Wait for new Verizon phone or switch to AT&T?

A

Angry Little Fairy

New member
Hello!

I'm currently with Verizon and am ready for a new phone. Ive narrowed the list to a few currently available phones and a few yet to be released. Most from verizon, but a couple from ATT.

Here's my question:

We have the LG vx11000 and LG vx9200 both "passing FCC" within the last few weeks. How long until these phones hit the stores? If i need a new phone soon should i stick with Verizon and wait for these phones or get the Versa now? Or should i switch to ATT and get the Impression or Xenon when they come out next week? Both of these ATT phones seem pretty awesome, but Ive never been with ATT.

Thanks!!
-Josh
 
I tell everyone I ever know (even people that don't have Verizon Wireless)...that you NEVER should switch to a wireless carrier for a phone.

If a wireless carrier comes out with a really neat phone before someone else, the carrier isn't all that great...they use a phone as a marketing approach. It's how they get you to sign a contract and keep their service. This doesn't make a lot of sense since Verizon Wireless does come out with cool phones...but in a way, it's true.

Have you considered looking into the LG VX9600? It's the best cell phone I've ever owned. It's "nickname" is the LG Versa...because of its versatility. It has a detachable keyboard, which you can attach at will...without the keyboard, it looks like the Dare. It does a lot more than the Dare (like it's HTML web browser has advanced Java and Adobe Flash as well as tabbed browsing). And it has a cool 3D effect, you have to play with it to understand that. It also has detachable modules (like a game controller pending release). Check it out before switching: LG Versa.
 
Versa is actually one of the phones i am considering. Is it awkward to hold the phone up to your ear with the keyboard open? Seems like it would be...
 
Well, the phone doesn't have to be open to use it...for calling.

You can place and receive calls with it open or closed (with QWERTY attached). You can't dial numbers with it closed, but if you call with it open, there is a earpiece so you can hear while it's closed. It doesn't hang up the call when you close the phone.

There are also SEND and END buttons on the front cover of the QWERTY so you can answer calls and end calls with it closed. You can also redial a number with it closed.
 
I think that is a good M O, but there are a couple things that are making me look at ATT besides the Xenon and Impression;

1st: I can get a 8% monthly discount through my University
2nd: Rollover Minutes!

Essentially that 8% means i can save about $5.50/month over the exact same Verizon plan. But is that $66/year savings worth leaving Verizon, which I think has a slight edge over ATT on coverage?

Today I went to a Verizon store to experience the Versa in person. I really liked it but would like some Wi-Fi capability. If Verizon's 3G is fast enough then lack of Wi-Fi wouldn't be that big of a deal. That said, the Versa is really cool, and the QWERTY attachment is sweet.
 
Verizon Wireless offers other options, besides rollover.

They don't offer rollover because AT&T staked exclusive rights to it. They offer Friends and Family, for select calling plans. This is a service AT&T won't come out with unless they do away with rollover.

Rollover minutes are actually pointless. A survey did about 3 years ago by the National Wireless Research Centre proved that only 40% of the AT&T customers actually realize they have rollover. Of the 40% that even knew it was part of their plan, only 10% actually used the "saved minutes".

Also, rollover minutes DOES NOT last forever. They're only valid for 6 months, then they're gone...ALSO if you ever change your plan options (texting, calling, data, etc) the rollover minutes go bye bye. Also, if you ever do an early upgrade...they go bye bye and you have to restart.

The small discount you are getting isn't worth sacrificing what you have.

I get a discount with Verizon and AT&T, whoever I choose. I had AT&T and Verizon and eventually dropped off AT&T. AGH...the horrors of their customer service department...
 
They trademarked the name, but they did not/cannot trademark the feature. If I remember correctly it was a left over feature from the BellSouth/Cingular days. Other local and regional carriers have had similar features. I believe one called it "carryover" minutes.
 
Nope, they have staked the service.

T-Mobile released a similar feature and AT&T sued them quite a bit.

Also, you are regulated by the FCC...you can't just offer any features you want. You can only offer as many as to what will keep your services competitive...but not overly competitive.
 
I have to disagree with you. AT&T/Cingular has rollover because it was written into the Bellsouth billing system already when they merged into the company that became Cingular (now the new AT&T). I believe if other carriers were to offer such a feature it would take a complete overhaul of their billing system to get it to work. Still, AT&T might have a copyright on the name, but not the feature. Some small regional carriers offer the same feature under a different name. Carolina Wireless has the feature and Edge Wireless, prior to being bought out by AT&T, also had the feature, but they called it "carryover minutes."

Moreover, I do not recall AT&T suing T-Mobile, but if they did it was more likely over the name, not the feature. I understand that Carolina Wireless and the former Edge Wireless were/are small carriers, but they have/had the feature and AT&T/Cingular never went after them. In the end, the point is that the name is probably copyrighted, but not the feature. Just like how T-Mobile's "My Fave 5" is similar to Altel's "My Circle," any carrier can do something similar to AT&T's Rollover; they can call it "left over minutes' or whatever other "gimmick" they want. As to why they haven't done it, perhaps they see no value in it or simply do not wish to overhaul their billing system, but that is not to say that it is without value. How many carriers offer the option for free incoming or 6pm nights or something similar to SERO, etc?

As a final point, the FCC does not regulated the carriers in the way you described. They do not limit the amount of features a carrier can have.
 
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