Cell Phone User Lifestyles

Different lifestyles need different wireless solutions. Choosing a cell phone and wireless plan that fits your profile is essential for a rewarding cellular experience.

Active Professional

Cellular Phones
Different professionals will, of course, have different needs. But there are several features you may want to consider. One key decision is selecting a phone with long battery life for standby and talk time. Calling features such as voice mail, call forwarding, call waiting, and 3-way calling can also prove very useful for the individual on the go. Need your phone to double as a pager? Easy. Need to have access to email? Not a problem. To boot, most cell phones today are lightweight and attractive, with some weighing as little as 4 ounces.

Service Plans
And don't forget your service plan. Active professionals generally need a calling plan with ample anytime minutes, upwards of 1000 a month, and solid local or regional coverage. If you foresee making a good deal of long distance calls, consider the many plans now available offering free long distance.

Family

Cellular Phones
You'll want an affordable handset with a few basic features like voice mail so you won't miss any important calls. Also consider generous memory to store frequently called numbers and caller ID.

Service Plans
To stay close to family and friends far away, consider affordable long distance rates or plans that include free long distance. There are many solid service plans for under $50 a month that offer generous anytime minutes.

Young Adult

Coverage
Select a plan that reflects the way you live - if you're never at home, make sure that your friends can reach you on your cell phone. A plan with plenty of night and weekend minutes will ensure that you can always be tracked down to make plans on a Saturday night to go to the movies or to a hot new club.

Freedom
Free long distance means that you can get in touch with your college friends who have spread out around the country or call home to mom. Free roaming will allow you to use your phone without worry while you travel. Whether you're at home, at work, in the car, at school, visiting your parents - select a plan that allows you to use your phone even if you're never settling in one spot.

Traveler

Cellular Phones
A wireless phone is more than just a convenience, it's a critical element of your mobile command center. Making and receiving calls is only part of the equation. Look into phones that have text messaging, paging, or WAP capabilities for checking your email and browsing the Wireless Web. A phone that's lightweight won't add excess baggage to an already heavy travel load. Cell phones these days are under 6 ounces with the ultra lightweight coming in at under 4 ounces. Also extended memory is good to store names and numbers of clients and colleagues in your phone book.

Service Plans
You'll also want to consider a comprehensive calling plan that enables you to call and access data whether in San Francisco, Miami or New York. Solid national (and even global) coverage could be a vital part of your cell phone arsenal. For heavy business travelers, look into purchase plans that have plenty of minutes and do not charge for roaming and long distance. Many plans include upwards of 1000, or even unlimited minutes in the monthly fee.

Safety or Emergency

Cellular Phones
For infrequent emergency use, there are many free or very affordable phones that will serve your needs. You will want a phone with the ability to transmit in analog (since digital coverage is often poor in remote areas). Also, make sure to pick a phone with a battery standby time of at least 48 hours so that you'll have plenty of "juice" to make calls if you're away from a power source.

Service Plans
When reviewing service plans, it's important to make sure that you will have service in the places where you might need to use your phone. Examine the coverage maps and verify that the highways and roads you drive on frequently are covered. Many plans geared specifically toward safety users offer a modest number of anytime calling minutes for less than $30 a month. Be wary of plans that don't offer analog service, which is available in many remote areas where there is no digital coverage.