How can I track down my ideal mobile phone?

January 23, 2006 9:54 AM

I'm looking to upgrade my mobile phone, and I don't want to be limited to my provider's (T-Mobile's) choices. I have specific needs for the phone, in extended. I'd like to know if anyone knows of a phone that fits these requirements, or, better yet (and more useful to others), what are some good ways to track down a particular model that fits my specific needs?

My specific requirements for my new mobile phone:

- unlocked GSM Tri-band
- 1MP+ camera w/video
- Bluetooth
- Expandable memory (preferably TransFlash/microSD)
- clamshell form factor
- MP3 player

posted by blingblong to technology (19 comments total)

Have you tried eBay's Mobile Phone Finder? Like many of most common products on eBay, you can narrow your search by different features. Might be a good place to start.
posted by youarenothere at 10:09 AM on January 23, 2006

New Sony Ericsson
New Cingular 2125 - not a clamshell, made by Audiovox, I believe.

These are just 2 options. You'll have to get the unlocking done on your own, unless you find one on Ebay. If you're in the US (profile didn't indicate) then Cingular is really your only option since they're the only GSM carrier here.

Take a look at Cingular's website and see what's there. The cell phone forums on CNET and Howard Forums are good places to look, too.
posted by TeamBilly at 10:13 AM on January 23, 2006

T-Mobile and I think AT&T are also GSM carriers in the states.
posted by SpecialK at 10:18 AM on January 23, 2006

I am in the US, sorry I didn't mention it. And, for the record, T-Mobile is also a US GSM carrier.

Thanks for the suggestions so far!
posted by blingblong at 10:18 AM on January 23, 2006

Unlocked MPX-220.
posted by JeffK at 10:19 AM on January 23, 2006

Note that there are many, many reports of flaky firmware in the new W600i linked to by TeamBilly. Your mileage may vary, wildly, of course.

Obligatory HowardForums link, to be included in any and all cellphone-related discussions.
posted by odinsdream at 10:21 AM on January 23, 2006

If you're in the US (profile didn't indicate) then Cingular is really your only option since they're the only GSM carrier here.

Except for the other ones like T-Mobile, SunCom, etc... which are regional GSM providers but which offer roaming onto other networks.

Phones you get from a cell phone company are going to be locked to that provider, but most phones can be unlocked and can thereafter be used with any GSM provider. T-Mobile's pretty nice about it, actually; if you've been a customer for at least 90 days they will usually tell you the unlock code, especially if you mention you're going out of the country.

By the way, if you want international roaming, you need a quad-band, not tri-band, phone these days.
posted by kindall at 10:23 AM on January 23, 2006

Have you read these threads?
posted by kcm at 10:42 AM on January 23, 2006

I posted this in a previous/recent thread, but here it is again:

PhoneScoop.com Mobile Phone finder - lets you choose all the features you want, rank how important they are to you, and spits out a list of phones that fit your criteria.
posted by twiggy at 10:47 AM on January 23, 2006

He didn't mention region, so I didn't mention them. And I know about T-mobile, but the OP discounted that, too, which left Cingular. Sorry....
posted by TeamBilly at 10:49 AM on January 23, 2006

The interactive Cell Phone Finder is great and can assist you with narrowing your choices down to phones with a clamshell form factor, a hi-res camera, Bluetooth connectivity, and an MP3 player — but you'll have to investigate further from there, as I don't see items for expandable memory or your triband requirement.
posted by WCityMike at 10:51 AM on January 23, 2006

LG VX8100, check eBAY for unlocked ones.
posted by blue_beetle at 10:53 AM on January 23, 2006

My Nokia 6882 meets all requirements other than clamshell, perhaps you could lighten up on that. My first phone was clamshell and I thought that was what I prefered, till I got saddled with one I didn't want... and discovered I prefered it.

My current make-or-breaks are only that they take the 262892 nokia chargers I own by now and that I never have to put phonebook entries in via T9 ever again. Bluetooth represent, yo!
posted by phearlez at 10:55 AM on January 23, 2006

You'll pay through the noise, but import gsm has a whole slew of phones you can't find in the USA through the carriers.

Double-check me on this, but I'm pretty sure Tmo uses the same frequencies as Europe, so if you're getting a phone through either Tmo or Import GSM A) it should work fine with Tmo, and B) doesn't need to be quad-band (not that it hurts). It's only Cingular/AT&T that uses an idiosyncratic frequency.
posted by adamrice at 11:08 AM on January 23, 2006

Too bad none of the phone selectors say a thing about reception. It's my number one concern in a phone right now. I'd love to find a way to test a bunch of phones in my apartment from a bunch of different carriers. Maybe I should have a phone party...
posted by Mo Nickels at 11:29 AM on January 23, 2006

My nokia 3650 meets all of the requirements, but is a candybar. It also has a tres-suck keypad. But I got a used one for $30 on Craigslist.

I see that you're asking for a general solution, not a particular phone recommendation. On that, I got nothing. Phonescoop will help, but there's not a very good database with *all* of the fields.
posted by zpousman at 12:02 PM on January 23, 2006

You can get all sorts of unlocked GSM phones from My World Phone. I use a SonyEricsson that I got from them with T-Mobile and it works just fine, except I was never able to get it to work with T-Mobile WAP. I believe it will work, I just don't care about it enough to actually sit down and figure it out. As far as making phone calls though, it is all good.
posted by spilon at 12:46 PM on January 23, 2006

I recommend plemix.com. I've bought 2 phones from them in the past year (1 for me and 1 for my brother).
posted by eatcake at 1:46 PM on January 23, 2006

The new Tmobile samsung t805 i believe it is, does all that except it's a slider, not a clamshell. It's on their site (www.tmobile.com). I have that phone and i think it's the best thing since sliced bread!
posted by ramix at 5:19 PM on January 23, 2006