Warming up for a new phone

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.verizon (More info?)

My 2yr contract is up in November. On the last renewal I upgraded to
an Audiovox 9155 which I really like in most respects.

My new requirements are:

1) The largest, most readable screen (color or LCD, does not matter)
in daylight. (clam or bar phone, no matter)

2) Like the 9155, I need a very accessible addressbook for both Text
Messaging and voice call lists.

3) Composing text messages must be REAL simple and quick ... no
drilling thru rich menus or waiting such as I found in the Samsung
a610. Must be able to send to web addresses as well as other cell
phones.

3) Like the 9155, the phone must be tri-mode that can be forced to
analog manually.

4) Needs excellent voice quality and ... would like to have a
"speaker phone" feature like the 9155.

5) Needs at least 100 entry phone list capacity.

I have NO need for games, web browser, camera, flashlights, and all
the other kid junk.

Thank you all in advance for your suggestions!

Philip

 

[spike]

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.verizon (More info?)

I had the 9155 which was stolen, and I now have
the 8300 which is OK and very similar. However,
as everyone knows some new features such as
Bluetooth are showing up, and Verizon only offers
one. You may have a credit toward a new phone
of $100 as you may know..Luck

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.verizon (More info?)

On Mon, 13 Sep 2004 14:49:51 GMT, "Philip®"
<1chip-state1@earthlink.net.invalid> wrote:

>My 2yr contract is up in November. On the last renewal I upgraded to
>an Audiovox 9155 which I really like in most respects.
>
>My new requirements are:
>
>1) The largest, most readable screen (color or LCD, does not matter)
>in daylight. (clam or bar phone, no matter)
>
>2) Like the 9155, I need a very accessible addressbook for both Text
>Messaging and voice call lists.
>
>3) Composing text messages must be REAL simple and quick ... no
>drilling thru rich menus or waiting such as I found in the Samsung
>a610. Must be able to send to web addresses as well as other cell
>phones.
>
>3) Like the 9155, the phone must be tri-mode that can be forced to
>analog manually.
>
>4) Needs excellent voice quality and ... would like to have a
>"speaker phone" feature like the 9155.
>
>5) Needs at least 100 entry phone list capacity.
>
>I have NO need for games, web browser, camera, flashlights, and all
>the other kid junk.
>
>Thank you all in advance for your suggestions!
>
>Philip
>
While I had no use for a the junk either I chose an LG VX6000. I took
some pictures of my family and use them as caller ID and some
interesting scenes for my wallpaper. It's reputation is good and is
easy to use. The screen is very bright and readable even in sunlight.
The camera might be useful in an emergency such as an accident.

The LG VX4500 has no camera but the screen is not as bright and has
reception issues in fringe areas. Otherwise reception is good. It has
a speaker phone. The 4500 and 6000 are not tri mode but have some of
the other features.

The Motorola V710 has a good screen, is tri mode, but you might not
like the address book. It has very good reception and speaker phone
but there have been other issues reported. It is the only phone that
has all the requirements you mention.

The Nokia 3589i has an excellent reputation, is tri mode but has no
speaker phone.

Also did you know that you can upgrade your phones and start a new 2
year contract if you so desire after 22 months which would be about
now?

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.verizon (More info?)

Spike wrote:
> I had the 9155 which was stolen, and I now have
> the 8300 which is OK and very similar. However,
> as everyone knows some new features such as
> Bluetooth are showing up, and Verizon only offers
> one. You may have a credit toward a new phone
> of $100 as you may know..Luck


Now don't everybody scream at me at once when I say .... what is
"bluetooth?" Is bluetooth something that facilitates text messaging
to other cells or to web addresses? Thanks.

Philip

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.verizon (More info?)

Teddeli wrote:
>snip<
> While I had no use for a the junk either I chose an LG VX6000. I
> took some pictures of my family and use them as caller ID and some
> interesting scenes for my wallpaper. It's reputation is good and is
> easy to use. The screen is very bright and readable even in
> sunlight. The camera might be useful in an emergency such as an
> accident.

Ok, this is phone that I need to play with a bit. The tri-mode
feature is more of a 'want' than a frequent need.


