My bud got one of those phones, and it is certainly "teh kool". The pictures don't really work for anything further away than 5 feet (like, say Lollapalooza), but it is certainly a handy little tool to have nearby.

Plus, the phone has like Dolby surround sound or something for the ring, honestly it sounds like it's coming out of real speakers.

Don't go over to the dark side! Verizon will eat your soul and spit it back out in an envelope and mail it to you. And charge you for it. As well as adding on processing fees. T-mobile and Sprint-not much-better-than-Verizon-PCS have camera phones for under $100.

Camera phones are not that great, the picture quality is horrible...

I have Sprint PCS and have nothing but good things to say about them. Read up on your phones and networks before you make a suggestion, and check out www.sprintusers.com and www.phonescoop.com. Radio$hack is having a really great sale on Sprint phones right now, and don't forget amazon.com, which also often has cool deals. eBay isn't bad either, bought my last two phones there.

I have Sprint as well. And there are a million places I can't get service. Like in every room in my house but the bathroom. On half of the campus of a very large University. On I-81 in several spots. I just have a beef with them because I can't get service 95% of the time and they won't let me break a 2 year contract. Nor will they give me a price break on repairing a phone I've had for a year and a half thats been broken for a year. And that's all I have to say about that. *steps down off soapbox*

I SAW YOU ON AN EARLY SEASON OF STAR TREK TNG JUST NOW AND I THOUGHT YOU LOOKED REALLY CUTE - CAN'T GET YOU OUT OF MY HEAD NOW!!

Eh, the camera phones are fun, but you've gotta make sure you get one with a flash. My buddy has one without and you can't see a thing in the pictures unless it's high noon.

My phone has a camera. Completely useless thing. Happily it's detachable so it doesn't waste any space.

Personally I'd rather carry my 3.2 megapixel Canon Powershot A70 around, although admittedly the phone's a bit more subtle... still, not good for revealing photos because you can't see anything!

I just ordered the phone with AT&T for $49.99. I am currently with SprintPCS, however, I'll be saving just under $500 a year by switching to AT&T Wireless. Plus I get that great Nokia 3650 camera phone.

I don't know if you get AT&T in your area, but it's worth checking out. :)

Very cool....although I'm going to act as the spell-check police....you transposed two letters in "picture". Sorry to be so anal! :)

i got one of the nokie 3650's and i hated it. i sent it back after a week. the camera was sorta cool but the "retro" dial was just a pain and the functions were hard to access.

i had a hard time setting up the pc-sync stuff too....all in all a bad experience from nokia, very surprising.

I heard that the phones are pretty cool, but they get you on the data transfer fees since the pics take a while to send. I dunno - I already have one shitty digital camera so I'll just stick with that.

You know, Wil, I got a Cricket phone and it's all I need!
Sure, it doesn't take pictures, but it's the cheapest thing in the world.
All but free Long distance and unlimited calls (in or out).

Do you have Cricket out there?

I use Verizon, and have never had any weird charges on my account, and I rarely if ever have a problem acquiring a signal. It usually works when other phones don't.

--- You subscribe to a plan that SCREAMS $29.99 a month for 300 minutes. You get your first bill, and it's $37.

Hmmm, I think to myself, even with tax, 29.99 shouldn't come to $37.00. Then, while utilizing a microscope I purchased for chemistry class 14 years ago, I notice the microfiche sized print that states --> Utility Tax, City Tax, Smog Tax, Anal Probe Tax, because WE CAN tax, and it begins to make some sense.

I then realize I have a choice - pay them what they want or use payphones. The cell phone companies basically have me by the balls.

Recently switched to Cingular so that my minutes rollover. Makes me feel a little better.

who's Sarah Lane? what's a camera phone? WHY AM I IN CANADA??

So many questions... so few answers.

All I can say Wil, is Can you hear me now? Good!

Better watch out. If Verizon gets wind that you are thinking about a camera phone, and they also learn about your recent foray into the world of Journalism, they will be calling you to do commercials for them.

Imagine the Fark headline...

"Author, Reporter, and Actor Wil Wheaton stepping back into the Prime Time spotlight doing Verizon commercials. That "Can you hear me now" guy surrenders."

I'm waiting for them to change "Can you hear me now?" to "Can you see me now?" in those camera phone commercials...

The cameras on those phones actually kind of suck.

But if you're going to get one...get a Nokia for convenience, but an Ericsson for durability. Better yet get a Samsung. Besides all the other bells and whistles--like the polyphonic tones--it makes that cool clicking sound when you take a pic. I think it records videos too.

What the heck was that sticker on? It really does look like a cannon...HAAAA!!!

I have a Sprint Sanyo 8100 camera phone and I really love it. It's great for spur of the moment pictures. The only problem is there's no flash or zoom, but the next phone up from that one has both. I'll probably be upgrading at some point.

straight from the horse's mouth... yeah that's right, an actual VZW employee. i'd hold off just until about the 1st week of next month. the new holiday marketing hits about 11/3 if you're going to go w/ Verizon. you'll see the 6000 come down to around $99.99 & probably w/ a $50 rebate on top. the pix aren't all that bad, but Holz is right you do have to be pretty close for them to look good.

I have Sprint PCS vision plan with the Sanyo camera phone, which was $100. Pic phone is sweet, I use it all the time, though the rest of the phone is kinda feature-weak. But it's an older phone sir, the newer ones might be better.

Sprint has been good to me. Verizon was the worst. I like your book :)

At Amazon.com, the Nokia 3650 and the Sony Ericsson T610 are free after rebate (provided you sign the 1-year contract). Both have bluetooth and a camera. I got the Nokia and I love it. It looks goofy though.

