The rate of change in the mobile phone world continues ahead at a breakneck pace. The growing features and capabilities of the latest devices makes many people want to toss their two year old, or even 1 year old, phones for a newer model. To help wade through the many choices and options here is a list of six excellent web resources including reviews and how-to’s.
For people set on specific model, brand and carrier this can be a pretty straightforward process. If you are shopping around and looking at different models and carriers things can get a bit more involved. With mobile phones the product is part of a package deal — the phone and The Carrier. Not only do you have to wade through the numerous pros, cons, bells and whistles, but you also need to determine if the phone you want is available on the carrier that you prefer or need to use. These web sites will help.
Finding the Right Mobile Phone – Helpful Web Sites
- CNET Reviews — one of the best product review sites, CNET provides a wealth of information. Along with their reviews of specific phones they also have a broad Cell Phone section that includes a Buying Guide, information on cell phones accessories and reviews of Bluetooth headsets.
- PC World — offering a wide range of cell phone information, this site goes beyond just product reviews and also contains up-to-date news, information, how-to’s, and articles like “Top Ten Smartphones”, and “Top Ten Cell Phones.” The site also includes an article on “How to Buy a Cell Phone,” with a video that will be helpful for anyone who hasn’t been through this process recently.
- Tech.yahoo.com — Yahoo has some very useful information on cell phones in their Tech section. Along with product reviews there are tools for comparing brands, carriers, prices ranges, and a number of other categories. The site also has a number of different articles such as “Before You Buy a Cell Phone,” “How to Buy a Cell Phone,” and “Parents and Kids Weigh In On Cell Phones.”
- Amazon.com — Along with being the world’s largest online store, Amazon also has developed a huge number of useful, well-written, real world product reviews. Beyond product info and reviews Amazon provides tools for comparing brands, carriers, service plans, price, and a number of other categories. There is also plenty of info on cell phone accessories to go along with your new phone.
- PCMag.com — Another review site based on a regularly published magazine, PCMag.com contains a range of current reviews along with a number of well written pieces such as “The Best Cheap Cell Phones,” “Longest Lasting Cell Phones,” and “Smartphone Super Guide.”
- TestFreaks.com — This is a relatively new site on my radar but it has some interesting features. They don’t produce their own reviews but actually scour the web for reviews and comments written by others. They then group these reviews into two groups: “Experts” which feature reviews written by specific web sites or publications, and “Users” which contains reviews posted as comments on different web sites or as responses to published reviews. Worth checking out.
Another source for cell phone information is Consumer Reports. The drawback here is that you need to pay to use their web site or buy their magazine. If interested, their January 2009 issue that was recently posted online takes an in-depth look at phones and ranks smartphones, cell phones, and US wireless carriers. Good luck and happy cell phone shopping.
