Cell phone questions (AT&T)

[brewerpaul]

We're due for cell phone replacements, so I have a few questions:
1)Is there any easy way to import our contacts from our old phones to new ones? Do they have to be the same brand?
2)Any recommendations for particularly good ones? Looks like there are quite a few lower end ones that we can get free including a Motorola Razr which appeals to me due to it's thin pocket profile. I don't need a huge amount of features as I use it mostly for plain and simple calling.
3)Any warnings about especially bad ones?

[rebl_rn]

If your phone has a SIM card, and your contacts are stored on that, it's simply a matter of taking the SIM card out of the old phone and putting it into the new one. The salesperson should be able to help you move your contacts even if you don't have a SIM.

I don't have any recommendations. I have a Samsung which has worked fine for me, but there is nothing particularly great about it either.

[missy]

1) see rebl's answer on the sim card.
2) We've had best luck with Nokias. They tend to pick up (like inside of a Navy carrier!) where others won't. I've had mine (3120) for over 3 years and never had any trouble with it, and have often lent it to others when somewhere where theirs isn't picking up - even when they are on the same service.
3) Actually, the most trouble I hear is from all those at work that have Blackberrys. There are several of our facilities that they won't pick up in, and if you are in there more than 2 hours, your battery is almost dead cuz it's trying to connect the entire time.

[peeplj]

Our last phones were Nokia flip-phones, and they worked well everywhere...except in our own house. We didn't have them with AT&T though, but a local carrier. (Go figure).

When we got disgusted with those (to take a call at my computer, I had to sit at a 45 degree angle to the left and--I kid you not--raise my right arm), we switched to AT&T (Cingular at the time) and got Sony Ericsson phones.

They work everywhere--including at the computer--and haven't given us a moment's trouble.

Just my own experience...your mileage may vary.

--James

[Dale]

I've owned a zillion cell phones and, in general, I think they're getting more sophisticated electronically but are physically shabbier and tend to wear out early. I wish someone would make a line of sturdy, basic cell phones without all of the bells & whistles which I rarely if ever use.

That said, I currently use a Blackberry which I really like because of the email thing but also has really excellent sound quality, which is important to me because of my declining hearing. If you decide to consider one, let me know and I'll provide the model number.

[Doug_Tipple]

We're due for cell phone replacements, so I have a few questions:
1)Is there any easy way to import our contacts from our old phones to new ones? Do they have to be the same brand?
2)Any recommendations for particularly good ones? Looks like there are quite a few lower end ones that we can get free including a Motorola Razr which appeals to me due to it's thin pocket profile. I don't need a huge amount of features as I use it mostly for plain and simple calling.
3)Any warnings about especially bad ones?

My wife and I switched from AT&T to Verizon before the end of our 2-year contract. We got free Motorola Razrs (pink and silver) with the new contract. I think the Razrs work fine. I like the slim design and the large screen with large numbers that I can see. Incoming audio quality and battery life are two minuses, in my opinion, but not to the degree that I would not recommend the phones.

I am no expert on this, but I think that it is probably easier to re-input the contact data than try to transfer it from the old phone. Although you can purchase addition memory cards, the Razr phones didn't have a card that was inserted at the time of purchase. The cellphone representative that "helped" us with the purchase and service transfer was lucky to get the phones out of the box, let alone answer questions about transferring data between old and new cell phones. No doubt, there are also tech-savy representatives.

The reception that you get inside your home has a lot to do with the placement of nearby cell phone towers. Before I changed service providers from AT&T to Verizon, I did a survey of my neighbor' cell phone reception. I learned that everyone on my block who had AT&T were having reception problems. I had the technicans at AT&T do a signal strength survey of our street. They confirmed what I had thought, that there was a weak signal strength on our block, whereas two blocks away, I had 5 bars on my cell phone. So it was not my cell phone that was defficient; it was the AT&T signal. With this information AT&T released me from my contract without penalty. Verizon has a stronger signal at my house, and I am able to make a call in my home without difficulty.

[tansy]

we had increasingly bad experiences with att-bellsouth phone and internet experiences. finally got rid of them, went with Net 10 prepaid cell phone, Nokia and wifi hotspots on an ipac. very happy. no contracts, no bills, no ripoffs.

[Congratulations]

I got an iPhone. Love it. Love it.