I recommend trying to strike a deal with a phone company that offers pre-paid or non-contract cell phones. You'd be suprised how low they can go if you negotiate.

Contracts are just a way for a major corporation to say "We Own You".

I just got an LG through Verizon. I didn't get the photo version, but I can report that I really like this phone. It's really easy to program (I'm big on tricking out and customizing things) and Verizon service is a big improvement over Alltel. The photo version is identical except for the photo part.

Only one thing I don't like about the phone: you can't bypass the "closing flip hangs up the call" feature, although you can set it so that it doesn't pick up the call with a flip. I even talked to LG directly about it. No go, unless you're using a headset. Then closing the phone won't cut off the call.

And for those of you who say, "Rip off! Sprint/T-Mobile/Cingular/Voicestream are cheaper!" I say, "So what do *you* do when you're out of a digital area? Me, I can switch to analog and get service in the boonies."

Thank you for all the advice, everyone. :)

The ability to switch to analog is the biggest selling point for Verizon, as far as I'm concerned. I travel a LOT, and I can't run the risk of being slienced by a lack of digital network.

Re: Nokia 3650

I like mine, though I doubt I'll use the camera for more than the thumbnails thingy for the contacts (I have no Bluetooth, nor does my laptop have an IR port, and I sure as heck ain't buyin' those overpriced multimedia services!). I got mine free @ Amazon.com w/1-yr. T-Mobile contract @ $40/mo.

The nice thing about camera phones is that you can take silly pictures of your mates down the pub and enclose them in heart-shaped electronic frames. Everyone will laugh. Then you can pretend to delete them (the pictures, not the friends).

The next time you're at the pub, you can embarass them again! Genius!

Meh.

They are cool and dandy and stuff, but the pic quality is still a little naff.

Good for a laugh though.

Just the one, mind.

Wil,
I used to be a verizon customer and I am so glad that I left. It is almost like a cult. Once your in, you can't get out. I talk to people on Cingular, AT&T, Nextel, and Verizon. My experience has been that Verizon is the worst of those clarity wise. With Verizon, you will always get a signal, but the quality.....Let's just say is the same as two cans and a string. I have an employee who uses Verizon and he loves it, but I can hardly understand what he is saying. That was the main reason why I left. I couldn't trust it while making an important call.

When I had verizon, the phone would contantly switch back and forth from digital to analog in the same phone call. Quite annoying. A lot of dropped calls too. I have all digital now and I don't miss having an analog option at all

I strongly suggest that before you invest in a good phone and a contract, I would look for a friend that has the service you are thinking of getting and see if you can try it out in the area you live to see if you like it (and if people can understand what you are saying). This might seem like going overboard, but it is the only way to know for sure since cell reception is so spotty in the LA area. Best of luck

Camera phone for those 'spur of the moment photo ops'

Good.

Camera accidentally taking a picture of your a** and sending it to your grandmother.

Not so good.

I like the idea of the camera phones. They have their bad points, but it's so fun to actually have a camera on you for all those moments you wish you had one.

Like when these two guys passed out on the lawn of a festival show I was at. A guy walks by and goes, "I can't miss this." He starts posing the guys (who I am assuming where either very drunk, very tired, or did way too much of some bad things...). It ended with the two guys with their arms around each other, one with his arm on the other's chest, and their empty beer cups next to their mouths. It was quite humourous, and the guy took his picture, then kept walking.

All in all, I would get one just for the humour of getting to keep great photos on your phone and take them everywhere you go.

xoxox Sara

I would put in another vote for Sprint. I have it and I have been pretty happy with it overall. One of the reasons I liked it, was because I could get a signal out in Kerrville when nobody else could. Granted, there are other places where others can get a signal that I can't but overall I think I'm pretty well covered. As for the phones themselves, I have a Samsung, and I love it. I have friends who have Nokias, and most of them have trouble being understood. Thats just my personal experience.

I would second the advice to try out other people's phones to see how the reception is and look at the phones to decide the best ones for you.

I wish I could chime in on the pic phones but I dont have one and have no experience with them. The phone I have now is compatible though, and I might get the little plug in camera later on, once I am ready to upgrade my service.

If I were going to change services though, I would consider AT&T. I think they offer the biggest network and coverage other than Sprint. Maybe even bigger than Sprint. I haven't compared numbers or anything, but they seem like a pretty solid company.

Ooooo! Wil! If you notice, most Sprint phones support AMPS 800 (analog) and right now they are offering Free and Clear America, where you can roam on ANY carrier's network for no additional charge for only $5 a month. That's a really good deal if you have ever had to stare at a bill with roaming charges on it. Check out this phone (Samsung A620/VGA 1000). It can do AMPS, and both 800 and 1900 MHz CDMA aka PCS

http://www1.sprintpcs.com/explore/PhonesAccessories/PhoneDetails.jsp?selectSkuId=samsunga620&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2421&CURRENT_USER%3C%3EATR_SCID=ECOMM&CURRENT_USER%3C%3EATR_PCode=None&CURRENT_USER%3C%3EATR_cartState=group&bmUID=1066191035856

-Bryan

Ooops, Almost forgot. You can get that A620 for only $49.99 on Amazon.com right now

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/stores/detail/-/wireless/B0000C2K8N/glance/qid=1066191311/br=1-4/ref=br_lf_w_zr_4/002-3517335-8818457

I got a sprint cam. phone for free. It's fun.

I like the "pitcure/picture" thing. Good term for the image that is created by a cell-camera.

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