Are all the cool new cell phones GSM only?

[Jugernot]

I'm currently using a Nokia 5125 that I've outgrown (which isn't hard to do...) which isn't a GSM phone. I'm looking for another, but it seems the cell companies around here are only offering the older Nokia (51xx, 33xx, 8xxx), Ericson and Motorola (several Startac and other) phones.

Do I have any hope of ever upgrading my phone if the cell providers around here don't upgrade to GSM anytime soon?

Jugs

btw, I'm no expert, but I assume my phone is a TDMA phone, which is an older technology which doesn't support things like mobile web, etc.

Also, I have no choice in my cell provider as Verizon, Cingular, AT&T, Sprint and any number of services aren't available here. You can roam here, but you can't be based from Alaska....

 

[spp]

all the new phones from verizon or sprint are cdma.... and they're cool

 

[geckojohn]

Originally posted by: Jugernot
I'm currently using a Nokia 5125 that I've outgrown (which isn't hard to do...) which isn't a GSM phone. I'm looking for another, but it seems the cell companies around here are only offering the older Nokia (51xx, 33xx, 8xxx), Ericson and Motorola (several Startac and other) phones.

Do I have any hope of ever upgrading my phone if the cell providers around here don't upgrade to GSM anytime soon?

BIG Jugs

btw, I'm no expert, but I assume my phone is a TDMA (or CDMA) phone, which is an older technology which doesn't support things like mobile web, etc.

What cell phone service do you use?

TDMA has great reception but terrible phones. You should maybe look into the Siemens phone for TDMA + gsm on the side.

 

[aphex]

Actually, CDMA which is what Sprint/Verizon use have the best mobile web out of all the carriers....

 

[Techie333]

GO ALLTEL...........alltel is CDMA carrier.........has mobile web of course..........has cool phones.............some anyway..........

 

[Jugernot]

Ok, apparently I'm confused then as I thought all the new phones (Nokia 3650, Sony/Ericson T86i, etc.) were GSM only....

My cell provider is ACS wireless which is a statewide telco company here in Alaska. We also have Cellular One, which uses ACS's towers, so they use the same phones.

btw: I'm in Fairbanks, Alaska... we don't have Verizon, Sprint, All Tel, Cingular, or any number of large companies here. We only have two choices... ACS or Cellular One.

 

[geckojohn]

Big Jugs:

Don't get a Sony T68i. I had it for 5 months and it was the worst phone that i've ever had. The menu is really slow and it gets terrible rf. You should check out the Siemens c56 if you go the gsm route.

I would recommend getting Verizon. THey have the best coverage, hands down, no questions asked.

 

[Thegonagle]

First, TDMA is the older technology, then GSM, then CDMA. The CDMA carriers are not going to be switching to GSM.

Some TDMA carriers are switching to GSM (Cingular, AT&T), and others (mostly smaller, regional ones, like US Cellular, who depend on roaming revenue from bigger players like Sprint and Verizon) are switching to CDMA.

The newest phones are GSM, simply because there is a bigger market for the "latest and greatest" in parts of the world that use GSM almost exclusively. The coolest, latest, greatest CDMA phones are driven mostly by the American market, which is thought to be more conservative when it comes to phone technology.

As for TDMA? Well, that's just a legacy technology that's not particularly capable of supporting the data features that are made possible by GSM and CDMA, so the phones that come out are pretty unspectacular, and are only there to freshen up model lines so they don't become too stale.

 

[Thegonagle]

Unfortunately, you're limited to phones that match the technology that your local carrier(s) use(s).

 

[Jugernot]

Originally posted by: Thegonagle
Unfortunately, you're limited to phones that match the technology that your local carrier(s) use(s).

Damn, ok... that is what I thought.

 

[aphex]

Originally posted by: geckojohn
Big Jugs:

Don't get a Sony T68i. I had it for 5 months and it was the worst phone that i've ever had. The menu is really slow and it gets terrible rf. You should check out the Siemens c56 if you go the gsm route.

I would recommend getting Verizon. THey have the best coverage, hands down, no questions asked.

Except if you live in America's Wang.

 

[Thegonagle]

Originally posted by: aphex

Originally posted by: geckojohn
Big Jugs:

Don't get a Sony T68i. I had it for 5 months and it was the worst phone that i've ever had. The menu is really slow and it gets terrible rf. You should check out the Siemens c56 if you go the gsm route.

I would recommend getting Verizon. THey have the best coverage, hands down, no questions asked.

Except if you live in America's Wang.

Florida? Verizon only has 1900 MHz licenses down there. A mature, well filled-in 800 MHz network is generally thought to be superior, but since all the 800 MHz licences in populated areas sold in the early-mid eighties, the only way to get one is to buy out another entire company that holds the license.

 

[ShotgunSteven]

Originally posted by: geckojohn
Big Jugs:

Don't get a Sony T68i. I had it for 5 months and it was the worst phone that i've ever had. The menu is really slow and it gets terrible rf. You should check out the Siemens c56 if you go the gsm route.

I would recommend getting Verizon. THey have the best coverage, hands down, no questions asked.

Did you read his post? He lives in Fairbanks, Alaska. No Verizon, Sprint, All Tel, Cingular, etc.

 

[Thegonagle]

Originally posted by: ShotgunSteve

Originally posted by: geckojohn
Big Jugs:

Don't get a Sony T68i. I had it for 5 months and it was the worst phone that i've ever had. The menu is really slow and it gets terrible rf. You should check out the Siemens c56 if you go the gsm route.

I would recommend getting Verizon. THey have the best coverage, hands down, no questions asked.

Did you read his post? He lives in Fairbanks, Alaska. No Verizon, Sprint, All Tel, Cingular, etc.

Did you notice how close together the times of the posts were? Under two minutes. Not everyone has an instant internet connection, or types 100 WPM.

Let's be nice.