Mobile phones
Sep. 21st, 2009 03:27 pmOK, 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:
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.
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?)
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.