> The Motorola V710 has a good screen, is tri mode, but you might not
> like the address book. It has very good reception and speaker phone
> but there have been other issues reported. It is the only phone
> that has all the requirements you mention.

This phone was not on my radar screen simply because of a past
experience with what I considered very unfriendly text messaging.
But that was probably three years ago and things like this need to be
reviewed.


> The Nokia 3589i has an excellent reputation, is tri mode but has no
> speaker phone.

My first cell was a Nokia 5185. I liked the text messaging and
menuing system on that phone too. But I toasted 5 of those phones in
14 months (various hardware failures), hence the Audiovox. Does the
3589i have a good reliability record? I'll look at one at a Verizon
store soon.


> Also did you know that you can upgrade your phones and start a new
> 2 year contract if you so desire after 22 months which would be
> about now?

Interesting. The Verizon salesperson said I had to wait the full 24
months if I wished to renew my current plan (which is older and has a
6:00pm peak to nite break time and get the $100 credit toward a new
phone. Might this person been misinformed?

--?

- Philip

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.verizon (More info?)

"Philip®" <1chip-state1@earthlink.net.invalid> wrote in message
news:CSk1d.196$ax4.195@newsread3.news.pas.earthlink.net...
wrote:

> Now don't everybody scream at me at once when I say .... what is
> "bluetooth?" Is bluetooth something that facilitates text messaging
> to other cells or to web addresses? Thanks.

Bluetooth is a 2.4 MHZ low power digital link between the phone and other
devices. On the V710 it works on bluetooth headsets and other bluetooth
handsfree devices. It also works on the modem if you have bluetooth on your
computer I think.

Other data transfer via bluetooth (phonebook, pics, etc) is disabled on the
V710 (at present time, that may change or it may not).



--
God Bless America!

Bob the Printer


Our web pages are located at:
http/mywebpages.comcast.net/bdolson/

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.verizon (More info?)

I think that the text messaging on the V710 is much better than on the
VX6000. The screen is bigger, sharper and the phone itself is much more
configurable than the LG. A lot more of the message is visible at one time
than on the VX6000.

One thing I really like (but it may not be important to others) is that say
a person calls me who is not in my phonebook, or I dial a number that is not
in my phonebook. Then when I hit the send key to see my call history (works
the same on the LG) and I scroll to that number and put it in my phonebook
and give it a name, then after that when I hit the send button to look at
the call history, the name that I gave the particular number shows up. On
the VX6000 it will still only show the original number and not the name I
gave it when I stored it to the phonebook. This is a nice 'touch' in my
opinion and the V710 has many many other things that make it's ergonomics
excellent. For instance you can re-order the items on the main menu so that
the most important things to you are near the top. You can also customize
the 'home keys' to your liking. The camera doesn't seem to be much (if any)
better than the VX6000, but it can also do videos in a pinch..

It also has a VERY GOOD 'radio' (meaning it's reception is excellent) and is
tri-mode with an extendable antenna (which some people seem not to like
saying it's too flexible, but I find it very similar to the antennas on most
of the other extendable antenna phones that I've had). It also has an
external antenna jack (the LG does also) if you need that.



--
God Bless America!

Bob the Printer


Our web pages are located at:
http/mywebpages.comcast.net/bdolson/

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.verizon (More info?)

In article <Du6dndnbwoGjYdjcRVn-iQ@comcast.com>,
Bob the Printer <bdolson@comcast.net> wrote:
>One thing I really like (but it may not be important to others) is that say
>a person calls me who is not in my phonebook, or I dial a number that is not
>in my phonebook. Then when I hit the send key to see my call history (works
>the same on the LG) and I scroll to that number and put it in my phonebook
>and give it a name, then after that when I hit the send button to look at
>the call history, the name that I gave the particular number shows up. On
>the VX6000 it will still only show the original number and not the name I
>gave it when I stored it to the phonebook. This is a nice 'touch' in my
>opinion and the V710 has many many other things that make it's ergonomics
>excellent. For instance you can re-order the items on the main menu so that
>the most important things to you are near the top. You can also customize
>the 'home keys' to your liking.

