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General Notes on Handsets

Handsets come in four basic types; single band GSM 900 phones for Cellnet and Vodafone, single band GSM 1800 phones for One2one, Orange and Virgin; dual band phones that work on all the networks; and triple band phones which work anywhere almost (except Japan) and permit roaming in the USA and Canada.

Every year the handsets seem to get smaller, which means that they are ever easier to lose down the back of the sofa. However they are likely to get bigger again, as the screens on them start to be used for some internet services. There are also likely to be more hybrid-organiser or hybrid-mp3 player phones coming onto the market.

Handsets have also started losing their external aerials; whilst the manufacturers claim that there is no loss of signal because of this, the laws of physics suggest otherwise. In truth, many of the dual band phones have weaker signal strengths than single band equivalents because their aerials are a compromise. Some of the phones from three or four years ago work well in fringe reception areas because they have pull up aerials. When used in a vehicle (preferably hands free) an external aerial can make a huge difference in reception to any phone (it is the equivalent in TV terms of going from a set top coat-hangar to large array on the roof).

Most phones and networks these days use EFR (enhanced full rate) which gives much better speech quality, but maybe use 5% more battery power. Many have clocks or games or even personal organisers, however most users get bored of the gimmicks. Some can be programmed with different melodies, but these sometimes annoy other people to the point of phone-rage!

You should avoid all handsets with Nickel Cadmium batteries, which have the worst capacities and tend to wear out the quickest. Most now come with Nickel Metal Hydride, but the best and lightest use Lithium Ion cells.

The smallest handsets of course usually have the smallest buttons and displays, which can be frustrating and are the easiest to lose or damage. In most cases, insurance policies are not worth the paper they are written on, as they have numerous exceptions; often the cheapest way to replace a lost phone is to buy a pre-pay package for the same network and order a replacement sim from customer services for your old number. Or leave your current network and and migrate your number to another network and get a brand new contract!

Send email to questions at callforless.co.uk
Last modified: August 04, 2001

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