Cell Phones, Getting the Right One: Part 2 - The Naked PC Newsletter (#3.11)

by Lee Hudspeth

  1. What are the most important features in a good cell phone?

  2. What cell phone provider should I use?
  3. How many minutes should I get in my plan?

    See:
    http://www.TheNakedPC.com/articles/v03/10/0310-03.html

    Now I'll answer the remaining five key questions I frequently encounter from clients, family, and friends.

  4. How do I compare costs between plans?

    A quick way to compare apples to apples is to normalize all of a plan's costs to the total cost per minute for a one-year period.

    • Calculate the total cost of the phone (use your original phone's sunk cost if you're keeping an existing phone).

    • Add any activation fee.

    • Add all monthly fees up for twelve months and assume you don't go over plan.

    • Total items (a), (b), and (c) and call this "Gross Annual Fees."

    • Multiply your plan's monthly minute ceiling by 12. Call this "Total Annual Plan Minutes."

    • Divide Gross Annual Fees by Total Annual Plan Minutes. Call this "Total Annualized Cost per Minute."

    • Calculate Total Annualized Cost per Minute for your current provider and at least two other providers.

    The winning plan will quickly stand out.

  5. How do I decide if it's time to change to another provider?

    Even if you're blissfully happy with your current plan, or even if you just signed up to a new plan three months ago, the competition is fierce in this burgeoning business. Prices for service and phones are constantly dropping, new features are being implemented while we sleep, and all-digital coverage areas are growing like wildfire. For example, the Nokia 6160 phone, when purchased with the AT&T Digital One Rate plan, was priced at $215.42 in December 1999 and at $179.99 just two weeks ago. That's a 16% drop in four months!

    Dig out your current Cellular Service Agreement and read it carefully. Therein lies either the secret escape hatch or the sad news that unless you want to pay a hefty termination fee you'll have to wait a stretch before getting out. We suggest you review your plan's terms quarterly.

  6. What accessories should I buy?

    • A cigarette lighter charger for your car (convenient, no, make that mandatory).

    • A hands-free car kit for safety.

    • A PC connectivity kit (see #1 above). Some folks like ultra- extended batteries, too.

  7. What are some good Web resources covering cell phones and stuff?

    • Point.com is a good place to shop for a wireless phone, service plan, and accessories. You can do side-by-side comparisons of more than 4,000 service plans and hundreds of phones and accessories. And of course you can buy everything conveniently online.
      http://www.point.com

    • PC Computing magazine's "Top Digital Phones" (note: this article, although excellent, is over one year old).
      http://www.zdnet.com/products/stories/reviews/
      0,4161,388230,00.html

    • Various public newsgroups ranging from the general (alt.cellular) to the specific (alt.cellular.nokia or alt.cellular.sprintpcs).

  8. What's the best way to get someone who's talking obnoxiously on a cell phone in a public place to stop?

    A tip of the TNPC hat to my wife Liz for this suggestion. Lean over and earnestly start giving the caller advice on what they should do about whatever it is they're talking about. The key here is to be totally sincere. Now, since this solution might in some circumstances evolve into a brawl, always judge your chatty neighbor accordingly.