Cell Phone Conundrum

I use a Nokia 8260 cell phone on AT&T's TDMA network. I went with AT&T because my company has a special deal with them where I get a cheap monthly plan. It's been good service for the last year and a half, but my phone says "not charging" when I plug it in now, so I'm thinking either the battery or the phone is dead. Of course batteries are $80 because they want you to buy a $100 phone instead of a reasonably-priced battery. I'm really pissed that this thing already stopped working after less than 2 years, but I guess this is pretty common.

So I'm thinking now might be time for me to look at new phone and provider options. I saw some GSM phones at the AT&T store today, so I guess AT&T uses both GSM and TDMA networks nowadays? Is GSM better than TDMA?

I could think about switching providers but I'd need to find a real sweet deal to beat what I'm getting through work with AT&T. I don't need nationwide coverage or free long distance or anything, most of my calling is local. As for phone, I love little geeky toys and crap, but I need it to be about the same size as my 8260, which is really small. Should I focus my search on GSM or TDMA? Are there any good sites which will make this decision easier? Also, can I save money by buying an "unlocked" phone from someone other than my cell phone provider?

Thanks for any help as I try to figure this crap out.

Another possibility is that the jack on the charger is flaky. My wife's cell phone was having trouble until we got a different charger plug then all was well.

Of course, if you're looking for an excuse to switch providers, don't let that stop you.

Kind of an expensive way to sort out your phone - Nokia rapid chargers are notorious failures (they usually blow a diode in the bridge) and can easily be repaired or replaced at very low cost. I've done 4 of them now, 3 the same type.

Get a DC multimeter on a 0 - 20 V scale and check the output voltage is no lower than about 20% below the rating value on the casing. Alternatively, post the number of the charger and I should be able to tell whether it's a regular fail: the batch number would also help as well.

I tried charging my phone using my car charger as well, and I got the same results, so that would tend to rule out the charger, wouldn't it?

Yes. Wouldn't rule out a flakey jack on the phone itself, but it does tend to point to the battery as well.

Well, even so, replacement batteries are ten a penny. It can't be that difficult: I can still get cheap batteries for my 6150 which is about ohhh, 4, 5 years old? I get the impression that a certain 8 series phone is on the launch pad for the skip.

Think about the way you dispose of it if you do, don't just toss it in the can, get it properly reduced by an authorised disposal company. Contact Nokia and they'll help. Electronic waste is growing incrementally by around 80% per year and accelerating.

I get the impression that a certain 8 series phone is on the launch pad for the skip.

Eh? Can I get a translation there?

...meaning you're ready to kick it out!

The AT&T GSM rollout is only partially compleet, so if you're thinking of going for it you need to do more research on what the coverage is like in your area, and the areas that you might visit. All in all, unless you want the $100/unlimited plan, there isn't much reason to swtich.

If you want to stick with your 8260, you can always find extreemly cheap non brand name batteries which aren't nearly as good as the nokia ones. Reall though, if you've had your phone for two years, it's time to go in to a company store and tell them you're willing to renew for a year for a good deal on a phone. You can probably pick up an 8265 for the same cost as a decent battery.

Matthew

I've seen batteries extremely cheaper then that. Might not be the exact same battery in your phone now, but as long as it works, does it matter?

Hmmm.. The price is right... I guess I'll give it a shot, at least until I figure out what my next move regarding cell phone providers is. I don't want to rush into a new plan just cause my phone is dead.

My thoughts exactly, can't beat under $10 for a battery. It's worth the shot of diagnosing what exactly is wrong with your phone.

You can probably pick up an 8265 for the same cost as a decent battery.

Hmm it looked like the 8265 was about a hundred bucks after the rebate. I guess they'd knock that off with a renewal, but I don't think they'd give me the same plan I have through work. Also, I think the 8265 is actually a downgrade from the 8260 for my purposes. It's a little bigger, a little heavier, and the only thing it seems to have over the 8260 is WAP which I couldn't care less about.

That Nokia 6100 from another thread looked like the *exact* phone I'd want, except it's not available here, and it wouldn't work on my TDMA service. I guess if I want more choice in phones, I need to switch to a GSM provider.

[Rant]

AT&T is starting to piss me off. Here's the deal, being in Louisiana, My provider was Suncom. AT&T bought out Suncom. So now I'm an AT&T customer, no big deal. Well, 2 years ago I bought a Nokia 7160 phone (non-soc-locked). It IS TDMA 1800, and it has been working on Suncom's network for 2.5 years, but NOW since AT&T has bought it out, they're telling me that my phone is incompatible. They are switching to GSM in March of next year, so I doubt they're switching any towers around. ANY way, long story short, they're calling me at LEAST 3 times a day, telling me I have to change my phone. I've called customer service 5 times, every time they insist my phone should have stopped working 3 weeks ago, dispite the fact that I'm talking to them on it. Seems I know more about their system than every tech support guy I talk to. I am THIS close to changing unless they stop calling me.

[/Rant]

Looking at the Nokia site it says the 8260 takes BLB-3 batteries, I think I have some of these in my desk draw, and I can send you one if you can wait until Monday for me to check.

Mark.
20GB MKII 090000916

Looking at the Nokia site it says the 8260 takes BLB-3 batteries, I think I have some of these in my desk draw, and I can send you one if you can wait until Monday for me to check.

Awesome! Yeah, it's a BLB-3. I can definitely wait until Monday if there's a chance you've got a battery that'll work for me. Thanks!

I will check Monday and let you know, and I am pretty sure if I don't have any I can find someone who has.

Mark
20GB MKII 090000916

Well, the phone may be working, but they're probably having to pay roaming fees for you to use someone else's network that's compatible. Now, the usual thing to do is to pass these on to the user, so keep an eye on your bill. Roaming fees are how you can end up with the multiple hundred dollar bills, even if your phone doesn't say "roaming" on the screen.

Matthew

AT&T is moving away from TDMA as are Cingular. You won't have nearly the phone options if you stick with TDMA. Both Nokia and SonyEricsson have very nice products coming out for the GSM 1900 network. Check out the Nokia website for triband phones, they will work on any US GSM net.

Well, they are using the towers Suncom previously owned, so there SHOULDN'T be a roaming issue. As for buying a GSM phone, I absolutely will, but they won't be available 'till March, So I don't really want to buy another phone only to buy ANOTHER in 3 mos.

Tony,

I have a new (well used a few times) BLB-3 sat on my desk for you. PM me your address and I will get it sent out to you.

Mark.
20GB MKII 090000916