Mobile phones

[liv]

OK, so when I move to Stoke-on-Trent I'm going to be living initially in a flat that doesn't have telephone or broadband access. I do have the right to set up these services, but that seems pointless; it would take away the advantage of having somewhere temporary to live with no strings in terms of how long I stay.

So what I want to do is get a high-end mobile phone contract, the kind that includes a fancy phone, data access and some amount of free or affordable calls. Data access can be over the phone or via mobile broadband or ideally some combination (I already have a baby computer). The kind of phone I want is something like a Blackberry, with a real keyboard and decent sized screen. I don't find touchscreens or Apple design particularly sexy, and I don't need the absolute latest shiny model. I don't care if my phone can act as a camera or music player; I do want something that can more or less pretend to be a handheld computer / portable internet terminal. I'm happy to spend around £30 a month, and I don't mind signing up for a long period, as obviously I will keep said mobile phone after I move somewhere more permanent. Is this realistic?

The problem is that I have absolutely no idea about either physical phones or phone providers! Partly cos I've been out of the country, and partly cos I haven't been keeping up with the market. So, can any of you recommend me:

• A phone company
• The sort of services and perks I can reasonably ask for in a phone plan
• A mobile phone chain where people are helpful and will give me a sensible choice of options
• A website where I can compare price plans and services
• A website where I can compare phone models and their features
• A brand and model (or range of models) of phone
• Anything else I should be considering when I make decisions (network coverage? flexibility and bolt-ons?)

Alternative approaches: I could install a proper landline and broadband system, but make sure I can transfer the contract to my permanent place. I'm not so keen on this idea, because I basically do need a modern phone and sensible mobile contract anyway, and would rather wait until I know my situation before I start paying setup charges.

Also, I could perhaps take a more basic phone or even put up with my ancient dinosaur one, and source a not brand new model with the features I want on eBay (eg last year's Blackberry). This is probably only really worth it if there is a specific obsolete model which is really really good. Cos you rarely save money by refusing the phone that comes as a bribe to sign up to a mobile contract.

Comments

[syllopsium]

I agree with the other two comments. 3G dongle for your laptop (assuming you have reception). You can buy it pre-pay, use it until it runs out, then top it up.

As long as you dont download movies all day, it won't be vastly expensive, either.

[liv]

I guess what I'm thinking about is coverage; a dongle may or may not work in my flat, whereas if I get internet on my phone I can hopefully access it anywhere there's a phone signal. Or am I confused about how the two types of data provision work?

Good to know that PAYG internet can be affordable; I was assuming I'd need a monthly contract to avoid unreasonable charges.

[syllopsium]

It's precisely the same form of technology, just without a keypad and a screen :). 3G is quite fast; the other forms of mobile comms are somewhat slower.

You can check the coverage maps of each provider - whilst they won't be 100% accurate, several providers let you put in your postcode and find out what's available in your area.

[emma]

I'm pretty sure the types of data are the same. So, you'd have a Vodafone dongle and a Vodafone actual phone, both accessing the Vodafone data network, and it wouldn't make any difference as to the shape of the thing containing the SIM card, as they'd still be accessing the same network and level of coverage. The dongles basically use a SIM card to provide the service, which always makes me think that the phone is the better deal, if you can get it to behave as a dongle.

I never know how to give data on mobile phone networks. From experience, I know that T-Mobile and O2 don't work in the basement of my office, but Vodafone and Orange do. And that Orange tends to be expensive for data, and T-Mobile tends to be generous, and that O2's data packages aren't well regarded except for when they come with iPhones. For my part, I've been with T-Mobile for about a year, though I got bored of my Windows Mobile with a keyboard and bought an iPhone and bent it to my will, so it's on T-Mo. I find T-Mo support to be quite good, from the dealings I've had with them (I was with them when my old work paid for my contact, and they were helpful when telling me I couldn't get out of the contract only a few months in without buying it out for lots, but they were also sympathetic while being ultimately powerless to do what I wanted).

In terms of handsets, you might like to consider something like the G1 if that sort of thing appeals - Android, which is cool and open sourcey, physical keyboard. The HTC Hero seems to be the new big thing in some of my circles at the moment, but it doesn't have a physical keyboard. I tried a Nokia e60 when I was temporarily between phones and didn't like it. I find Windows Mobile frustratingly slow as a phone operating system. I like my iPhone because it feels quite speedy, and does everything I want. I also find Windows too fiddly now, and while some people criticise the iPhones for all being alike, I just don't need the level of customizability and control that Windowsy phones can give.

carphonewarehouse.co.uk is pretty good as a comparison point, though I've heard they can be a bit evil to actually deal with. When I signed up for my contact, I got it through Expansys because the handset I wanted was only available with the network I wanted from there.