Thursday, June 5, 2008

Free Cell Phones Facts

By FreeCellPhoneGuy

Finding a free cell phone is easy but finding the right cell phone is not. If you are looking for a free cell phone or a replacement cell phone then you are in the right place. Compare the best cell phone deals and cheap cell phone plans right online. When you have found a phone with the features you need then search for the carrier who offers the best coverage and reception services in your area. Comparison shopping for cell phones has never been this easy.

Many of the new cell phone models even have cool features like a built in camera, Bluetooth, MP3, PDA, voice activated calling, two way communication via walkie talkie style messaging from Nextel or Sprint PCS, pager mode, internet access, sms messages, speaker phone, and many other cool features included for the modern cell phone user. If you are looking for the hottest online cell phones and the top cellular providers with the best discount services, then look for the Apple iPhone, Palm, Razr and Smartphone PDAs like the Treo and Blackberry.

When choosing a new cell phone or pre-owned cell phone, it is important that your cell phone has the features that are right for you. There are many styles of cell phones including basic flip and bar style cell phones, smartphones and PDAs, camera and video phones, GPS, and MP3 phones. Choosing the right cell phone brand is also important and the most popular include Audiovox, Hitachi, RIM, Apple, Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Motorola, Palm, Firefly, Panasonic, LG, Sanyo, Samsung and Kyocera. Many free cell phone offers include free shipping but calling plans that include free long distance, free roaming, free night and weekends minutes will probably save you more money over the life of your contract. Other standard calling features that are usually free include voice mail, caller ID, 3 way cenferencing and call waiting.

When you shop for a free cell phone online, determine your needs before you begin your search. Although "free" cell phones aren't really free in that the cost of the phone is spread out in your monthly service fees, they can be a huge money saver especially when starting out with new service. Many times the online free cell phone offers are much cheaper than those found in the mall kiosks or in retail locations as the online store has much less overhead to maintain and can pass these cost saving to you in the form of a subsidized phone or a rebate. Usually the only drawback to shopping online for a free cell phone is that you have to wait a couple of days to get your new cell phone but that is pretty easy to live with when you consider the cost savings.

Not all cell phone providers use the same cellular technology and there are pros and cons for each network. Analog networks will work with older, but in some cases more reliable, basic phones while the newer digital networks allow you to use all the latest bells and whistles even if you never use them. The coverage area of the different networks will also vary with the more advanced digital networks usually found in more populated areas. This also means that you won't be able to roam in a network that has different technology than your handset. However, no matter what cell phone network you choose to use, there is always going to be a low cost or free cell phone offer that will work for you. Many of these free cell phone offers even include no credit card or no credit check applications and come with free accessory kits that include everything you need to use you cell phone. Many times these accessory kits will include just a basic wall charger but other times may include car chargers, headsets and leather cases. These accessory kits can be huge money saver for you considering that you would probably just end up buying them anyway.

GSM: Short for Global System for Mobile Communications, GSM is the most widespread standard for cell phones networks in the world. If you're a jetsetter who likes keeping in touch during your far-flung travels, you should go with a GSM-enabled phone, and here in the U.S., AT&T and T-Mobile are both GSM carriers. CDMA: Short for Code Division Multiple Access, CDMA originally came from the military and all calls are actually scrambled with 64-bit encryption. Verizon, Sprint and AllTell use CDMA here in the US and these networks include the high speed digital access that many premium customers desire. As these networks use different technolgies, phones from one network will not work on a different network and this could be a problem for people who travel frequently.

Pre-paid plans or pay as you go service has some advantages over regular monthly billing plans. Primarily, they are easy to monitor and have no monthly service fees so you don't pay for what you don't use. However, the rates are generally much higher than they are phone regular plans so you'll pay more over the long term. And if you are looking for the latest technology in cell phones, you won't find it in prepaid plans as the carriers usually offer only older cell phones that don't have the latest bells and whistles or even standard things like text messages or customizable ring tones. This is because the carriers make their money from the monthly service fees and aren't looking to give you a great deal with a pre-paid cell phone plan that doesn't make them very much money. If you are trying to decide between regular monthly service and pre-paid cell phone service, experts say that pre-paid cell phone service will generally cost you more in the long run.

Cell phones and cell phone services are changing all the time. Chances are that the service contract you signed when you first started has many more minutes and features available today. And if you're still lugging a phone around from 2001, then it may be time to give your service provider a call. Now is the time to negotiate for that hot new cell phone you saw on TV but first check what offers are in the market from competing carriers and make sure that you get as good or better a deal. If they aren't willing to play ball, you can always switch your service to another cell phone provider and even take your existing number with you.

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