Cell Phones and Providers

Dal and I have been considering a new cell phone provider (sick of Verizon and their addiction to gimping phones) so I wanted to get some feedback from some folks here on the following:

AT&T/Cingullar general service, quality, etc.

Same for T-Mobile.

Experiences with the more modern Blackberry Phones (especially the Pearl and the Curve).

Experiences with the various Motorola RAZR phones.

Experiences with the Samsung BlackJack

Some of the things we care about are:

• general voice/sound quality
  
• bluetooth connectivity
  
• good texting and/or emailing interface
  
• good interface for taking/sending photos (though we do not use our phone as our camera, we have a digital camera for real picture taking)
  
• no annoying design flaws like holding it to your face causes random button presses, ringer settings getting changed randomly when the phone is in your pocket, phone breaks a lot, etc.

If you have it in your area, Cricket is a great service, especially with all you're asking for.

I personally have Tmobile, but it sucks for texting and if you use your phone alot to talk to more than five people (which I don't). We got it because we travel a lot between Ohio and WV, and it has free roaming.

I've used Cingular (AT&T) since about 2001 now. I've stuck with them because I've always been pleased with the coverage and reception, and the few times I've had to deal with customer service, they were pleasant enough.

I've noticed a slip in service lately though. It's ironic that they advertise the lowest rate of dropped calls, because sometimes you flat out can't call. Probably once a week (sometimes more, sometimes less) I'll get a "service not available" message when trying to dial. If I try again immediately, the call usually goes through, but it is somewhat annoying.

There are the usual pockets of bad receptivity, but you'll find that anywhere you go. Generally speaking, coverage is pretty widespread and good.

There has been one glitch that I've run into since getting my new phone in May. I don't know if it's related specifically to my phone model (LG CU500v) or something all AT&T customers may deal with (or if it's something related to upgrading my number from the old network to the new one - but that shouldn't have anything to do with it). But, sometimes my phone will not make the switch to a new tower. This happens more often when I travel (it happened to me at Tcon, actually...). So far it has only happened three times, I think. I now know that turning the phone off and back on is a quick fix, but it is a frustrating glitch (especially when you don't know what's happening).

So, other than those few problems, I've been pretty happy with Cingular and still am.

After further research, T-Mobile is definitely not an option. Their coverage in Lexington, KY is horrible. This is a shame since my research showed them winning tons of awards from places like J.D. Power for customer service and satisfaction. They were also $10 a month cheaper for the same plan than Verizon and AT&T/Cingular. I am not even considering Sprint as they are just the absolute crapz.

I looked at some other phones online from AT&T. The AT&T Tilt and the various Palm Treos looked interesting also.

Dal and I both seem to like the full QWERTY keyboard phones. We want to be able to send/receive texts a lot more easily because there are a lot more times nowadays where someone needs to get in touch with us fast and we are not at a computer (and a text would work better than an entire phone call).

The PDA functions we could care less about. The phone quality, bluetooth, and texting are probably our main priorities, with optional things we might mess around with including email, web surfing, games, etc.

I've had an 8525 for about 6 months now, I love it. As far as reception goes, it's better than any other phone i've used on AT&T (I've had AT&T/Cingular for 3 years now), call quality is pretty decent, and I love the keyboard for texting. I've even got a program called PocketPUTTY that I can thresh from. Battery life is so so, it lasts about 2.5-4 hours, depending on the brightness of the screen, the camera is decent for a phone camera, and the bluetooth works well. I just clocked my download speed on the UMTS network by my house at .7 megabits/sec (85 kb/sec) with half-signal (they JUST upgraded the towers near me to UMTS, it is so great).

My favorite part of the phone, though, is that you can charge it from any device that's got a powered USB port (the port for the charger is a usb 2.0 port, so it uses a standard USB 2.0 cable).

