Cell Phone Recommendations

[Bob Winkler]

I'm looking for a new, no frills, clamshell cell phone.My old reliable StarTac finally died after about 4 years.

I want something tough, as I carry it through all sorts of home improvements jobs. Any recommendations of what to get or what to stay away from?

Thanks, Bob

[Charles McKinley]

I could send you a star tac if you want. We had to change carriers when we moved.

I have a Motorola V400 picture phone now. I have been abusing it for 6 month now and it has held up well.

[Jim Becker]

There are actually some "rugedized" phones available, but I believe that most of them are on Nextel service. The reason is that many contractors use that service due to the long time support for the "push to talk" feature. Verizon also has that feature available now and may have a more rugged phone.

Of course, almost all of the carriers have low- to no-cost clamshell phones these days from a variety of manufacturers. Just remember that your phone choice is tied to your carrier choice...

Personally, I recently switched back to a Motorola phone after quite a few years on Nokia devices as well as a Siemens most recently. Since I also travel internationally, the V600 best met my needs with support for all four bands of GSM service. So far, it's proven to be a very durable device since I carry it in my shirt pocket and every once in awhile it goes...umm...tumblin'...

[Bob Winkler]

Thanks for the offer Charles, and the information Jim.

I checked out my latest Radio Shack who offers Verizon services and found out that I qualified for a free upgrade (actually I was about 1.5 years late!). I picked the Motorola V60S because it was similar to my old StarTac, but of course, had some newer features.

I didn't like the phone offerings from my local Verizon store. They only had the trendiest phones with all the bells and whistles. Guess that what most people are buying these days.

I'm starting to feel like a high-tech neanderthal. Hope my new Ipod will cure that feeling.:)

[Ernie Hobbs]

Bob:

I have been happy with my Kyocera 2325 through Verizon. I've had it about a year and a half and keep it on my belt (with leather case). It's not a clamshell but maybe it's worth a look. I tend to drop things from time to time :eek: but, so far, no cracks or problems. It has met the driveway quite a few times now. I think the leather case helps since my wife has the same phone without the case and she has a crack in the face from a drop. Hope this is useful.

I agree with the other posts in that I'd probably pick the carrier first and then find a phone that works with their plan. I like Verizon but, I know different areas have different service issues.

[Dan Mages]

Enjoy the V60! I have delt with that phone quite a bit in the past. It is a top quality unit. Personally, I like my Motorola A1000 PDA phone.

Dan