Hands-free phones and the iPhone

Q: I have a partner who currently has a very old analog cell phone in her vehicle. The service provider has given notice that its analog service is going to be discontinued, so she has to buy a new phone. She has two requirements in a handset, however. It must be able to answer automatically with the speakerphone, and the keypad must be large with separation between the individual buttons.
—Mike

A: It's difficult to give an exact answer without knowing which carrier you use, but there are a fair number of options for your partner. Some cell phones that offer a speakerphone have an auto-answer option that will enable you to send calls directly to the speakerphone. You may have to fish around in the menus to find it, but there's a good chance it will be there. But don't take my word as gospel; be sure to check before you make a purchase. Alternatively, you could also get a phone with Bluetooth and take calls through a Bluetooth headset.

Keypads can be trickier proposition; I still haven't found the perfect keypad on a cell phone. It's not that I haven't found anything decent--I have--but keypads can be hobbled by many factors. They can be too small or have keys that are too close together, they can be slippery or too flat with the surface of the phone, or they can have a cheap plastic feeling. So while I hesitate to name one phone with a keypad that will satisfy all her needs, I can recommend a few models that do a good job. My favorites are the Samsung SGH-D407 for Cingular, the Motorola i580 for Nextel, the Motorola V325 for Verizon Wireless, and the GSM Nokia 6126.

Q: Recently my company offered discounted cell phone plans with T-Mobile along with a magenta Motorola Razr V3. Is it common for companies to partner with a carrier like this and do you think such plans are reputable? Also, do you know if T-Mobile has good coverage in the Green Bay, Wisconsin, area?
—Penny

A: Deals like the one you describe are quite common. Carriers will negotiate discounted rates with large companies for the benefit of that company's employees. For instance, Sprint offers discounted rates to some United Airlines employees. Such plans are perfectly reputable, but before you sign up, I'd check carefully to see that you will get an adequate T-Mobile coverage area. When I look at the carrier's online coverage map, T-Mobile reception in the Green Bay region looks a bit sparse. And when I punched in your zip code, it told me service was unavailable. I'd check with a real live T-Mobile person just to make sure and ask around to see if any of your neighbors use the carrier. If they do, get their opinion.

If your company has deals with another carrier with better service in your area, they could be better options. But it's worth mentioning that some combo deals require you to purchase a monthly plan with a minimum price. If that plan costs more than you want to spend per month or gives you more minutes than you think you'll use, you'll probably be wasting your money.

Q: I had recently purchased an unlocked LG Chocolate for use with my Cingular service. The phone works great, except that I can't send or receive media such as pictures or sounds. Is this a common problem with unlocked phones, and is there any way to remedy this?
—Jonathan

A: Your situation is a very common issue with unlocked phones. But nothing is wrong with your Chocolate; you just need to program it with some settings that are necessary for you to send multimedia messages and browse the wireless Web. While those settings come integrated on phones you buy from a carrier, they don't come preinstalled on unlocked handsets.

Since the settings differ from carrier to carrier, Cingular is the best place to start. You should be able to get the settings from customer service, but be warned: there might be a small (but unnecessary, in my opinion) service fee involved. Often, the carrier will send the settings to you in the form of a text message, but you can also input them yourself, usually under the Internet Settings menu. If you call and find that Cingular won't help you, try calling LG.