continued from page 1
page 2
Rollover minutes
Cingular is the only carrier
offering rollover minutes,
allowing the consumer
rollover any un-used from
month to month, up to one-
year. If your cell phone usage
tends to vary dramatically
from month to month,
"banking" minutes during low-
usage months can save you
money later during high-
usage months.
Mobile-to-mobile minutes
Many carriers offer free
mobile-to-mobile or "In
Network" calling, meaning
that you are not charged for
minutes when calling another
mobile user and/or another
subscriber on your carrier's
network. Be sure to check the
specifics of your plan if this
feature is important to you.
Free Incoming Calls (US only)
A few providers offers plans
where incoming minutes are
free and therefore not
deducted from your allotted
plan minutes. Under normal
circumstances, the cellular
user is always charged for any
minutes used, whether he
placed or received the call.
Long Distance Calls
Most carriers now include free
long distance with the
majority of their monthly
calling plans. This means that
long distance calls are treated
the same as local calls: you
are charged only for the
minutes of cellular service
used, and not any additional
fees for making/receiving a
long distance call.
Walkie-Talkie Minutes
Currently certain carriers,
Nextel being the biggest, offer
push-to-talk or "Walkie-Talkie"
services. This means that in
addition to regular cellular
service, you may connect
directly to a limited number of
other subscribers in a manner
similar to using a walkie-
talkie. Push-to-talk minutes
are tracked separately from
regular cellular calls; check
your carrier's various rate
plans for specific information.
Roaming rates
Cellular networks have
become widespread enough
in the United States that huge
roaming charges are much
less of a problem than they
were even a few years ago.
Still, you should be aware of
your carrier's policies on
roaming from their network to
a partner's network.
Particularly if you have a
Local or Regional (as opposed
to National) Plan, you may
encounter hefty fees for using
your cellular phone outside of
"non-roaming" areas as
defined by your carrier.
Saving money on your
monthly bill
Every carrier offers a wide
selection of phones, so if cost
per minute of service is your
top priority you should begin
by finding the best rate plan to
fit your needs. Every carrier
offers at least one no- or low-
cost (with yearly commitment)
phone that will suffice for
basic talking and voicemail
needs. Finding the best plan is
easy by staring at our “Rate
Plan Finer Tool” and
continuing to choose your
phone.
Understanding your first
monthly bill
No matter what carrier you
choose, expect your first
monthly bill to be
substantially more expensive
than the monthly rate plan fee
you signed up for. This is
because all major carriers
charge an activation fee for
new service that's tacked on
to the first billing cycle of
each new line. Activation fees
average $30-35 per number
activated; so a new two line
family plan could see an
additional startup charge of up
to $70 on that first bill.
Additionally, some carriers
pro-rate the first month of
service based on their
standard monthly billing cycle
dates. For example, if your
new carrier starts billing
cycles on the 1st and 15th of
each month and you activate
your new service on the 7th,
your first bill might include
eight days' worth of service
charges (from the 7th through
the 15th) plus your first full
month of service, making for a
larger than expected bill.
Also, don't forget about taxes.
Many new cellular customers
are shocked to learn that
taxes can add up to 25% of
their monthly service charge;
that's an extra $8-10 on a
$39.99 monthly plan. There's
no way around this, as federal
and other taxes can't be
avoided.
And finally there's text and
multimedia messaging, data
plans, and other additional
services to consider. Extra
monthly charges of $2.99 and
$4.99 might not seem like
much when you're signing up
for new service, but add those
on to your monthly base rate
and then figure in taxes on the
whole package, and that $39
plan can very easily wind up
costing you $60 or more each
month.
Types of Phones
Standard
Best for people who generally
only use their phone for voice
calling and basic text
messaging. These phones
are often free or very
inexpensive when purchased
with a new service plan. Don’t
be fooled by the "standard"
label, as many of these
phones are very well built and
more than adequate for most
people. We recommend
reading the User Reviews
before choosing any phone.
Pros: Inexpensive or often
free with service, solid build
and reception quality, can
utilize almost all "voice only"
network features such as
voicemail, call waiting, and
three-way calling.
Cons: Standard phones lack
some of the more advanced
phone features like Bluetooth,
megapixel cameras, and
sometimes speaker phone.
See the Phone Specs section
for more exact specifications
for each phone.
Advanced
Best for people who want the
latest and greatest features
such as Bluetooth (for
wireless connections to
headsets, PCs, etc), custom
ringtone/mp3 capabilities,
megapixel and video
cameras, and small and
unique designs.
