Travel Technology - Time for a new Verizon phone -- recommendations, please.

I'm about due for a "new every 2" phone, which is well timed because my trusty Motorola Z6v is on its last legs (I'm rough on phones).

I want to stick with Motorola. I find them reliable -- they don't drop calls, voice quality is excellent, they have loud ringers, and they're pretty tough. I also have Motorola Phone Tools, which makes syncing to Outlook very easy.

I have a Blackberry Storm, so I'm definitely not interested in any gimmicks. I would like a phone that has:

- BlueTooth
- Speaker phone
- Contacts and Calendar
- (Ideally) support for GSM as well as CDMA. I want to use my own SIM card when I travel to GSM countries. I could use my Storm, but it's a little too big.
- Small size and weight
- Either slide or flip to open -- I don't like "chocolate bar" phones
- (Preferrably) miniUSB connector, as opposed to something proprietary or microUSB (the Storm is microUSB, so I'd live with that if I had to).

Thanks!

While I unfortunately do not have a specific suggestion for you (I'm still on my KRZR) I would heartily recommend Howard Forums.

The VZW Moto forum is located at http://howardforums.com/forumdisplay.php?f=294

The list of all VZW Phone forums (including Moto, LG, Samsung, Blackberry General, etc.) is at
http://howardforums.com/forumdisplay.php?f=254

I have always found Howard to be very helpful.

Thanks for the Howard Forums recommendation. I knew about them and, if I thought about that, would have gone there first.

A quick perusal confirmed there is only one choice -- the Z6c, which is currently on sale for $79. I ordered one and will probably order a second for Mrs. PTravel.

Thanks for the Howard Forums recommendation. I knew about them and, if I thought about that, would have gone there first.

A quick perusal confirmed there is only one choice -- the Z6c, which is currently on sale for $79. I ordered one and will probably order a second for Mrs. PTravel.

My pleasure. A couple of details for your consideration:

Moto is asking $319 for this phone on their direct order page. (http://www.store.motorola.com/mot/en/US/adirect/motorola;jsessionid=325F49B09EB163B4C55EEAB4ED0883 BB.mot5?cmd=catProductDetail&entryPoint=adirect&productID=MOTZ6C-MEM&messageType=catProductDetail&showAddButton=true) You can also see all the specs there.

The thing that most concerns me with any CDMA/GSM combination is the issue of whether the GSM side is network locked or not. Considering that VZW is partly owned by Vodaphone, I think this is worth looking into.

Depending on your own personal needs, you may find using prepaid service in a particular country better or you might even want to go with a separate account.

As oftened mentioned here, I have separate VZW and Orange accounts but my Orange phone is unlocked. If I were to travel to some place like SYD, I would thus be able to buy a local prepaid SIM.


[Edited to add update]

P.S. I just found the following link from Moto on "your" phone: https://ecommerce.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/ecommerce.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=19491



What is ‘Un-Activated’?

Answer


Un-activated phones have a specific carrier software and will work on that carrier service plan.

Benefits of Un-activated Phone

Un-activated phones let you get a new phone without extending your current contract

Disadvantage of Un-activated Phone

Un-activated phones are priced higher than buying a phone with plan because you do not need to commit or start a new service plan contract.

How Do I Use ‘Un-activated’ Phone

To activate your un-activated GSM phone, simply insert your current SIM Card into your new phone. The SIM card is typically located under your battery and looks like a tiny credit card or memory card. Once your SIM has been inserted into the new phone, your phone will be active. Your SIM card may have your phone numbers (from your address book) stored on it also.
To activate your CDMA phone, please call your current service provider. You will need to know your phone’s serial number which is located behind the battery.

Unfortunately, as I know you know, VZW has a history of fooling around with Moto's features so I have no idea if their version of this phone is really unlocked.

My pleasure. A couple of details for your consideration:

Moto is asking $319 for this phone on their direct order page. (http://www.store.motorola.com/mot/en/US/adirect/motorola;jsessionid=325F49B09EB163B4C55EEAB4ED0883 BB.mot5?cmd=catProductDetail&entryPoint=adirect&productID=MOTZ6C-MEM&messageType=catProductDetail&showAddButton=true) You can also see all the specs there.

The thing that most concerns me with any CDMA/GSM combination is the issue of whether the GSM side is network locked or not. Considering that VZW is partly owned by Vodaphone, I think this is worth looking into.

Depending on your own personal needs, you may find using prepaid service in a particular country better or you might even want to go with a separate account.

As oftened mentioned here, I have separate VZW and Orange accounts but my Orange phone is unlocked. If I were to travel to some place like SYD, I would thus be able to buy a local prepaid SIM.


[Edited to add update]

P.S. I just found the following link from Moto on "your" phone: https://ecommerce.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/ecommerce.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=19491





Unfortunately, as I know you know, VZW has a history of fooling around with Moto's features so I have no idea if their version of this phone is really unlocked.Verizon will unlock the Z6c -- you just have to be a customer in good standing for more than 60 days. The only BlueTooth profiles I need are so I can use a BlueTooth headset. It's a bonus if the phone will provide a BlueTooth modem, but I'd only use that feature overseas, assuming I can buy a SIM that supports data and, frankly, if I have to connect via cable that's not a big deal.

I have been using this phone for about 18 months now all over the world. I do not use the Verizon supplied SIM card since the charges are too high. Verizon will unlock the phone for you to use other SIM cards. What I do is get a local pre-paid SIM and use that. The problem with that is it is a new phone number each time, I handle that by updating my voice mail greeting with the new number and my local time zone. I keep the same SIM card for Singapore since I am there often and just use SingTel's fillup option. How do the rates compare to Verizon a SIM card with 60 minutes of unlimited calling including international will cost about $20 singapore dollars. If I tried to talk that long using the verizon sim it would be well over $100 USD.
In summary works great and lasts a long time, I would recommend the extended battery. BT connects to my car headset and even PC's so do not know what else I need.

I have been using this phone for about 18 months now all over the world. I do not use the Verizon supplied SIM card since the charges are too high. Verizon will unlock the phone for you to use other SIM cards. What I do is get a local pre-paid SIM and use that. The problem with that is it is a new phone number each time, I handle that by updating my voice mail greeting with the new number and my local time zone. I keep the same SIM card for Singapore since I am there often and just use SingTel's fillup option. How do the rates compare to Verizon a SIM card with 60 minutes of unlimited calling including international will cost about $20 singapore dollars. If I tried to talk that long using the verizon sim it would be well over $100 USD.
In summary works great and lasts a long time, I would recommend the extended battery. BT connects to my car headset and even PC's so do not know what else I need.Thanks for the review. That's what I do when I travel out of the US -- I used to keep cheap GSM phones around for that purpose and, on my last trip to China, was using my Blackberry, at least until I lost it (that's how I wound up with a Storm, and I don't want to lose that). I like the idea of only needing a single phone.

I always buy local SIM cards. Since the only calls I'm concerned about are from work, I just give them the number of whatever SIM I buy.

I currently have a Z6-series Moto phone, and I've found that the battery life is adequate for my uses. I charge it every day, anyway, but I can push it to 3 days without needing a charge if I don't use Bluetooth. I'm on a fairly strict budget just now, so I'll probably have to forgo the extended battery, at least for the time being.