Cell Phone

I am doing some research on cell phones and the services available for it.
I would like to get some feed back to see what you guys use, what cell phone, what provider, what service, reception quality, ect..
I would be most interested in getting a plan from Fido and purchasing Siemens C65.

For the current 2.5G digital networks CDMA has better phone quality then GSM/GPRS hands down. The actual phone used certainly will affect this too though so you could still get a bad CDMA phone that sounds worse then a great GSM phone. Each has different coverage in different areas so you should look into where you want to be able to use it and which has the best coverage for you. CDMA phones might be a little more expensive then GSM phones due to the Qualcomm chipset.

iDen is another network that allows for the push to talk feature on top of phone/data.

Bell = CDMA
Telus = CDMA (I think)
Rogers = GSM/GPRS
Mike = iDen (I think)
I don't know offhand what Fido is.

I use a BlackBerry on Bell but for consumers the data rates here in Canada and the US are still too expensive for any full blown email sollution in my opinion.

FIDO is GSM:
http://www.gsmworld.com/roaming/gsminfo/cou_ca.shtml

Bell Mobility is always the best choice for quality of service, although it is a tad pricey compared to the lesser carriers.

I agree with Mike, you have to make sure it's a good phone.
I have a Sanyo DCP-8100 cameraphone on the Bell network and I have no complaints.

Also if you get a camera phone and plan to keep it with you at all times you'd better check with your companies policy on cameras in the workplace first.

Thanks for the info.
Seems that Fido has the best prices compared to the other services. Quality might be a bit of a question though.
They have an free evening and weekend plan that starts at 5pm which is pretty good compared to other evening plans that start at around 7pm or 8pm. Price for this plan is $30/month.
Any thoughts?

I used to have Fido for my personal phone some years back. The sound quality was excellent as was the customer service. About the only complaint was coverage. I know they were growing their network back then, but mostly in urban areas. My old Nokia 5190 had an optional analog module which let it roam on analog networks - eg: out of town. Bell indeed does have excellent coverage but is pricey and they require you to deposit your left nut (sign a contract). Since you already have Rogers for high speed, you'd get a bundle discount if you got a cell from them. Check it out.

I had FIDO service a few years back. I don't know if it was the phone they provided or the service itself but I was not a fan. I would lose connection constantly, even whnen in downtown Toronto sitting on a patio. Was very frustrating to say the least. The prices were right, but the service was not. I think I would opt for Telus - I have a few buddies on their system and no complaints.

Just to add on, if you do switch over to Fido, just remember that they were bought out by Rogers, so the plan that you do choose might be changed in a few months. I read in the news that Rogers would be changing plans soon. Just something to keep in mind.

Bell's coverage isn't as great in my experience as everyone seems to say here.

My bell cellphone gets 0 or 1 bars at my house, and sometimes drops calls. My two friend's rogers phones work with max signal. This is the same in many parts of London.

Bell is also terrible customer service. With their useless employees, during the switchover this year, they ended up charging me $470 for once month's service, and are holding me to paying for $370 of it, despite the fact that I shouldn't have to pay that much. There were several newspaper articles also about bell overcharging and autocharging ridiculous amounts to people's direct deposit payment accounts and so on.

The second my bell contract is up (october), I'm going to rogers.

The phones with bell are way more expensive to get any new features. (when I got my colour phone, camera phones were pretty new...the only bell camera phone was $650 and the comparable rogers one was $149.

Bottom line for me...after being a customer with bell since 8 years spending over $50 per month on cell, this year when my bill came a supervisor told me "too bad, we don't need your business". And they shall not get it again.

Thanks for the input guys.
I looked at several options so far, the best bang for the buck is clearly Fido.
If I do a bundle package with Rogers, they want a 24 month contract , in fact almost anywhere I look everyone wants a 24 month contract. If you don’t get the contract you end up paying over $200 for a decent phone, with the contract the phone is usually $50-$75.
C’mon any Fido owners out there who could throw in their $0.02

I have had Fido for two years. Never had a contract either but It did cost me $200 for a phone up front.

The per second billing is the best deal since I don't like to chat on a phone, most of my calls are short.

The biggest problem is the coverage area because I go to Peterborough regularly and the phone doesn't work there.

Robert
How is the reception of the phone in the GTA?
Any problems?

I am on the Fido network. Have been for 3 years now since they launched the prepaid plan. I don't use my phone enough to justify a full plan and wont benefit from the discounted/subsidized handsets because I can get unlocked GSM phones for less.

Ultimately it depends on the cell phone you are using, and which company you are with. For GSM carriers, Rogers seem to be the better choice.

I am currently using a Motorolla V60 and a SonyEricsson T600. The motorola has about a 15% better reception than the Sony maybe due to the external antenna (the ultra small T600 is built in).

If you are just playing around, just buy an Unlocked GSM phone from ebay and try out either Rogers or Fido on thier prepaid plans and see which you would like better in your area.

