Research and Compare

How I left the bells and whistles for a simple cell phone

I started using cell phones late in the game. It was not until 1994 that I have my first cell phone, and I was a happy camper. I experimented with different marks, carriers, until I found the one that I really like, the one that I use now, the Boost Mobile Motorola Clutch, i465. I was not always into simplicity, however.

I started out with a Treo 650, made maximum use of it in sales, and really liked the PDA memo feature, a classic of the Palm brand. Then, I upgraded to the TREO 700, just to experience mobile windows. After maximizing my use of that phone for over a year, I then left the Treo family and became a loyal supporter of the Blackberry Curve. I especially liked the maps application, as I was on the road much of the time, and needed the efficiency of the electronic map giving me address location, and highlighting how to get to my destinations. Great feature to have on any phone! Anyway, back to Boost Mobile.

Simplicity became all-important to me, since I did not use all the features of the smart phones. There were features that I absolutely had to have: text messaging, calendar, and a good, clear voice quality.

Boost Mobile offers rugged, dependable phones, not elegant, and not cute, but practical, and to the point: clear reception, and good, clear sound. Like the i335, the i465 meets military standards for toughness. It can endure extreme weather situations, vibrations, and sand. Not just young people, even though Boost Mobile is targeted to the younger demographic, but anyone who does a lot of text messaging would be attracted to the qwerty keyboard, and heightened keys, making it easier to prepare and send text messages. The qwerty keyboard offers both numbers and letters, and major symbols, which do light up. There is a button for caps, so it is easy to make capital letters. It is overall, a very user friendly phone. The battery life beats many other phones as well. I am able to go all day without recharging, unless I am talking on the phone for long periods of time. Text messaging always uses less battery energy. That is big plus for text messaging, as well. The soft rubbery material on the back of the phone, and encircling the edge of the phone's front side is a good feature since most people drop their phone on more than one occasion. I will stay with Boost Mobile, as I am back into strength, endurance, reliability, and simplicity.

When to get a GSM Phone and a CDMA Phone

When out looking for cell phones, a logical starting point is to determine whether you want a GSM phone or a CDMA phone. I only recently found out that there are significant differences, although, not really affecting the quality of cell phones. Both GSM and CDMA refer to wireless network standards.

The advantage of a cell phone on the GSM network is that GSM is an international standard for cell phones. You can use a GSM phone most anywhere in the world, whereas, a CDMA network standard phone is used in the United States, but is growing in use in certain Asian markets. CDMA is typically faster than a GSM phone, and many users today want speed. They shop speed, because they use the phone for email, ipod, and internet. The important consideration of course, is to know what can be used in your location. Maybe it is both GSM or CDMA phones, or maybe one of the two. It would not be good to get a GSM phone if your location is dominated by the CDMA network, even if you feel that you will be traveling a lot out of the country. 

GSM phones require a sims card, with the advantage being that the sims card can be removed, and used in other GSM phones, or upgrades to current phones. That may be an important consideration, but do keep in mind that GSM phones are more likely to be stolen because of the sims card removal. There have been police reports in my community regarding this issue, that is why I am familiar with that. The sims card allows international roaming, and when visiting a foreign country, you can purchase local sims cards for use in that region.

I have had both GSM and CDMA phones, and can't say one is better than the other. It all depends on your preferences, and what you will be using the phone for and where.

Top Research Sites

There are a number of research sites on the web and depending on what vertical you are conducting your research within, you will find a different site.  Research and Compare is a new site that focuses on products and will give you information on many different services.  Here are some top sites for a number of critical categories:

Automotive

www.cars.com

Education

www.elearners.com

Employment

www.vault.com

Sirius Radio

So, I made the decision to cancel Sirius Radio.  I know that it is hard to cancel, but this was over the top. They put me on hold for nearly 45 minutes and then when I told the agent that I wanted her to stop offering things to get me to stay, that I actually wanted to cancel, she said I was rude and then hung up.  It will be interesting if they didn't actually cancel my service.

Sirius Radio, time to cancel

Sirius Radio (no link on purpose) is discontinuing their inclusion of live web radio as of March 11.  Why?  Becuase they are going to only offer an upgraded quality experience that they will then charge an additional amount for.

Not that I am against paying fees (AMX loves me for this fact) every month, I am against the terms of the deal changing.  Don't increase my rates, don't tell me that the amount that I am going to get from the service is going to be reduced.  Instead, enhance my experience.  Exceed my expectations.

Typepad email