BS: Which mobile phone?

Subject: BS: Which mobile phone?
From: Stower
Date: 02 Jan 10 - 07:08 AM

My mobile phone cost me about £10 a few years ago. It is so basic that I have no voice message service. But I am now making plans to become self-employed (in the UK) and will need to use my phone much more, professionally, and will need to have voice mail. I'm not remotely interested in games, taking photographs, accessing the internet, or any of the things that phones can do nowadays beside sending / receiving messages and making phone calls / having voice mail.

So, knowing nothing about mobiles, I would really value your help on the following questions:

1. What phone would you recommend for what I want? (Inexpensive is good!) If you want to try and persuade me I'm missing out on some important service with my stipulations above, then please try to convince me.

2. What provider / tariff should I choose, bearing in mind I will be using my phone to be contacted for work and, at this point in time, I'm not entirely sure what level of use it will have (not very helpful to you, probably!). I get the impression that with tariffs, what you see is not necessarily what you get, and I know that some providers have better coverage / signals than others. I will mostly be leading workshops, giving lessons, travelling to gigs, so the phone will certainly not be glued to my ear all day.

I'm hoping that Mudcatters will come up trumps again. Thanking you in advance.

Stower.

Subject: RE: BS: Which mobile phone?
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 02 Jan 10 - 07:19 AM

Well I use, and have done so for about 3 or 4 years, an iPAQ PDA.
It is both a phone and a diary for me, and reminds me of dates and appointments, as well as being an address book, and phone. It does take photo's, not very good ones, and it does play music, which you can download to suit your tastes. primarily however, for me it's my diary and phone.
Yes it can get you on the internet too if you want!

HP 2210

Subject: RE: BS: Which mobile phone?
From: Wolfhound person
Date: 02 Jan 10 - 07:30 AM

Find the coverage maps for the UK and compare the networks. Probably not an issue if you're just going to be in the SE of England, but any rural / hilly areas and it is.

Most say they cover 95% of the population, but if you're based in an area where the population is thin on the ground, it's really an issue.

O2 / Tesco seem to be about the best in the NE of England for signal, can't speak for other areas / networks.

Paws

Subject: RE: BS: Which mobile phone?
From: DMcG
Date: 02 Jan 10 - 08:33 AM

If your customers are businesses, they will probably contact you either by phone or email, not by text messages. If your customers are not businesses, its going to be phone and text messages, not emails. So that says what your phone should cope with, and if its the former, you probably want a phone that picks up your emails about as soon as they are sent. That's why BlackBerrys were such a must-have for business execs when they first came out, though of course other phones can also do that now. I doubt if you can find a phone that picks up emails that doesn't also give you internet access because the technology required is so similar, but they might exist.

As far as specific models are concerned: I don't like the tap-once-for-yes-twice-for-no ouija board systems most phones use for text messages, so I have gone with phone with a full A-Z keyboard. My wife, on the other hand, finds that too big and prefers a much smaller phone. Personal taste, you see.

Subject: RE: BS: Which mobile phone?
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 02 Jan 10 - 08:45 AM

Oh BTW, did I mention it's also a SatNav?

Subject: RE: BS: Which mobile phone?
From: DMcG
Date: 02 Jan 10 - 09:14 AM

The SatNav issue is an interesting one. it depends whether you already have a seperate SatNav and again what sort of customers you have. But if you don't have one already and the cusromers are widespread one in the phone is handy.

Let me stress the point again. If you are using it for business purposes then you need to concentrate on what your customers will need and find most useful. Everything else us an extra.

Subject: RE: BS: Which mobile phone?
From: Amos
Date: 02 Jan 10 - 10:51 AM

The iPhone is the best balance of size, services, convenience, and flexibility over here. There is a reason for its remarkable growth, as the bishop explained.

