Problem deciding between carriers...

U

Utopia

New member
Hi,

I live in Tampa, FL (United States, zip code 33647) and I've actually been with both Verizon and Cingular, each at different times, in the past. Upon returning from a 50 day outting in the wilderness, I found that my cellular service had been cancelled, so I've been debating which company to go with this time around. I'm a college student, so I'm not exactly raking in the cash, but I'm making enough to afford a car and whatnot. I'm just not a fancy business executive with loads of cash I've got waiting to be blow on excessive media packages and data cards that allow me to browse the internet by tethering Palm Treo (I hate Treos), while paying 8 billion dollars a month for such benefits. :P I want a fair amount of minutes (UNlim N&W are important) and a plentiful amount of text messages (at least 2000). Here's what I've come up with:


CINGULAR
---

Phone: BlackBerry Pearl
Plan: $59.99/mo for 900 anytime and UNlim N&W
Extras: $19.99 for 3000 media messages

Pros: GSM > CDMA, Rollover minutes, Much better phones, No universal UI, Bluetooth fully usable
Cons: Expenisve ($80+ per month)


VERIZON
---

Phone: LG VVX8600
Plan: $39.99/mo for 450 anytime and UNlim N&W
Extras: $19.99 for 450 media messages and UNlim IN messaging

Pros: Cheap ($60+ per month), Broader coverage area
Cons: Not a fan of CDMA or Verizon, Phones are fairly crappy, Universal UI sucks, Hampered Bluetooth disallows transfers to PC


Ultimately, Cingular is the more expensive option, but it beats Verizon where it counts (for me, anyway), until I get to making calls, which is obviously most important. Verizon seems to have a greater coverage area, whereas Cingular seems to have all the phones I'd love to use. Oh and on a sidenote, another minor pro of Cingular is that I get to buy an iPhone when it's released. ;D

Let me know if I'm missing anything or if anyone knows something that might tip the balance one way or another.

Thanks,

- Tastic

P.S. I've also considered T-Mobile, but not extensively enough that I've looked up all the information on plans and everything. I heard that the T-Mobile BB Pearl isn't as good as the Cingular Pearl, due to the fact that T-M's service is lacking compared to Cingular. Is T-Mobile a viable third option?
 
woah, college student and the iphone, you really like spending money!

If you were going for voice alone, Cingular is a good choice. But text messaging is expensive so it's definitely a hard decision. Another bit of info for Cingular - unlimited mobile to mobile is already included.


I'm just going to give you a few ideas for T-Mobile.
You may be interested in these plans:

Get More 1000 Plus ($49.99/mo)
1000 anytime & unlimited N/W

Get More ($39.99)
600 anytime & unlimited N/W

myFaves 600 ($49.99)
600 anytime & unlimited N/W
Unlimited calling to 5 phone numbers. This could be useful if you talk to mostly the same people.

myFaves 300 ($39.99)
300 anytime & unlimited N/W
Unlimited calling to 5 phone numbers

*Text messaging is much better on T-Mobile. For $15 you get unlimited texts. If you text a lot, this option is much better than Cingular and Verizon.

Most importantly, test T-Mobile's coverage. I'm not sure about Tampa, but if it's not up to your standards, return it before the trial period ends.
 
Well I'll admit, I have expensive tastes, but when it comes to the subject of the iPhone, I'm 100% an Apple fanboy. Seriously, I've owned almost every Apple product ever created, starting with the original Macintosh computer from the 80s. Add to that my passion for technologically superior cellular devices and it goes without saying that I've been awaiting the iPhone since before Steve Jobs knew it would one day come to fruition.

- Tastic
 
hmm, so what happens when you sign up with T-Mobile for 2 years and the iPhone comes out this year? The iPhone is nice, but don't rush out to get one. It's a huge device too!
 
Honestly I'm much too focused on the present to worry about the iPhone right now. Once it's released, I'll figure out a reasonable way of getting my eager hands on one. As for it being a huge device, it may be a bit wide, but my last phone was the D900 from Samsung (world's thinnest slider until the announcement of the Ultra Edition 10.9 last month) and the iPhone is THINNER than the D900. I'm not a fan of fat bulky phones, so it's a wonder that I kept my s710a for so long, but my point is that the iPhone will be mine regardless of anything and anyone. >:]

- Tastic
 
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