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| GPS-ready phones, ring tones for Nokia, and cool new mobiles on the horizon By Joni Blecher (8/16/02) Senior Editor Joni Blecher, a.k.a. the Cell Phone Diva, wants to answer all your questions about cell phones, service plans, and wireless connectivity. Send her a question! Love on the rocks Q: I am an AT&T user, but I married a Verizon customer!!! Lest we file for an annulment (are these grounds?), I will overcome our incompatibility and switch to Verizon. I'd love a flip phone, but I read that the LG model is hard to operate. Will Verizon have any new phones coming out soon? --jmittler A: The LG VX1 is a pretty cool phone, and the flip loosens up with frequent usage. However, there's no need to fret since the sleek, compact Samsung A310 will be available in the next couple of months. While it's not nearly as refined as the Motorola V60c, it has an external LCD and a cool, inspired blue lighting scheme. We should have a review of it up late next week. Verizon will also soon be offering the V60i, which is essentially the V60c but with interchangeable faceplates. Nokia ring tones Q: How do I add ring tones to a Nokia 3285? My provider, Alltel, can't tell me how. --Scruzzie2004 A: The good news is that your phone will accept downloadable ring tones. The easiest way to do this is to go to the Alltel Web site, which has a selection of ring tones that can be found at the bottom-right corner. But before you start downloading new tunes to your phone, check with Alltel to find out how much it's going to cost so that you won't be shocked when your bill arrives. Getting ready for GPS Q: What does GPS ready mean? I have a Samsung SPH-A400 cell phone that is advertised as such. Does that mean I should hold off purchasing the GPS card I've been considering for my PDA because I might already have something like it in my phone? --kchirsan A: Go ahead and buy a GPS card for your PDA. In the world of mobile phones, GPS ready does not mean that you can buy an extra cable, attach it to a PDA, and have instant GPS functionality. These are actually two different types of GPS services. The GPS accessory you are thinking of purchasing will probably have mapping software, then trail-tracking features, but cell phones don't currently offer that kind of functionality. In regard to the A400, GPS ready means that the phone meets the standards of an FCC mandate that allows e911 services to locate your phone if something should happen to it. Additionally, the GPS functionality built into your phone can't pinpoint your exact location, but it can come within a quarter of a mile. In the future, phones that are GPS ready will work with location-based services. For example, if you're looking for a restaurant or a movie in your area, you won't need to enter your zip code when you log on to the wireless Web from your phone. Instead, you'll be able to turn on the location-services feature, and a list of eating establishments and theatres will automatically appear, based on your general location. | |
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Joni Blecher is a section editor for CNET Reviews.
