Smart phones, conventional phones becoming better, faster and more diverse.
YONKERS, N.Y. -- Consumer Reports latest testing of 69 cell phones found models evolving overall to acquire more sophisticated capabilities to match more diverse needs and lifestyles. According to a recent Consumer Reports National Research Center survey of more than 13,500 online subscribers, the desire for advanced features was the main reason consumers bought a new phone.
"More so than ever, there's no one phone, or even phone type to meet the needs of most people," said Paul Reynolds, Electronics Editor of Consumer Reports. "On the positive side, everyone should be able to find a phone that suits them among the myriad or models that hit the market this fall."
Best Cell Phones by Carrier
In Consumer Reports lab tests, all-conventional cell phones proved competent, with low-priced options offering a fine value. If price isn't paramount, consider the carrier's service rating as a differentiator. Consumer Reports found Verizon's top -rated LG enV Touch, $100, an impressive phone and multimedia device enhanced with touch-screen navigation and a QWERTY keyboard for easier e-mailing and texting. The LG VX8360, $40 is a very good, straightforward cell phone at a bargain price. If simplicity is a priority, the Samsung Jitterbug, $147 is available through Verizon. On the plus side are large buttons, free directory assistance and a comfortable earpiece. Negatives include pricey service and a thick phone that lacks common features. For information in Spanish, visit: www.consumerreportsenespanol.org.
The Samsung Memoir, $200 tops T-Mobile as a recommended phone by Consumer Reports with it full-featured, high resolution camera that produces images comparable with those of 8-megapixel point-and-shoot cameras. The Samsung Comeback, $130 is also a Consumer Reports recommended product for T-mobile, with a keypad that facilitates phoning and a 2.6-inch screen and keyboard to satisfy texters. Sprint-Nextel's Samsung Exclaim, $80 offers a good bargain and a dual-slider design that slides up to reveal a keypad for phone calls and slides left to reveal a keyboard for e-mail and text messaging.
While AT&T was among the lower-scoring for customer satisfaction in the survey, the LG Xenon, $150, Samsung Impression. $125, and Samsung Solstice, $100, offer large touch-screen displays and are compatible with AT&T's Video Share, which streams live, one-way video to a compatible phone. The Samsung Impression boasts the highest-megapixel camera of the recommended AT&T models.
Top Smart Phones by Carrier
Consumer Reports selected the best rated smart phone choices by carrier based on the categories of multimedia use, office-like tasks and compact. Verizon's HTC Touch Pro, $200, scored the highest overall for frequent e-mailing and editing of Microsoft Office documents while the Black Berry Storm 9530, $50, offered a lower-priced alternative with comparable features for office-like tasks is also part of Verizon's portfolio of smart phones.
The T-Mobile myTouch 3G, $150, is the best choice for multimedia use with intuitive navigation, easy access to main functions and direct downloading of music, games, applications and services. The 16GB Apple iPhone 3G S, $200 and the Apple iPhone 3G, $100, from AT&T also ranked highly for multimedia use, with the best MP3 player Consumer Reports has seen in a phone to date. In the compact category, Sprint-Nextel's Palm Pre, $150 is a good bet for multitaskers with the ability to link contacts, calendars and messaging.
Choosing the Right Cell Phone
�Assess needs. Choose a conventional phone if its main use is for voice and text-messaging capabilities. Most carriers offer simple phones at little or no cost with a two-year contract. Smart phones are designed for people who need frequent access to multiple e-mail accounts, a sophisticated organizer, the ability to create and edit Office documents, and Internet-based services. Most smart phones Consumer Reports tested cost $50 to $300.
�Select a carrier. Most phones work only with a specific carrier and will have either a CMDA or GSM digital network. CMDA phones (used by Sprint and Verizon) have modestly better voice quality, but GSM phones (AT&T and T-Mobile) work in more parts of the world and can easily transfer account information stored on a SIM card. Carriers also call the shots on features such as voice command, which is almost standard on Sprint and Verizon phones, but less common on AT&T and T-Mobile. Also, Wi-Fi is harder to find on smart phones from Verizon and Sprint than on AT&T and T-Mobile phones.
�Decide where to shop. Shoppers Consumer Reports surveyed gave better ratings for price to online retailers than to walk-in stores. Also, consumers were happier buying a phone at a retailer like Best Buy, Costco, or the Apple store than at a carrier's store. About three-quarters (76%) of shoppers at a big chain were highly satisfied compared with 64 percent who shopped at a carrier's walk-in store.
How to Choose
Consumer Reports suggests keeping the following tips in mind when choosing a phone:
�Look at the display in daylight and bright light to ensure screen legibility.
�Try out a touch screen feature before buying to decide whether it's a preferred feature.
�For frequent texting, real keyboards trumped virtual ones in Consumer Reports' tests and bigger was better.
�Check 3G coverage maps on carriers' Web sites which is important for multimedia tasks like Web browsing and streaming video content. Verizon and Sprint-Nextel 3G coverage tends to be less spotty than AT&T and T-Mobile.
�Pass on insurance. Keep an old phone to use in case the new one gets lost or broken in the interim of qualifying for a free or low-cost phone.
The full report on cell phones is available in the January 2010 issue of Consumer Reports, available wherever magazines are sold. The full story is also available online at www.ConsumerReports.org.
JANUARY 2010
The material above is intended for legitimate news entities only; it may not be used for commercial or promotional purposes. Consumer Reports (R) is published by Consumers Union, an expert, independent nonprofit organization whose mission is to work for a fair, just, and safe marketplace for all consumers and to empower consumers to protect themselves. To achieve this mission, we test, inform, and protect. To maintain our independence and impartiality, CU accepts no outside advertising, no free test samples, and has no agenda other than the interests of consumers. CU supports itself through the sale of our information products and services, individual contributions, and a few noncommercial grants.
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