Cell phones: AT&T,Sprint,or Verizon?
alltel
by jaydanie - 12/15/07 10:28 AM In reply to: AT&T,Sprint,or Verizon? by Faysal21for best coverage try alltel (if it's in your area) but make sure your phone has ev-do for faster downloads.
at&t - have to stay on the interstate or big city.
sprint - get 5 miles off the big road and you got NO signal!
verizon - works but has dropped calls.
in our area, alltel is the only one that even works at all.
if you can live without high speed ev-do, then get the razr it's on sale. but make sure you go with a carrier that uses CDMA like alltel or verizon. CDMA can penetrate walls better than sprint and others.
good luck
AT&T,Sprint,or Verizon?
by drdoyle - 12/15/07 11:18 AM In reply to: AT&T,Sprint,or Verizon? by Faysal21I use the GSM system because I work out of the USA part time. My choice of carrier is T-MOBILE. They have better rate plans than ATT, better customer care, and if you use a Blackberry (I have a curve 8320 wifi)you can add email for $10 per month domestic, ($20 per month total for domestic/International)or choose full internet. Also any hotspot will give you internet free and VOIP with no long distance charge from any where in the world. While I used Cingular/ATT for many years, they droped my plan and tryed to to add on extra charges when they changed from Cingular to ATT. The Att customer service was not very good compared to T-Mobile.
As for your main use of the phone for Broadband, if that is the case a broadband card for a small laptop would be a more user friendly way to go. --Dan--
AT&T or Verizon
by tmsimmon - 12/15/07 12:20 PM In reply to: AT&T,Sprint,or Verizon? by Faysal21The last several years I was a Sprint & Nextel Customer in Northern California... Sacramento area. I can tell you two things... the coverage is bad and the Customer Support is in last place out of any cell phone carriers. The only time they wanted to help me was when I cancelled my account, then they offered me some great deals... but it was too late and like I said, the coverage sucks. I am happy with AT&T. But I'm sure Verizon is just as good.
I moved to a BlackBerry (Refurb) and I love it... and may go to the next generation of the iPhone whenever it comes out. but it all depends, I may get the next generation BlackBerry, it's that good.
More than one right answer
by khosea - 12/15/07 5:04 PM In reply to: AT&T,Sprint,or Verizon? by Faysal21First of all let me state that I live in Southern California 60 miles east of LA. That being said, keep in mind that coverage varies from state to state and region to region. I have tried all of the big cell providers in my area (ATT, Sprint/Nextel, Verizon). I currently have Verizon. The data plans for Verizon are among the most expensive however their data speeds are at the top of the scale. Sprint has the better data rate costs and similar network speed but more spotty coverage in general.
The choice of phone makes just as much difference as the network. Some phones have very good reception and others are just ok. I have noticed this on Verizon with my Blackberry 8830 vs my Palm 700w/700p (I tried both). My reception with the Palm 700w was middling at best but my Blackberry gives me better signal in more places.
If the cost of your basic service is an issue, Verizon is not your best carrier. Their basic phone plans are higher but when you get to higher minute plans and power user rates(<1500 min per month + Data plan) they are pretty similar to the others. Depending on features their rates may fluctuate within a 5-10 dollar margin above or below the competition based on the promotion being offered at the time.
AT&T has less than reliable service in my opinion. I have never tested one of their HSPDA devices that can access their 3g data network but in general I had problems with them. I tried them out for the i-phone but that was because I am a early adopter...I returned it after I played with it for a while. I have to say the data/cell minute bundle on the i-phone is not a bad plan if...you can put up with slow web browsing when not in the range of a Wifi network.
At the end of the day there are so many options and variables that the best thing for you to do is to test drive the networks in your area (most of them will allow you to try their service/phones for 2-4 weeks at no risk should you choose to return it; however most of them will make you pay for the minutes you have used...so be careful). Verizon has a special testing period called "Test Drive" it is probably one of the easiest to try. If you like it keep it; if you like the network but don't like the phone, exchange the phone within the trial period. this has been my approach and it is the best advice I can give in your situation.
