i wireless Launches More New Phones

I know I'm a bit behind, but i wireless has added a number of new handsets in the last month or so:

• The Nokia 2610 is the successor to the Nokia 6030 (which is the successor to the Nokia 6010). All three phones support data, but their smaller screens make navigation a bit arduous and the lack of Bluetooth, infrared or a data cable port means that you have no way to connect your phone to your computer. If you want to use data services, I recommend skipping the low-end phones and going for a model that is a little fuller-featured.
• The Nokia 6126 is a thinnish phone with a push-button flip (Anyone out there remember the Ericsson T28 World phone?). This is a great choice if you are going to do any browsing of the internet or viewing images on your phone. The size, color, resolution and brightness of the screen is incredible! It's been a while since I tried it out, but I believe it also has some auto-complete features that remember websites that you have visited in the past, so you don't have to repeatedly type in those long URLs again and again.
• The Sony Ericsson W710i Walkman is a great choice for anyone that is active, loves music and does not want to be weighted down with multiple devices when you go on your morning run. Even if you haven't side-loaded your entire CD collection to the phone, you can still listen to music, as it has an FM radio that will even autoseek the strongest stations in your area. Any the W710i comes jam-packed with extras included in the box: A USB cable, an arm-strap and holster, even a removeable memory card! From a data standpoint, I am a huge fan of Sony Ericsson. Sony's success in gaming (PlayStation), imaging (CyberShot), audio (Walkman), and video (Wega) has really started to show through in SonyEricsson's entire mid-to-high-end handset lineup. Navigating the web is almost a joy on a Sony Ericsson, ranking right up there with the Motorola RAZR.
• The Sony Ericsson W300i has many of the features that make the W710i great, but is more of an "everyday" music phone at a more affordable price point.

We have also added new colors of some existing models are anticipating a few more new phones in the coming weeks. Hopefully I will have some time to tell you about those later. If not, keep your eyes on http://www.iwireless.com/phones.asp for any new arrivals.

Do I Have to Buy My Phone From i wireless?

No. As long as your phone operates on GSM 1900 MHz and is not locked to another carrier, you can use it with i wireless service. While the network engineers don't like the idea of a bunch of untested phones running around on the network, the finance folks would love it if every customer went out and bought their handset and service separately. If you are reading this blog, you are probably well-informed enough to know that carriers sell handsets to their customers below cost to draw them in and sign them to an extended contract (usually two years).

So, if you prefer to save some money, go ahead an sign that one- or two-year contract, but if you prefer to have a broader choice of the handset you are going to use for the next year or two, you might want to explore your options. Many people go the eBay route, but when it comes to phones, there are a number of variables that could go wrong, and I'd prefer to know exactly what I am getting. Thankfully, many of the handset manufacturers are now selling direct to consumers via their websites. Check it out:

Motorola offers a limited selection of their GSM handset line-up for sale on their website unlocked. Sometimes they have some pretty good pricing there -- even relative to what carriers pay. There are some unique offerings there as well. Right now you can buy the gold MOTORAZR V3i DOLCE & GABBANA for $399.
http://motorola.digitalriver.com/store/motostor/DisplayCategoryListPage/categoryID.3104200

Nokia offers a much broader selection of phone models on their website, but they tend to be the more expensive phones that they can't get carriers to carry. Right now they have 11 phone models for sale without service, and seven of them are priced above $300.
http://www.nokiausa.com/phones/comparephones

Sony Ericsson's selection is closer to Motorola's (six phones), but they don't currently offer any of their inexpensive models online. The least expensive phone when I checked a few minutes ago was the W300i at $249...but it does include a "free" FM music transmitter.
http://shopwireless.sonyericsson.com/buy/products/cat/66

Samsung has an extremely close affiliation with the larger wireless carriers. They offer very little support to the rural carriers or their customers. It looks like they are starting to experiment with selling direct to consumers. They only have one model for sale that has not been programmed for another carrier, but it's a doozie...the Samsung Black Carbon™:
http://www.samsung.com/Products/MobilePhones/Globalphones/SGH_D900ZKAUSA.asp

Please note that I have not purchased any phones from any of these websites, but I don't think you can go wrong in buying direct from the manufacturers. If anyone has any experience (good or bad) buying phones from these websites, please leave a comment below.