New Cell Phone [SOLVED]

MegaMan001

I currently have your basic Samsung flip phone, but if I extend my contract for another 2 years (which I have no reason not to, I have a great deal, great coverage and great service) I get a 100 dollars off a new phone.

Any tips on what to get? I basically want something reliable with a camera, that's it.

In particular, I may get a V-Cast Razr - any experiences with those models or Razrs all together?


EDIT: Ended up going with the LG clamshell model of their new chocolate phone. It was Only $30 after the 150 dollars of rebates. Seems pretty nice so far, I'd reccomend the LG VX8600 for anyone.

Glaeal

MegaMan001 wrote:

I currently have your basic Samsung flip phone, but if I extend my contract for another 2 years (which I have no reason not to, I have a great deal, great coverage and great service) I get a 100 dollars off a new phone.

Any tips on what to get? I basically want something reliable with a camera, that's it.

In particular, I may get a V-Cast Razr - any experiences with those models or Razrs all together?

I got my Razr for 70 bucks and I'm still disappointed with it. Look elsewhere.

Feral

Motorola E815 > Razr in every way except looks.

SUPER_JESUS

who is your carrier? I have verizon and just got a krzr and am actually quite happy with it

Glaeal

SUPER_JESUS wrote:

who is your carrier? I have verizon and just got a krzr and am actually quite happy with it

Cingular. But mine isn't the newer one, it's the old Razr.

I dunno. It's too damn quiet, first of all. There's nothing about it that does exactly what I want it to, only just enough to get by. Maybe I'm just too demanding.

The Savior

I too have the old Cingular RAZR and am unhappy with it. It feels fragile, the hinge is fragile, and it really does nothing that other phones don't do better, except for the form factor.

deadonthestreet

Sony Ericsson makes awesome phones.

robaal

Yeah, the SE K750i or K800/K790i are supposed to be neat and have 2/3Mpix cameras.

exoplasm

I would highly recommend a sony ericsson phone, though you can only get the good ones on ebay. Usually cheaper than going through your carrier anyway. Cingular is the only US carrier I know of that has SE phones and a limited selection at that. I have a RAZR through t-mobile. I had to replace the first one I got (under warranty) because it kept "rebooting" mid-call and such. The new one is MUCH better. By the way, I had to do this and you should too: you can edit the phone firmware to make the volume loud enough for normal use.

I would suggest avoiding most motorola phones as they typically have the worst reception. My RAZR has pretty good reception but I had some smart phones that absolutely could not get a signal in my house and some other locations.

Edit: You're on Verizon huh? Then you're SOL on Sony Ericsson phones I think. My sister has a samsung phone, the RAZR look-a-like, with Sprint (same network type as Verizon, should be compatible) and it totally kicks ass. It weighs less and feels less fragile than the RAZR and has a much nicer interface and keypad.

Glaeal

exoplasm wrote:

By the way, I had to do this and you should too: you can edit the phone firmware to make the volume loud enough for normal use.

So, uh... how do I do that?

exoplasm

For RAZR volume fix: http://www.howardforums.com/archive/topic/771183-1.html

also includes useful pics

MegaMan001

exoplasm wrote:

I would highly recommend a sony ericsson phone, though you can only get the good ones on ebay. Usually cheaper than going through your carrier anyway. Cingular is the only US carrier I know of that has SE phones and a limited selection at that. I have a RAZR through t-mobile. I had to replace the first one I got (under warranty) because it kept "rebooting" mid-call and such. The new one is MUCH better. By the way, I had to do this and you should too: you can edit the phone firmware to make the volume loud enough for normal use.

I would suggest avoiding most motorola phones as they typically have the worst reception. My RAZR has pretty good reception but I had some smart phones that absolutely could not get a signal in my house and some other locations.

Edit: You're on Verizon huh? Then you're SOL on Sony Ericsson phones I think. My sister has a samsung phone, the RAZR look-a-like, with Sprint (same network type as Verizon, should be compatible) and it totally kicks ass. It weighs less and feels less fragile than the RAZR and has a much nicer interface and keypad.

