, they are truthful when they claim that their system was built from the ground up. Only their phones use their Personal Communication System (PCS) towers, and many of their phones do not operate on an analog signal at all, and those that do must use the towers built by other companies. For this the user is charged thirty-five cents for each minute spent outside of the Sprint PCS network. This applies even if the user is within their own home.With over twenty different mobile phones now compatible with the three major networks, choosing a phone is a very difficult task. Many plans have phones available at no cost with an agreement to a one or two year contract. Sprint is the one company that offers no reduction in price with an accompanying contract, while Verizon and Cingular offer reduced costs with an agreement. Oftentimes the retail prices of dual and tri-mode phones can be well over $250, but this can be significantly reduced to between twenty and fifty dollars if a new contract is signed. This quickly makes Sprint an expensive choice because as of March 1st, 2001, they did not offer a phone for under eighty dollars. On the following pages are some of the most popular phones offered by each provider, and the advantages and disadvantages of each. These are only some of the phones offered by these providers, as availability changes from region to region.Cingular WirelessMotorola V2290Pros: Can receive/send text messagesMany different faces and rubber covers available for customizationHas a mode where phone acts as pagerCons:Very little talk time in digital mode (100 minutes)Only holds 99 numbers in phone bookCost: $30Ericsson T18dPros: Tri-mode Data/Fax capable (it acts as a modem with proper connections)Built in vibrate call alertProfiles (different sets of settings easily switchable)Cons: ExpensiveEricsson accessories hard to come byCost: $130 ($80 with possible $50 mail in rebate)Nokia 7160Pros: Infrared ...
