Cell Phones, Bluetooth, and the Great Outdoors

post from NetSweat Fitness Blog on 14 April 2006 04:12:00 PM. © NetSweat Fitness Blog

We're in the process of shopping for a new mobile phone and possibly a new carrier. This has become both a frustrating and enlightening process at the same time.

The crux of the problem is that we want both bluetooth capability and the ability to analog roam. The reason for the former is simple - a wireless headset. The latter, analog roam, is necessary for areas that outside of major metro areas and/or off of the highway.

Tri-band or quad-band means you will have access to the maximum amount of towers possible. If you're driving up and down I-95, analog roam is not a big deal. If you're taking I-80 across Wyoming, you'll need analog roam just to get a signal.

Although driving across Wyoming may seem a like a bit extreme of an example, the fact is if that you want to go into the mountains and/or visit U.S. National Parks, you could run into coverage problems. Verizon's version of the extremely popular Motorola RAZR does has not have the ability to analog roam. None of Sprint's bluetooth phones come with analog roam, either. (T-Mobile's version of the RAZR does have analog roam.) From a safety standpoint, more coverage is always better.

If you're in the middle of a contract with Verizon or Sprint and you're into rock-climbing or backpacking, there is no good solution. You either have to pass on the bluetooth or a get a secondary, non-bluetooth phone. If your contract is expiring, you nay want to think about where you are going to be visiting over the next year or two and whether or not you really need/want bluetooth. And if your contract is up, you may want to compare carriers at DeadCellZones.com.

Finally, CNET.com provides information on radiation levels by cell phone make and model. Although there has heen no proof of a link between cell phone radiation and brain cancer, it's still prudent to go with a lower radiation phone. Even by manufacturer, the levels of radition vary greatly. As with everything else in fitness, every little thing you can do adds up over the long-term.copyright NetSweat.com - The Internet's Fitness Resource

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