[Technology]Be Careful With The Phone As Christmas Gifts

IF YOU'RE lucky enough to find a new handset under the Christmas tree this year, your new year challenge may be to find a plan that suits.

Australian Communications Consumer Action Network director of policy and campaigns Elissa Freeman says if anyone is thinking of giving a phone for a gift, they should do some research first.

It can be very difficult to compare all the products and services on the market, so you do need to go into the shops prepared, Ms Freeman says.

Things to consider include the person's calling and texting habits, whether they want to be able to access the internet, the quality of photos and videos they expect and their budget.

Ms Freeman says people should also consider whether they just want to buy a phone outright and give the recipient the option of using a prepaid plan with no contracts attached, or whether to get a phone that's already attached to a contract.

But there's no such thing as a free phone, she warns.

The cost of the handset will be built into the contract over the life of the contract - most likely 24 months.

She also warns that parents or others who are buying a phone and entering into a contract must also be aware of their legal obligations.

If it's your name on the contract, you're legally responsible for debt on that phone, she says.

"I really encourage people to look at prepaid products and think about buying a simple phone upfront," Ms Freeman says.

When choosing a plan, one thing to watch out for is the high cost of data.

"If you're getting a smart phone you have to think about how much you're willing to spend on data and buy a plan that's appropriate to you - lots of people get caught up in bill shock because of the data component in bills."

Cameron Craig, director of the comparison website whistleout.com.au, says choice of phone plan should also look for the amount of included calls, in particular any free calls between phones on the same network, whether international calls are included in any caps, and access to social networking sites via the phone.

"But beware that any of the media embedded inside a Facebook stream is not unlimited that's in your data stream," Mr Craig warns.

The data component of phone plans is becoming a more important as people spend less time using their phones for calls and more time using them for entertainment.


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