What cellphone service do you have?

[SWriverstone]

Just an "update poll." If you feel like it, list your biggest likes/dislikes.

And yes, the list above is probably—in reality—just 2 or 3 big corporations who own all the others...for example, Sprint obviously owns Nextel, but I don't know if the two are still branded/marketed/sold separately or not? And AT&T owns Cingular, I believe...so in these cases, list what brand of cellphone service you use, regardless of who owns it.

And if you're inclined, tell us what you're paying per month for your service. (And whether that includes Internet access.) And whether you have a "smartphone" (which includes the iPhone) or just a plain ol' flip phone.

Scott

PS - I have Verizon Wireless; used a Treo for years and liked it; recently ditched it for a Verizon VX-6800 w/Windows Mobile 6---so far, the *only* thing I'm liking about Windows Mobile is surfing the net, which is better than anything else but the iPhone. Otherwise I think Windows Mobile sucks. If Palm came up with a decent mobile web browser, I'd worship them forever.

Verizon's coverage is awesome; I've almost never been anywhere in the nation where I couldn't get a signal.

I'm paying about $140-150/month for a 2-smartphone family plan (my daughter has a Treo), both with Internet access.

[maddjack]

Since i rarely use my cell phone,and don't want to be connected all the time I just use a Tracphone

[squeezer]

Also Verizon.  I went with them because they had the best signal in our area.  I agree that their coverage is great.  I also like that they have brick and mortar stores all over the place that offer reasonably competent customer and technical service.

Three things I really, really dislike about them:
1. The stupid Verizon interface they insist on putting on all phones.  It sucks.  Every manufacturer has invented interfaces that are vastly superior.
2. The CDMA network.  Since most of the world uses GSM, you're hosed once you leave the U.S.  An AT&T phone, on the other hand, is likely to work most places in Europe and Asia.
3. They cripple many Bluetooth functions on their phones making it difficult to download files except through their own VCast system.

Those things are really enough to give them the boot.  I reupped with them about a year ago out of laziness -- and because my wife and son liked their phones at the time I had to get a new one because mine fell out of the map pocket on the tankbag.  I think, in a couple more years, there won't be significant differences in coverage and I'll leave Verizon's faults way behind.

[bedlamite]

I've had a Nokia 1100 with Tracfone for about 5 years now. $20 every three months, and I use about 15-20 minutes a month.

[chornbe]

Using a Krazor on AT&T. Happy with the service and this is the first cell phone I've ever actually liked. The software menus actually seem to make sense. Whoda thunk?

[ksann]

Personal phone, as well as daughters phone are both Verizon.

Company just switched over to verizon. So I carry two Verizon phones.

Company went from 'Berries to Treo's some years ago, then when swithcing to verizon earlier this year, we went to SCH-i760's. Great screen, Mobil 6, but I still don't like the keyboard as much as the Treo's.



ken

[ghostrider]

+1 on the Krzr, I am also on AT&T...no coverage problems in the last 3 years.  My phone is unlocked, unblocked, and unbranded; with this, I can go overseas and purchase a prepaid sim card and use it without problems.  I quit using a cellphone for anything other than a phone, I just carry a sub-notebook with an air card to handle any other form of communication.

[et]

Although I (sort of; read below) have more than one cellphone; I voted Virgin Mobile because that is the one I use regularly. My Page Plus is only for vacations.

I only use a cellphone for emergencies.
So both my phones are prepaid.
Virgin Mobile is $15 for three months and Page Plus is as low as $10 for four months.
And with both; unused minutes rollover as long as you top-up before the end of those three or four months.
Personally; I have a hard time using all $15 or $10.

The Virgin Mobile has better features; such as a crude web browser and automatic top-up.
The Page Plus has much better coverage; it uses Verizon's networks. While Virgin Mobile only uses Sprint's PCS network.
Get out of the major urban areas; ie be in the middle of Montana or Saskatchewan. And the Page Plus will work; the Virgin Mobile won't.

Due to Virgin Mobile having automatic top-up, Page Plus only having manual top-up, and my not going on vacation last Sept.
I forgot to top-up my Page Plus and it has been deactivated/expired even though it still had ~$30 on it.
So I will have to start a new account with Page Plus next time I take a vacation.

[garry]

I don't have a "regular" cell phone. I just wanted something to drag along in the car or on the bike for emergency/infrequent use. So I have a Tracfone. The cheapo Nokia phone was free and it costs me $100 for a year of service and several hundred minutes. I just re-upped for another year and got 550 minutes with a promo code. That's WAY more minutes than I'll probably use. I believe Tracfone will use ANY cellular network it can find (part of the reason the cost per minute is high). Works for me. Roughly $8 a month, and any unused minutes roll over to the next year.

