iPhone

Pay attention to battery life। A dead phone is no phone at all, so look for a phone's "continuous talk time" rating. Assume you'll be able to go a day without charging for each hour of talk time.

Seek the best carrier. Coverage and call quality vary widely between the six national carriers. The carriers will tell you that they're perfect, so ask neighbors, friends, and co-workers about who has the best coverage where you live, work and travel.

Test the speaker. Usually, you'll be able to make local calls with a test phone at the wireless store. Make sure voices come through loud enough and clear enough.

Take a hands-off approach when driving. Several states now require you to use a hands-free kit in your car. For a car phone, look for speaker-independent voice commands so you don't have to touch the phone to dial. Try to find a phone with Bluetooth wireless capability for the widest selection of wireless headsets.

Keep an eye out for nickel-and-diming. Your base plan may not include instant messaging, picture messaging, e-mail access or calls in rural areas. If you're going to do any of those things, make sure it's included.

Shop in person, but buy online. Always go to a store to check out phone keypads, screens and speakers. But check carriers' Web sites and independent retailers like amazon.com for online deals once you've settled on a product.

Lock yourself in. Advertised, super-low prices for phones almost always require signing up for a new, two-year contract. Read the fine print to find the price for a phone with a one-year contract. If signing any contract drives you to distraction, check out no-commitment phones like AT&T's GoPhone or Virgin Mobile's prepaid service.

Consider a family plan. These are always the best deal for couples or families with multiple phones. You share a bucket of minutes, each get your own phone number and can save up to 50% over getting separate plans.

Get the right bands for your trips. If you travel between US cities, make sure your phone has both 850 and 1900 Mhz bands for the best coverage. If you often travel in the rural USA, an analog band will help big-time. And if you regularly go overseas, get a 'worldphone' with the 1800 Mhz band.

Don't be afraid to give it back. Most carriers offer a 15-day period when they'll take a phone back, no questions asked. Use your phone heavily the first week after you buy it. If anything deeply disturbs you – muffled sound, dead areas, a limp battery – return it and get a new one.