New Cell Phone: Tri-mode or Digital?

SuperTrooper · Post by **SuperTrooper** » October 26, 2005 9:48 am

It's time to upgrade the bricks-with-string cell phones we've been using since 1991. The teenybopper behind the counter at Verizon says Digital is better.

Opinions?

nycparrothead · Post by **nycparrothead** » October 26, 2005 9:58 am

I'm confused.. Don't I already have digital??

SuperTrooper · Post by **SuperTrooper** » October 26, 2005 10:04 am

nycparrothead wrote:I'm confused.. Don't I already have digital??

A. We know you are confused.

B. The digital phone is "all digital". A Tri-mode can also receive analog signals and some other type of signal. I forget what the other type is because I was too busy staring at her boobs straining to get out of that too small bra she was wearing. It was cold too.

Crazy Navy Flyer · Post by **Crazy Navy Flyer** » October 26, 2005 10:07 am

Where is that store? It's about time I upgraded my phone also.

nycparrothead · Post by **nycparrothead** » October 26, 2005 10:10 am

SuperTrooper wrote:
nycparrothead wrote:I'm confused.. Don't I already have digital??
A. We know you are confused.

B. The digital phone is "all digital". A Tri-mode can also receive analog signals and some other type of signal. I forget what the other type is because I was too busy staring at her boobs straining to get out of that too small bra she was wearing. It was cold too.

Oh.. Gotcha..

Although I'd probably understand more about he whole digital thing if you had taken a picture...

dawgfan · Post by **dawgfan** » October 26, 2005 10:14 am

Digital has the clearest reception and battery life is longer,unless you are way out in the bum f#$k of egypt all cell towers now have digital signals,tri mode is no longer needed.

RinglingRingling · Post by **RinglingRingling** » October 26, 2005 10:15 am

Trimode works well overseas tho, right?

dawgfan · Post by **dawgfan** » October 26, 2005 10:29 am

RinglingRingling wrote:Trimode works well overseas tho, right?

Not anymore, Overseas phones run off of GSM technology,Phones in the US work on different technologies(CDMA or iDen).We are trying to get to one network here in the US but all of the companies think there technology is the best and no one can agree on what should be used.

land_shark3 · Post by **land_shark3** » October 26, 2005 10:33 am

I would go with Tri-mode if you want service everywhere, right now. In a few years, digital might be the answer. However most areas don't have digital service yet.

I've tried both. The reception is better on digital... when you have service. Its like the difference between radio and satellite radio. With radio you start to get static before you lose reception. With satellite, you either have reception or you don't.

land_shark3 · Post by **land_shark3** » October 26, 2005 10:35 am

dawgfan wrote:Digital has the clearest reception and battery life is longer,unless you are way out in the bum f#$k of egypt all cell towers now have digital signals,tri mode is no longer needed.

I actually didn't have digital service between Chattanooga and Knoxville along I-75. Nor did I have service going from Asheville, NC to Kingsport, TN along I-26.

mings · Post by **mings** » October 26, 2005 10:40 am

nycparrothead wrote:I'm confused.. always

me too

land_shark3 · Post by **land_shark3** » October 26, 2005 10:40 am

Or you could just do like I do...

Buy a phone and try it out for whatever the return policy is. Some carriers its a week, others its 15 days. Just make sure you know how long you can keep the PHONE and still get your money back. Most carriers will let you try the service for 15 days, but the phone must be returned in 5 or 10.

AlbatrossFlyer · Post by **AlbatrossFlyer** » October 26, 2005 11:24 am

okay let's clear a few things up....

tri mode is digital. it works on 2 digital bands and analog. digital only works on the digital bands. out west i still recommend trimode if you travel around very much. there is still significant portions of the west outside major metro areas with limited service.

battery life and signal clarity is much better when using the digital bands. a tri mode phone will automatically use the digital bands unless they are not available and it will then switch to analog.

