Best Cell Phones right now?

[slicendice]

what's the best, smallest and simplest cell phone on the market right now? Is one manufactuer better than another? Are the motorola Razr's and all their spin off's any good?

We're going to be finishing up our contract with Telus in November so I want to start shopping around. As long as the other major providers will match our current family share plan, I'm not that picky about who I go with.

We don't need one with all the bells and whistles - i don't care if it has a camera or a MP3 player - it's a phone. I don't text, I don't surf, I don't watch movies. I dial, I talk and then I hang up.

I want it small, I want it light and ABOVE ALL I want it reliable. Oh yeah - and cheap would be nice too! :)

[racmbs]

Can't go wrong with Nokia...easiest UI to learn, cleanest UI (S60 ROCKS!) almost always seamless with connecting with PC's or Mac's. Can mod/hack the snot out of them (yes, yes Linux lovers and you Moto-crap fans :D)....and I think Nokia makes one of the best handsets out there.

Now the only draw-back to buying direct from the likes of Rogers/Bell/Telus is that they lock all the features out of the phones.

[slicendice]

what's the deal with unlocking phones? will the major providers allow you to use them with their service?

[racmbs]

what's the deal with unlocking phones? will the major providers allow you to use them with their service?

Locked to Rogers=locked to Rogers....can't use a Fido SIM. They also lock the Linux/Java apps so you can't do all kinds of fun hacking like you can on an unlocked version.

[discomonkey]

what's the deal with unlocking phones? will the major providers allow you to use them with their service?

you can unlock a GSM phone and use it with any GSM provider with the correct frequency. i use an unlocked nokia 8800 with rogers, who normally doesn't have this phone. when i go to visit my family in Hong Kong, i can just put a Hong Kong sim card in there and use an HK plan with the same phone.

[Big Shooter]

I've been with Telus/Clearnet for 10 years, up for renewal right now.
I see that you can take your existing # with you to another carrier, and while that would be preferable, it's not something I really must do.

So, my question is, who/where & what to go with?

[discomonkey]

I've been with Telus/Clearnet for 10 years, up for renewal right now.
I see that you can take your existing # with you to another carrier, and while that would be preferable, it's not something I really must do.

So, my question is, who/where & what to go with?


do you have an employee plan? how about a university alumni plan? you should find out because it could save you a ton. I know my university's alumni plan (MAC) is amazing for Telus. They also have an employee plan with Rogers which is similar to the Telus plan.

[Big Shooter]

do you have an employee plan? how about a university alumni plan? you should find out because it could save you a ton. I know my university's alumni plan (MAC) is amazing for Telus. They also have an employee plan with Rogers which is similar to the Telus plan.

Yes I have a good plan with Telus, but I hate to pay $3 for ringtones! :eek:

[discomonkey]

Yes I have a good plan with Telus, but I hate to pay $3 for ringtones! :eek:

unlock your phone... if it's an mp3 phone, telus locks them so that you can't use mp3 ringtones that you haven't bought from them. just unlock it and you can use any mp3 as a ringtone. (if you have an MP3 phone).

[rangefreak]

i just got an unlocked moto krzr. it's a hot looking phone, but doesn't offer too many feature upgrades in comparision to a razr. however, the feel of the phone is much better in the hand. i like buying unlocked so i'm not restricted to a country, company, or contract. no need to download ringtones. just plug it into my computer and send whatever i want to the phone. i've a got a 1gb micro flash card for plenty of storage for music, pics, and video.

[nobdyhere]

CDMA phones i don't recommend unlocking them because of the way they are setup into the network. If you attempt to unlock the CDMA phones there is a very good chance of erasing the IMEI# which will make that phone useless and a paper weight. If you want to use free mp3 ringtones and not have restrictions to the software on the phone go with an unlocked GSM phone and switch to Rogers. Rogers coverage area is getting larger and reaching more rural areas so it works great everywhere i go.

[racmbs]

CDMA phones i don't recommend unlocking them because of the way they are setup into the network. If you attempt to unlock the CDMA phones there is a very good chance of erasing the IMEI# which will make that phone useless and a paper weight. If you want to use free mp3 ringtones and not have restrictions to the software on the phone go with an unlocked GSM phone and switch to Rogers. Rogers coverage area is getting larger and reaching more rural areas so it works great everywhere i go.

Yes, yes.....I can see you smell 3G coming, just as I do. Giggity-goo! :D

On that note, wait until you see my new 6120...DAMN this phone is the shiz. Runs the same OSS as the iPhone in Safari and is S60.

[Big Shooter]

On that note, wait until you see my new 6120...DAMN this phone is the shiz. Runs the same OSS as the iPhone in Safari and is S60.

This one?
http://www.intomobile.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/07/article6120classicduck.jpg

[bigbertha]

Yes, yes.....I can see you smell 3G coming, just as I do. Giggity-goo! :D

On that note, wait until you see my new 6120...DAMN this phone is the shiz. Runs the same OSS as the iPhone in Safari and is S60.

Hey Scotty on that note, what's the word on the street with iphones in Canada? And, no I am not talking about importing the phone to make it a paper weight.:p

[Big Shooter]

Hey Scotty on that note, what's the word on the street with iphones in Canada? And, no I am not talking about importing the phone to make it a paper weight.:p

The WORD is: Don't get your HYPE up!!! ;)