A

Subject: RE: BS: Which mobile phone?
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 02 Jan 10 - 11:16 AM

Also it's horrendous price, Dr Jessup

Subject: RE: BS: Which mobile phone?
From: GUEST,number 6
Date: 02 Jan 10 - 11:26 AM

It's getting more difficult these days to find a good quality mobile phone ..I mean a mobile phone, not a mini, mini mobile laptop. I acquired a Motorola KRZR about 2 years ago. It's just a phone, and I'm pleased with it.. And that's what I want a phone. I hope this lasts me a few more years yet.

The marketing guys at these corporate giants are doing an excellent job in making the general populace feel they must have these hand held pocket computers making them feel they are part of the wide world network of whatever. They are scoring big time in increasing their $profit$ in charging exhorbant prices for the service.

biLL (who threw away his blackverry 2 years ago)

Subject: RE: BS: Which mobile phone?
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 02 Jan 10 - 11:35 AM

I pay £5 a month rental biLL, not too exorbitant

Subject: RE: BS: Which mobile phone?
From: kendall
Date: 02 Jan 10 - 03:35 PM

I have a Samsung and it works better than any other I've tried.To me, the company is more important than the phone. Jacqui and I have tried Spring, Verizon and AT&T. None have been as good as US Cellular.

Subject: RE: BS: Which mobile phone?
From: Gurney
Date: 03 Jan 10 - 03:55 PM

My outside job requires that my phone is tough, and Samsung do several with hardened, shower-resistant cases.
If you do a lot of driving, you need Bluetooth or a car kit.
If you do a LOT of texting, one that connects to the computer and allows you to use the computer keyboard may spare you from RSI.

I use a phone until it is no use, and both my Motorola and my Nokia had eventual trouble with the speaker, sounding 'tinny' in my ear. The Motorola flip hinge spring also gave trouble. Never used them on speakerphone, either.

Subject: RE: BS: Which mobile phone?
From: Gervase
Date: 03 Jan 10 - 04:24 PM

Get a cheap Nokia from ebay - for around a tenner - and a Vodafone pay as you go SIM. Your local phone shop or market stall should be able to unlock the phone for another tenner if it needs it, and they you'll be sorted. Vodafone has the widest UK coverage of any network.

Subject: RE: BS: Which mobile phone?
From: Stower
Date: 03 Jan 10 - 06:27 PM

Thanks all, so far, you've given me things to ponder and investigate. Anyone for more?

Subject: RE: BS: Which mobile phone?
From: GUEST,number 6
Date: 03 Jan 10 - 08:39 PM

I'll vouch for the cheap Nokia and Vodafone pay as you go .... used that combo when we were in Portugal ...... good cheap but quality phone and the Vodafone pay as you go was very reasonably priced.


biLL

Subject: RE: BS: Which mobile phone?
From: Ruth Archer
Date: 04 Jan 10 - 05:54 AM

"Also it's horrendous price, Dr Jessup"

When I went freelance I paid £100 for my iPhone, with a £30/month inclusive tariff (all the talk minutes and texts I need, plus unlimited data roaming in the UK).

It has proved useful in more ways than I can think of in both my personal and professional life. If I'm out and about in an unfamiliar city, it finds stuff for me - from the nearest coffee shop or petrol station to my actual destination. I can keep on top of my e-mails, have full access to the internet on trains even if they offer no wireless service, it offers wireless document down- and up-loading so that I have to take far less with me to meetings, I can take notes on it, it has a built-in digital recorder so that I can record meetings (or, even more useful, my melodeon lessons) and easily upload them to my computer later. Plus, of course, it's an iPod, has Youtube access, etc. Which can actually be very useful because of the nature of my work. And I have to say, the useability and interface is second to none - it is incredibly intuitive, and it makes those funny little Blackbery qwerty keyboards seem very fiddly in comparison. My only caveat is coverage. O2 is excellent in most places, but it is rubbish in Sidmouth, and that was very frustrating when I was working during the festival. But iPhone is now also available on Orange, which might be better. I'm looking into it.

