I'm looking for...

[Chillalex]

Hey

I want to get a contract phone now I've a steady income - fed up of having to top up or wait to be phoned!

I know a few of you worked in phones or do at the moment, hence the post.

I'm looking for a phone wot-

plays mp3s (ideally a few gig of storage)

is a decent - but doesnt need to be amazing - camera (5mp+)

phones!

doesnt look ugly like an ericsson.

Also it ideally should be about 30,35 a month (minutes/text amount doesnt matter, 100 minutes even is fine by me.) and heres the kicker I WANTS A PS3 with it. Got a few promo copies of games from work (PS3 only ) so I want to take advantage of that.

Im looking at:

http://www.phones4u.co.uk/shop/shop_contra...PItemKey=238732

is there anything CRUCIAL i should be aware of in terms of that phone - does it have known unreliability, hardware faults, etc. Not bothered by features, just that it actually works.

And whats the deal with these free gift things? I KNOW I'm tied in to a contract - fair enough - but are there any hidden costs with it? I dont want to be in a shop and told I have to put down a deposit on the PS3, or phone, and I dont have that with me or whatever.

[Aero]

No, to be fair, if u want a contract phone and a ps3 then these deals are pretty good, most will give you the ps3 in store that day too.

the only catch could be - some times you have to agree that there is NO 14 day change of mind on the contract, if the phone is faulty etc you can still call in and get ur 28 day faulty exchange etc, but you just cant go "fuck it, i hate this phone, i want a refund" or anything like that. granted if they dont mention no 14 day change of mind then you can go back and argue later lol.

not had any experience with that phone, lg's can be decent, they are very hit and miss in my opinion, but they've been improving and are quite reliable. go into a shop and ask for a demo of 1, then google a few reviews, if the reviews are good enough and you like the menu's etc then ur laughing.

1 thing i will warn you tho, which alot of peopl dont seem to get no matter how much you explain it -

you pay your line rental 1 month in advance, so you'll pay ur march line rental in feburary... makes sense yes? well, because of this, your 1st months bill is usually higher as, if you take it out in feburary, your 1st bill would be for feburary AND march, if you take it out like in the middle of feburary, you'd only be charged for the remaining days in feburary etc, so you never get screwed over in that respect. just want you to be aware that depending on when exactly you take out the contract etc your 1st bill could easily be nearer

[Aero]

DOUBLE POST -

KC550 -

Main disadvantages:

* Video recording is a great disappointment

* Only 12MB of internal memory

* Poor sunlight legibility

* Really awkward file manager

* No UMTS support

* Only tri-band GSM support

* Glossy front panel is a fingerprint magnet

* No SSL support in the native email client

* FM radio lacks RDS and cannot run in the background

[Chillalex]

cheers aero

thanks for the heads up on the pre-month thing; its not an issue now I know about it, but I'd have been a little weary had that sprung on me.

As far as the downsides, theyre all minor things (radio? email? fingerprints?) but the 12mb internal is a bit shit. you say that its often expandable though?

[Thom]

I'd steer well clear of LG, simply because their user interface is shockingly amateur. I hold it in the same regard as I hold Motorolas.

The best phone you could go for with a free PS3 is probably the Nokia 6500 Slide. Only a 3.2 Camera, but as I'm sure you know, megapixels ain't but a number, and the 3.2 mp camera the 6500 has is better than most 5mpx's when you actually compare the pictures. The MP3 player is also capable of holding it's own, and it's just a briliant all-round phone despite it's age.

I think you can get it from Carphone on T-Mobile Combi 35 with 800 Minutes and Unlimited texts, and that'll get ou a PS3 as well. T-Mobile is also probably the best network to go on in terms of allowances, coverage, customer services, and the fact you don't have to cringe when you're in the cinema and one of those Orange adverts comes on.

Alternatively you could sign up to AOL for 24 months at

[Chillalex]

never going to join AOL son, not in a month of sundays

Great stuff though thom. Couldnt find the 6500 on their site though, but I might pop in at the weekend

[Aero]

Only a 3.2 Camera, but as I'm sure you know, megapixels ain't but a number

ooooohhhhh you could get caught out using that line thom, did they teach you that at training in carphone?

i still say play about with a phone urself and then look at reviews, mayb you love it in the shop but discover 60% of the time they break all the time (anchorman) when on the net.

ur best bet probably would be going into the shop, playing with the phones that give a free ps3, dont listen to anything the sales assistant tells you. research ur 3 favorite phones and make a decision

i hate Tmobile, it shouldnt be sold in northern ireland as you get virtually NO signal

[Matt]

cant be worse than the 3g connection in london!

[Aero]

i would wager a bet it is. here is why -

i know for a fact it barely works in belfast, derry and coleraine, 3 of the main areas of northern ireland, never mind the likes of dungiven, limavady etc where it works just as well haha.

mix this with a work mate of my bros phoning tmobile to complain about getting no reception and when they suggested sending it for repair he gae his address. on hearing the address the guy suggested he either get a refund or get it unlocked as the operator knows the issues of tmobile in n.ire "i dont know why we even sell phones over there, we dont really have any masts in northern ireland"