Wanting to get a new cell phone

Triton

Triton

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Aug 8, 2000
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Alright gentlemen wondering about cell phones. I'm with Verizon so it has to be one of their phones. Basically I want a flip phone that gets excellent reception and has a long battery life. Beyond that I don't care. I don't need a planner, I don't need a camera, I don't need video games. Thoughts? Suggestions? Experiences? I've been wondering about the Motorola E815...
 
I have had nothing but problems with Motorola phones, and I will NEVER buy another one again. I too have Verizon, and do the "new every 2 " plan. I just got myself a Nokia (my favorite brand by the way.) 6236i. Have you looked at the Verizon site to see what phones are available?
 
Agreed. I will never purchase a Motorolla product again. Every single one of them I've had over the years has been a complete piece of crap. The menu system sucks and their design is the antithesis of ergonomic.

I think they are one of the reasons I hate flip phones. I'm not a big fan of Verizon, but that's who the state has a contract with so that's what I have to buy. I have a Treo 700W - but that doesn't meet your requirements for a simple phone.

Edited to say: Nokias are also my favorite brand.
 
The E815 is a very good phone. We have three of them and have been using them since last Oct. They have very good reception, are solidly built and the battery life is pretty good to boot. I had originaly wanted a Razor but after handling them and hearing better reviews on reception from salespersons and customers with the E815 I went with that. My fourth Motorola cell phone. Never had a problem with any of them. BTW I am with Verizon also.
 
In the past, I've always had good experiences with my Samsung flip phones. Nothing fancy, mind you, but then again, you're not really looking for anything fancy. It's also worth noting that my brother just mentioned the other day how thrilled he is with his new LG phone. It was a completely unsolicited testimonial, BTW.
 
I have used the Nokia stick phones, and got great service out of them.

I have been using the Motorola V551 for around 1 1/2 years and have had no problems whatsoever.

I have numerous cohorts that have been using the newer Razor for some time now and have good luck with them.

I had a bad experience with a Motorola stick phone about 3 years ago, but it had more to do with how the phone worked, rather than its performance.
 
i have had good luck with nokia but a few months back i got the moto razr and really like it, no complaints at all with it.
 
Triton said:
....I don't need a planner, I don't need a camera, I don't need video games...
Click to expand...

Good luck with THAT! LOL

The last few generations of cellphones have been aimed at the teenage market - which means emphasis on cameras, ringtones, games, texting keyboard, replaceable faceplates, blinking antennae, etc., etc. If you don't want all that, you probably have to go with the most basic ("cheap") phone which Verizon offers. Personally, I would pay a premium for a high quality cellphone that focuses on performance and quality of construction and leaves off all the bells and whistles. Haven't found it yet.

Several generations ago, I think Motorola made one of the most reliable cellphones available. They may have been designed like "bricks" (even the early flip phones) but they were bullet-proof and just plain worked.

As for performance, I think you're as much at the mercy of the service provider (location of towers, network upgrades, etc.) as you are of the hardware manufacturer. I have 3 "active" cellphones, from different manufacturers with the same provider - and they barely work, if at all, in my home office yet provide solid reception and transmission in the lower levels of an underground parking garage downtown.
 
Drat! :) I've got everything now from Motorola sucks to Motorola is excellent, also now I've got to go look at Nokia (not sure Verizon uses a Nokia phone so will have to look) Samsung and LG to boot. :p
 
I got a Motorola V262 a little over a year ago, and it has been a solid phone for me. No problems to speak of, and I generally get great reception. Battery life could be a little longer, but it isn't too frequent that I need to talk for more than three hours in between charging.

Motorola%20V262.gif
 
Yowza! This turned out to be a rather long rant. Quick overview: StarTAC good, most Motos since are nasty, latest ones seem to be fine but are probably suffering in the sales dept due to bad models of recent times.

Bad Motorolas, my favorite subject! lol

The best phone I ever had was a Motorola StarTAC ST7868W from Verizon. Bullet proof, good audio quality, good signal. Just needed fast data and a USB port and it would still be good.

Then I "upgraded" and got a T720. That was the WORST phone I have ever had! It would crash constantly causing me to miss calls, the only way to make it respond to input was to pull the battery. After I took it to Verizon and got the firmware flashed it didn't happen as often, but it wasn't cured.

Around the same time a friend of mine went through several Motorola phones from another provider, I think he was using the C332 or one of those ugly little peanut shaped phones. It had the same problems as my T720, and it broke fairly often. I think he had it replaced two or three times before moving on.

I almost bought a v710 to replace the T720, but the early versions had a lot of problems too(nevermind the bluetooth being crippled by Verizon). That was supposedly fixed, but I never bought it. The e815 is supposed to work fine, and is the EVDO version of the v710. Another one I almost bought, but was weary of Motorola. All reports I've heard have said it's a decent phone. *shrug*

What I ended up buying was a Samsung SCH-A610. It worked fine, but I didn't feel it was very sturdy, and I beat the snot out of my stuff. My T720 was almost unrecognizable! I was rather upset two days after I bought the Samsung when Verizon finally released the Treo 600, which I had been waiting to see for what seemed like forever.