Pros: They offer many cool
features and designs which
appeal to the trendy and/or
tech-savvy individual.
Cons: Often expensive,
sometimes fragile, and more
features can mean harder to
use. Should something go
wrong, advanced phones are
much more expensive to
replace than standard models.
Smartphones
Best for people who want a
PDA (Personal Digital
Assistant) and an advanced
phone built into one. These
devices are basically
miniature computers built
around advanced scheduling
functionality combined with a
built-in phone.
Pros: Offers myriad
communications and personal
information management
options including Web surfing,
Email, calendar and contact
managers,
voice/text/multimedia
messaging, and audio/video
players in a single device.
Smartphones have come a
long way in the past 18
months, incorporating
Bluetooth and Wi-Fi
connectivity, and
touchscreens and fold- or
slide-away QWERTY
keyboards for advanced input
options. Taking the place of
the PDA and - in some cases -
laptop computer,
smartphones are fast
becoming very useful and
powerful tools for many.
Cons: Since so much is
packed into one device,
designs tend to be larger and
more complex to use.
Smartphones are quite
expensive to purchase, and
you’ll also need to pay
additional fees for the data
plans that allow you to use
Web, Email, and other
functionality that make
smartphones so powerful.
Phone Features
Must Have Phone Features
The list of "must have"
features for a new cellular
phone has changed radically
over the past five or ten
years. Once thought of as
advanced, call-related
features such as voicemail,
call waiting, caller ID, and
speaker phone are now part of
every carrier's service
package (see below). Must
haves now include
speakerphone and Bluetooth
connectivity for hands-free
calling, and features unrelated
to calling such as built-in
cameras for picture
messaging and picture Caller
ID, digital music players with
stereo headphones, and
Web/Email/Instant Messaging
capabilities using high-speed
data networks. Many phones
now also feature removable
memory cards to facilitate
easier transfer of music,
photos, and video clips
between your phone and
personal computer.
Service Features
Features such as Caller ID,
call waiting, voicemail, three-
way calling, and text
messaging are considered
service features which are
provided by the carrier. All
phones are able to utilize
these features, though certain
service features require
advanced or smartphones
capable of taking advantage of
them.
continue to page 3
see more products or buying guides
page 2
Rollover minutes
Cingular is the only carrier
offering rollover minutes,
allowing the consumer
rollover any un-used from
month to month, up to one-
year. If your cell phone usage
tends to vary dramatically
from month to month,
"banking" minutes during low-
usage months can save you
money later during high-
usage months.
Mobile-to-mobile minutes
Many carriers offer free
mobile-to-mobile or "In
Network" calling, meaning
that you are not charged for
minutes when calling another
mobile user and/or another
subscriber on your carrier's
network. Be sure to check the
specifics of your plan if this
feature is important to you.
Free Incoming Calls (US only)
A few providers offers plans
where incoming minutes are
free and therefore not
deducted from your allotted
plan minutes. Under normal
circumstances, the cellular
user is always charged for any
minutes used, whether he
placed or received the call.
Long Distance Calls
Most carriers now include free
long distance with the
majority of their monthly
calling plans. This means that
long distance calls are treated
the same as local calls: you
are charged only for the
minutes of cellular service
used, and not any additional
fees for making/receiving a
long distance call.
Walkie-Talkie Minutes
Currently certain carriers,
Nextel being the biggest, offer
push-to-talk or "Walkie-Talkie"
services. This means that in
addition to regular cellular
service, you may connect
directly to a limited number of
other subscribers in a manner
similar to using a walkie-
talkie. Push-to-talk minutes
are tracked separately from
regular cellular calls; check
your carrier's various rate
plans for specific information.
Roaming rates
Cellular networks have
become widespread enough
in the United States that huge
roaming charges are much
less of a problem than they
were even a few years ago.
Still, you should be aware of
your carrier's policies on
roaming from their network to
a partner's network.
Particularly if you have a
Local or Regional (as opposed
to National) Plan, you may
encounter hefty fees for using
your cellular phone outside of
"non-roaming" areas as
defined by your carrier.
Saving money on your
monthly bill
Every carrier offers a wide
selection of phones, so if cost
per minute of service is your
top priority you should begin
by finding the best rate plan to
fit your needs. Every carrier
offers at least one no- or low-
cost (with yearly commitment)
phone that will suffice for
basic talking and voicemail
needs. Finding the best plan is
easy by staring at our “Rate
Plan Finer Tool” and
continuing to choose your
phone.