Re the cost: When my contract is up in a couple of months time, should I wish to leave iPhone I could sell the handset second-hand on one of the many sites set up for this purpose for about £165. That would mean that I'd had the handset and two months of my tariff for free.

I'm likely to upgrade to the new iPhone (and possibly a different network) when my contract is up, but instead of selling my current phone, I'll probably give it to my daughter to use as an iPod Touch - she'll have all the games, the iPod, the camera, plus Wifi connectivity wherever there's a router or a hotspot.

So, as many other people have said: it really depends on what you want and what you need it for.

Subject: RE: BS: Which mobile phone?
From: Stu
Date: 05 Jan 10 - 04:35 AM

I agree completely with Ruth. Being self-employed myself my iPhone has become invaluable for many of the reasons she's mentioned, but email and internet access are very useful when you need to access information on the spot - very useful when negotiating with clients etc. As a motion graphics artist I carry my reel around with me (along with music, films etc) so I can show it to prospective clients at the drop of a hat.

The camera's not too bad even though it's only 2 megapixels; it makes up in the quality of the CCD, and shows up my old Sony Eriksson 5 megapixel camera for the donkey it was. Hey - and you can edit video on the go!

It is expensive, but as a piece of kit which does a heck of a lot it's pretty much unbeatable.

Subject: RE: BS: Which mobile phone?
From: The Borchester Echo
Date: 05 Jan 10 - 05:04 AM

Considering that the iPhone is also an iPod and my battered old iPod Mini was almost completely knackered, the iPhone wasn't a horrendous price at all. And as Ruth says, the advantage of having email on the move and a simple to use QWERTY keypad is beyond price. It's scarcely any bigger than my old Nokia and only a little wider. I couldn't be without it and everyone needs to have one.

Subject: RE: BS: Which mobile phone?
From: Ruth Archer
Date: 05 Jan 10 - 05:50 AM

"The camera's not too bad even though it's only 2 megapixels;"

Rumour is the next gen, out late 2010, will have a 5mp camera. Between that, the Tomtom satnav app (about £60) and the iPod, I actually think it represents pretty good value for money in one device.

Subject: RE: BS: Which mobile phone?
From: Ruth Archer
Date: 05 Jan 10 - 05:58 AM

"Considering that the iPhone is also an iPod and my battered old iPod Mini was almost completely knackered, the iPhone wasn't a horrendous price at all."

That was one of the reasons I originally got mine. My iPod was knackered and I needed a new one, but I was also after an internet dongle because I knew BT would screw up my Broadband order when I moved house and I'd be without it for a while (a month, as it turned out - thanks, BT!). When I looked at the combined cost for a new iPod and a pay-as-you-go dongle (plus top-up), the comparative cost for the iPhone made it a no-brainer. Now I wouldn't be without it.

Subject: RE: BS: Which mobile phone?
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 05 Jan 10 - 06:06 PM

All mobile phones should have a clip or place for an idiot string.
The doctor I was examined by this morning kept one in his shirt pocket- twice it fell out and hit the hard floor as he bent over.

Since I don't use one myself, I can offer no technical suggestions.

Subject: RE: BS: Which mobile phone?
From: Donuel
Date: 05 Jan 10 - 06:16 PM

I have used a cell phone only once in my life.
In the future the cell phone will be one's normal computer platform the way lap tops are today.

Subject: RE: BS: Which mobile phone?
From: goatfell
Date: 06 Jan 10 - 01:59 PM

I only use mt mbile phone in emergiancies(spelling) the reason is I hate the nloody things because you get the deeks and nerds that tell you in detail what make it is, but if it is important to you, then get one that works

Subject: RE: BS: Which mobile phone?
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 06 Jan 10 - 02:38 PM

The iPhone IS an horrific price, if you are retired, or on a fixed/low income, I have to live on an old age pension.
You folks who earn a wage, seem to think everybody earns a wage. I couldn't even begin to consider £30 a month. My bill arrived yesterday, it was just over £5.
The guy asked for a cheap option if possible, and an iPhone isn't a cheap option.

