10 Questions About Cellular Phones Answered

by: Jack Manns

1. What's the difference between analog and digital phones?

Analog phones are for the most part becoming obsolete. This technology doesn't scale well and is more costly. Analog service is not compatible with numerous new features. Digital phones are lighter and more compact and have a longer battery life. When you are inside of a calling area the quality is better than analog. Digital phones support new features like caller ID, text messaging or wireless internet services and advanced security features.

2. What is a Dual Band Phone, Tri Band Phone and Quad Band Phone?

Dual-Band

"A designation indicating that a phone supports two different frequency bands. Not meaningful without knowing which two bands and which technologies the phone will work with.

For North American TDMA and CDMA phones, dual-band indicates that the phone will work in both the 800/850 MHz band and the 1900 MHz band. Most current TDMA phones in the U.S. are tri-mode, meaning they can use both analog and digital in the 800/850 band. Dual-band CDMA phones can be dual-mode or tri-mode. Dual-mode phones only support analog or digital on the 800/850 band, while tri-mode phones support both. The 1900 MHz band is always digital.

A dual-band GSM phone supports two of the four major GSM bands. Depending on which bands, the phone may only work in certain parts of the world. A GSM 850/1900 phone will only in the Americas. A GSM 900/1800 phone will only work in Europe, Africa, Asia, and Brazil. A GSM 900/1900 phone will work on at least one network in most countries around the world.

NOTE: This definition applies to the U.S. and Canada, and may not be accurate for other countries.", taken from http://www.phonescoop.com/glossary/term.php?gid=135 The article continues from the above site. Click there if you want to learn more. Tri and Quad here are from links from the above link.

Tri-Band

A GSM phone that supports three of the four major GSM frequency bands, and will therefore work in most parts of the world.

Of the four major GSM frequency bands, 850 and 1900 are the two bands used in North America. 900 and 1800 are the most common bands in other parts of the world.

There are two major types of tri-band GSM phones: European and Americas.

European tri-band phones support the 900, 1800, and 1900 frequency bands. Therefore they provide complete coverage in Europe, Africa, and Asia, and work on at least one network in most countries in the Americas.

Americas tri-band phones support the 800/850, 1800, and 1900 frequency bands. They provide complete coverage in the Americas, and will work on at least one network in most countries in Europe, Africa, and Asia.

Quad-Band

Designates a GSM phone that supports all four major GSM frequency bands, making it compatible with all major GSM networks worldwide.

The four bands include the 850 and 1900 MHz bands - used in the Americas - and 900 / 1800, used in most other parts of the world.

Compared to a tri-band phone supporting the 900 / 1800 / 1900 bands, a quad-band phone adds support for GSM 850 for full coverage in the Americas.

Compared to a tri-band phone supporting the 850 / 1800 / 1900 bands, a quad-band phone adds support for GSM 900 for full coverage in Europe and Asia.

3. What type of battery has the longest life?

Lithium-Ion or Li-Ion batteries have the longest life. They also happen to be the lightest in weight. The two pluses means there is minus attached, which is price. A Li-ion battery will always be the most expensive type of battery available. In addition, Li-ion on many of today's phones are called data batteries, meaning they give an accurate display or readout of time used and time left before recharging.

4. What's the difference between the Stand-by time and Talk time?

Your phone is in standby mode when your phone is on but you aren't talking. The power consumption is minimal and the phone can stay in this mode for a longer period of time. When you are using the phone you are using talk time. This consumes battery power at a much quicker rate. Your battery life will be somewhere between talk time and standby time

5. What is a roaming charge?

A roaming charge is when you make a call from outside of your calling area. Your calling area is defined by plan local, regional or national.

6. What are peak and off peak hours?

Peak hours are during the day when the cellular networks are very busy. These minutes are at premium and your plan will typically include the smallest amount of these. If you use more than your allotted peak minutes they will be billed at a much higher rate than off peak minutes. Off peak is the exact opposite of peak time. Each cellular provider has their own definition of off peak.

7. What are anytime minutes?

Anytime minutes are simply put minutes you can use anytime, peak or off peak and now mobile to mobile and/or friends and family lists. On most plans you will use anytime minutes first.

8. Do I pay for the call when someone calls me?

Usually yes. You are billed for the airtime when you receive a call. However some service providers are offering unlimited in network calls.

9. Should I buy a cell phone or look for a free cellular phone?

Free phones usually comes with extended contracts up to 3 years. In most cases you get the latest technologies but will still have to pay out of pocket for more advanced smartphones. Before buying that smart phone the question would be what am I using it for. A gift to your grandparents probably should be a more basic phone.

10. What to do if you want to upgrade/downgrade or cancel your service plan?

You can usually upgrade to higher plan without any cost. Some may force you to extend your contract for 1 to 2 years from that point. Downgrading your plan is often times not an option and when it is there is usually a penalty or fine.