The phonebook and home-key ordering features you mention were also in the
T720/T730.

>It also has a VERY GOOD 'radio' (meaning it's reception is excellent) and is
>tri-mode with an extendable antenna (which some people seem not to like
>saying it's too flexible, but I find it very similar to the antennas on most
>of the other extendable antenna phones that I've had). It also has an
>external antenna jack (the LG does also) if you need that.

Is there a consensus that the radio in the T710 is better than the radio
in the T730? I am trying to determine if the T710 is more than just
T730 + camera + bluetooth.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.verizon (More info?)

On Mon, 13 Sep 2004 17:34:27 GMT, "Philip®"
<1chip-state1@earthlink.net.invalid> wrote:

>Teddeli wrote:
>>snip<
>> While I had no use for a the junk either I chose an LG VX6000. I
>> took some pictures of my family and use them as caller ID and some
>> interesting scenes for my wallpaper. It's reputation is good and is
>> easy to use. The screen is very bright and readable even in
>> sunlight. The camera might be useful in an emergency such as an
>> accident.
>
>Ok, this is phone that I need to play with a bit. The tri-mode
>feature is more of a 'want' than a frequent need.
>
>
>> The Motorola V710 has a good screen, is tri mode, but you might not
>> like the address book. It has very good reception and speaker phone
>> but there have been other issues reported. It is the only phone
>> that has all the requirements you mention.
>
>This phone was not on my radar screen simply because of a past
>experience with what I considered very unfriendly text messaging.
>But that was probably three years ago and things like this need to be
>reviewed.
>
>
>> The Nokia 3589i has an excellent reputation, is tri mode but has no
>> speaker phone.
>
>My first cell was a Nokia 5185. I liked the text messaging and
>menuing system on that phone too. But I toasted 5 of those phones in
>14 months (various hardware failures), hence the Audiovox. Does the
>3589i have a good reliability record? I'll look at one at a Verizon
>store soon.
>
>
>> Also did you know that you can upgrade your phones and start a new
>> 2 year contract if you so desire after 22 months which would be
>> about now?
>
>Interesting. The Verizon salesperson said I had to wait the full 24
>months if I wished to renew my current plan (which is older and has a
>6:00pm peak to nite break time and get the $100 credit toward a new
>phone. Might this person been misinformed?
>
>--?
>
>- Philip
>
MAKE SURE and get it in writing that you can keep your current plan if
you upgrade your phones. I had to change to a current plan when
upgrading after 22 months.. Although it was the same number of
minutes and starting time the In network minutes were applied
differently and was no big deal to me.

I made the jump from a tri mode to all digital. Not once in the two
years I had a tri mode did the phone go into analog mode.

If tri mode is not an issue you might also want to look into the
Samsung 670. It has been reviewed fairly well in the forums. Also
consider the LG VX 7000 which is similar but newer than the VX6000.
The LG VX 8000 is due out soon. This will have a speaker phone as well
as the LG features. The forums I have read give the Nokia 3589i
excellent reviews, especially the reception.

Having had a motorola V60i and my LG VX 6000 I can tell you that I
prefer the menus, features and address book of the LG model. The
reception on my Motorola was slightly better in a fringe area.

Good hunting and good luck

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.verizon (More info?)

Bob the Printer wrote:
> I think that the text messaging on the V710 is much better than on
> the VX6000. The screen is bigger, sharper and the phone itself is
> much more configurable than the LG. A lot more of the message is
> visible at one time than on the VX6000.
>
> One thing I really like (but it may not be important to others) is
> that say a person calls me who is not in my phonebook, or I dial a
> number that is not in my phonebook. Then when I hit the send key
> to see my call history (works the same on the LG) and I scroll to
> that number and put it in my phonebook and give it a name, then
> after that when I hit the send button to look at the call history,
> the name that I gave the particular number shows up. On the VX6000
> it will still only show the original number and not the name I
> gave it when I stored it to the phonebook. This is a nice 'touch'
> in my opinion and the V710 has many many other things that make
> it's ergonomics excellent. For instance you can re-order the
> items on the main menu so that the most important things to you
> are near the top. You can also customize the 'home keys' to your
> liking. The camera doesn't seem to be much (if any) better than
> the VX6000, but it can also do videos in a pinch..
>
> It also has a VERY GOOD 'radio' (meaning it's reception is
> excellent) and is tri-mode with an extendable antenna (which some
> people seem not to like saying it's too flexible, but I find it
> very similar to the antennas on most of the other extendable
> antenna phones that I've had). It also has an external antenna
> jack (the LG does also) if you need that.
>
> --
> God Bless America!
>
> Bob the Printer


