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Cell phones: What comes first in your decision: Carrier or cell phone?
- 12/20/04 1:36 PM
What comes first in your decision: Carrier or cell phone?
by Lee Koo (ADMIN) - 12/20/04 1:36 PM
Do you shop for a carrier before you even consider what phone to get dreamy about? Or is it vice-versa?
Tell us how you decide right here and why?
Thanks!
-Lee Koo
CNET Community
Carrier!!!!!
by jefs - 12/20/04 1:35 PM In reply to: What comes first in your decision: Carrier or cell phone? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
If the phone doesn't work, it doesn't matter how great the device is without any service. However, I'm running into a snag as I really don't like the phones that Verizon has but their service is the best here.
Phones, then carrier, then phones...
by jbroshear - 3/1/06 8:39 AM In reply to: Carrier!!!!! by jefs1st - Basic phone features wanted (size, bluetooth, etc.). That may eliminate 1 or 2 carriers
2nd - Carrier all the way (coverage, rate plan)
3rd - Back to phones to narrow choices if there are any
Carrier
by PudgyOne - 12/20/04 3:18 PM In reply to: What comes first in your decision: Carrier or cell phone? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
It all depends on how much you use your cell phone.
If you do not use it alot, Then you want a plan that you pay as you go.
If you use your phone alot then you need to look for a plan that suits you as well as when you are on the go.
You need to ask yourself if you want FREE roaming or want to pay for it.
FREE long distance or pay for it.
FREE Text messaging or pay for a fee or pay for each.
Lots of questions that only the individual person can answer.
Myself, I do not use a cell phone much. I am using a pay as you go service.
Do the math.
Check the price of a phone card from Cingular. Divide it by the number of minutes you get. Price is (if I'm correct) approximately $.34 a minute. Add roaming and it equals 2 units or $.68 a minute. Check out another carrier and it charges $.25 a minute for the first 10 minutes everyday and $.10 cent a minute after that. FREE roaming (FREE is nice) and receive text messages for Free, $.10 each to send.
I have decided on a carrier that I think will suit my needs.
Choosing Carrier or Phone
by sking - 12/20/04 4:34 PM In reply to: What comes first in your decision: Carrier or cell phone? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I have been a cell phone user for quite some time. I use it for both personal and business and I think you should discuss with area customers the signal strength, number and location of towers, and if calls are dropped. I have been with Alltel here in Montgomery, Alabama and the signal strength and coverage area meet my needs. It doesn't matter how cool the phone is if the carrier can not support your needs.
My business is switching to Nextel in this area and my initial experience is they are not as customer oriented (responsiveness)as Alltel. Some people are complaining of dropped calls. We are going with them for the Direct Connect Walkie Talkie feature to save money.
I think you should choose a reliable carrier with good area coverage and strong customer support. Go to their office and see how responsive they are to your visit - that will give you a pretty good indicator.
The weaker the signal, or the harder the phone has to work to maintain a signal, ultimately drains the battery faster.
Ask them to provide you with a demo or a three day trial. Travel around the area and see how well the demo functions.
Choose the Carrier first and be patient regarding the selection of phones.
Watch out for contract length. Now that you are allowed to transfer your phone number ("portability" or "porting"), carriers are trying to lock you in to two and three year contracts with cool and expensive phones. The prepay or trial/demo might be something you want to consider.
Scott
cell phone or carrier
by rebel 2435 - 12/21/04 3:21 AM In reply to: What comes first in your decision: Carrier or cell phone? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Carrier first then cell phone
Carrier or cell phone?
by mingsen - 12/21/04 3:23 AM In reply to: What comes first in your decision: Carrier or cell phone? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I go for carrier first.
"it's not the machine, it's the man"
by PatrickM - 12/21/04 3:39 AM In reply to: What comes first in your decision: Carrier or cell phone? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Hi All!
This quote is from Chuck Yeager, first man to fly over the sound barrier.
What definitely counts for me, it is what the user expects from the combo service/material (operator vs material).
In short: here in Portugal, as in other countries i guess, services have pros and cons, but are all-in-all about the same.
Remains the equipments, the phones themselves. As the operators usually provide them with exclusivity to their network, a huge market of all-operators phones (read: unlocked) has rised.
They are legal, anyway, as you buy the phone without contracting a service to a particular operator.
