Factors to Consider when Selecting a Cell Phone Handset

There are a number of different factors to consider when you're consider what cellphone (cell phone) will best meet your needs and lifestyle. This page will get you started, but most importantly remember that it's more than just a fashion statement: it's a communications tool and as such it needs to be comfortable and functional too.

BATTERY LIFE

What are the handsets talk time and standby time? Standby time is the number of hours or days the phone can stay on before the battery will run out. Talk time is the number of hours a user can talk on the phone before the battery will run out. These times can vary with analog and digital service. Also, a handsets battery will affect its size and weight.

SAR RATING

The Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) is a measure of the level of human exposure to radiofrequency (RF) emissions from a handset. You can obtain information on SAR ratings of specific handsets on the FCC Web site at www.fcc.gov/oet/rfsafety/#sar.

MOBILE DATA CAPABILITIES

Does the handset have the ability to access the carriers wireless web services and/or send and receive text messages?

MODE

Is the phone single or multimode? Can it operate on analog or digital networks, or both? Does it indicate when its roaming?

SCREEN SIZE

This can be an important factor for viewing phone numbers and other stored data, as well as wireless Web content.

VOICE FEATURES

Does the phone have voiceactivated dialing? Does it have a speaker phone?

STORAGE

How many phone numbers and other data can the handset store?

SPECIAL OPTIONS

What types of vertical features, such as Caller ID, call waiting, and voicemail, are included with the handset and service plan?

HEARING AID COMPATIBILITY

Hearing aids generally work with cellphones that use analog signals but not currently with those that use digital signals. More information about hearing aid compatibility is on the FCCs Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau webpage at http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/dro/hearing.html.

Source: Federal Communications Commission, Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau