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Calculate your usage

Unless you choose a prepaid plan--more on that later--your carrier will ask you to sign a contract. While the contract does bind you to that carrier for two years, and you'll have to pay a fee for breaking the contract early, you will be entitled to rebates on a new phone. Before you sign anything, think carefully about how much you'll actually be using your phone, as usage time is the basis of every calling plan. In short, the more minutes you need each month, the more you pay. And if you go over your minute allotment, you'll be saddled with expensive overage fees.

With most plans, you'll mainly be limited to anytime minutes, which are calls that can be placed during peak periods (typically, Monday through Friday between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m.), while off-peak minutes, which are calls placed during weekends, nights, and holidays, typically are unliprmited. Be sure to think carefully about how many minutes you'll need and pick a plan accordingly.

By and large, you're better off overestimating the number of anytime minutes you'll need rather than paying overage charges. If you find that you've miscalculated your usage, you can easily change your rate plan, although that may result in an extension of your contract. All the major carriers allow you to track your minute usage through their Web sites, and some allow you to do it on your phone.

Figure out what you need

Almost all plans now offer nationwide roaming, though some regional carriers may operate charge for leaving the home coverage area. This practice is becoming increasingly rare, but it's worth confirming that you won't run up a lot of charges during a road trip.

Other options to consider are shared or family plans, which allow you to share your monthly airtime allowance with additional lines for family members and prepaid plans, which allow you to pay for an allotted amount of service up front. When you've used all of your minutes, you have the opportunity to buy more service.

Before you sign on the dotted line

• Know how long the grace period is for trying a service, how long your contract lasts. When your contract expires, your carrier cannot force you to sign a new one, nor can it prevent you from leaving your contract early. Remember that you will have to pay an early termination fee for leaving your contract early, but most carriers are now prorating the fees so that the amount decreases over time.
  
  
• Know how many minutes you have (both peak and off peak) and when off-peak hours begin and end. In addition, know where you can track your usage.
  
  
• Be aware of all extra fees (activation, international calling, overtime, 411 and so on). And if your plan charges for nationwide roaming, pay attention to your home area's boundaries.
  
  
• If you're going to use text messaging, multimedia messaging, e-mail, or Web browsing on a regular basis, it's best to get a message bundle or a data plan. Otherwise, you'll be charged on per-use basis.
  
  
• If you're a parent purchasing a phone for a teenager or a younger child, you may want to consider special handsets with restricted features. Alternatively, you can ask your carrier about how to limit features, such as picture messaging, on other handsets. Some carriers even offer Web-based programs where you can track your child's location when they're using their phone. And on the other end of the age scale, some carriers offer handsets designed for senior users.
  
  
• Get only what you need. Don't be pressured into purchasing a data plan if you won't use it. And if you can't get direct answers to your questions, go somewhere else.
  
  
• Carriers now offer a variety of free calling minutes to a select group of phone numbers. These can include calls to other cell phones on the same carrier, calls to cell phones on any carrier, or calls to a select set of phone numbers--even landlines. Check your carrier for specifics.

Picking the right cell phone has as much to do with personality as it does with needs. Handsets vary from the feature-rich and slickly styled to the strictly functional and unassuming. Ultimately, though, it's a personal choice, and you'll want to buy a handset that is right for you--one that you'll enjoy using and carrying around. And while there are many factors to consider, it all boils down to which handset will offer the best blend of design, features, and performance.

The Samsung FlipShot SCH-U900 is a flip phone.

Style

Cell phones come in a variety of form factors. Flip phones and candy bar models are the most common, but slider phones are popular as well. Swivel phones are also available, but they are relatively few in number.

Each form factor has its unique characteristics, so you'll want to think carefully about which is best for you. For example, flip phones are useful if you frequently store your mobile in a pocket when on the go since the shape prevents accidental dialing. Also, since they cradle your head naturally, flip phones can be more comfortable for some users. On the other hand, candy bar-style phones can be sturdier. Lastly, slider models can provide the best of both worlds, and many people just find the sliding action appealing. When making your decision, be sure to hold the mobile in your hand and next to your ear to see how comfortable it is to hold in your hand.

Now it's time to think about more specific design concerns. When evaluating a new phone you should first examine the size and placement of the buttons and controls and the size of the text on the display. Make sure that the controls are big enough and that you can understand how to use them. Though thin phones are very popular they usually have keypads that are flat with the surface of the phone, which can be difficult to use. If you're considering a phone with a full alphabetic keyboard, you should test that as well.

Secondly, look at the display and see if you can read the text without straining. If you have a flip phone, an external screen is a must so you won't have to open the phone to see your caller's identity. Thanks in part to the iPhone, touch screens have also grown in popularity. Like with tactile buttons, touch screens can vary in their usability so you give a phone a thorough test drive before buying. Though touch screens provide a nice "wow" factor, they can entail a learning curve for many users.

Finally, remember that you'll want to enjoy using your phone and carrying it around. So go for a menu interface that's attractive and easy to use, and pick a color and shape you won't mind holding in your hand. And since some handsets are more rugged than others, find something that fits your activity level.

Features

If you thought picking a design was hard, choosing your features isn't any easier. The list of possible mobile features is extensive, so carefully consider each point. As a general rule, you shouldn't buy anything more than you need, so don't let a carrier salesperson pressure you into buying an expensive handset. If you want a handset just to make calls, stick with something simple that doesn't offer a lot of extra features. Though basic phones are often overshadowed by high-end handsets in carrier stores, a variety of such models exist. But you may have to ask for them.

If you're going to use your mobile for e-mail or organizational tasks, go with a higher-range model or even a smart phone. Alternatively, if you'd like entertainment options on your handset, consider a camera phone or a device with a digital music player, 3G, streaming video and even live TV. A full range of features is discussed on the next page.

The Sony Ericsson W580i is a slider phone.

Performance

Though design and features are very important when buying a cell phone, performance is the most critical point to consider. Remember, a cell phone is only as good as the calls it makes, so even the most feature-rich and design-centric handset is worthless if it can't offer decent call quality. And while the strength of a carrier's network is critical to making good calls, the strength of the phone's antenna and receiver play a big part in performance as well.

Determining call quality will take some work on your part. Editorial reviews are helpful, but call quality is ultimately subjective and will vary sharply--even for the same kind of phone--according to the user's geographic location, the numbers of callers using a carrier's network at a given time, and even atmospheric interference. You can start by asking your friends and see what they recommend. Also, ask to test their phone for yourself. When shopping in a carrier store, ask to make a test call with any handsets that perk your interest. If they don't have working display phones, ask a sales rep to use one. When evaluating call quality listen for the clarity of the voices and the volume level. Check to see if the phone picks up any static or interference and ask you callers how you sound to them. Remember, you can always test a phone during the grace period and exchange it if necessary.

If you're looking for a good camera phone or multimedia handset, you should also consider how those features will perform. Every camera phone will vary in photo quality and some music phone will be better than others. Performance also will fluctuate among 3G phones that play streaming video. If possible, evaluate these features before buying.

Finally, ask about the phone's battery life. At the very least, you'll want a handset with more than three hours of continuous talk time and more than five days of standby time. Though every phone will have a rated battery life as set by the manufacturer, your real-world experience will vary, so you should check editorial reviews as well. CNET lists the tested talk time in all cell phone reviews.