Choosing your cell phone

It's largely a matter of personal taste and budget but also the depends on what promotions are being offered, which tend to fluctuate almost weekly. I consider that size and battery life are the most important factors when choosing a cell phone.

Most cell phones look like smaller versions of your phone at home, with the addition of a screen and a few extra buttons. Flip phones fold in half and open to reveal the screen and keypad. Many web sites offer phone ratings and reviews (from other people that allready own a certain phone) , that can help you make your choice. You might also want to go into a store and see how a phone looks and feels.

The best website that provides good reviews and ratings for a cell phone is GSMArena. This website offers it`s users an option to find a cell phone very easily by just typing the model of the phone in a search box. There are hundreds of reviews for each mobile phone, this will easily give you an ideea about the cell phone you are willing to buy.

Above all, make sure the phone you pick has the features you need, or think you might soon need. You never want to end up realizing you bought a phone that is not capable to suit your needs, or pay for many features that are not usefull to you, as many of my friedns have experienced.

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The things yo`ll care most about are probably the size , looks , ergonomics , robustness, screen size, Internet capability and how long the battery will last bestween charges. But there are some other major things you have to consider when buying your mobile phone :

• Price
• Functions
• Trasmission Tehnology
• Battery Type
• Talk Time
• Standby Time
• Handsfree Option
• Weight
• Internet capability
• Phone Book Storage Capability

Analog phones tend to be less expensive than digital phones. However, the rules of cell phone pricing are changing because cell phones are purchased mostly with an accompanying service plan. Through various licensing and marketing agreements, cellular service providers can often offer phones at a discounted price or even gratuitously to their customers when they order a phone activated with one of their plans. In most cases as cellular companies expand their digital service, digital phone prices will continue to drop.

• Low cost cell phones (< $100) : typically larger and heavier with minimal features, although they generally perform just as well as more expensive phones.

• Mid-priced cell phones ($100-$300) : smaller and lighter with extended-life batteries, alphanumeric text features and more.

• High-end cell phones (>$300): offer the latest features, the smallest designs and the most attractive styling.

Display

All cell phones have LCD displays, but the specific features of the display can vary:

• Size - A large, multi-line display is typically more expensive, but it's necessary if you plan to use the phone for wireless Internet.

• Color vs. monochrome - Most cell phones have monochrome displays (16 grays), but a there are a growing number that have color. Cell phones with color screens need more memory and tend to be more expensive.
• Reflective or backlit - Almost all cell phones have backlit screens, which are good for low-light conditions.

A large multi-line display is typically more expensive but necessary if you plan to use the phone for wireless internet.

Included Functions

Most phone include basic functions such as phone directory, clock, calculator, automatic redial, last number recall and the ability to customize the ring tone of incoming calls. Most premium phones offer all of these features:

• Phone directory

• Clock

• Calculator
• Games

• Personalized/custom sounds

• Appointment reminder/calendar

• Incoming-number storage

• Automatic redial
• Last-number recall
• Mute/hold button

• One-touch dialing/speed dialing
• Voice-activated functions

• Vibrate mode

• Lock/alarm

• Call forwarding

• Multi-party calls

• Hands-free headset/speakerphone

• External volume/ringer control
• Rapid charger/built-in charger

• Car adapter

Special Features

Additional features such as teh ones listed here can greatly affect the price of a phone. Make sure that youare not paying a lot of money for features that you never intend to use. Some cell phones have special features such as:

• Wireless Internet
• Modem Function
• Pc Synchronization
• Bluetooth / Infrared Connectivity
• Camera
• PDA
• Mp3 Player
• GPS Receiver

There are three standard mobile phone batteries: nickel cadmium (NiCad), nickel metal hydride (NiMH), and lithium ion (Li-Ion).

• NiCad- This is an older technology and has some technical problems. Memory effect, also known as ledges, can reduce the capacity of the battery if it is charged repeatedly without being fully discharged. Also, the battery must be disposed of properly, because it is an environmental hazard.

• NiMH- A newer technology which does not suffer from memory effects like the NiCad battery. It also holds a charge longer then the NiCad.

• Li-Ion- A long lasting and light battery that does not suffer from memory effects. It is, however, more expensive then the other battery types.

It is a good idea to invest in a second battery, so you can always have one charging, and a fresh one in the phone at all times.

When you choose a phone, you should consider how long it can last on standby (turned on, but not in use), and how much talk time you have before recharging. If the battery runs out, it simply turns off the mobile phone until you recharge it. Talk time is the amount of time a battery can power a phone when it is being used to make or receive calls. A longer talk time could save you a lot of time and frustration, but if you do not talk on your phone a lot, it could be unnecessary.

You should look for a phone that has a standby time between 300 and 400 hours and a talk time between 3 and 4.5 hours.

Many mobile phones offer you the option of talking into them without actually having to hold the handset up to your ear. Some phones accomplish this by allowing you to plug an ear piece/microphone device into them , or connecting a bluetooth headset , while others easily install into a car kit that allows you to hear your party through your car's speakers while you speak into a microphone. You should consider this a very important feature , if you will use the phone mostly in your car or situations where you will have your hands bussy.

The weight of a mobile phone is a very important feature because most people carry their phones with them. If you do get a larger phone there are a number of accessories available that will aid you in carrying your phone.

You should look for a phone with a weight between 90 and 120 grams.

A large number of mobile phones are capable of basic web browsing and email functions. Some high-end phones have in built Web Browsers that will allow you to surf the internet just like on your PC , you can send and receive e-mails and get selected information from specific web sites. If you are planning to use your mobile phone for web browsing I recommend you should also look for a large display , this will make the browsing much easier.

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The number of names and telephone numbers that can be stored in a mobile phone's directory. Why is it important? A large phone book can serve as an organizer as well as a time saver; putting friends, family, and work contacts at the touch of a button. If you already own a PDA or a similar item, a large phone book may be unnecessary. If you are not a business person you should look for a phone that can store between 500 and 1000 contacts , if you do plan to use the phone for business purposes you will need a phone that can store between 1000 and 3000 contacts.

As the teens become more affluent, carrying a mobile phone is not only for the adults. Teenagers are carrying mobile phones not only as a form of contact, but also using it as a form of enhancement for their appearance. Hence you can see them changing the casing of their phones to suit their personality and their clothing. From here we can see that when buying a mobile phone it is important to buy one of great appearance so that you will look good when you are using it.This does not mean that you will have to throw away your phone just because you think it does not suit you any more. Design cell phones are quite expensive but as we all know luxury has it`s own price.