Thus, people can have the phone that suits best their needs, THEN chosing an operator.
And why not, lots of people have more SIM cards (from other operators) to use whenever it is judicious (ie. less expensive, as the coverage is about equal).
Likewise, the important is how people feel with a particular phone model.
As far as I know, in France there is a jurisprudence, not being 100% sure, that even contractual phones may be legally unlocked after 6 months.
It is somehow one of the questions of the open-source: why when you buy something should you be stuck?
It is a hot subject here in Europe.
Great Holidays and a Happy 2005 to you Lee, to all the staff at CNET, to all the readers, and why not, to all of the world.
Regards,
Patrick M.
Carrier
by jwerner - 12/21/04 4:03 AM In reply to: What comes first in your decision: Carrier or cell phone? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Years ago had originaly picked equipment but then found out what roaming charges were all about--then made sure that coverage and service areas were the priority--then would pick the right equipment--although after reading info and reviews on Treo 650 i'm sorry i'm with a different company right now--waiting patiently....
Carrier or phone
by jstrotman - 12/21/04 4:33 AM In reply to: What comes first in your decision: Carrier or cell phone? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I shopped for a carrier. Wireless coverage, so I can use my laptop anywhere in greater Atlanta area.
Which came first the carrier or the cell phone?
by j_reid69 - 12/21/04 4:35 AM In reply to: What comes first in your decision: Carrier or cell phone? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
You mean there are people in the US who choose their phone and then go with that carrier?
We have been using cell phones since before the "bag" unit - and they weren't too mobile at that time either.
We have used many companies simultaneously in an attempt to improve our coverage area or cost of use. These are the companies we have used through the years in the order we used them (as service declined we moved on).
Alltel
AT&T
Sprint
Cingular
Nextel
Verizon - this is the back-up to the Nextel phone
and experienced a friend's T-Mobile
My husband is an over-the-road truck driver and the ability to make a phone call from anywhere directly effects our income. We are very interested in the most minutes for the money and at this time Nextel wins the prize - unlimited usage for $299.99 a month. Hopefully Sprint won't screw that up. Nextel appears to have the most durable phones at this time which is also a priority in a truck. We use their military edition i305 - it fits a man's hand well. Their sound quality has very much impressed us and their coverage area just keeps expanding - and obviously just underwent another expansion with the Sprint merger. Hopefully Sprint will let Nextel handle customer service. Verizon appears to have the best coverage area, but has not matched that with the best rate plans overall. Every carrier we have used has had a range of phones to choose from, so the phone has definitely been secondary in our house.
We also use data cards - currently we use Sprint's unlimited usage for $79.99 a month and it has served us well. I was very intereted in Verizon's recent offering of a high speed card, but once again they dropped the ball on the rate plan for it, so for now we are sticking with the Sprint card.
$299.99 a month for a cell phone?
by mooseketer - 12/21/04 6:26 AM In reply to: Which came first the carrier or the cell phone? by j_reid69$299.99 a month for a cell phone? WOW!! My Cingular bill is only $59.99 a month for 2 phones and share minutes. I can talk to any other Cingular customer in the U.S. for FREE and there is FREE roaming. ET uses Cingular to phone home because home is also a Cingular customer.
$299.99 a month for a cell phone?
by j_reid69 - 3/1/06 7:11 AM In reply to: $299.99 a month for a cell phone? by mooseketerThat is unlimited usage to speak to anyone including ET - it a business phone not a talk to my brother and sister who have the same carrier phone. We use at the very least 6000 minutes a month.
I guess it's true... there's a sucker born every minute.
by alqaqish - 12/21/04 7:36 PM In reply to: Which came first the carrier or the cell phone? by j_reid69If you are in fact paying $299.99 a month you are being ripped off. You whine about Sprint for some reason, but if you had Sprint you could have two phones for about $60 and have unlimited nights, weekends, and Sprint to Sprint calls.
I guess it's true... there's a sucker born every minute.
by j_reid69 - 3/1/06 7:14 AM In reply to: I guess it's true... there's a sucker born every minute. by alqaqishI love these responses from people who only carry a cell phone so that they can contact their best bud to meet them for eats and treats - this is a business phone - we do business 7 days a week 24 hours a day - we use at least 6000 minutes a month. Do the math - unlimited minutes for $300 - now see what you are paying - you are right - there is a sucker born every minute.
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