But. You need to take a lot of things into consideration before you decide which model you're going to purchase.
From the top - you seem to primarily want a phone so you need to make that your top priority. Anything else you need, prioritise that, too, then add on your list of "would be nice to haves" and "if it could do's"
Some things have to be taken into consideration, regardless. For instance, I find the clarity on a cell much clearer than using an Ipaq (or equivalent) It seems to be something to do with the actual audio capacity (they tell me!) and the amount of available volume (on the Ipaq, I mean - if it gets to too low on the battery, it conserves itself by cutting light and volume levels etc, and rightly so)
If you do aim for a cell, make sure you think about the following points:
1. Do you text? If so, how large/small are your fingers? Do you "thump" or are you gentle? (!) I've found I'm too gentle at times (oh, there's an opening for jd!) and that the soft key phones are no good for me. Conversely, the plastic ones don't have the right amount of "give" for my arthritic fingers, so I find those frustrating too. I stuck to a metal key type keyboard, which, as Goldilocks would say, it just right for me.
2. When looking around for a cell, don't forget to take into account the costs of data cables, extra batteries, chargers etc. Most people need an in car charger which isn't normally included in the initial kit (well, not over here) The data cable, if you're needing one, also needs to be purchased.
3. If you have your head screwed on, at the same time as buying the phone, you'll buy an extra battery and a phone cover. (I mean the hard cover - it's also a good way to have a spare keyset on hand, too)
4. Make sure you also get a SimSafe (sim storage - yes?) and download all the numbers you have now onto it before you even THINK about transferring sim cards, cell numbers etc. Saves heartbreak, believe me.
5. Check out the model on both the manufacturers site, and Google. Where you'll find lots of extras from the manufacturer, you also need to read any bad feedback too, which is why I said Google - the manufacturer will not knock its' own product - unless there is a known manufacturing/program fault, in which case you wouldn't want that model in the first place.....
Also check the manufacturers site for online instructions, and how easy they are to read/follow. If you can't follow them online, you don't stand a cats chance!
6. Check out any local stores who provide cell phone repairs etc. Have a word with the guy behind the counter on the specific phone you've chosen. He'll be able to tell you what the most common fault is, if repairs are frequent, if the phone software is easily reloaded and the approximate cost of a range of repairs for that particular phone. (I'm preparing for when it's out of warranty, here)
Just remember you asked for this.....!!!
If you're wondering where all this came from, I've recently gone through an horrendous couple of weeks with my phone:
HOB decided when air blasting some fluff out of my cell that he'd clean it too, and used the wrong product, which ate away the screen. Bear in mind, here, that my parents are both deaf, and in cases of emergency, text me. I had to quickly do a buy-it-now on Ebay, so had another phone 2 days later. One simsafe broke, so had to wait to get the DR one from work after the weekend. After downloading numbers, it decided it wasn't going to let me send text, and as Ma was poorly I ended up purchasing a third as I couldn't get to the shop to have No. 2 repaired....
Finally got sorted, and am totally back up and running. Now have 3 batteries, have donated a charger to daughter, but as these are all the same model I have a totally working back up phone, which I'm swopping out the battery on every month to keep the cells live. And, of course, as they're all the same model, the data cables etc. that I already purchased are still valid....
oh yes. And note that the cause of the hassle didn't end up paying for two phones. I did. He broke it, I paid. Yet a-bloody-gain!!!
Hope this helps, Onbliss. Let me know how you get on, and what phone/pda you eventually end up with after all your research and homework! Feel free to pm me with any questions cos I think I garbled a bit. Again. Actually I'm just putting off going for my flu jab.......
GG
