Researching mobile phones

[maharetr]

My current phone is a Nokia 3310, bought in early 2002, and the battery is gradually dying. I'm with Virgin, pre-paid in generally $50 chunks, which charges me 29c/30secs. I haven't tracked it closely, but $50 credit would probably get me through 4 to 6 weeks.

I'm looking for a replacement phone, and flirting with the idea of going onto a contract.

What I want in a phone:
- picture messages (although I suspect that it's been so long that this is just a default feature... :P)
- a good, simple and easy to use calendar function. (this is the major reason I want to 'upgrade', rather than just 'replace' my phone)
- depending on whether I end up going contract with another company: unlocked.

black_samvara has an unlocked Nokia E66 which fits the bill well, but is there anything in the $200-$300 range that people can recommend?

Comments

[hope]

Prepaid charges are generally ridiculous - if you're paying $50 for 4-6 weeks use, you'd definitely be better off on a contract! If you're not after a very fancy phone, you can be paying $20 per month for at least $50 worth of calls and texts. Often if you sign up for an 18 month contract - or pay a bit more per month - they chuck in the phone for "free" (ie instead of paying for it at once you pay it off throughout the contract.

Some of the networks have special deals where you can get X number of free texts or super-cheap calls per month as part of your contract, that can be very handy if you, for eg, make more texts than calls.

Nokias are pretty great, I'm pretty sure all of them have calendar functions these days. I've just spent a few days browsing the Nokia website for a new phone myself; they have all the technical specs on there of what you can do with them and what kind of price range you're looking at for each. Once you've shortlisted a few you like, google their name + "review" and see what they're actually like to use - very helpful.

Good luck!!

[maharetr.livejournal.com]

Prepaid charges are generally ridiculous...

I thought that too, until I actually had a poke around the Virgin website. It turns out that for a $50 top up I pay 29c/30 secs. Contract rates are 40c/30secs. Which doesn't make all that much difference, either way, but it surprised me.

I'm digging around for the rates of prepaid caps of every company I can think of: 3G, Telstra (hah...) Optus, Vodafone...anyone else?

Either way, I'm definitely leaning towards a Nokia. Weirdly, it didn't occur to me to go direct to their site... Thanks! *goes*

[hope]

It turns out that for a $50 top up I pay 29c/30 secs. Contract rates are 40c/30secs. Which doesn't make all that much difference, either way, but it surprised me.

But the difference is that when you pay $30 on prepaid you're buying $30 of calls at that rate; when you pay $30 on contract you may be buying $150 worth of calls... even if they're slightly pricier, i think there's still a saving to be had there?

Er, it didn't occur to me to go to the nokia site either, i think it turned up in google for me... *g*

[caitlen.livejournal.com]

I'm with Vodafone and love them. Yes, even in the country where they don't work as well. I'm on prepaid, and if I wanted to, I could pay $29/month and get $130 worth of calls & texts for that month period. Which usually did me, and that included long phone calls to the other side of the country (to keep my mother happy).

I've got a Nokia 6300, which is over a year old now. I've posted pictures taken with it on my LJ, so the photo quality is surprisingly good. It's got a good, simple & easy to use calendar function, but be aware I don't use it much so can't give a qualitative view on this.

It costs around $200, outright, and I got it as a present last christmas and it's always been on prepaid. I'd recommend it as a more basic style of phone that does everything you want it to.

[maharetr.livejournal.com]

*nods* mynxii is with Vodafone and sings their praises, so two plugs means they're on my short list *grins* Now I've found the existence of prepaid caps, I'm digging up all the companies I can think of.

Thanks for the rec for the Nokia 6300 -- I'll look it up.

[caitlen.livejournal.com]

scotsnow sings their praises too :) Actually, I generally find that people who move to Vodafone don't tend to leave... *grin*