Samsung RAZR Look alike? Got a model name for that? I love Samsung, my monitor / current phone / DVD player are all samsung and have worked perfectly since purchases years ago.

exoplasm

MegaMan001 I think it's the Katana or something. I don't know for sure because there isn't a GSM model so I can't have one.

Blake T

deadonthestreet wrote:

Sony Ericsson makes awesome phones.

I have the K700i I think it's an awesome phone, I do have two small issues with it.

It's a fucking pain to turn the hands free mode on, most phones just have a button you push once you answer the phone, this one doesn't.

A bit after a year of use, the joystick went a bit dicky and at times is a complete bitch to use. Keep in mind I treat my phone like shit and it gets bashed and crashed around alot. My friend who keeps his in better condition found this happened after a year and a half or so.

I don't know if they have resolved those issues.

Raere

E815 hands down. Gets pretty much the best reception out of all phones, ever. Plus it has EV-DO, a 1.3MP cam, Bluetooth, and an awesome speakerphone.

drxand?

i'm on sprint with the recently discontinued sanyo mm8300 - its a nice basic phone and does what i need it to do

the katana that was mentioned is from sanyo and not the razr mock

the samsung razr lookalike that's on sprint is the a900
i know this because i lusted for it when getting on this plan, but didnt have the extra cash to get it. its fairly hot. i still wish i would have gotten it instead.

Feral

Raere wrote:

E815 hands down. Gets pretty much the best reception out of all phones, ever.

That's exactly why I got mine. I can make calls from the underground garage at my apartment. It's also got really good battery life.

MegaMan001

So I have a Verizon plan, is there any advice for that carrier specifically? Who makes this E815?

Thanatos

I have yet to talk to anyone who actually likes their Razr.

KalTorak

I don't mind my Razr (i got it for free) and it wasn't too hard to hack it to make it do what i want - basically let me set custom ringtones and backgrounds etc. I don't really expect much from my phone tho - the Razr does enough for me.

Gafoto

Thanatos wrote:

I have yet to talk to anyone who actually likes their Razr.

My Razr is fine. It's nothing special but it works reliably and has stayed in good condition. It's pretty small and sharp-looking but nothing to get all excited over.

exoplasm

Well my 2nd RAZR (I had to replace first one, it was buggy as hell) just crapped out on me. I set it down on a chair, bumped the chair, and the phone took a liesurely fall to the floor less than 2 feet distance. Now it has static coming out of the speaker randomly wether or not I am on a call.

If I remember right, if the next RAZR I get has problems T-Mobile will let me choose another phone model for no cost. RAZR can go to hell. Stupid popular fragile phone.

Gafoto

Funny, I've dropped mine 4 feet plus at least 3 times and it hasn't been affected.

permapensive

RAZRSs break. A lot. I work for Cingular and see a whole lot of not just broken screens and hinges (happes a lot) but also just plain dead ones. The fine tradition of Motorola GSM phones. Don't get one.

On Verizon, the E815 is good despite being Motorola (the shitty UI is replaced by Verizon's similarly shitty UI, it's a wash) and the LG VX8100 is awesome, but those are the only ones I'd recommend. If having a sweet phone is what you're after, switch to a GSM carrier. Cingular for coverage, T-Mobile for tons of minutes, and get the phone unlocked. Verizon does some things well, but they have shitty phones that just look slick.

On GSM, Sony Ericssons are the best by far. The w810i is solid, cheap, and Cingular-branded (which means warranty), $99 on a 2 year contract. The k790a is quad band with a 3.2MP camera, M2 micro memory slot (up to 8GB). The w900i is a walkman phone with half a gig of memory built in, Pro Stick Duo slot up to 4GB, and can play video on a massive screen, but no 850MHz so reception sucks in the US.

Best deals on Cingular for new customers are the w810i (my personal favorite, $99), the Samsung SYNC (a707? I think. Loaded with awesome features, $49!), the Samsung Blackjack (gay name, badass phone, $??), the LG CU500 (only decent GSM LG I've ever seen, $49!), and the Cingular 3125 (smartphone that doesn't suck, $99!!). Prices are after rebates, in a store in my market, yours may vary. All of these will play music, have expandable memory, and will take decent pictures.

If you're really adamant on stayting with Verizon, let me know what's any good after you take the plunge. I quit working for them about a year ago and have sort of been out of the loop.