Sprint, AT&T, Verizon, T-mobile...
by jgvillan - 12/19/07 3:50 PM In reply to: More than one right answer by khoseaI have been with AT&T when it was the old AT&T, then Cingular, and then the New AT&T. Depending on vaious cell phones that I had through out my entire service with them, I never really experienced drop outs or lack of coverage. Didn't matter where I was, SF, Daly City, Fremont, San Jose, Chicago, DC, anywhere... With that being said, I did had issues in coverage within my house during the first AT&T/Cingular transition. That got better as time went on, and so far...no issues on the 2nd Cingular/AT&T trasition. No issues with voice mails, texts, or internet. Best thing that I like about AT&T is the Roll-Over for unused minutes. In fact, especially in my family plan, I have way too much roll-over that they are actually expering after 1 year's time.
Anyways, so as far as I care....AT&T works for me.
Sprint does nickle and dime for every minute you use for either data or voice. Their coverage around the Bay Area is slightly less than AT&T, but my daughter is happy with her phoned and coverage.
Verizon is what my company use. It's ok, but have trouble with reception in Oakland, especially inside buildings. Also, I have friends who have issues with late voicemail and text messages not getting through on time.
T-Mobile is good, and cheap, with their minutes. However, they have an even spottier coverage than Sprint does. Besides, they dont have 3G (yet)...
So, with ALL that said... all cell phones, and their carriers, have their good and not so good qualities.
none of the above.
by bl14 - 12/15/07 5:44 PM In reply to: AT&T,Sprint,or Verizon? by Faysal21It really depends on where you live, where you use the phone and what do you expect from your phone. I myself switched to t-mobile and will get a prepaid alltel for travel into remote rural areas.
AT&T,Sprint,or Verizon?
by twinreg1 - 12/15/07 7:29 PM In reply to: AT&T,Sprint,or Verizon? by Faysal21I've used Verizon's Free-up Pre-paid for as long as I can remember and used it mainly because it was the only carrier that never had a problem during my bi-annual trips to see my daughter in Montgomery, Alabama, while driving from Philadelphia, PA. I made the return trip Sept. ‘07, after a four year break, and the phone lost service; roaming/no dial tone/no inbound or outbound calls for the entire time after I crossed into Alabama from Georgia until I crossed back into Georgia.. I had a spare T-mobile phone that I was able to use in Alabama. I’ve always enjoyed Verizon with it’s online call logs, but if it’s no good in Alabama, I will drop it and stay with T-mobile!!!
Sprint wants EVERY dime they can squeeze out of you
by windbite - 12/16/07 6:26 AM In reply to: AT&T,Sprint,or Verizon? by Faysal21I was a Sprint customer for 9+ years. They've mutated into another ATT giant. The customer service is excellent... when you sign up. When you're under the 2-year contract... you could die as far as they care, with long wait times, rude reps and problems unresolved. After leaving them, they have tried to fine me for leaving them early! This is a corporate monster you had best avoid.
CELL PHONES
by scharpj - 12/18/07 7:10 AM In reply to: AT&T,Sprint,or Verizon? by Faysal21HAD SPRINT/NEXTEL AND HAD THE WORST COVERAGE. WHILE I AND MY FAMILY WERE IN BIG SKY MONTANA THE ONLY PERSON WITH COVERAGE WAS MY BROTHER WHOM IN WHICH HAD VERIZON. SOOOOOOOO , I WENT TO VERIZON AND HAVE HAD SERVICE IN THE VIRGIN ISL., AS WELL AS TURKS AND CACOS. AS WELL THERE IS A PROGRAM BY VERIZON THAT YOU CAN PURCHASE FOR ABOUT $50. THAT ALLOWS YOU TO DOWNLOAD YOUR ITUNE MUSIC ONTO YOUR PHONE/MP3 WITHOUT HAVING TO PURCHASE SONGS FROM VCAST WHICH I FIND TO BE HORRIBLE.NOT SURE ABOUT RING TONES. YOU MAY HAVE TO PURCHASE THOSE FROM VCAST.