One thing though, if you get one of these phones and plan on using the browser/google maps, you'll need the unlimited internet plan. They've actually got 2 unlimited internet plans, one goes for 19.99/month (Unlimited MEdia Net), and the other is 34.99 (their PDA Connect plan). Don't get suckered into the 34.99 plan, because they're both the same thing for the connection (I think the 34.99 includes some support for corporate e-mail servers or some garbage).

Edit: That 2.5-4 hours is talk time, not standby. It will usually stand by for 2 days with moderate use before it dies.

I guess I should also post the drawbacks to it. :)

It DOES run windows mobile 5, so it can be kind of buggy if you don't reboot it every 2-3 days. Sometimes the keyboard and screen freeze and don't work again until after a reboot.. good ol microsoft at work. If you set the brightness up too high on the screen, it sucks the battery life out pretty quickly. The phone gets hot if you're browsing for a long time, downloading data (no hotter than other cell phones do on long calls though).

Edit: Rebooting the phone takes about 45 seconds.

I've also got an 8525 through AT&T, and I love it. The Tilt is the 8525's successor, and would be my pick if I were in the market for a new phone. I'm pretty satisfied with AT&T's call quality and coverage, though I can't comment much on the customer service side. I haven't dealt with them much, aside from my initial setup.

I did find some annoyances about the phone early on, partially because it was the first I had with Windows Mobile. Luckily, I found a site called XDA-Developers. There are a bunch of tweaks and unofficial ROMs there for HTC devices. There's currently not as much available for the Tilt as for the 8525, but if you're feeling daring it may be worth a look.

Good luck finding a new little bundle of joy.

Having used Verizon for 4+ years, the idea of actually downloading software and having the freedom to install it is something I had forgotten about. So I keep having these "oh yeah, you can do that!" moments when you guys post stuff about installing a telnet client, or installing ROMs, or installing UI fixed, etc. That seems like a huge plus.

I kinda blew off the AT&T Tilt because the name sounded weird to me and it was about $50-100 more than the Blackberry Curve. But after hearing what you guys say about it, and reading up on it, I think I need to hit the story again and play around with one.

Do you find it too big for comfortable use, carrying in your pocket, etc?

Do you have to use the stylus or can you also use it touch screen and/or do everything via the navigation "mouse" wheel thing? I am not a big fan of stylus/pen based computing.

Are the internet features worth it? We rarely travel, but it would be nice to have good texting with some email/internet access when away from home. Being able to login to Threshold would be kindof amazing actually.

I found the 8525 a bit bulky initially, and admittedly it does have a bit of a brickish look to it. But since I previously had a separate phone and PDA, I cut it some slack. I carry it in a cargo pocket regularly without a problem, but it's a bit bulky for a front pocket.

I go through phases where I use the stylus a lot, but most often the keyboard/jogdial/face buttons are useful (and configurable).

The Internet features are a tough call. I keep my phone connected so I can get realtime calendar/contact updates from my home server, and Google Maps has saved me plenty of 'exploring' time on the road. Having a very functional Telnet/SSH client is pretty sweet too (I prefer PockeTTY over PocketPuTTY, but they're both suitable). But is it worth the cost? I guess it depends on how much you think you'll want/need to be online when you're not near a wi-fi hotspot.

Regarding having the freedom to install software, I had to 'unlock' the phone before doing things like ROM flashes. So while that stuff -can- be done pretty safely, it should be noted that it's probably not with Cingular's love and support.

Edit: A slight tangent - Amazon proved to be a great place to buy a phone. I was a bit wary at first, but it was a good bit cheaper than other local places (at least for a new line of service) and everything went smoothly. Figured I'd point it out in case you hadn't checked there.

Quote:

---

Originally posted by Aristotle
Do you find it too big for comfortable use, carrying in your pocket, etc?

Do you have to use the stylus or can you also use it touch screen and/or do everything via the navigation "mouse" wheel thing? I am not a big fan of stylus/pen based computing.

