobile SIM card into any phone, and it's like it was your phone the entire time.

I'm sick of being nickle-and-dimed to death by Sprint, so I'm switching to T-Mobile in September, when my contract expires.

The only real downside to T (and this is just personal preference) is that they have too small a selection of HTC smartphones. Their only HTC slider is the T-Mobile Wing, which has half the memory and processing power of the same model offered by other companies.

Oh well.

[bornl33t]

Although Verizon won the JD Power award, T-Mobile is consistently rated highest in customer satisfaction, and either leads or sits close second in every other category.

Plus they have a GSM network, so any GSM phone will work, just pop your T-Mobile SIM card into any phone, and it's like it was your phone the entire time.

I'm sick of being nickle-and-dimed to death by Sprint, so I'm switching to T-Mobile in September, when my contract expires.

The only real downside to T (and this is just personal preference) is that they have too small a selection of HTC smartphones. Their only HTC slider is the T-Mobile Wing, which has half the memory and processing power of the same model offered by other companies.

Oh well.

Then just snap you're sim into another phone! It's actually a little more complicated then that. While on a simplified world you are correct about changing to a different phone, the reality is that all carriers lock their phones to only accept sim cards with their name on it. The term "unlocked" in reference to cell phones originated from the GSM market. This is a phone that is unbranded and will work with ANY sim card. The problem here is that these unlocked phones are generally more expensive.

I think the industry is about to change is a big way. Recent reports on the lack of new subscribers indicate that the market is finally saturated. In other words, every one that wants a phone has a phone. So what does a company do now to hold on to it's customers and/or gain new ones? I think we are going to start seeing very competitive plans coming out and an increase in customer service. This first signs of this can be seen by the willingness of companies to sit down and discuss pro-rated termination fees again. Verizon was one of the big companies that dumped enormous amounts of money into getting fixed termination fees and now that are just undoing it??

The auto motive market has kinda been the same way and look at the quality of cars that are starting to show up especially in regards to price!