[JReazor]

I'm on Verizon because nearly everyone I know is on Verizon. We have the least expensive family plan available and never come close to going over. Were it not for free in newtwork calling I would be way, way over.

[Wilbur]

I don't have a home phone, only my cell, so I'm on Verizon because of the coverage. I haven't been anywhere I can't use it yet, though I have had to go outside once or twice. I'd like to leave them because of the way they cripple their phones but I think I'd miss the coverage more. I'm hoping the iPhone/Apple strategy will re-write the way mobile phones are marketed.

[SWriverstone]

We also ditched our landline phone a few months ago and are 100% cell now. If you haven't done it, I highly recommend it! No---there are no problems with not having a landline phone (at least none that we've discovered yet).

I just reached a point where I felt landline service was too much of a ripoff with the ABC fee and Universal XYZ fee and This tax and That tax and Line Access Charge A and State and Local Access Charge B...(etc ad nauseum).

Scott

[R.Markus]

Sprint Nextel.

Terrible coverage with matching prices and service. The only reason I still use Nextel is the direct connect option. Almost everyone I work with has one and it makes communication a lot easier and quicker.

[RideWV]

AT&T Blackberry Pearl, Costs me nothing because it's a company phone.

+ unlocked GSM phone (originally bought when the local carrier was Cellular One franchise)
- browser is crude compared to iPhone
+ apps are pretty good (google maps pretty handy, email client is good)
+ accessories are easy to find due to popularity
- not a flip phone so fragile parts exposed
+ google chat client works great and eliminates the need to spend money on txt messaging.

Sprint Katana, $65
-- contract up at end of july and we'll probably ditch it
+ flip phone
+ very loud speaker

We also have no landline.

James

[DogBoy]

I switched to Verizon from AT&T a few months ago. For me, the coverage and customer service have been much better. So far, Verizon has been a much better experience than AT&T or Sprint.

I don't travel much and I don't use any features like texting, email, video or web browsing so I'm probably not a good sample.

[Kat-Rider]

Verizon, because work pays for it.
The service is good, I have only come across a couple of places that I could not get a signal.  Got verizon for the wife and kids when we got rid of the land lines.  We got the cheap family plan and have not come close to the limit.  The text messages on the kids phone went over a couple of times.  Then I started making them pay for the ones that they got and that fixed that problem.

[SWriverstone]

Temporarily setting aside the fact that the iPhone rulz and is the greatest invention since the wheel...   ...I ditched my Verizon VX-6800 Windows Mobile 6 phone this afternoon and reactivated my Treo 700P. All I can say is...

WOOHOO!!!  

The Treo is **so** much nicer than the WinMobile phone. Easier, faster, more intuitive...it just works.

Now what I'm trying to figure out is...why the hell did I think I was tired of the Treo a few months ago???   (Guess it just goes to show---all things are relative...)

Scott

[Black Ice]

Verizon has been great to me for about a decade.  Stellar coverage, wonderful customer service, cheap broadband card.  Totally recommend.  

[ksann]

I have been cell-only since January 2002.

No regrets.




ken

[Meat sac]

I have AT&T with my Iphone. 60 smackers a month covers 450 minutes + data, way cheaper than my verizon with Blackberry.

Also, for those that feel you need a landline for schools to call or what not, just get a Google Grand Central number. You can have that number auto ring any other phone numbers plus you can filter and even create custom answers, I believe you can listen to VM on the web also. Oh yeah, it's free also. This way when school or daycare calls, it rings on my wifes and mine cell phones at the same time, who ever answers it first - wins.

[JimWilliamson]

Verizon with a Treo 600. Not looking to replace the Treo - maybe only if it dies (it gets dropped about once every 6 weeks - takes a licking and keeps on ticking).

I might upgrade to the unlimited voice plan (I don't do data on it though I might if $$'s were a bit lower for data). I've been happy with coverage until I get into the Colorado valleys / canyons then coverage immediately drops out - likely the same for other carriers.

[JimWilliamson]

Also, for those that feel you need a landline for schools to call or what not, just get a Google Grand Central number.

Do schools not want people to use cell phones for contact needs?

[JimWilliamson]

Temporarily setting aside the fact that the iPhone rulz and is the greatest invention since the wheel...   ...I ditched my Verizon VX-6800 Windows Mobile 6 phone this afternoon and reactivated my Treo 700P. All I can say is...

WOOHOO!!!  