Are the internet features worth it? We rarely travel, but it would be nice to have good texting with some email/internet access when away from home. Being able to login to Threshold would be kindof amazing actually.

---

It is a little bulky, maybe too much for some pants that have smaller pockets in them, but it's just as thick as some other phones i've used and only a little bit wider/taller. I'd probably recommend a leather belt pouch/holder for it (at least Dalaena can use a purse :D)

You can use either the stylus or the jogwheel, using my finger is a little more difficult for some of the smaller items (like the battery indicator) because it's kind of fat, but it's definitely usable as touchscreen-only for most everything (not the stylus keyboard though). Typically i use a combination of fingertip touchscreen/jogwheel and pull out the keyboard to type, though on occasion I find it might be a little faster to type out a quick text response with the stylus.

As for the internet features, like Talsek said, it really depends on how much use you think you'll get out of them. I just moved to a place i haven't lived since I was 11, and Google maps has been a HUGE help in me finding my way around everywhere. Most common free email apps have a mobile version of their service (like gmail) that's customized for smaller displays, some websites also do (ESPN especially is awesome, i can easily and quickly check the fantasy league from my phone). One kind of annoying thing that I'm thinking about now, though, is when I'm logged on threshold, if I switch between a UMTS tower and a regular GPRS tower, I have to log out/back in... but really it's minor. :)

Another plus for the phone is that you can actually sync it with your laptops and use it as a mobile wireless access point. I haven't actually used that feature yet, but I know the capability is there. Yet another cool feature is that it's got a built in 802.11g card, so you can connect it to any wifi spot.

One other thing that I'm looking forward to is getting streaming radio in my car. I just bought an FM transmitter that I'm gonna connect to my phone with a stereo cord... muahaha, i'll never have to listen to commercials again.

What do you all know about that AT&T Tilt (I believe it is the successor to the 8525)?

What sorts of plan add ons do you need in order to take advantage of its various features (text, getting online wirelessly via 3G or otherwise, using telnet, email, etc.).

Yes, the Tilt is the successor to the 8525. Regarding data plans, honestly I'd talk to one of their support folks to figure out the one that you'd want. There are a bunch of them, and I don't think the web site's descriptions are always intuitive or accurate.

As an example, I have what they now call the 'PDA Personal Max with 1500 Messages' plan. It's not an enterprise-level plan, yet I use Microsoft DirectPush to sync with a server at home. And it doesn't specify anything about tethering support, yet I have used it to connect to my laptop as they describe in their tethering explanation.

Strangely, some places on the site list both 'Smartphone' and 'PDA' plans, while other places only have PDA plans (in addition to Laptop and BlackBerry plans, which are irrelevant in this discussion). The Smartphone plans are cheaper, but apparently unavailable for PDA phones.

My guess is that $30-40 per month (plus the cost of your voice plan) will let you do just about everything. But since there are so many little variations and the plans change from time to time, it's worth chatting with someone who deals with them regularly. I've found the Cingular Store folks to be really helpful that way. I forgot about them until this message actually!

The tilt looks like a solid choice as successor. Damn, i kinda wish I'd waited for it instead of the 8525...

http://www.engadgetmobile.com/2007/0...-gets-unboxed/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HTC_TyTN_II

"Unlike its predecesor, the Hermes (8525), this device becomes a GPS navigation system in itself without requiring the use of an external Bluetooth GPS puck or receiver."

That's sweet, it gets GPS data, something mine doesn't do, and google maps works with it (free).

Man, $30-40 extra? That sucks ass.

Leshrak, did you say something about a $20 data plan that was just as good?

Quote:

---

Originally posted by Aristotle
Man, $30-40 extra? That sucks ass.

Leshrak, did you say something about a $20 data plan that was just as good?