Subject: RE: BS: Which mobile phone?
From: Ruth Archer
Date: 06 Jan 10 - 04:36 PM

I don't think everyone earns a wage; but I do think that the OP does, as he said he's about to become self-employed, not retired. I was explaining the many benefits that I have found in using the iPhone to help me work more effectively since becoming self-employed. He might find my experiences helpful, or not. Most importantly, because he will be self-employed, he would be able to write off the cost against his taxes.

Subject: RE: BS: Which mobile phone?
From: goatfell
Date: 07 Jan 10 - 12:44 PM

why can't you write letters or send faxes or use a public phone are these things strange to you

Subject: RE: BS: Which mobile phone?
From: goatfell
Date: 07 Jan 10 - 12:44 PM

or even better send e-mails

Subject: RE: BS: Which mobile phone?
From: Sttaw Legend
Date: 08 Jan 10 - 03:28 PM

iPhone is excellent does many tasks as explained above, some you may not use but being self employed im sure you will use many of them and not want for another phone.

Dont make the mistake of buying a cheap one and finding it will not do the job when you could have put the money towards a better one.

Subject: RE: BS: Which mobile phone?
From: kendall
Date: 08 Jan 10 - 08:03 PM

Goatfell, because not everyone has a computer so e mail is useless to them.
If you are broken down on the highway the cell phone is the only practical way to summon help. That has happened to me many times over the years.
It is also handy to take pictures if you are involved in an accident. If you were to write a letter to the tow company you would be there for a while!

Subject: RE: BS: Which mobile phone?
From: kendall
Date: 08 Jan 10 - 09:14 PM

Plus, public phones are becoming a thing of the past in this country.

Subject: RE: BS: Which mobile phone?
From: goatfell
Date: 09 Jan 10 - 09:34 AM

never heard of a libary

Subject: RE: BS: Which mobile phone?
From: goatfell
Date: 09 Jan 10 - 09:34 AM

or an internet cafe

Subject: RE: BS: Which mobile phone?
From: goatfell
Date: 09 Jan 10 - 09:40 AM

what did people do whitout moblie phones?

Subject: RE: BS: Which mobile phone?
From: Stower
Date: 11 Jan 10 - 03:41 PM

Goatfell, do you have something useful to contribute to the original question? Your three posts above come after kendall's posts but completely ignore the points kendall makes, which are in response to your original off-topic remarks!

Thanks, everyone, for your suggestions and recommendations.

Subject: RE: BS: Which mobile phone?
From: Rasener
Date: 12 Jan 10 - 03:11 AM

This might be useful as a guide.

http://shop.vodafone.co.uk/shop/mobile-phone/iphone-3gs-32gb-black

This is the one I have

http://shop.vodafone.co.uk/shop/mobile-phone/sony-ericsson-w715

How much you are going to use it, is the big issue

For example this is the current price plan for the one I use.

http://shop.vodafone.co.uk/shop/catalog/compatiblePlanListView.jsp?dependantSkuIds=sku1020042&phoneType=post&skuType=phoneSku&se

300 minutes if you are careful would probably suit you.

However, it probably would be best to buy the phone and then Pay as you go, until you get an idea of how much you use the phone.

Subject: RE: BS: Which mobile phone?
From: GUEST,CS
Date: 12 Jan 10 - 04:37 AM

My Mr. plumped for a t mobile pulse 'pay as you go': t mobile smart phone (sat nav, camera, internet, email)

Subject: RE: BS: Which mobile phone?
From: goatfell
Date: 12 Jan 10 - 12:59 PM

public phone are still in use here in Brtian, and I agree get a moblie phone that Pay as you go, you don't need a phone that is also a camera, or has the internet all you need is a phone and that is all

Subject: RE: BS: Which mobile phone?
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 12 Jan 10 - 10:46 PM

I'm looking to upgrade my phone - I want one that has a LARGE VISIBLE CLOCK on the front when nothing else is happening - I currently use a Nokia, and it has never missed a beat.