Ocean Navigator Communications Newsletter #19

Finally Finding a Phone

Back to the cell-phone story. This week, I'll wrap up the whole saga and hopefully satisfy those of you who have been patiently waiting to hear what I've discovered about cell phones and also satisfy those of you who are ready for a new topic.

Recapping where I've been so far in my decision-making process -- I've narrowed down my options to one provider -- AT&T. This is the only carrier providing somewhat reliable service north of Portland, Maine. Now all that's left is for me to choose a phone and sign up for service.

The choice of phone is tied pretty closely to which of AT&T's networks I'm planning on using. The best option from a technology standpoint would be their GSM/GPRS network, which would facilitate wireless data. And they even claim to cover Portland with this new network of theirs. Unfortunately, close examination of the coverage map seems to indicate that coverage from here south would require me to stay between the double yellow lines of the Maine Turnpike in order to maintain reliable GSM coverage. And with no GSM coverage north of here, it really doesn't meet my needs.

Now, if there were a tri-mode GSM, TDMA and AMPS (analog) phone that was available, that would be ideal -- almost guaranteed coverage and data easily available when in GSM areas (I could live with this). However, -- no such device exists. I can get a GSM/TDMA combination phone or a TDMA/AMPS combination, but not all three in one phone. The GSM/TDMA combination looks enticing if I believe what I see on the national coverage map. But I don't. Practical experience and feedback from others along the coast indicate that AMPS is the only reliable coverage north of here. So I'll have to forgo GSM for now.

However, the GSM network continues to grow. AT&T is adding nodes quickly, VoiceStream (now T-Mobile) continues to expand their GSM network, and Cingular is also jumping on the GSM bandwagon. Www.gsmworld.com is a valuable resource for keeping tabs on who's doing what, both in the United States as well as around the rest of the world. Someday, I'll upgrade my phone to a GSM-capable model.

Of course the next issue I'll have to face is that the U.S. GSM networks operate on a different frequency than their European counterparts. So my ideal phone would really be a tri-band, tri-mode phone. Three GSM frequencies and the capability to run in GSM, TDMA or AMPS modes, a phone that would work anywhere. Unfortunately, this ideal phone would likely be much larger than any other on the market and have a battery life about as long as my infant nephew's attention span.

So, I'm stuck with a plain-old dual-mode TDMA/AMPS phone with AT&T. Of my choice of nine available phones, I've ruled out the Motorola V60 due to poor feedback from several people. My bias toward Nokia as a reputable and reliable company with consistently good phones narrows my choice down to four phones, and my bias toward not spending a lot of money narrows it further down to one: the Nokia 3360. It's tiny compared to my old clunker, it has all the basics I'm looking for, and people like it. After finding the available rebates, it looks as though they'll pay me $50 to own the phone. I buy it for $100 from www.amazon.com, and they send me $150 worth of rebates. Not a bad deal. I would have settled for just plain old free.

In the midst of my tri-part cell-phone story, "The New York Times" published a cell-phone review on Sept. 19, highlighting www.getconnected.com and www.letstalk.com. Both sites offer relatively unbiased information about a variety of plans and a variety of phones.

Worthy of honorable mention is Kyocera's Smartphone, which combines a Palm Pilot with a cell phone. Great for the frequent traveler who doesn't want to lug a laptop. The phone works with Verizon's network. (Thanks to Jim Dodez for this.) A growing trend in phones, look for other PDA/phones that also combine the Palm operating system or even Microsoft's PocketPC, such as Research in Motion's BlackBerry 5810 and VoiceStream's T-Mobile hybrid. (Thanks to Evan Wilner for forwarding info on these.)

Worthy of dishonorable mention is my latest bill from Sprint PCS. Due to a late payment (guilty as charged), I was assessed a finance charge -- fair game. However, the charge is 5% for one month, which amounts to a 60% interest rate per year! Wow. Even my local loan shark would probably get serious flack for trying to pass that off. Shame on you Sprint.

Keep in touch.

-- Dan Piltch
dpiltch@MarineComputer.com