---

Hmm... I just logged into my account and it looks like they got rid of the $35/month "PDA Connect" plan i was referring to. Here are the data plans that they've got listed as available for me to add to my account:

Code:

---

Smartphone Connect Unlimited (19.99/month,
unlimited data) but it lists this as only available for
certain models (not including the 8525 or tilt)

---

Code:

---

MEdia Basic (9.99/mo)

400 Messages (10¢/additional messages):
You have the freedom to message any way to any
one - text, picture, video and IM - without worrying
what each message costs. That means every message
counts the same. You can send and receive ANY
combination of messages. Want to send all picture
messages? No problem. All IMs? Go ahead and chat
away - send and receive messages for less than
pennies per day!

1MB MEdiaTM Net (1¢/additional KB usage):
With MEdia Net, you can browse the mobile web, check
your Email, get your sports scores, movie times,
weather and news right on your mobile phone. Plus,
you can access the latest ringtones, games, graphics
and AT&T Mobile Music.

---

Code:

---

MEdia Works (14.99/mo)
1500 Messages (5¢/additional messages):
5 MB MEdiaTM Net (1¢/additional KB usage):

---

Code:

---

MEdia MAX 200 (19.99/mo) (this is the plan i have)
200 messages
Unlimited data

---

Code:

---

MEdia MAX 1500 (29.99/mo)
1500 messages
unlimited data

---

All of the MEdia bundles say this in the fine print: "MEdia Net and MEdia Bundles are not available on PDAs/Pocket PCs, RIM® devices or LaptopConnect cards."
Funny, because I've got the MEdia MAX 200 bundle with a pocket PC. I doubt a rep would sell it to you on the phone or in the store... I actually had gone in and changed my data plan online AFTER ordering to this, and it's been over 6 months. God i hate cell phone companies.

Smartphone Connect Unlimited doesn't seem bad at $20. Does that include unlimited text messages? It would seem weird if it didn't.

And yes, I hate all cell phone companies. There is virtually no competition, they all charge almost identical prices for everything, and almost always find ways to make sure you cannot get the things you actually want and have to either overpay to get the things you want or just take a plan that doesn't include what you want and suffer. Annoying.

Quote:

---

Originally posted by Aristotle
Smartphone Connect Unlimited doesn't seem bad at $20. Does that include unlimited text messages? It would seem weird if it didn't.

---

It doesn't say anything about including them, so i would assume it doesn't, they aren't gonna give anything for free :(. my plan is 20/month and only includes 200 messages...

Quote:

---

Originally posted by Leshrak
It doesn't say anything about including them, so i would assume it doesn't, they aren't gonna give anything for free :(. my plan is 20/month and only includes 200 messages...

---

Yeah, that is probably true. And that's annoying as crap. I wouldn't really need "unlimited" internet access, but some lame pay per minute thing would suck too. I never understand why the text messages have any sort of extra fee over the basic minutes or internet access.

Quote:

---

Originally posted by Aristotle
Yeah, that is probably true. And that's annoying as crap. I wouldn't really need "unlimited" internet access, but some lame pay per minute thing would suck too. I never understand why the text messages have any sort of extra fee over the basic minutes or internet access.

---

Well... I definitely needed it the first month, downloading programs and testing out all the cool features (i went to about 20mb total for the month) but since then I've probably used at or around 5-10 mb/month. The problem with the limited plans is the per kilobyte download charge if you go over, if you download just 1 megabyte more than you're allowed, you've just racked up an extra $10 on the bill. It really depends on how much you'll be using it to see whether it's worth it.

Very interesting article in response to Verizon opening up their market as well as one very very good read in terms of a comment.

http://blogs.cnet.com/8301-13506_1-9....html?tag=bnpr

Just while we're on the subject, can I push a slight tangent?

What about prepaid? I'm looking to come to next T-Con (or one after) and I have an unlocked 3G Triband handset. Where would be my best place to start investigating prepaid services while I'm in the states?

We have 4 companies here, and they do all across Australia without any roaming charges or anything like that, but I can gather its not the same on the US? Is it dependent on state to state?