• Bluetooth Mobile Phone Overview

    Mobile phone service is a fiercely competitive business. The major carriers spend millions on advertising. And they hate losing a customer to a rival. So the mobile phone you get is likely to be produced for and tied to the carrier that you choose. If you switch carriers, you may loose the use of the phone.

    In most cases, the phone can be reprogrammed with a simple code to work with a different carrier. Most carriers are reluctant to give out this code to a departing customer. Some will flat out refuse.

    Following is a list of some major carriers and a description of some phones that are offered to work with those carriers.

    Cingular

    Cingular offers a host of Bluetooth enable mobile phones in the $200 to $400 price range. (With rebates, these prices can drop to $100 or less.) Most mobile phones offer a speakerphone. The RIM BlackBerry 7290 is an unfortunate excepton. Many offer a camera. Some offer video playing only, others both playing and recording. You can also get MP3 capable phones and even an FM receiver.

    Nextel

    Nextel offers its own i605 and a RIM BlackBerry 7520. The Nextel i605 has a large color screen with an impressive display and a speakerphone. The keys may be a bit small and hard to press. It's priced around $150. The RIM BlackBerry 7520 features a QWERTY keyboard and a wide display that can show 6 icons in a row. It offers everything you'd expect including web browsing, email support, and PIM for about $250.

    Sprint PCS

    Sprint offers fewer Bluetooth phones than others. The full-featured Audiovox PPC6601 comes in at over $600. The PalmOne Treo 650 can do many of the same things for less than half the price. And there's a cheap, moderately featured LG PM-325.

    T-Mobile

    T-Mobile gives you some decent choices but not a lot of selection. Depending on the features you're looking for you may be limited to one or two phones. For example, if you need video recording as well as playback, you'll end up with the Nokia 3660 or 6600. T-Mobile's selection ranges in price from $175 to $300. So some of the luxury, high-end, full-featured options may not be available.

    Verizon

    Verizon offers a decent array of Bluetooth phones for $200 to $550. Many of them can access Verizon's semi-nationwide EV-DO network for added connectivity. Buyers should beware that with the Palm Treo 650 they will pay an extra $45 per month to access the Internet. Speakerphones are standard. QWERTY keyboards are easy to find and in some cases, easy to hide and slip out only when needed.

    Multiple Carriers

    Many mobile phones also advertise that they work with multiple carriers. These phones may provide the features you need, but be prepared to pay. A carrier is not likely to offer you substantial discounts for a phone that isn't tied to their service.