Sprint PCS - Help me pick a cell phone

Author

Help me pick a cell phone

Odrade.Dar@gmail.com

2006-07-14, 12:33 pm

Husband and I are getting cell phones because we need to coordinate
carpooling (and just for the general communication convenience) and are
looking into either Sprint or Verizon for our provider.

I have looked at phones in stores for both providers, but would like
some user opinions/feedback based on my priorities:

1) Want GREAT reception - I want this primarily for being able to keep
in touch with people.
2) Want good battery life (for talking, standby doesn't matter as long
as it lasts at least a day)
3) MP3 player would be nice to have, I would prefer to have it but can
sacrifice if a phone has superb reception and battery life.
a) Headset plugin for music, bluetooth for handless communication +
b) Data card slot for MP3s is a plus
c) Ability to upload music WITHOUT using a provider's oft-expensive
music store is a huge plus, as is the ability to upload custom MP3
ringtones

- I'm not interested in web-browsing or webTV (and pretty much any
multimedia feature beyond playing music or custom ringtones)
- SMS texting is not needed either, I have no
friends/family/acquaintances who really use it.
- Camera phone unnecessary, I have a good & small digital one

Regarding the reception, I've been looking at AMPS-capable phones just
in case I need analog roaming when we travel (we go to remote areas for
camping several times a year, as well as trips down to the Smokies and
other park areas). While it would be nice to get a phone capable of
analog/digital, it isn't 100% necessary so long as the reception in
network is good. The majority of our time is spent locally in
metropolitan areas.

So far I've been eyeing the LG LX-550 Fusic, Samsung SPH-A920, Sanyo
Katana, Samsung A900, LG VX-8300 in pretty much that order. If you
have an other recommendation that you think is comparable or
significantly better, or any real-use input regarding these models, I
would greatly appreciate a reply.

Mij Adyaw

2006-07-14, 12:33 pm

Where do you live? The most inportant factor in purchasing a cell phone is
to determine what provider has really good service in your area.

<Odrade.Dar@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1152893883.817653.176550@m79g2000cwm.googlegroups.com...
> Husband and I are getting cell phones because we need to coordinate
> carpooling (and just for the general communication convenience) and are
> looking into either Sprint or Verizon for our provider.
>
> I have looked at phones in stores for both providers, but would like
> some user opinions/feedback based on my priorities:
>
> 1) Want GREAT reception - I want this primarily for being able to keep
> in touch with people.
> 2) Want good battery life (for talking, standby doesn't matter as long
> as it lasts at least a day)
> 3) MP3 player would be nice to have, I would prefer to have it but can
> sacrifice if a phone has superb reception and battery life.
> a) Headset plugin for music, bluetooth for handless communication +
> b) Data card slot for MP3s is a plus
> c) Ability to upload music WITHOUT using a provider's oft-expensive
> music store is a huge plus, as is the ability to upload custom MP3
> ringtones
>
> - I'm not interested in web-browsing or webTV (and pretty much any
> multimedia feature beyond playing music or custom ringtones)
> - SMS texting is not needed either, I have no
> friends/family/acquaintances who really use it.
> - Camera phone unnecessary, I have a good & small digital one
>
> Regarding the reception, I've been looking at AMPS-capable phones just
> in case I need analog roaming when we travel (we go to remote areas for
> camping several times a year, as well as trips down to the Smokies and
> other park areas). While it would be nice to get a phone capable of
> analog/digital, it isn't 100% necessary so long as the reception in
> network is good. The majority of our time is spent locally in
> metropolitan areas.
>
> So far I've been eyeing the LG LX-550 Fusic, Samsung SPH-A920, Sanyo
> Katana, Samsung A900, LG VX-8300 in pretty much that order. If you
> have an other recommendation that you think is comparable or
> significantly better, or any real-use input regarding these models, I
> would greatly appreciate a reply.
>

David G. Imber

2006-07-14, 12:33 pm

On 14 Jul 2006 09:18:03 -0700, Odrade.Dar@gmail.com wrote:

>Husband and I are getting cell phones because we need to coordinate
>carpooling (and just for the general communication convenience) and are
>looking into either Sprint or Verizon for our provider.
>
>I have looked at phones in stores for both providers, but would like
>some user opinions/feedback based on my priorities:
>
>1) Want GREAT reception - I want this primarily for being able to keep
>in touch with people.
>2) Want good battery life (for talking, standby doesn't matter as long
>as it lasts at least a day)
>3) MP3 player would be nice to have,

Numbers 1 and 2 give you a whole bunch of results. Factor in
#3 and the number of viable choices drops considerably.