Bob, thank you very much! You hit on several features (especially
the reorderable menues and sharp picture) I'd like in my next phone.

Philip

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.verizon (More info?)

Bob the Printer wrote:
> "Philip®" <1chip-state1@earthlink.net.invalid> wrote in message
> news:CSk1d.196$ax4.195@newsread3.news.pas.earthlink.net...
> wrote:
>
>> Now don't everybody scream at me at once when I say .... what is
>> "bluetooth?" Is bluetooth something that facilitates text
>> messaging
>> to other cells or to web addresses? Thanks.
>
> Bluetooth is a 2.4 MHZ low power digital link between the phone
> and other devices. On the V710 it works on bluetooth headsets and
> other bluetooth handsfree devices. It also works on the modem if
> you have bluetooth on your computer I think.
>
> Other data transfer via bluetooth (phonebook, pics, etc) is
> disabled on the V710 (at present time, that may change or it may
> not).
> --
> God Bless America!
>
> Bob the Printer


So Bluetooth is something that would replace a hard wire interface
between the phone and a modem or laptop, etc? Think I'm getting a
headache. LOL

--

- Philip @ Maximum Torque RPM

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.verizon (More info?)

Teddeli wrote:
> On Mon, 13 Sep 2004 17:34:27 GMT, "Philip®"
> <1chip-state1@earthlink.net.invalid> wrote:
>> Interesting. The Verizon salesperson said I had to wait the full
>> 24 months if I wished to renew my current plan (which is older
>> and has a 6:00pm peak to nite break time and get the $100 credit
>> toward a new phone. Might this person been misinformed?
>>
>> - Philip
>>
> MAKE SURE and get it in writing that you can keep your current
> plan if you upgrade your phones. I had to change to a current plan
> when upgrading after 22 months.. Although it was the same number
> of minutes and starting time the In network minutes were applied
> differently and was no big deal to me.

GOOD point. I don't want to wait until 9:00 pm for the peak/nite
break.


> I made the jump from a tri mode to all digital. Not once in the two
> years I had a tri mode did the phone go into analog mode.

I get out in the desert every so often, far away from the
interstates. Digital death.


> If tri mode is not an issue you might also want to look into the
> Samsung 670. It has been reviewed fairly well in the forums. Also
> consider the LG VX 7000 which is similar but newer than the VX6000.
> The LG VX 8000 is due out soon. This will have a speaker phone as
> well as the LG features. The forums I have read give the Nokia
> 3589i excellent reviews, especially the reception.
>
> Having had a motorola V60i and my LG VX 6000 I can tell you that I
> prefer the menus, features and address book of the LG model. The
> reception on my Motorola was slightly better in a fringe area.
>
> Good hunting and good luck

Thank you.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.verizon (More info?)

"Philip®" <1chip-state1@earthlink.net.invalid> wrote in message
news:Wnr1d.572$ax4.419@newsread3.news.pas.earthlink.net...

> So Bluetooth is something that would replace a hard wire interface
> between the phone and a modem or laptop, etc? Think I'm getting a
> headache. LOL

Essentially, yes.. But it's not worth getting a headache over...



--
God Bless America!

Bob the Printer


Our web pages are located at:
http/mywebpages.comcast.net/bdolson/

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.verizon (More info?)

