Cell Phone Reviews – Reviewing Before Buying

David Berlind, Executive Editor, ZDNet tells "Apple's iPhone to step aside, there's another phone in town called the Helio." [ Watch Video ] [ Helio on Sale! ]

Ahh, a Nokia, Motorola, or Kyocera; a Sanyo, Samsung, Sony Ericsson or a Siemens, a Mitsubishi, Panasonic, Hyundai, Philips or Bosch. How about an Oki, LG, NEC, or JRC, and not forgetting Palm, Denso, Neopoint, Novatel, Handspring, Audiovox, Qualcomm, and more, yes more.

The manufacturers are there; we are more confident about cell phone safety, and their cell phones are lined up on parade for our inspection - and we haven’t a clue which one to choose.

Some folks regard cell phone comparisons with something approaching dread, “all I want is a phone” is the cry in the wilderness, but it really needn’t be that complicated if you just carefully consider what you want from your cell phone.

This way having to compare cell phones can be much easier, and even be an enjoyment rather than a pain as you view the temptations that might soon be in your hand.

People often go wrong with cellular phone comparisons because they are easily led away from the path of wants and needs. They might be trying to impress people with a phone rather than actually using it, which is fine if that’s your thing - then only the most expensive flashy one will do, and it must have all the features under the sun.

For most though, the cell phone is no mere status symbol, but a friendly little gadget which can help immeasurably in our daily lives - so get what you want, and not what others would have you want instead.

• Think about if you want a digital camera phone, or a PDA for example. IF you do then you may want to consider things like pc connectivity and whether or not bluetooth is important to you.
• Will you want to use you phone internationally? If so, get a tri-band model.
• If you live in a rural area with poor digital coverage then a dual-mode analog option must take prime place in your personal cell phone comparisons.
• Think about the size and whether you want a color screen or not.
• Do you want a clamshell / flip cover design or not?
• Is the size of the internal number directory of importance to you or not? If yes, then include this information when you compare cell phones.
• Do you love the likes of ringtones? If so, then push this up your priority list and see whether the phone has polyphonic ringtones which are much better, and if it has a ringtone composer for example - too make your own.
• Changeable faceplates may matter to you, so you can alter the appearance of your phone, and if you love music, then look for cell phones with FM radios or MP3 players as features.
• Do you love games? How long is the battery life? Cell phone comparisons should also include thoughts of whether you want to browse the mobile web, and what sort of cell phone accessories you will want.

Make up a list of your needs before that of your wants when you compare cellular phones, especially if price is an important factor for you, and a cell phone FAQ might help as well.

You might be interested in cell phones with video camera, or ones with bigger memory for more downloads, or just the best looking ones. But whatever it is that you want cellular phone comparisons can help you to match up with the right cell phone, if you just pause a bit and think logically before you buy; rather than regret later if the returns condition is unfavorable.

Also don’t forget that the cell phone carriers, (listed alphabetically): Cingular, T-Mobile, AT&T Wireless, Verizon Wireless, Nextel, Voicestream, Tracfone, Sprint PCS, may not all be compatible with the cell phone you want, and although the best free cell phone deals will include many of the most popular cell phones around, you may like to be different, so weigh this up as well in your quest for cell phone plans.