For instance, the best reception and battery life available
for a Sprint phone is with the Sanyo 4920. They're hard to find these
days (although I happen to have two nearly new ones if you're
interested).

As mentioned, everything depends upon whether Sprint works
well for you in your area.

In general, Sanyo phones are known for outstanding reception
and high quality overall. Any kind of multimedia function or web usage
is going to shorten battery life. The 4920 comes with a 1700 mAh
battery which gives it an extraordinarily long life between charges.
Few other phones (if any) come standard with a battery of that
capacity.

In short, if communication with other people via voice is your
primary goal, and if Sprint is a good choice for your location, go
with a Sanyo such as the one I mentioned or the 4930, which is just a
"ruggedized" version of the 4920 (and I think is still sold new on
their site).

The moment you start thinking about the other stuff you've got
more to consider in your decision making.

DGI

Dar

2006-07-14, 3:33 pm

We live in Southeast Michigan in the 48108 zip code. I've previously
had Sprint service, but that was several years ago (was quite
satisfactory then with my old Samsung SCH-800 phone) so I'm thinking
reception will be at least the same, if not better -- correct me if I'm
wrong.

I've asked co-workers and friends who have service with both Verizon
and Sprint/Nextel and their opinions run generally the same -- good
service, occasional pockets of bad/no reception.

I'm leaning more towards Sprint for the free incoming plan + option to
change nights down to 6pm. Both have mobile-to-mobile options as well.
Verizon seems a bit pricier. I don't care about either's
multimedia/broadband capabilities.

So it comes down to the phone plans & phones themselves.

Regarding the generally-held opinion of Sanyo phone's reception: My
first phone was a Sanyo SP4700, and the reception was terrible. I
would have 4 bars and it would be staticky and almost impossible to
hold a conversation. I thought Sprint just had horrible coverage in my
area until I swapped it out for the Samsung (got less bars in the same
locations, but very clear contact and no drops), and after that I had
very few dropped calls or bad call quality. It may have just been a
lemon though.

I will look more into the Sanyo models. It's one of the reasons I was
eyeing the Katana. The only thing that is turning me off that
particular model is the lack of memory expandability/no music
capability. I haven't heard that many positive things about LG phones
but am still interested in the Fusic if anyone has real-life experience
with it.

David G. Imber

2006-07-14, 10:33 pm

On 14 Jul 2006 11:17:06 -0700, "Dar" <Odrade.Dar@gmail.com> wrote:

>We live in Southeast Michigan in the 48108 zip code. I've previously
>had Sprint service, but that was several years ago (was quite
>satisfactory then with my old Samsung SCH-800 phone) so I'm thinking
>reception will be at least the same, if not better -- correct me if I'm
>wrong.

You're right, generally speaking. Areas with a history of
problems have generally improved over the years, and good areas have
gotten better. I've never heard of service in a particular area
declining. I've been reading this NG for about seven years.
Occasionally people will talk about losing service in their home or
office, but this is usually a transitory problem.

>Regarding the generally-held opinion of Sanyo phone's reception: My
>first phone was a Sanyo SP4700, and the reception was terrible. I
>would have 4 bars and it would be staticky and almost impossible to
>hold a conversation. I thought Sprint just had horrible coverage in my
>area until I swapped it out for the Samsung (got less bars in the same
>locations, but very clear contact and no drops), and after that I had
>very few dropped calls or bad call quality. It may have just been a
>lemon though.

Yes, I can't account for your Sanyo experience except to
suggest there might have been something wrong with that specific
handset. I used to use a 4700 and I'd say it might have been my
favorite phone ever, except for the large profile. Mine operated
beautifully though, with no sound/reception defects whatsoever.

