I’ve just spent an hour or so researching new cell phones (because what else would I want to do on a Saturday morning after I’ve already gone running at 9 a.m.* ?) and I think I’ve decided what my new phone will be when I’m due for a new one in May—providing that it is actually released around that time. I mean, I could wait until July or August, but any longer than that and the small portion of my brain that is a rabid tech-toy junkie will be getting way tired of my current phone (despite the adolescent-like presence of Tetris, Mah-jongg and Bejeweled game apps).

My carrier is Verizon (since 1996, actually) so there’s no dancing with the iPhone for me (which is fine. I’m not that fashionable, anyway). As you might assume from my 12-year relationship with Verizon, I’m quite happy with their service. I can honestly say that the only places I’ve had a drop-off in reception have been:

• The wilds of New Hampshire - parts where you can’t even pick up a radio station clearly
• The former bomb-shelters now used as classrooms in NYU’s Stern Building (hell, they might not even be used as classrooms anymore. This was my experience when I had classes in that building in 1999 and 2000)
• In a tunnel during my train ride home. Sometimes the signal doesn’t drop off, but it has one more than one occasion, so it makes this list.
• A small stretch of road in a nearby town where reception inexplicably drops off for everyone I know on every carrier in this area. It’s just “that dead zone.”

But I know that for lots of people (granted, they are generally people who have careers involving a great deal more responsibility, international travel and larger salaries than mine), the whole CDMA thing is crippling (”I can’t use my phone in London??? No SIM card?? Inconceivable!“) so I understand the issues with Verizon there. However, the only time I travel internationally is for leisure, and if I ever decide that I need a mobile phone while abroad, I can just pick up a cheap pre-paid deal while overseas. That makes a bit more sense in my case.

Anyway - the phone. I looked at a few of the BlackBerry models Verizon offers and while they are nice, I don’t think I need to make that leap yet. They’ve got their BlackBerry World Phone that works on both GSM and CDMA networks, but that’s also perhaps a bit more smartphone-ish than what I need (it would be kinda like giving me a Bugatti Veyron to drive to the train station and back - not that I’d refuse that).

I want: decent web-browsing and email capabilities. Bluetooth is nice, too. QWERTY keyboard definitely. And a bit of style.

PhoneArena.com tipped me off to the upcoming phone offering from Verizon - the Samsung SCH-U940. It’s the CDMA version of the Samsung SGH-F700, which is available in Europe and Asia. The specs on that one are pretty OK for me (and while there will be some changes coming over to the States/CDMA, it should be fine).

I found some photos of the SGH-F700 “in action” (including the one at left) which confirm that it’s got the style factor. It is a slide phone, so there’s a QWERTY keyboard underneath that screen if you slide it open and rotate it 90°.

So this might be it. I’ve had a Samsung cell phone before and I was happy with it in terms of the feel of it (had a good heft, felt solid, etc. - I trust that, whether or not it’s a good part of the decision-making process). I don’t think it’s going to be prohibitively expensive; it won’t be more than a BlackBerry in any case.

*I realize that’s not early for most people. That’s early-ish for me. I’ve just been waking up unnaturally early the last week or so - before the alarm even goes off. It’s distressing.