Re: verizon wireless suggestions

["Dan Ritter-2" <user=13@nabble.blu.org>]

 On Sat, Mar 08, 2008 at 03:08:32AM -0500, James Kramer wrote: 
> I am planning to switch to Verizon wireless cell phone.  I need to 
> choose a phone and service plan and am looking for recommendations. 

This seems an odd question to me. If you are committed to a 
particular carrier already, your choices are highly constrained. 

> I don't want a large monthly bill. I make about 20 calls per day that 
> average about 15 minutes each to places throughout the US. 

You really use 300 minutes of call time a day? 5 hours a day? 6000+ 
minutes a month? This seems highly unlikely to me, but if true, you had 
better pay for the $100/month unlimited US calling plan, then. 

> I spend some time outside in inclement weather.  I need the phone 
> primarily for voice but that VZ Navigator feature looks interesting 
> and I would like to have it if it was a minimal cost and if it worked 
> well.  I have an 8 year old daughter that may need some kind of 
> features like text messaging in the future. I also use text messaging 
> to receive alerts from google calendar. 

Adding unlimited text messages is another $20/month. The cost of 
individual messages otherwise is 20 cents apiece. So, if if you 
send or receive more than 3 or 4 a day, you should pay for that, 
too. 

For another $20/month you get unlimited data, although there 
should be a big fat hairy asterisk that says "until you reach an 
invisible limit, at which point VZW will arbitrarily cancel your 
service". 

I am confused as to how your 8 year old daughter fits into this, 
unless you are getting her a cellphone too. 

> I would appreciate any suggestions of type of phone and service.  The 
> Razr looks like a nice design but I am concerned about my outside use 
> in active work in inclement weather. 

In your circumstances as described, I would be concerned about 
battery capacity above all other factors. You can't get a RAZR; 
the advertised max call time is 2/3 of what you said you use 
daily. Actually, that doesn't matter. None of the phones that 
VZW sells has a 300 minute talk time. You're going to need to 
recharge during the day no matter what. 

What phone are you using now for 5 hours a day? 


> Also, what is the status of Google going to wireless service?  I may 
> need to consider switching sometime in the near future. 

You can text a message to GOOGL and get search results; if your 
phone has a browser, you can use whatever you feel comfortable 
with. 

If you're asking "when is Google going to roll out a free 
national cellphone network", better ask someone who works there. 
They won't tell you, but at least it will be definitive. 


-dsr- 

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