US cell service is predominantly either CDMA or GSM (Cingular still has some TDMA networks left over from ATT) CDMA and GSM stands for the technology on how the phone network slices and dices your voice into a digital signal, encrypts it, and transmits it thru the air. most of the world uses GSM, China has selected CDMA as their national standard. even if you have a GSM phone it won't work overseas without the appropriate country card installed in it.

CDMA phones (Verizon) don't work on GSM networks and vice-versa. nor do service provider X phones work on service provider Y networks even if they are both GSM or CDMA since since the encryption alagorithms used in the phone and network are different between service providers..... this is why old ATT customers will need to get Clingular phones at some point. right now cingular is running both encryption algorithms on both the old ATT and Cingular networks while they merge the 2 but its a royal pain in the ass to do....

land_shark3 · Post by **land_shark3** » October 26, 2005 11:30 am

AlbatrossFlyer wrote:nor do service provider X phones work on service provider Y networks even if they are both GSM or CDMA since since the encryption alagorithms used in the phone and network are different between service providers.....

That is the best explanation I've heard of why I can't have a Moto Razr on Verizon. Thanks AF!

dawgfan · Post by **dawgfan** » October 26, 2005 11:52 am

land_shark3 wrote:
dawgfan wrote:Digital has the clearest reception and battery life is longer,unless you are way out in the bum f#$k of egypt all cell towers now have digital signals,tri mode is no longer needed.
I actually didn't have digital service between Chattanooga and Knoxville along I-75. Nor did I have service going from Asheville, NC to Kingsport, TN along I-26.

They could be considered east bumf@#k Egypt

Great explanation AF

land_shark3 · Post by **land_shark3** » October 26, 2005 12:02 pm

dawgfan wrote:
land_shark3 wrote:
dawgfan wrote:Digital has the clearest reception and battery life is longer,unless you are way out in the bum f#$k of egypt all cell towers now have digital signals,tri mode is no longer needed.
I actually didn't have digital service between Chattanooga and Knoxville along I-75. Nor did I have service going from Asheville, NC to Kingsport, TN along I-26.
They could be considered east bumf@#k Egypt

Unfortunately, its also known as my sales territory.

mings · Post by **mings** » October 26, 2005 12:34 pm

AlbatrossFlyer wrote:okay let's clear a few things up....

CDMA phones (Verizon) don't work on GSM networks and vice-versa. nor do service provider X phones work on service provider Y networks even if they are both GSM or CDMA since since the encryption alagorithms used in the phone and network are different between service providers..... this is why old ATT customers will need to get Clingular phones at some point. right now cingular is running both encryption algorithms on both the old ATT and Cingular networks while they merge the 2 but its a royal pain in the ass to do....

There is a person on eBay who sells codes that allow you to cross-use phones. It worked for my dad. He had one of the first Nokia camera phones but it was on a different service provider. The dude sent the code and instructions and it worked. Just in case you were interested.

dawgfan · Post by **dawgfan** » October 26, 2005 12:40 pm

land_shark3 wrote:
dawgfan wrote:
land_shark3 wrote:
dawgfan wrote:Digital has the clearest reception and battery life is longer,unless you are way out in the bum f#$k of egypt all cell towers now have digital signals,tri mode is no longer needed.
I actually didn't have digital service between Chattanooga and Knoxville along I-75. Nor did I have service going from Asheville, NC to Kingsport, TN along I-26.
They could be considered east bumf@#k Egypt
Unfortunately, its also known as my sales territory.

Mine is the central US,some areas in Kansas I don't care what kind of phone you have there is no service, not sure they even know about cell phones

land_shark3 · Post by **land_shark3** » October 26, 2005 1:04 pm

dawgfan wrote:Mine is the central US,some areas in Kansas I don't care what kind of phone you have there is no service, not sure they even know about cell phones

Why do you need cell phones when the tin can and string work just fine?

land_shark3 · Post by **land_shark3** » October 26, 2005 1:05 pm

mings wrote:There is a person on eBay who sells codes that allow you to cross-use phones. It worked for my dad. He had one of the first Nokia camera phones but it was on a different service provider. The dude sent the code and instructions and it worked. Just in case you were interested.

Now that's something I'd be interested in learning more about.