new cell phone

Location and personal needs will drive this one. Our family uses Tmobile. 4 lines 100 bucks and no surprises. 2.5 Gb each line at 4g, then they throttle to 3g. Almost every carrier runs this deal or something close. I would select the carrier based on first hand experience in your area and the places you travel frequently. .
If you have several Apple devices, the iPhone is a good choice. I prefer android devices simply because I am familiar with them and they are much less expensive..

Now that I've had a good laugh, and thanks by the way.

I don't think there is a good cell phone plan that does not cost a lot of money.

When I decided to get one, it was all about what worked where I was at and where I worked. That turned out to be usually in the middle of nowhere.

At the time Verizon was the only one that did all that and still does IMO.

Last summer I went with Samsung Galaxy S5. It is an awesome combination of micro technology. Nothing I've done with it has slowed it down.

I put 128G micro sd card in it and can carry tons of data around with me.

The problem with these new smart phones is that the data plan is costly because of what all these smart phones will do and eventually be able to control.

I am waiting for someone to take Carlson Surveyor 1 program into the android market with total data collection the same way as SMI did and put on the HP48GX

If you don't need all that, StraightTalk is a good setup if the plan will work where you need it.

B-)

I prefer Android & Samsung. Others will disagree.

But it's the devil in the details. The basic phone service is cheap. But then there's the data plan; and tethering; and text charges; minutes allowed; extra lines; etc etc

As far as phones go I'm a fan of Samsung products, I currently have the S5 and have had no issues out of it.

I deal with Verizon because of it's coverage, they can't be beat in the aspect. Pricing however is pretty steep, we pay close to $200 a month for our family with the 10Gb data plan.

Tom, I've used T-Mobile for years and love it! B-)

Check this out: http://see.walmart.com/t-mobile

BIG Samsung fan!

Hi, Tom. Good to hear from you. I'm an old fashioned guy so my phone goes ring ring and that's about it.

When choosing a carrier always look at their coverage where you will use the phone. The details on which phone don't matter that much because a new and sort-of-improved will be out in the next month or so from someone. You can pretty much count on it. I'm not part of that rat race.

>and gals if any still post here

In the last week Angel, Melita, and Teresa have all posted. Maybe more?

Samsung Note 4. Best phone I have ever had. Love the stylus pen and battery life.

Hi Bruce, I've been the same way for a long time. There are some great apps out there now, so if I go with a cellular, I am thinking of an android. But I hear you. I might not go there. It sounds like samsung has the most liked on this site.

Thanks Bill. We don't hear from Teresa too often any more. A very intelligent surveyor.

I second the straight talk. $45.0 / month for everything. Just bought a Samsung s4 Active unlocked off EBAY. Nice Phone.

Gal here! Yes, 2014 was not a very good year for me, maybe this year I can get back on track and more involved...that was a warning:-)

As to cell phones, I need GSM services since I travel internationally so much. My cellphone is a basic ring/ring kind of phone that takes two SIM cards (I am finally down to only four SIM cards total). My husband (I think you have met Aaron through CDOT functions) just took over the son's Nokia Lumia 525 that has windows os. He gets frustrated over learning new technology but he has raved about how easy learning the Lumia was. The voice quality on my end is good and he says he can hear calls very clearly - important at 68. He would be frustrated trying to learn the Apple devices (he can't figure out my iTouch) and he likes my Nexus 7 (which I LOVE) but doesn't really understand how it works; but he got into the Lumia with no problems.

As to service, because we both us GSM we only have two choices and in our area really only one - AT&T. But they have good plans and it only costs us about $50/month for his unlimited. I use the pay-as-you-go plan that cost me $2/day on days that I use it, but to keep my US number active I pay a flat $100/year. Since I am only in the States for <30 days/year I am acquiring enough credit to have prepaid service for about a year after I get home...lol.

Best advise is go to a store where you can play with the various devices. I also recommend buying an unlocked phone outright.

I use t-mobile too, and for the most part I'm pretty happy with it. T-mobile is however german for "I don't leave the city much"

Thanks Teresa, it's good to hear from you. I don't think I've ever Met Aaron. Not many CDOT functions anymore and meetings are attended by video conference. I missed a recent Right Of Way Training Conference.

I think I'm going to look at getting an unlocked smartphone, and try to find out if that Straight Talk has good cell coverage around here.