cell phone plans

[pastorables]

I currently have my cell phone through at&t, but I am considering a change to verizon. Could someone please contrast the two providers giving me the pro and cons as to why I would desire one over the other?

Thanks
pa

[Pastor Gary]

Verizon does not (yet) have the iPhone, so that made my decision simple.

[MacUser]

Verizon does not (yet) have the iPhone, so that made my decision simple.

Sadly.. not answering the important question.. yet flippantly agreeing with PG is what I must do.

My IPHONE IS FREAKING AWESOME. Wait.. did I say that outloud? Doh

btw.. on a positive note.. I do get bundle pricing ( cell, DSL, long distance Direct TV ) having it all thru AT&T etc. What I have saved literally pays for the iphone...

[Paully_44]

i have worked for both companies and heard the pro's and con's of each.

Like macuser said, ATT now offers a bundled program called UVerse where they can package everything. Phone (home & wireless), internet and TV etc. that may potentially save some $$.

Coverage also plays into it. Do both companies provide good coverage where you intend to use your phone?

I think both carriers would provide similar price plans.

[Mole_J]

I have AT&T, but no iPhone.

I have had no problems, but I have heard once you get outside of the DC-Metro area the coverage is not that great. I have never been out this area yet with it.

[Susie Hamilton]

I recently got the iPhone and have had no problem with reception in this area.

[free]

I have Verizon (because my wife works for them)...I think both companies are equal, I've had them both.

Also, a guy that goes to my church works for Verizon Wireless and told me that the iPhone will be coming to Verizon some time this summer. I might get one when that happens.

[Billy n NC]

I am using Verizon . I have one of the New ENV3 cell phones,

I can text text,photos and videos to other people as well as interface with
Facebook Twitter etc,

And I have heard that the Iphone is on its way to verizon sometime this summer. It may have to be after the next Iphone release due this summer also,

The question is.... What do you want your cell phone to be able to do?


But at this stage in my mobile usage, not sure an Iphone is needed, as a toy OOH Rahh, but not a need in my usage.

[cndlou]

I have verizon... The best feature to me is....I have much better service with them... Knowing where you live that might be a plus for you also...

[stevenson]

I have At&T and the iPhone. I like the phone & the service. If you haven't heard, AT&T is on a 100 day fast track to improve service. They are committed to making their service so good that noone will leave them when Verizon gets the iPhone.

Although At&T may be a little more expensive, their customer service is great!

[RamboPreacher]

I had Verizon and never had a problem with drops, always had a good signal, even when traveling on the major interstates, across the country 35/80. no complaints about service at all.

I now have at&T, and the iphone mostly for one specific app. i get dropped calls, weak signals in buildings that I had full bars with Verizon, and drop outs of coverage for miles at various places on the major highways.

With that said, and for me, the phone use is secondary. so while I have to put up with poor service and coverage, I get the app that for me was the reason i switched from my blackberry to the iphone.

(the app, in case you are interested - http://www.logos.com/iphone)

one thing that I can do with the at&t/iphone, is use the internet while on a call. I don't know if Verizon (or the BB I had) has changed, but I couldn't do that with my old bb/Verizon.

[Full Quiver]

I really like AT&T. It works good where I live and work.

Currently I am using NEXTEL because my employer issued it to me and I gave my daughter my AT&T phone. I miss it.

[Jeremy Gault]

I'm a Verizon fan myself. The only two providers I have ever had are Sprint (ick) and Verizon. Sprint gave me a lot of issues, most of which were service-related. Lots of dropped calls (especially if you were traveling outside of a major area), lots of roaming charges (until they started offering a no-roaming-charges plan for an additional $5), found myself roaming on Verizon a LOT even around Cleveland, etc. At church I would always be roaming on Verizon's analog network (think: bag phones.) Analog killed my battery, but sounded great (better than digital) if I had a full signal, but would have a lot of static if you were moving around or had a weak signal.

Anyway, I digress.

I've never had AT&T's wireless service before, but I know a few people who have (some who got it just for the iPhone.) Some like it, but I've also heard a lot of complaints about service issues (dropped calls, slow data, etc.) and billing issues. Considering AT&T's track record of blundering ports and orders on the wireline side, I don't know that I would trust them to manage my wireless service. We've had a lot of issues with them not "having it together" ... and outright LYING to us. (Told us a customer's new dry-loop DSL would be on the same wire pair as their old voice+DSL circuit, giving us credentials supposedly for the new account -- then 3 days later their Internet/VoIP tanked. Turns out the credentials we were given were, in fact, for the OLD account, as well as the fact that the wire pair we were on had been disconnected. Even though they told us it would use the same pair, they actually installed a new pair and didn't bother to come inside and move the DSL to the new pair. The old pair was then disconnected.)

As far as iPhone... I do have an iPod Touch, and like it to some extent. I think what killed the iPhone for me was 1) it required me to switch to AT&T (which I don't want to do), and 2) I can't figure out how to make it multi-task outside of a very few specific Apple-related functions. (For example, Amber and I can have SHOUTcast radio playing on the iPod in the living room, and I'll want to switch to Safari to look something up... when I do that, the music stops.) If anyone knows how to make this work, let me know.

For now, I've been sticking with my new BlackBerry Tour 9630 on Verizon, so I guess I'll be in that contract for a couple years at least. Amber's got my old Curve 8330 and loves it.

[Jeremy Gault]

One other thing to think about...

Verizon and AT&T both offer free "in-network" calling. Do most people you know have Verizon or AT&T? This can be a big factor in the decision process, too.

Case in point: Most everyone I work with (including customers) has Verizon. I use THOUSANDS of in-network minutes each month. (We're not even taking into account Friends & Family here.) Currently, I have a 1400 minute plan with 3 lines, F&F, and in-network calling. I end up using about 300-500 "peak" minutes per month (meaning F&F and in-network take care of most my calls.)

If I were to switch to AT&T, a great majority of those calls (unless they are allowing unlimited calling to ANY mobile now, if so, I'll stand corrected) will become PEAK minute calls... so the 1400 minute plan on AT&T wouldn't suffice. I'd probably have to have a 4,000 or so minute plan. Huge jump in cost.