Cell phones are no longer just a lifeline to friends and family—you can use them to organize your schedule, check e-mail, take photos, and get directions.
By the time you’ve waded through the minutia of cell phone carrier plan options, it can be tempting to grab the cheapest or prettiest cell phone and be done with it. A word of advice: Don’t.You’ll probably wear your cell phone more often than your favorite jeans and longer than your haircut. Cell phones are no longer just a lifeline to friends and family—you can use them to organize your schedule, check e-mail, take photos, and get directions. So, take the time to choose the cell phone that’s perfect for you.Why Buy an Unlocked Cell Phone?Cell phone service carriers offer plenty of cell phones at attractive prices—most with a two-year contract and a locked subscriber identification module (SIM) card. This card provides cell service by activating any phone it’s in, in effect locking you into one carrier.
The cost of the “free” or low-cost phone you get is built into the contract. But your rates are unlikely to drop after you’ve fulfilled the contract, even though the cost of the phone has been recouped. If you try to leave early, you’ll get hit with early termination fees. If you buy an unlocked phone, you can get a monthly service plan with no contract term or termination fees. If you already have a contract with a carrier, you may want to replace a lost phone or upgrade your phone without extending your current contract. But where do you start?Consider the CarrierIf you have a cell phone service carrier, you have to choose a phone compatible with that carrier. Carriers use one of two digital networks: CDMA (Alltel, Sprint, Nextel, Verizon, MetroPCS, and U.S. Cellular) and GSM (AT&T, T-Mobile Fido, Rogers). In general, CDMA data-networked phones tend to be slightly faster and have slightly better voice quality; GSM-networked phones tend to have slightly longer battery life and work more widely around the world, although there are some CDMA phones (like the Nokia E75 or the Nokia N97) that can switch to GSM when outside the United States. The differences in performance are minimal; unless you travel frequently, it may be preferable to choose your carrier based on coverage in your area and cost.
Form MattersDozens of review sites analyze performance, but if a phone doesn’t feel good in your hand or the keypad is too flat or too small for your fingers, all the rave reviews in the world won’t make you happy with it. Give some thought to how you will use your cell phone before diving into product descriptions. Do you text often? Do you want to take photos or videos with your phone? Do you want to browse the Web? If you are a gadget junkie, you’ll probably be happiest with the slimmest, coolest, most feature-rich smart phone. But if you only use your phone to make calls and tend to be rough on equipment (or lose things easily) a sturdy, blocky, inexpensive, bar-style cell phone might be best for you.Once you know whether you want a CDMA or GSM cell phone and the style of handset you prefer, look for the kinds of features that matter most to you. All cell phones have their strengths and weaknesses; select the phone with strengths that match the features you’ll use the most.Cell Phone FeaturesImportant cell phone features include the keyboard or keypad, MP3 capabilities, photo and video functionality, and Web and e-mail accessibility.Keyboards and KeypadsKeypads. The most basic cell phones come only with keypads. When texting, each number key represents three or four letters: press 1 once for a, twice for b, and so on. If you do much texting, you’ll want a full keyboard rather than a keypad.QWERTY (alphabetical) keyboards. QWERTY keyboards have become common. Note that the flatter keyboards can be more awkward for people with large hands or those who don’t look at the keyboard while typing.Virtual keyboards. These keyboards are features of touch screen phones. They’re often backlit, which can be useful when texting in the dark, but some people don’t like the lack of tactile feedback of the smooth surface.
Music CapabilitiesEven basic phones now have an MP3 player built in. Some support stereo Bluetooth headsets so you can listen to your music collection with fewer cords. If you want to stream stereo-quality audio, look for a phone like the Motorola W385, which supports Bluetooth 2.0 (or A2DP technology), or the Nokia 3555, which has Bluetooth 2.0 and supports up to 4 GB MicroSD cards for storing plenty of music.Product TipAlthough touch screens are very popular, some people find texting on their smooth surfaces frustrating: It can be difficult to tell if the tap registered without the tactile feedback of an actual key. Phones like the LG VX10000 Voyager Touch Screen Multimedia Phone and the RIM Blackberry Storm 9500 have both have touch screen vibration for tactile feedback and an additional QWERTY keyboard with large, wide-spaced keys for easy texting.Photo and VideoMost phones have cameras with resolutions of at least 1 or 2 megapixels, although not many include a flash, and image quality is poor in low light. Camera controls are harder to access than on a stand-alone camera. Because the sensor is much smaller, image quality won’t be as good as photos shot with a stand-alone camera. If you want to print photos taken on a cell phone, look for a phone with 3 or more megapixels, such as the:• Samsung I910 Omnia, which takes photos at 5 megapixels and offers auto-focus, panoramic mode, slide show capabilities, and a video camera that rivals many stand-alone point-and-shoot cameras.• Nokia N96, which boasts a 5-megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss Optics Tessar lens, dual-LED camera flash, video light, recording indicator, and auto-focus assist light.
• Sony Ericsson C902 (right) 5-megapixel camera with autofocus; face detection; 16× digital zoom with autofocus; an image and video stabilizer; and BestPic technology with light, auto-rotate, face-detection technology, built-in xenon flash with red-eye and correction, and a lens cover.Web and E-mail AccessIf you want access to your e-mail as well as the ability to read attachments and browse the Web, you’ll want a smart phone. Some models have Wi-Fi access for faster Web browsing and file downloads. 
Many models, like the HTC Touch Windows Mobile PDA Phone, support 3G networks, which is the fastest data network for Web access but will usually switch to the next-fastest network (often a 1×RTT or EDGE network) when no 3G network is available. The term EV-DO or HSDPA indicates a 3G network. For people who work on the road (or just all the time), these features can be invaluable—but keep in mind that the increased functionality also means a higher cell phone price. Many cell phones that offer e-mail or Web access also require a data plan with your carrier in addition to your voice plan.