On 9/13/04 6:59 PM, in article
Wnr1d.572$ax4.419@newsread3.news.pas.earthlink.net, "Philip®"
<1chip-state1@earthlink.net.invalid> wrote:

> Bob the Printer wrote:
>> "Philip®" <1chip-state1@earthlink.net.invalid> wrote in message
>> news:CSk1d.196$ax4.195@newsread3.news.pas.earthlink.net...
>> wrote:
>>
>>> Now don't everybody scream at me at once when I say .... what is
>>> "bluetooth?" Is bluetooth something that facilitates text
>>> messaging
>>> to other cells or to web addresses? Thanks.
>>
>> Bluetooth is a 2.4 MHZ low power digital link between the phone
>> and other devices. On the V710 it works on bluetooth headsets and
>> other bluetooth handsfree devices. It also works on the modem if
>> you have bluetooth on your computer I think.
>>
>> Other data transfer via bluetooth (phonebook, pics, etc) is
>> disabled on the V710 (at present time, that may change or it may
>> not).
>> --
>> God Bless America!
>>
>> Bob the Printer
>
>
> So Bluetooth is something that would replace a hard wire interface
> between the phone and a modem or laptop, etc? Think I'm getting a
> headache. LOL

Yes, Bluetooth is a wireless technology to replace cables between devices.
Most new laptop computers have it built in or as an option. For cell phones
it's a highly desired feature for many people for use in data transfer
between the phone and a computer (or PDA) or between the phone and things
like a headset (without wires). Some new cars like the Acura TL has
bluetooth built into it so when you walk up to your car your phone syncs
with the car and switches over to the car's speakers and microphone for your
phone call.

Another option often recommended here is to check eBay for a new phone as
you can often save more than the $100 credit that VZW gives you (obviously
depends on the model) and you won't have to start a new contract (and lose
your 6pm night calls).

Steve

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.verizon (More info?)

Steve Johnson wrote:
>snip<
> Another option often recommended here is to check eBay for a new
> phone as you can often save more than the $100 credit that VZW
> gives you (obviously depends on the model) and you won't have to
> start a new contract (and lose your 6pm night calls).
>
> Steve


Hey, I hadn't considered this! I have an eBay account set up
from earlier this year. Hmmm!

Philip

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.verizon (More info?)

"Philip®" <1chip-state1@earthlink.net.invalid> wrote in message
news:Wnr1d.571

> Bob, thank you very much! You hit on several features (especially
> the reorderable menues and sharp picture) I'd like in my next phone.

And just tonight I tried the 'auto answer' feature on the V710, which works
very nicely with my hs810 bluetooth headset! What it does is cause the phone
to automatically answer after 2,5, or 10 seconds of ringing, only when the
headset is in use. It also hangs up automatically a few seconds after the
other party hangs up. It even hangs up automatically even if you call the
other person, after they hang up.

Works the same with a standard wired headset also, but the difference is in
the ringing. With the wired headset, you hear the ringtone that you have set
up normally through the phone's speaker like you would if you didn't have a
headset plugged into the phone (with ringer ID if it's set up for that
contact). With the bluetooth headset, you only hear the standard beeps that
you hear when a call comes in (no ringer ID in other words). But you still
get the picture ID for the person calling you (on the external display if
the flip's closed or the internal one if it's open) if you have that set up
in your phonebook.

It all works VERY well!



--
God Bless America!

Bob the Printer


Our web pages are located at:
http/mywebpages.comcast.net/bdolson/

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.verizon (More info?)

Teddeli wrote:
> On Mon, 13 Sep 2004 17:34:27 GMT, "Philip®"
> <1chip-state1@earthlink.net.invalid> wrote:
>>
>> Interesting. The Verizon salesperson said I had to wait the full
>> 24 months if I wished to renew my current plan (which is older
>> and has a 6:00pm peak to nite break time and get the $100 credit
>> toward a new phone. Might this person been misinformed?
>>
>> --?
>>
>> - Philip
>>
> MAKE SURE and get it in writing that you can keep your current
> plan if you upgrade your phones. I had to change to a current plan
> when upgrading after 22 months.. Although it was the same number
> of minutes and starting time the In network minutes were applied
> differently and was no big deal to me.
>
> I made the jump from a tri mode to all digital. Not once in the two
> years I had a tri mode did the phone go into analog mode.
>
> If tri mode is not an issue you might also want to look into the
> Samsung 670. It has been reviewed fairly well in the forums. Also
> consider the LG VX 7000 which is similar but newer than the VX6000.
> The LG VX 8000 is due out soon. This will have a speaker phone as
> well as the LG features. The forums I have read give the Nokia
> 3589i excellent reviews, especially the reception.
>
> Having had a motorola V60i and my LG VX 6000 I can tell you that I
> prefer the menus, features and address book of the LG model. The
> reception on my Motorola was slightly better in a fringe area.
>
> Good hunting and good luck