Understanding your first
monthly bill
No matter what carrier you
choose, expect your first
monthly bill to be
substantially more expensive
than the monthly rate plan fee
you signed up for. This is
because all major carriers
charge an activation fee for
new service that's tacked on
to the first billing cycle of
each new line. Activation fees
average $30-35 per number
activated; so a new two line
family plan could see an
additional startup charge of up
to $70 on that first bill.
Additionally, some carriers
pro-rate the first month of
service based on their
standard monthly billing cycle
dates. For example, if your
new carrier starts billing
cycles on the 1st and 15th of
each month and you activate
your new service on the 7th,
your first bill might include
eight days' worth of service
charges (from the 7th through
the 15th) plus your first full
month of service, making for a
larger than expected bill.
Also, don't forget about taxes.
Many new cellular customers
are shocked to learn that
taxes can add up to 25% of
their monthly service charge;
that's an extra $8-10 on a
$39.99 monthly plan. There's
no way around this, as federal
and other taxes can't be
avoided.
And finally there's text and
multimedia messaging, data
plans, and other additional
services to consider. Extra
monthly charges of $2.99 and
$4.99 might not seem like
much when you're signing up
for new service, but add those
on to your monthly base rate
and then figure in taxes on the
whole package, and that $39
plan can very easily wind up
costing you $60 or more each
month.
Types of Phones
Standard
Best for people who generally
only use their phone for voice
calling and basic text
messaging. These phones
are often free or very
inexpensive when purchased
with a new service plan. Don’t
be fooled by the "standard"
label, as many of these
phones are very well built and
more than adequate for most
people. We recommend
reading the User Reviews
before choosing any phone.
Pros: Inexpensive or often
free with service, solid build
and reception quality, can
utilize almost all "voice only"
network features such as
voicemail, call waiting, and
three-way calling.
Cons: Standard phones lack
some of the more advanced
phone features like Bluetooth,
megapixel cameras, and
sometimes speaker phone.
See the Phone Specs section
for more exact specifications
for each phone.
Advanced
Best for people who want the
latest and greatest features
such as Bluetooth (for
wireless connections to
headsets, PCs, etc), custom
ringtone/mp3 capabilities,
megapixel and video
cameras, and small and
unique designs.
Pros: They offer many cool
features and designs which
appeal to the trendy and/or
tech-savvy individual.
Cons: Often expensive,
sometimes fragile, and more
features can mean harder to
use. Should something go
wrong, advanced phones are
much more expensive to
replace than standard models.
Smartphones
Best for people who want a
PDA (Personal Digital
Assistant) and an advanced
phone built into one. These
devices are basically
miniature computers built
around advanced scheduling
functionality combined with a
built-in phone.
Pros: Offers myriad
communications and personal
information management
options including Web surfing,
Email, calendar and contact
managers,
voice/text/multimedia
messaging, and audio/video
players in a single device.
Smartphones have come a
long way in the past 18
months, incorporating
Bluetooth and Wi-Fi
connectivity, and
touchscreens and fold- or
slide-away QWERTY
keyboards for advanced input
options. Taking the place of
the PDA and - in some cases -
laptop computer,
smartphones are fast
becoming very useful and
powerful tools for many.
Cons: Since so much is
packed into one device,
designs tend to be larger and
more complex to use.
Smartphones are quite
expensive to purchase, and
you’ll also need to pay
additional fees for the data
plans that allow you to use
Web, Email, and other
functionality that make
smartphones so powerful.
Phone Features
Must Have Phone Features
The list of "must have"
features for a new cellular
phone has changed radically
over the past five or ten
years. Once thought of as
advanced, call-related
features such as voicemail,
call waiting, caller ID, and
speaker phone are now part of
every carrier's service
package (see below). Must
haves now include
speakerphone and Bluetooth
connectivity for hands-free
calling, and features unrelated
to calling such as built-in
cameras for picture
messaging and picture Caller
ID, digital music players with
stereo headphones, and
Web/Email/Instant Messaging
capabilities using high-speed
data networks. Many phones
now also feature removable
memory cards to facilitate
easier transfer of music,
photos, and video clips
between your phone and
personal computer.
Service Features
Features such as Caller ID,
call waiting, voicemail, three-
way calling, and text
messaging are considered
service features which are
provided by the carrier. All
phones are able to utilize
these features, though certain
service features require
advanced or smartphones
capable of taking advantage of
them.
continue to page 3
see more products or buying guides
TODAY'S SMART
BUYER Tip!
Our Site is
updated hourly.
Visit us daily to
get the best deals!
BUYER Tip!
Our Site is
updated hourly.
Visit us daily to
get the best deals!