Correction on Music with Verizon Phones
by Taquitasun - 12/19/07 3:26 PM In reply to: CELL PHONES by scharpjMost ringtones you do have to buy. But with the Music there are three options. 1. Buy it from them on thier Vcast service. 2. Buy thier Music kit for $40.00 so you can tranx music from your computer. or My Fav option. 3. if you get a memory card which is a good idea since it allow you to have more music. Get a card reader and you can put the music directly from itunes or windows media player onto the card then put the card in the phone and it works just like buying the music from them. I currently have over 200 songs on my Samsung U740. All Free.99
I chose Verizon
by Shookone - 12/19/07 11:42 PM In reply to: Correction on Music with Verizon Phones by TaquitasunI was having this same issue. I had AT&T for the last 2 years and I have found the service to be terrible. I had to forward my phone to my house phone because I couldn't get any reception. I decided to try Sprint but I wasn't impressed with the phone & so I ended up transferring to Verizon. I bought the LG Voyager which I really like. If you buy it online you can get instant savings instead of a mail-in rebate. I have music stored on my microSD card & I have downloaded tons of ringtones from www.freeringers.net. You have to pay a fee but its unlimited downloads & it works fine with my phone. I saw something about slow messages but I have got mine very quickly so far.
Honestly, the best advice I can give you is look at your areas coverage & talk to people you know about there service. Consumer reports rated Verizon as the best phone coverage.
Depends.
by lifesucks9294 - 12/19/07 7:30 PM In reply to: AT&T,Sprint,or Verizon? by Faysal21Cingular and Verizon have much better coverage than Sprint. Verizon is more of a money hog because 1. Extremely few of Verizon's phones have integrated Wi-Fi, which means you have to buy a data plan. 2. Getting songs into your Verizon phone isn't cheap, and usually requires you to buy extra equipment, or use their own V-Cast service. 3. Verizon's plans are generally more expensive than Cingular, Sprint, T-Mobile, etc. Cingular's has generally a much better selection of phones than it's competitors, although Verizon's phone lineup seems to be improving. Still, though, Verizon's phones probably won't have Wi-fi. Cingular also has the best lineup of smartphones, so probably you can be more productive with a Cingular plan. Find a phone you like, research the provider, and try to find the best deal you can. Good luck.
I like sprint.
by Lively.Brittany - 9/1/08 9:27 AM In reply to: AT&T,Sprint,or Verizon? by Faysal21When I first got a cellphone I had Nextel (way before they ever merged with Sprint). It was the worst service ever. I just hated everything about them.
Currently I am with sprint and I love it. I get service EVERYWHERE even in the mountains when my WHOLE family went on a camping trip, everyone had to keep using my phone because no one else had bars. Plus they have the 'free incoming call plan' which means if someone calls you, it doesn't use up any of your minutes. Although, I'll admit, the customer service for Sprint is awful. They give you the runaround and they never speak very good english and don't seem to know what I'm talking about.
Now my exboyfriend has Verizon and I don't know which network it is but sometimes we don't get text messages that the other sends and sometimes they take a few hours to recieve. There plans are more expensive than Sprints. Also, he has the Samgung Alis phone which is also a music playing phone. He has never once bought songs off of Vcast, I mean we have to software on the computer but he just takes all of his songs from iTunes (which were downloaded off of limewire) and puts them on the vcast then on his phone. Its very simple
AT&T always seems to get the coolest phones first, which sucks for me lol. I still get better service thanmy family members that have AT&T. Their plans also seem to be the most expensive of all. My plan right now is 69 dollars a month, for the same plan with roll over mins (which doesnt matter to me cuz I have fre incoming calls) would be 89 dollars.
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