Well ... After getting the guided tour of what Verizon had that met
with my
needs, I spent nearly an hour playing with several phones at the
Verizon
store in Irvine. The choices are #1: Audiovox CDM 8900 and a very
close #2
LG VX6000. The Audiovox has a wee bit wider screen (same height as
LG) and
keyboard and it is Tri-mode. BUT I'm told the $75 rebate on BOTH
fones is
because they will be superceded next month (the Audiovox 8900
replaced by
the 9900). And, yes I DO have to wait out the full 24 months to
eligible
for the "new every two" credit of $100 .... even though I'm renewing
with
another two year plan. Go figure!

This brought up another discussion that you mention above. Plan
renewal or
change. I'm on an 'old' plan (3500 minutes ... 300 peak/3200
nite/weekend
with 6:00pm break point). My total average minute usage each month
spans
600-900 minutes. There is a promotional plan now called "Local
Digital"
which is 1000 Anytime Minutes for $39.95. My current plan is $35.
Changing to this plan would eliminate the 6:00 pm break (I feel a bit
sorry
for those having the 9:00 pm break) but would reduce my home area
from the
twelve western states to CA and NV. Since I don't drive line haul
anymore,
this would not be a problem at all. In spite of this plan being
called
"Local Digital" it still allows for analog calls within CA/NV where
as (I
was told) America's Choice did not.

Sooooo ... at the moment, when my plan is up at the end of November,
I'll
change it for the Local Digital plan, exercise the New Every Two, and
get
the Audiovox 9900. There may even be a promotional rebate on the
9900 since
it is a new model.

Philip

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.verizon (More info?)

In article <n6u2d.2948$gG4.1172@newsread1.news.pas.earthlink.net>,
Philip® <1chip-state1@earthlink.net.invalid> wrote:
> In spite of this plan being called
>"Local Digital" it still allows for analog calls within CA/NV where
>as (I was told) America's Choice did not.

Unless they have really changed things, "Local Digital" in CA/NV includes
all providers that VZW has roaming agreements with in CA/NV, whereas
AC will charge you extra for roaming on non-preferred providers (not in
"Extended Network"). So "Local Digital" is like Single Rate National,
but restricted to CA/NV.

It has ***NOTHING*** to do with analog vs.digital.

Now sometimes small providers who are not in AC happen to be analog-
only. But there are analog providers who are in AC, and digital providers
who aren't.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.verizon (More info?)

CharlesH wrote:
> In article <n6u2d.2948$gG4.1172@newsread1.news.pas.earthlink.net>,
> Philip® <1chip-state1@earthlink.net.invalid> wrote:
>> In spite of this plan being called
>> "Local Digital" it still allows for analog calls within CA/NV where
>> as (I was told) America's Choice did not.
>
> Unless they have really changed things, "Local Digital" in CA/NV
> includes all providers that VZW has roaming agreements with in CA/NV,
> whereas
> AC will charge you extra for roaming on non-preferred providers (not
> in "Extended Network"). So "Local Digital" is like Single Rate
> National, but restricted to CA/NV.
>
> It has ***NOTHING*** to do with analog vs.digital.
>
> Now sometimes small providers who are not in AC happen to be analog-
> only. But there are analog providers who are in AC, and digital
> providers who aren't.

Yes. I think the "Digital" in Local Digital Choice was to emphasize
the digital services (txt msg, vm notification, etc.) that are available
when on VZW's native network within the area. Otherwise, if you
are in the area and have a signal (any signal), there are no roaming
charges.

-Quick