cell phone poll

[Crassus]

Hello folks, how are you all doing?

Well, I am going to purchase a cellular phone. Yep, yep, at long last, I am entering the wireless age. I would love to get your guys' input on what you've been happy and unhappy with.

In my area (New York City area), I believe the three main options are Verizon, AT&T and Sprint PCS (so I'm not really soliciting input on Cingular or VoiceStream or other service providers, but if you want to talk about those, please feel free to do so). Here are my questions:

1. Which of these has provided you with the best call quality? (taking into account static, dropped calls, lack of dial tone)

2. Which of these offers the best pricing plan? (I'm looking for a nationwide plan)

3. Which of these offers the best selection of phones to be used on their networks? (I'd be willing to shell out a decent chunk of cash for a state-of-the-art phone)

I welcome and value your sage advice.

[nael]

well my first advice to go through their websights. you usually get a discount since the company doesn't have to pay their rep who sells you the plan.
and also through the websites, you can see all the plans available, calling areas, and phones available.
i use sprintPCS because at the time, they had the best deal for me.

[Bloodstalker]

Looks at topic name.....

hhmmm, I am wary of polls anymore.

[Rob-hin]

I'd like to say, buy one with a siemens! I was always happy with it (m35i), but today even more.

I was working at one of our clients, loading and building tables ect.
While I was working I put my jacket on a (unused) chair.
On of the women who "work" (joking and laughing) there, picks up my jacket and hangs it over the railing, so it won't gat wrinkeled... on the first floor!
So my phone falls out of my pocket a floor high (about 4 or 5 meters), they thought it was funny but I disagreed, but it had survived the fall pretty good (no prob so far).

Just wanted to tell this since the topic is related.

[Debbie]

I have had a bit of experience with cell phone companies. I have been with Cingular Wireless (formerly known as Cellular One), AT&T, and am currently with Voicestream. My answer to your questions:

1. From my experience, AT&T had the best clarity by far. However, clarity will change depending on which phone you decide to go with. I know people who are with Verizon, and from what they say, clarity is so-so. Cingular Wireless is okay too, but not as good as AT&T. I just signed on with Voicestream 2 days ago, and they seem to have very good clarity (so far). Oh, on a side note, if you go with a Voicestream phone, DO NOT get a chrome face plate. It bounces the radio signals off of the chrome and reception will really suck.
2. Voicestream has the best pricing plan by far. I have the 3000 anytime minutes for $49.99 a month. AT&T, Cingular Wireless, etc. can't compare. Unless they offer Christmas specials. (My last service company was AT&T, and my phone bills were at least around $80, often more).
3. Nokia phones are the best phones that I've owned. The new Nokia (8620??) is good, but the older model (Nokia 3390) is actually a better phone, IMO. It gets better reception and more features. I believe that you can get these phones through any of the aforementioned companies.

Personally, I'm quite happy with Voicestream. They also have the most polite customer service that I have ever encountered, which is a plus.

Hope this helped!!

[friend_al_23]

This being the country with the most number of text messages per year, I'm surprise to see how people are doing at US. But of course, you people have cars.

[Weasel]

Originally posted by Bloodstalker:
<STRONG>Looks at topic name.....

hhmmm, I am wary of polls anymore. </STRONG>

Why? Polls are fun.

Originally posted by Silmarie:
<STRONG>3. Nokia phones are the best phones that I've owned. The new Nokia (8620??) is good, but the older model (Nokia 3390) is actually a better phone, IMO. It gets better reception and more features. I believe that you can get these phones through any of the aforementioned companies.

</STRONG>

I agree 100%

[Crassus]

I want to thank people for their replies.

Today I signed up with Verizon Wireless. Verizon has a special promo (until Nov. 12 the salesperson told me) where you can get 3000 weekend minutes (no long distance or roaming charges).

I signed up for the national plan with 400 minutes ($55 per month), meaning that I have 400 minutes anytime from Monday through Friday with no long distance or roaming charges. Because of the special promo, on the weekend I have 3000 minutes with no long distance or roaming (for no additional charge).

I went with a basic phone, the Nokia 5185i, for $30 (it's a face-plate phone instead of a flip-open phone).

The 5185i doesn't have any of the fancy features that costlier phones have - two-way text messaging, Web surfing, voice-activated dialing, built-in speakerphone.

I have mobile e-mail access with my Blackberry anyway, and I prefer to surf the Web using my fast connection at work.

Also, if I don't like the 5185i, I've only paid $30 for it, and can always buy a better phone.

As you can see, my decision was based on price in large part, but it was also based on wariness of buying a fancy phone that may become obsolete in six months - 3G technology, as well as Bluetooth, are not too far away according to some experts (although I have my doubts).

I like the fact that I can ditch my phone without worrying about how much I've paid for it.

Also, I have some friends who use Sprint PCS, and I know that their network, while supposedly "nationwide," is really usable only in metropolitan areas.

Some other friends told me to stay away from AT&T because of a high dropped call rate and an all too frequent inability to get a dial-tone.

BTW, if you like the fancier phones, the salesperson highly recommended the Motorola Timeport, which has a built-in speakerphone. I tested it out, and the speakerphone quality is truly excellent for a cell phone.

[KidD01]

Siemens S-35i is the best offer you can get. FYI my Siemens S-10 still kickin also my SIemens S-4 power Some source told me that Philips Xenium 9@9 is also good.