Bouncing_Soul

I had a RAZR with Verizon for a little while, it was free so I figured why not. I wasn't too thrilled with it, battery life sucked, it was slow as balls, etc. After I got an extended life slim battery and updated the firmware the phone became bearable. Then I got a Superman form fitting plastic cover thing that at least made it look better.

I ended up just recently downgrading to a Nokia 6236i. I've never had a bar phone, or a Nokia, but I'm liking this one. The UI isn't Verizon and the battery lasts a good deal longer than the RAZR. It's also a lot easier to put custom pictures/tones on it without having to resort to hacking. Reception has been good as well. Camera is only VGA but that wasn't a selling point for me, I just wanted a good phone.

There's the new KRAZR that's like a thinner RAZR with MP3 player and all that fun stuff that I don't really care about. Could be something to look into.

Ruckus

I'm on my 3rd Razr, first one I bought in early 2005 at full price was my fault, dropped it and shattered the screen, but had extended warranty and got it replaced. Second one was buggy, bluetooth never worked, so they replaced it again.

Everything works on my third one, and they had updated the firmware with my latest one so the video cam feature was available. About four months ago I ran this one through the washer and half the dryer cycle, pulled it out, threw it in a ziploc with a dessicant pack, and 12 hours later it's only problem was a slightly less responsive 7 key and a slightly loose battery cover, which I can probably fix with a blow dryer and some crazy glue.

I wouldn't recommend one now though, there are much better phones. In a little over a year my contract will end and I'll probably upgrade to an MP3 phone, they should have some kickass ones by then.

MegaMan001

Well, I really like Verizon. They have great coverage in my area, I've never had problems getting a signal, talking inside or in my basement. I also have a very nice plan through them because I got a discount for being a university employee in IL (apparently Verizon is like, the official wireless carrier of Illinois Universities now).

I will skip the razr.

I will instead check out the E815 everyone is talking about.

MegaMan001

Ok it appears that my local verizon, and their website both have a shitty selection of phones. Not having any of the ones that you people reccomend.

Can I simply buy my own phone and have Verizon transfer all my information over to it?

exoplasm

Yes just make sure you buy a Verizon-compatible CDMA phone. If it has a slot under the battery for a SIM card, you're SOL.

Also my take on carriers (in California):

Verizon: Best coverage, worst plans. My employer's carrier (blackberries lol)

T-Mobile: Best plans, okay coverage. My current carrier.

Cingular: Worse than T-Mobile on both counts (raising the bar billboards off the grapevine where there are no cell towers made me lol when I had Cingular). Roll-over only counts for your first year. Bye bye 5,000 stored minutes for the 2nd year! My previous carrier.

Sprint: Uh...? My dad and sister use sprint and it seems alright. They used to be the worst, though. Their plans seem to be much better than VZW and Cingular. Coverage is getting better, coming close to Verizon I think?

permapensive

exoplasm wrote:

Cingular: Worse than T-Mobile on both counts (raising the bar billboards off the grapevine where there are no cell towers made me lol when I had Cingular). Roll-over only counts for your first year. Bye bye 5,000 stored minutes for the 2nd year! My previous carrier.

What. What is this. No.

You get a twelve month sliding window of rollover minutes, with no upper limit. For the first year, they keep building up. At month 13 you add that month and subtract month 1. At month 14 you add that month and subtract month 2. And so on. You never lose a bulk amount of rollovers unless you change your rate plan, in which case you keep one full month's worth of the new plan's minutes in rollover. This is to prevent abuse of the system: buy 6000 minutes for one month, drop down to 450, use a ton of minutes every month while paying only $40.

As for coverage, I can tell you from using and working for T-Mobile, and then using and working for Cingular in the same area, that T-Mobile has far worse coverage around here. I also used and worked for Verizon, whose coverage was pretty good. Lots of static and feedback on calls though.

It's going to depend a lot of where you live. Some carriers emphasize certain markets more than others. Cingular has practically the entire southeastern US covered. T-Mobile has a higher density of cell sites in major cities. Verizon has more roaming agreements and thus has the most extensive coverage in the western US.

Cingular has a coverage check tool on their website, I think T-Mobile still does but that might still be part of their internal agent website, a store can definitely pull a street-level map for you.