I've been using FIDO for about 7-8 years. The service area has griwn considerably. It used to drop out in some places, but it doesn't happen much anymore. EVERY provider has it's bad spots. They don't all work in everyones basement.

I've gotten decent customer service from them, and the rates are pretty good. I lose service when i go up north for the weekend, but hey, i don't want people calling me then anyways

Now that Rogers has bought them, they offer the option to connect to the Rogers network as well for an extra $5/month. That makes the service area just as large as Rogers.

I know people who've used Rogers, Bell, and Telus. Rogers and Bell have caused them nothing but problems. Overbilling, poor customer service etc. Telus wasn't as bad, but after many years of switching services they all came back to Fido.

all i can say is DON'T use Telus...i have been with those losers since they were Clearnet and they have gotten terrible over the past year or so. the phones are garbage and the reception is rediculous. i have a $350 camera phone and i can send picture messages nor recieve them and the web doesnt work on it either....after 6 months of being jerked around they tell me i have to send the phone to the manufacturer for a software upgrade?? anyway, long story short....stay away from Telus...

peace

Ryan, that is the first time I have heard something negative about Telus.
Nick, what kind of phone do you use, I remember talking to you not too long ago and the recepetion was pretty good.

Telus is not that great. I have also been a customer since the clearnet days. Reception is fair only. They convinced me it would be so much better with a newer tri-mode phone, so I signed a contract in order to get one at a decent price, but it hasn't made much difference. I can be 5 minutes away from my shop and get no service! Also, everything that used to be standard in the Clearnet days now costs extra. I can't change my plan at all, because I would lose a lot of benefits.....free voice mail, billing by the second, free call display, whatever else....they charge extra for everything now....

In order:

Nokia 5190 worked fine, but was big, lasted 2 years

Nokia 3390 worked very well, got 4-5 years out of it before i finally destroyed it. It's gotten soaked, dropped a ton of times, and it kept on going.

Nokia 7210 I got used from a friend when my 3390 died. Worked greatl, but the case was extremely fragile. Nice and small though.

Sony T610 got in january. Took some getting used to the Sony menus. Nokia menus are superior, but they didn't have any Nokias that i was interested in, and hte T610 was recommended by some friends who seem to know about these things. Camera is useful as visual reminders only. Picture quality kinda blows. Reception is marginally worse than the 7210 in my basement.

well adam regardless of what you have heard Telus has been terrible lately. I never said they have always sucked but lately they have. I had a phone with Fido for awhile too and every month or os they would call me and tell me that they noticed some changes in my usage and wanted to know if they could help me decide if a different plan would better suit my needs. Telus doesnt even send "perks" to me anymore and i am never a payment behind. my brother is with Rogers and i can use his phone in a basment or elevator and it works, my phone....as soon as i step into an elevator it cuts out and if im in a basments the service is terrible and it cuts in and out. my parent like 45 mins outside of the city and i get no reception at all out there but Bell, Fido and Rogers phones all get service out there. Its not the phone its self its the service areas that make Telus crap. As well as the fact they lock all their phones so you can not use a data cable to take pictures from and put pictures on your phone. They are the only company to do that. Sorry for burstin your bubble adam Telus is not a good company. I know of many people that all feel the same way, maybe you should ask around before you make a purchase a little more.
As far as recommendations I would say a good Nokia phone with a Fido or Rogers plan or just wait til the Motorola Razor 3 comes to Canada.

Good luck!

I have to agree with nick on the Nokias, I also had a 3390 on Rogers and this thing was industructable, dropped, kicked, thrown, stepped on worked prefect and that phone could get signal anywhere.

I currently have a Nokia 8390 on Rogers which has been abused and beaten on and it's working awesome still. The faceplate is a little thin and has a small crack in it. For signal in the City it's really good I get signal in places where my buddy with telus does not. but in some places up north I had trouble with no reception as it's only GRPS.. no dual/tri mode.

Bought a Telus Kyocera colour phone on boxing day for $75 including $50 of airtime + $25 additional for signing up online. No contract. So basically I got a brand new no contract colour phone for free, but I had to pay for $75 of airtime.

I didn't plan on using it much, just evenings and weekends pretty much. I pay $5 a month for $0.05 evenings (after 8) and weekends. $0.29 at other times. I have to buy a minimum $10 phone card every month and it includes call display, voicemail and some internet access is free.

It's a great phone for someone on a budget. I'm not paying $20 a month + $7 for the system access fee!!! $10/month gets me by just great.

I've been Fido i think ever sine they opened a few years ago.. dont have anything I can complain about really. Like others said, the coverage area has grown considerably, and now when I loose signal, my phone auto-switches to the rogers network and I get the best of both worlds.

As for phones, I have a nokia, always had one and always will have one, it has been through water, scraped against objects, dropped, punted across the room and absolutely no problems with it.