>
> I haven't heard that many positive things about LG phones

I have no direct experience with their phones, but have read
simply awful things. The company, which was once called Goldstar,
started out making cheap clones of better companies' AV equipment.
Stuff that worked horribly and broke easily (I used to work on the
technical side of media). Then they hired better marketing people.
From a marketing perspective they're great, I just wouldn't buy their
products, knowing what's behind them.

DGI

General Schvantzkoph

2006-07-14, 10:33 pm

On Fri, 14 Jul 2006 09:18:03 -0700, Odrade.Dar wrote:

> Regarding the reception, I've been looking at AMPS-capable phones just
> in case I need analog roaming when we travel (we go to remote areas for
> camping several times a year, as well as trips down to the Smokies and
> other park areas). While it would be nice to get a phone capable of
> analog/digital, it isn't 100% necessary so long as the reception in
> network is good. The majority of our time is spent locally in
> metropolitan areas.

Forget about Analog, it's not necessary anymore and it will limit your
choices. Sprint has an unlimited roaming option that will let you roam on
other peoples CDMA networks and no extra charge (except for the monthly
fee which isn't that much). I've found that the roaming option helps a lot.

Notan

2006-07-14, 10:33 pm

General Schvantzkoph wrote:
>
> On Fri, 14 Jul 2006 09:18:03 -0700, Odrade.Dar wrote:
>
>
> Forget about Analog, it's not necessary anymore and it will limit your
> choices.
>
> <snip>

Unless you're in one of the many areas that only has analog coverage.

Time to take the blinders off.

Notan

mikeyhsd

2006-07-14, 10:33 pm

plug the phone models into
http://www.phonescoop.com/
to get review and user opinions.
also can do side by side comparisons.

mikeyhsd@sport.rr.com

<Odrade.Dar@gmail.com> wrote in message news:1152893883.817653.176550@m79g2000cwm.googlegroups.com...
Husband and I are getting cell phones because we need to coordinate
carpooling (and just for the general communication convenience) and are
looking into either Sprint or Verizon for our provider.

I have looked at phones in stores for both providers, but would like
some user opinions/feedback based on my priorities:

1) Want GREAT reception - I want this primarily for being able to keep
in touch with people.
2) Want good battery life (for talking, standby doesn't matter as long
as it lasts at least a day)
3) MP3 player would be nice to have, I would prefer to have it but can
sacrifice if a phone has superb reception and battery life.
a) Headset plugin for music, bluetooth for handless communication +
b) Data card slot for MP3s is a plus
c) Ability to upload music WITHOUT using a provider's oft-expensive
music store is a huge plus, as is the ability to upload custom MP3
ringtones

- I'm not interested in web-browsing or webTV (and pretty much any
multimedia feature beyond playing music or custom ringtones)
- SMS texting is not needed either, I have no
friends/family/acquaintances who really use it.
- Camera phone unnecessary, I have a good & small digital one

Regarding the reception, I've been looking at AMPS-capable phones just
in case I need analog roaming when we travel (we go to remote areas for
camping several times a year, as well as trips down to the Smokies and
other park areas). While it would be nice to get a phone capable of
analog/digital, it isn't 100% necessary so long as the reception in
network is good. The majority of our time is spent locally in
metropolitan areas.

So far I've been eyeing the LG LX-550 Fusic, Samsung SPH-A920, Sanyo
Katana, Samsung A900, LG VX-8300 in pretty much that order. If you
have an other recommendation that you think is comparable or
significantly better, or any real-use input regarding these models, I
would greatly appreciate a reply.

Robin Banks

2006-07-14, 10:33 pm

On Fri, 14 Jul 2006 16:43:36 -0600, Notan <notan@ddress.thatcanbespammed>
wrote:

> General Schvantzkoph wrote:
>
> Unless you're in one of the many areas that only has analog coverage.
>
> Time to take the blinders off.

This just happened to me last week... had to do analog roaming because I was
about 400 miles from home in a tiny little town.

--
~~R.Banks

LinkBot