A blog all about cell phones!

Two reports on wireless use by J.D. Power and Associates rate the top satisfying brands to smart phone customers. According to the 2012 “U.S Wireless Smartphone Customer Satisfaction Study” and “U.S. Wireless Traditional Mobile Phone Satisfaction Study,” Apple tops that category as the brand most satisfying to consumers, with HTC, Samsung, and Motorola coming next.

“Apple, with a rating of 840 out of 1,000 points, was followed by HTC, with four circles and a rating of 793,” according to the Eweek story. “Samsung and Motorola took third and fourth places, each with three circles and ratings of 789 and 758, respectively.” Other brands that got top billing in another category – feature phones – included LG Electronics and Sanyo, with scores of 716, followed by Sony Ericsson with a 712 out of 1,000.

Battery life was a big factor in customer satisfaction, the surveys found, with 4G users saying theirs was poorer (likely due to the fact that 4G users tend to constantly be talking, Web surfing, emailing and texting, often keeping many apps open at once). Only a quarter of 4G smart phone owners said they were highly satisfied with the device’s battery life and said they would purchase another device from the same manufacturer.

Until manufacturers find ways to greatly increase battery life, one way to minimize costs is to buy replacement batteries from non-carrier shops that sell refurbished cell phones and a variety of parts. They’re often much cheaper — $6 compared to $30, in some cases. The average battery at a store like CellularTrendz is around $12, while often if you buy a battery from the Sprint of T-Mobile store it could cost you $40.

Of the some 300 million wireless subscribers in the U.S., around 40 million travel internationally each year, according to the CTIA Wireless Association. So, what does that mean for wireless use? Prior to leaving the country and traveling abroad, it’s important to check with your service provider to see if you need to make changes to your device or your plan (and make sure you take your carrier’s international customer service number with you when you leave).

Most often, your phone won’t work in a different country unless you have your provider install a different SIM card. Your device may not even be compatible with the country’s network. But if you use unlocked cell phones, you’re SIM card is more likely to work out of the U.S. Not only that, unlocked cell phones enable you to use your phone with various carriers, not just one.

This is useful even for people who don’t travel internationally. U.S. carriers’ practice of locking the phones they issue to customers – this means that they tweak the software so that the devices won’t work with competitors — makes sense for them, but it doesn’t necessarily make sense for consumers. For some people, it’s worth not straying to another carrier or being unable to use their phone abroad without swapping SIM cards, but for others, it simply is not. For example, what if you find another carrier with a monthly plan so well-suited to you in service and price that it’s worth breaking your contract and using an unlocked cell phone? In that case, you can find a third party such as Cellular Trendz and get a phone that not only uses cutting edge technology but is also much more versatile.  And, if you want a device that doesn’t tie you indefinitely to a specific carrier and is also inexpensive considering the features it makes available, try used cell phones. With the major manufacturers engaged in an ever-intensifying competition over the burgeoning cell phone market, the high-paced rate at which new gadgets are being made means consumers have access to a wide selection of lightly used devices.

Despite Apple’s reputation for being a control freak—keeping their app store behind an ivory gate, limiting what computer languages can be used on their devices—but they may some day through the American cell phone industry into a dynamic beyond unlocked cell phones.

There are many reasons to love unlocked cell phones: having no contract so you can get the best deal, being able to mod the software and delete the carrier junk apps (and then scratching off the corresponding branding), and just being able to say f-you to the companies.

Well, Apple may do all that for you. They’ve already told the carriers a big NO to branding and preloaded add-apps—but they were also recently awarded a patent that would extend those unlocked cell phone like services, AND do the work for you.

Basically, Apple would become a middle-man between the user and the phone companies, leveraging their iPhone popularity for the lowest rates, switching between or mixing and matching different companies without a user ever seeing a dip or change in service. They could even take payments, making the branding, contracts, and other junk associated with all the carriers obsolete.

Of course, unlocked cell phones would still have a place, since not everyone would want an iPhone, so you have to assume that a dual system of some sort would have to emerge, but it’s an interesting future to think about. You’d never have to risk bricking your phone to unlock it again!

In the US, Apple reigns supreme, but for worldwide smartphones… look to Samsung.

Samsung is the leading retailer for smartphones worldwide (Nokia leads phones in general). If you’re looking to be cool when you travel with an unlocked cell phone, look into Samsung.

Unlocked cell phones allow you to switch SIM cards so you can get the rates of the local cell phone service provider.

When travelling, you can go on roaming…which gets even worse internationally! Prepaying for minutes and texts on a reginonal sim card (or getting a tempoary plan if you need to use data) is a much smarter option, but only if you have an unlocked cell phone!

Make sure that you pick an unlocked cell phone that is manufactured to work globally. Depending on your needs, you might pick a Samsung smartphone like the Galaxy S or go with something simpler like a Nokia.

Even if you’re not travelling this winter, think ahead to summer with your next cell phone purchase. Dream of Asia, of Europe, and of all the exciting restaurants your phone can guide you to (as well as the help it can call in an emergency).

Of course, some people may prefer to travel tech free. Even then, it might be wise to bring at least one unlocked cell phone per group.

Palm Pre, an unlocked cell phone with a great OS for kids.

Many parents are giving their children cell phones at ever younger ages, and it’s not uncommon to see a young child learning to use the device (as well as colors, numbers, and words) while playing with the many child-geared apps available.

But kids need to meet certain expectations for responsibility, as well as have a viable punishment when entrusted with cell phones. Unlocked cell phones can give parents that boost.

Unlocked cell phones work on any GSM provider, and more importantly, are super easy to use with prepaid plans from any company.

Pre-paid plans can be usd as allowance, as punishment if you want to take away kids data plans (or as a way to limit the functionality of the phones, permitting more uses as they age).

Because unlocked cell phones can be bought cheaper than carrier provided phones and without the contracts and fees, they also allow parents the ease of switching plans if necessary. As more kids use cell phones, carriers can be expected to add bonus features to plans (some already exist): being able to use the phone to keep track of your kid at all times, monitoring use, and with unlocked cell phones it’s easy to install thrid party apps for emergency situations (911 to mom with the bush of a button, for instance).

When every family member has an unlocked cell phone, it can help you to save money by finding the cheapest rates, and switching as need be (be sure to ask about the price of non-contract plans-they’re often cheaper).