Earlier, we mentioned
stopping by the local retail store to see what they had
to offer in the way of cellular phones. Often you will
find retailers offering a cellular phone for free just
for signing up for service. And when you walked in and
looked at the phones they had to offer, you saw the
perfect phone that you just had to have.
There you stand, rate
plan in hand and highlighted with just the plan that
works for you. Now you tell the sales clerk that you
want the phone that you just pointed to in the display
case. The sales clerk smiles and reaches into the
display case and puts it right in front of you. He or
she goes into their presentation about the phone's
features. It can store so many phone numbers, it has
last number recall, one button speed dial, etc.
You decide that is the
one you want and tell the sales clerk that you will
take it. Then comes the shock of your life. The cost of
the phone will be $189.95 and comes with a leather case
and car charger. Wait a minute! The advertisement said
you get a free phone just for signing up for service.
Sure you do, replies the Sales Clerk. They then reach
to the far end of the display case next to the wall for
a cellular phone. A Motorola Teletac 250 series
cellular phone. It reminds you of the blocky lumps of
clay used in school for recreational art class.
The sales clerk then
goes into a monotone presentation explaining the few
features available with the phone. They also explain
that it only comes with a NiCad battery rather than the
Lithium Ion battery. So your standby time will not be
as long and this specific battery has a memory too.
You stand there and just
know you don’t want THAT phone. Which is what the
sales clerk is counting on you to say. They make more
commission if you buy the phone that costs extra and
get nothing on the free phone. It is standard for
retailers to offer a low end phone for free. The
retailers pay for the phone out of the kickback from
the carriers for signing up a new subscriber.
Keep in mind that
anytime you ask a sales clerk which phone you should
choose, be prepared for them to offer a phone much
higher in the hierarchy of phones which also cost more.
A savvy sales clerk may pick one in between price
ranges but is slightly higher than average.
In defense of the
Motorola TeleTac 250. It is a very good phone, although
basic and functional in purpose. If you are looking for
a phone for emergency purposes or are on a budget,
there should be no reason for you to shy away from a
free phone.
Once you have found the
phone that you like, don’t be afraid to do some price
comparisons. You may be able to find the phone from
another retailer for a lower price. Rebates appear to
be unique to digital carriers since they don’t offer
free phones. Check around to see if there are any
carrier rebates being offered on the digital phone you
want.
There are three (3)
types of phones available: Analog, Digital, and Bag
Phones. The models of phones available to you for
purchase will be dependent upon which type of carrier
you select, a digital or analog carrier.
Cellular Phones for
analog carriers offer a broad selection of phones. Bag
phones are never given for free as they are much larger
than a handset cell phone and were created for the
people on fringe areas of service. Your selections for
a phone with a digital carrier are much more limited.
Note:
Sony is no longer manufacturing phones. If you are
being sold a Sony phone as a part of the service, you
may want to look closely at how easy it will be to have
it serviced for repairs and accessories. In addition,
manufacturers are currently having a problem with
supply shortages. Due to the increasing demand for
phones, manufacturers supplying vendors are having
trouble keeping up with demand. A shortage is predicted
to be forthcoming within the next 10 years. Choose your
phone very carefully.
The shortage of cellular
phone parts is already rearing its ugly head.
EarthVision Cellular was recently contacted by a plant
of a major manufacturer (who shall remain anonymous)
requesting used cellular phones of a particular type in
order to salvage internal parts.
So, what phone to choose
if you don’t like the free phones offered in the
advertised promotion? First, it will depend on your own
personal tastes. Do you want an ergonomic phone,
something with power for rural area traveling, or are
you seeking a phone that looks really cool?
The next thing you need
to decide is what features will you need. Your decision
should be based more on the reason for your getting
cellular service rather than the features offered. Some
phones cost more since they have more features. Think
about whether you will really use those features or
not. If you can save money by getting a phone more
suited to your purposes, then you are that much further
ahead in the game.
Listed below are just
some of the features available with different phones.
Some cellular phones may have the same features as
others.
- Call In Absence
Indicator - Indicates a call was received while you
were away from you phone.
- Dedicated One Touch
Dial Keys - Also known as turbo keys and are speed
dialing buttons.
- Multiple Key Answer -
Allows the user to punch any key to answer an
incoming call.
- Keypad Lock - Locks
the keys to prevent inadvertent dialing.
- Phone Number Memory -
Allows you to store from 20 to 100 telephone
numbers in various memory locations.
- Distinctive Ring Tune
- Allows for different ringing tones to indicate an
incoming call.
- Mute - Allows you to
mute the call so that the other party cannot hear
background conversations taking place.
- Last Number Recall -
Allows you to pull up the last number you called
with a minimum of keystrokes.
- Back Lighting Display
- Allows the user to increase or dim the light used
in the display screen of the phone.
- Scratch Pad Memory -
You can enter a phone number while the conversation
is taking place by punching in the telephone number
for entering later.
Again, when you are
looking at the phone, you will want to review the
features available with the phone to determine what you
will need for your purposes. The list we have provided
doesn’t even come close to the number of features
available.
Note:
Each cellular phone has a unique identification number.
Commonly referred to as an ESN or Electronic Serial
Number. Each time the phone is used, the telephone
transmits this information to the MTSO (Mobile
Telephone Switching Office) and will allow the MTSO to
know if the cellular phone number is good or bad.