The Treo is **so** much nicer than the WinMobile phone. Easier, faster, more intuitive...it just works.

Now what I'm trying to figure out is...why the hell did I think I was tired of the Treo a few months ago???   (Guess it just goes to show---all things are relative...)

There's a PC Magazine article discussing mobile devices. They're mentioning that many phone creators are designing OS/GUI's for low power / long battery life devices except for Microsoft which is designing as if the devices will adhere to Moore's Law (and get faster) as desktop devices do. With that said, the comment is that Windows Mobile is agonizingly slow on most mobile devices. Bottom line - the industry is moving towards long battery, slow CPU's, making the most of what's there whereas MS is moving towards devices with fast CPU's (and likely short battery life).

From the comments I don't think I'll be looking for a Windows Mobile device any time soon. I do wonder if Palm will be able to pull their foot out of the grave.

[ReynoldsFH439]

I have TMobile and am happy with it.  

I got my first phone while I was in school in a tiny town in Iowa.  TMobile (through Iowa Wireless) and US Cellular were the only two companies with towers in the town, and after talking with other students who had cell phones those were the two companies that had reasonable coverage there. When I compared the two, I could get a 1 year national plan with Tmobile but US Cellular only had a 2 year plan  where if I left the Midwest (travel or permanently), I would lose the night and weekend minutes.  Since I had dreams of exploring the world or living on a coast after graduation and was at a point where a lot about my needs could change in 2 years, Tmobile was the obvious choice.  I have not had any trouble with them coverage or otherwise.

I did look around recently to see if I could get a better deal, but $40-$45 (before taxes, of course) seems like the lowest you can get and still have enough minutes.

My phone is a Motorola Razr.  Before that I had -still have, somewhere- a Samsung e315.  I am not a big fan of the Razr.  It has about half the battery life of the Samsung.  The Samsung could hold more text messages because it would start saving them to the phone if it ran out of space on the sim card, and I liked the phone book better too: easier to set up speed dial, sort contacts, etc... I have trouble getting the volume high enough on the Razr too.  

Thinking about it makes me want to switch back to the Samsung before the Razr dies, but I had tried to get used to the Razr and in the mean time bought some fun ring tones... including one where Michael Buble promises me I will get laid any time OSVS calls me or texts me  

[phoenix]

Our personal cellphone is a Razor with service from Verizon.

For work I have a Blackjack with service from AT&T. Last year I went to some rural areas in Georgia and had no service. That's my major complaint. Oh and now my phone keeps f'ing up, saying "NO Sim" on the screen and then no services available. AT&T sent me a new SIM card to try out.

[Bodhi]

Sprint was unbelievable. I got a sprint phone about ten years back because of some company volume discount (probably saved two bucks). The service was terrible, I couldn't get a signal right outside one one of the buildings of a prominent telecom I was working at, right in the middle of the Research Triangle park (more business goes on here than probably five or six southeatern states combined!). Nothing nada. No signal at my home in the burbs either. Dropped calls driving around in numerous "dead spots". When I call to complain and ask when they were planning on improving their network, the lady just laughed. She told me that Sprint was always working to improve its service (read right off on on-screen script)!

So at least I get a decent Alltel signal at home and a weak one at work. They do have the lamest phones though. Glad I don't have a teenager.

[R.Markus]

Sprint was unbelievable. I got a sprint phone about ten years back because of some company volume discount (probably saved two bucks). The service was terrible, I couldn't get a signal right outside one one of the buildings of a prominent telecom I was working at, right in the middle of the Research Triangle park (more business goes on here than probably five or six southeatern states combined!). Nothing nada. No signal at my home in the burbs either. Dropped calls driving around in numerous "dead spots". When I call to complain and ask when they were planning on improving their network, the lady just laughed. She told me that Sprint was always working to improve its service (read right off on on-screen script)!

Nothing's changed, trust me.  

[TomInOregon]

We're with AT&T.  Until the floods last December, they were the only provider in our area.  Now Verizon is going to put in a tower as well, but I have never had any problems with AT&T's service.  We currently are paying $170 or $180 per month for 4 iphones with 750(?) shared minutes, 200 texts each and (of course) unlimited data.  Prior to getting these, we hadn't had cell phones in over 5 years.  For home, we have Verizon because a landline is useful to have and we have DSL through them.  Of course, the only thing we actually know will work all of the time is Ham radio.

Tom

[Tar Snake]

I'm not a talk on the phone type of person so I went pay-as-you-go.

Page Plus Cellular, they use the Verizon network, I believe. Works well enough, I get a reminder to buy time before my minutes expire and can buy more online or with the phone. Easy.