Now I have a Treo 650, which I like considerably more than anything else since the StarTac. Better games on a Palm device than any standard phone could have, bluetooth which I use for wireless internet on my computer(using it to type this message right now, you just need shadowmite's DUN hack which is easy to do). Battery life could be better, but I'm happy at last. The 700p doesn't offer much over the 650 except EVDO and a better camera. EVDO would be nice, but I'm not about to fork over another $500 for it.

My friend is now using a Motorola, but I forget the model number. v70 maybe? It's a small flip phone. He broke the headset jack, but no other problems. Now we seem to be mostly using Nextel, which is all Motorola gear. I have an i355 and he has an i90c. No problems with those besides some interesting behaviors that are common to most Motorolas I've known, the most annoying of which is not being able to close a clamshell phone without hanging up when using the headset.

Wow. Cell phones seem to be right up there with computer OS's and politics for my ranting ability!
 
The E815 is a good choice for strong reception. While many dont like the extendable antenna, It does make a difference where the signal may be on the weak sideweak. Im currently using a RAZR and the signals are not as strong. Samsungs are also highly regarded by my co-workers. Dont count them out.

Unfortunately, Verizon is now putting its own proprietary interface on all its phones. While this makes things "standardized" for tech - support, etc.. it is awful IMO.

BTW-if you want a real earful about cell phones, go here:
http://howardforums.com/
 
I use an old-school Nokia 6100... I have tried others in the past, but always keep coming back to this one. Sure, it's big, had only a B&W screen, and no features whatsoever, but it's perfect for me. I friend of mine works in the tech center @ Sprint and says that Nokia is about as good as they all around-- reception, durability, etc. He also tells me that Motorola isn't that hot, or at least with their network.
 
The boss recently signed up for Verizon and gave us company phones to use. The phone is an LG-something (can't find the model # anywhere). It does have a camera, but feels well-made and sturdy, and no problems with reception.

My favorite phone though is my Kyocera Soho. Better tactile feedback and better-sounding speakers than any other cell phone I've used. Don't know if Verizon has that model or not; my service is Alltel.

Good Luck,
-Bob
 
Bob W said:
The boss recently signed up for Verizon and gave us company phones to use. The phone is an LG-something (can't find the model # anywhere). It does have a camera, but feels well-made and sturdy, and no problems with reception.

My favorite phone though is my Kyocera Soho. Better tactile feedback and better-sounding speakers than any other cell phone I've used. Don't know if Verizon has that model or not; my service is Alltel.

Good Luck,
-Bob
Click to expand...

Thanks guys! I'm going to wander over to the store today to play with the different models...
 
I have a small giveaway Motorola model, V188. It fits perfectly into my belt magnetic pouch, it has none of the teenage features, and it has been 100% reliable. Cost - nothing. The only thing you might consider is bluetooth if you talk while driving. Also, its "loud" ring is actually kind of "moderate". If I have a jacket over my phone, I might miss the call if I am on a busy street.

This is my second cellphone in my entire life. My last one was one of the original Qualcomm slim phones. I know people who change their phones every year or even more often. I guess I am not much "gadget" oriented. ;)
 
hwyhobo said:
...This is my second cellphone in my entire life....
Click to expand...

I, on the other hand.........:o

(I think I'm on number 19. And of course we're not counting the three phones from when it was still an analog system and you had to place calls through an operator. :) When CB's were all the rage, my handle was "GadgetMan".)
 
cockroachfarm said:
Several generations ago, I think Motorola made one of the most reliable cellphones available. They may have been designed like "bricks" (even the early flip phones) but they were bullet-proof and just plain worked.
Click to expand...

Yah. I had an old Motorola StarTac that I was very happy with. Incredible reception. It worked where most people's fancy new "super powerful" phones didn't.

But... I kept breaking the damn antenna. Flimsy little thing.

I have an LG VX4500 that I'm pleased with now. I don't care about extra features, so it's a nice phone for me. My favorite thing about it is the front clock screen... since I don't wear a watch, it's nice to be able to get the phone out and look at the time without having to open it up. I also use the alarm clock feature.

Not as powerful as the StarTac, but the battery life is better.
 
Psychopomp said:
Yah. I had an old Motorola StarTac....
Click to expand...

I had one of the first Motorola StarTacs in Canada. Since the dealer is a friend of mine, he gave it to me at just a few bucks over HIS cost.

Are you ready? I paid C$1,445. for the privilege (?) of owning one of the first StarTAC's in the country! So you know I EARNED the name "GadgetMan". (Hey, I never said I was smart, just impatient. ;) ) What a beautiful little phone that was -- 'quality' all the way (except for that stupid flimsy antenna!) Those were the days....:)
 
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