Jinn

What kind of credit requirements exist for signing a cell phone contract? My contract right now is under my dad's name and he pays for it but it end in a month or two and although pops is offering to add me to the family verizon plan, I'd kind of like to free myself from that dependency and just do my own thing but being a 20 year old college kid with no credit card I have virtually no credit history.... is that ok?

Fats

Jinn wrote:

What kind of credit requirements exist for signing a cell phone contract? My contract right now is under my dad's name and he pays for it but it end in a month or two and although pops is offering to add me to the family verizon plan, I'd kind of like to free myself from that dependency and just do my own thing but being a 20 year old college kid with no credit card I have virtually no credit history.... is that ok?

Should be no problem. I had zero credit history when I first signed up, too.

Project Mayhem

Fats wrote:

Jinn wrote:

What kind of credit requirements exist for signing a cell phone contract? My contract right now is under my dad's name and he pays for it but it end in a month or two and although pops is offering to add me to the family verizon plan, I'd kind of like to free myself from that dependency and just do my own thing but being a 20 year old college kid with no credit card I have virtually no credit history.... is that ok?

Should be no problem. I had zero credit history when I first signed up, too.

If you have no credit they generally make you pay a deposit of up to 800 dollars

Demitri

HEY GUYS I THINK FRAUD IS AWESOME LOOK AT ME I'M JAILED.

Fats

Project Mayhem wrote:

Fats wrote:

Jinn wrote:

What kind of credit requirements exist for signing a cell phone contract? My contract right now is under my dad's name and he pays for it but it end in a month or two and although pops is offering to add me to the family verizon plan, I'd kind of like to free myself from that dependency and just do my own thing but being a 20 year old college kid with no credit card I have virtually no credit history.... is that ok?

Should be no problem. I had zero credit history when I first signed up, too.

If you have no credit they generally make you pay a deposit of up to 800 dollars

Really?

I signed up the summer before I started college; I was still living with my parents, I had never paid my own bills or had a credit card or anything. I wonder why they never hassled me.

Regardless, it's worth a try.

Edit: While we're talking Verizon phones, does anyone have experience with the VX8600? I'm up for my NE2 next week, and it's one of the few phones that remotely interests me.

Jinn

Anyone know anything about the Samsung t509s or t519?

Bendit

Good thread. I know NOTHING about cell phones and yet must chose one of the following. Please assist!

CDM 120
Samsung 580
Nokia 6016i
Samsung A640
Samsung A420
Sanyo 2400
Sanyo RL-4930
LG 225
Sanyo 3100
LG LX350
Sanyo Katana
MOTO RAZR
RED MOTORAZR V3
Samsung MM-A900
Sanyo 8400
Samsung M500
Samsung a920
LG Fusic LX-550

Dabating mostly between the Katana and the MOTORAZR V3. Help?

exoplasm

After seeing my sister's phone, I have to say Katana > RAZR. But then I am biased against RAZR cause both of mine have failed me in one way or another.

The RAZR may be small but it weighs more than any other phone I have used, even 2 different moto smartphones. The Katana is similar/same form factor but doesn't weigh nearly as much. It probably has better features and a longer lasting battery, but I've never actually used it for more than a couple minutes.

LG makes good phones (for Verizon anyway, despite Verizon using their own interface to crap it up). Samsung also appears to be real good. Nokia, like Motorola, is pretty much one of the standard cell phone makers. I never liked their phone interfaces, but to each his own.

Pheezer

Nokia 6265

srsly

http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/phone.php?p=769

MegaMan001

I went back out to Verizon today and I found out I have a $100 discount for extending my contract, then all of their phones have a $50 Verizon rebate.

While there, I have discounted the RAZR - it just looks far too flimsy. Also, a lot of my friends (including people here it seems) have had just awful luck with them.

I turned to this one, though. LG VX8600. Does anyone have any experience with it?

Jarmo

MegaMan001 wrote:

Samsung RAZR Look alike? Got a model name for that?

Yeah, man. I have Samsung Z540 (the camera in it is crappy, but otherwise it's a damn good cell phone) and it's great. I showed it to my buddy once and he thought it was Razr