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Valparaiso, NE | Motorola, and shy away from the free phones, they don't hold up to farm life and don't have as good of a radio for the weaker rural signals. You get what you pay for. Before choosing a carrier, talk to some neighbors and see who they use and if they are happy with their coverage. Cellphones reliability in rural areas varies greatly among carriers. I have Alltel in eastern nebraska and love it, but if i go over into western Iowa, can't hold a call to save my life. Works great in many other parts of the country. Maybe even look at a smart phone. Works great for keeping track of weather and grain markets. If you go that route, Probably blackberry, built to military specs. I have a touchscreen HTC with a full keyboard, but it is not the most durable unit, but my insurance on it is cheap, and i won't give up my keyboard, use it for internet and office apps too much. Don't necessarily get sucked in by the insurance they offer from the carrier, check with your home or farm insurance. I can insure my $600 phone for about $40 per year, no deductible, and no hassle. If i break it i go get a new phone and give the insurance a bill and get a check a few weeks later. Accessories can be bought much cheaper off ebay than the phone stores, $5 for car charger compared to $30 at the phone store most of the time. They will tell you that will void the warranty, but that's just as sales pitch.
I suggest you get one that has a USB charging port, they last a lot longer than any of the clip in type chargers.
If you are going to use it very much while driving vehicles or machinery, get a bluetooth headset. Jawbone works about the best, doesn't pick up much background noise.
If you don't want a contract but do not want to pay full price for a phone, sometimes you can buy the prepaid phone and then put it on a regular rate plan a week later. Carriers vary on that. Depending on your credit, be prepared to pay a deposit, I've heard of as much as $500 to $1000. Usually around $200 on new service.
Good Luck
David | |
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cell phone do's & don'ts
