Being an informed consumer is difficult in today's high tech world. Thirty years ago, the most high tech item in use by the average person was probably a calculator. The quality of a calculator was directly proportional to its cost, so it was a fairly simple product to purchase. Most of the high tech products that we use today are not so easy to purchase. Many have their own associated "lingo" that makes the technology difficult to understand. While the personal computer easily fits into this group of products, the cellular telephone may well be one of the most complicated pieces of electronic equipment to purchase today. Besides understanding the different technologies associated with cell phones, you must also find the technology that is available in your geographic location. Then you must decide where you want to call, when you want to call, and how long you want to talk in order to purchase the proper service plan. This is without even mentioning other major purchasing factors, such as size, usability, and battery life.

Cell phone technology here in the United States is still in a state of flux. While other countries, such as those in Europe and Asia, have settled on one technology, here in the US, we still have two different systems and three competing technologies. The two systems are analog and digital. The quality of analog is poor when compared to digital. In the US, however, the analog system covers a wider area and is the only system available in many rural locations. While there is only one standard analog system, our digital system, which touts better connections and higher voice quality, has several different standards. The first and oldest is TDMA (Time Division Multiple Access), which currently has the largest network in the US. Close behind in network size is the newer CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) technology. These two are somewhat akin to the VHS and Betamax videotape technologies. They do the same thing; they just do it differently and, to make things more difficult for the average user, the two are incompatible. GSM (Global System for Mobile Communication), the third competing technology, is the most widely used digital technology in Europe, Middle East, and Asia. It is rapidly expanding in North America.

To further complicate things, all of these digital technologies use different bandwidths. TDMA and CDMA typically use 800 MHz and1900 MHz. GSM uses different bandwidths in different areas of the world. Another technology called PCS (Personal Communication System) offers advanced features and sound quality but is available only in certain parts of the country.

Some cell phones are dual or tri-mode. While dual-mode usually means operating in both an analog and a certain digital mode, tri-mode often refers to GSM phones that work on three different bandwidths.

When you purchase a cell phone, the cellular service must be contracted separately. With older analog cell phones, you were often able to use the same telephone and switch service providers. Each digital phone, however, has a chip, which ties you to the service provider as well as to the type of service. If you purchase a cell phone that uses, say, Bell South as a service provider and you move to an area where Bell South has no service, you might just as well throw your cell phone away. Unfortunately, most service providers require you to sign a contract, often for as long as a year, with hefty cancellation charges.  If you move out of your service provider's area, you may be throwing some money away as well.

Extra charges are rampant in the cell phone world. If you travel out of your service provider's area, your phone may be able to pick up service from another provider. This is called "roaming" for which there is often an expensive extra charge. Most service plans allow a specific number of minutes per month. If you use excess minutes, added charges apply.

I've only touched the surface of cell phones and the details that surround them. If you are in the market for a cell phone and you want to make an educated decision, get ready for a steep learning curve.