[SirRyu]

Greetings!

I am currently on contract with Verizon until 11/25, however, I can upgrade on July 25. i currently have a Droid Razr, I have been using Android for the past three years. i have also had iPhones, but my very first smartphone was a BB Pearl on T-Mobile. There was something special about that phone that has me wanting to go back to Blackberry. Long story short, I am definitely going to buy the BB Q10. However, not sure whether to extend my contract with Verizon, or go over to T-Mobile.

I am pleased with Verizon's service in my city (Springfield, MO). However, I feel like I am paying too much, and that is including my corporate discount of 18%. From my research and by talking to TMobile users, it sounds like I'd get about the same service, at least in town, maybe except for the fast LTE Verizon offers. Also, at this point, am not too woried about posinly cancelling my contract with VZ. I'd only be paying about 160 ETF, and I could sell my current phone and pay most of that.

Anyhow, my questions for this forum are:

1. Any bloatware differences between VZ and Tmobile BB Q10?
2. Advantages of going with TMobile or staying with VZ?
3. Any different accessories these two carries include?
4. What would you do :-P?

Thanks in advance!

[jrdba]

Stay with Verizon! T-Mobile has horrible indoor reception due their usage of high frequency spectrum. If you're ok with just hspa+ and don't require LTE try checking out an AT&T mvno like Red Pocket. $60 for unlimited talk and text plus 2Gb of data. Mentioned the last part since you said you felt you were overpaying.

Posted with my amazing Z10

[centurionPizza]

No international travel, and don't mind payin0= verizon

T mobile sucks

Posted via CB10

[seascape]

Howdy SirRyu!

If I were you, I'd stick with Verizon. My take:

• T-Mobile offers cheaper plans, but Verizon has *much* better coverage (especially 4G coverage)
• All mobile carriers try to take advantage of you (though T-Mobile's new pricing is a commendable step in a more consumer-friendly direction). At least with Verizon, a decent fraction of the $ you pay goes into network improvements. As noted, Verizon's 4G umbrella is huge compared to the others. In fact, it's bigger than AT&T's, Sprint's, and T-Mobile's combined. When you travel, you'll notice the difference. There are many towns and cities where Verizon is the only network offering 4G. Big Red won't lose this advantage anytime soon because the other carriers are so far behind, and Verizon is turning on 4G in more and more places.
• If you're going to have a postpaid plan on Verizon, share it with someone. (Family, good friends, people from your church group, etc.) Verizon's "Share Everything" plans are a much better value for groups than individuals. The sweet spot in terms of the data pricing is getting above 6 GB for your data pool. You'll pay $40 for each smartphone on Verizon per month (versus $20 for a dumb phone or Jetpack) plus taxes and fees, which can add up to a lot. But it's less when you spread out the costs and share the expense with several other people.

Accessories don't need to factor into your decision. You can buy accessories for your Q10 from ShopCrackBerry, the official BlackBerry store, Amazon, etc. In fact it's best to do this, because carriers make money on accessory sales. Just like Best Buy makes money on the cables they sell, not the TVs.

Bloatware was low on the Verizon Z10 compared to the Bold 9930. Don't have my Verizon Q10 yet, but I wouldn't think there would be any more preloaded Verizon stuff than there was on the Z10.

The Verizon Q10 is more compatible with other carriers' bands than any previous Verizon BlackBerry I've read about, which is really cool. A Verizon Q10 can seemingly hop on just about any 3G or 3G+ network. The T-Mobile version, however, lacks CDMA. So if you go over to T-Mobile and end up wanting to switch back, you'll have trouble getting on Verizon's 3G network. The Verizon Q10, on the other hand, has quad-band HSPA - it looks like it is compatible with the 2100 MHz spectrum that T-Mobile uses for 3G. The Verizon Q10 can also get on AT&T's 4G network - another CrackBerrian tried it and has got it working.

All models of the Q10 have quad-band GSM/EDGE as far as I can tell. You'll get the same 2G radios no matter which model of the Q10 you get.

[SK122387]

It depends on the city you're in and how T-Mobile's service is. They have great plans. I live in L.A. and am never "in the middle of nowhere" and I always have service. 4G, and now they turned on LTE, like just yesterday in my area. I haven't had Verizon in years, so I don't know how their network is.

One major thing to consider... Verizon is very slow to release software updates, and they've been like this for a while. They were late to release the first update to 10.0 on the Z10, and many of their users complained of reboots, bad battery life, etc. Their Q10 isn't in many peoples' hands yet, so we'll have to wait and see about updates for it.

I always load the newest leaked OS, so there is no bloatware. I can download the My Account App from BlackBerry World.

I'm not sure which accessories the VZW Q10 will include, but my T-Mobile Q10 didn't come with ANY. This was kind of disappointing, because in years past, T-Mobile has given us a swivel holster and earphones, and after seeing the Premium earphones, I was hoping I'd get a pair. Nope.
That's cool though, I have these nice Bose MIE2i ones.

I'd at least go into a T-Mobile store soon. They can show you a Q10, and you can see what kind of reception they get in your area.

One thing I am not happy with about T-Mobile right now though... the Q10 does not yet have UMA Calling enabled. It is coming in a future software update, rumored to be coming in July or August. I have great reception everywhere, except on one corner of my house..where my room is.

[sir.dangerfield]

I recently switched to Verizon because everyone I know on Verizon raves about their great reception and they always had better reception than my Sprint phones. I'm usually hearing bad things when it comes to TMo's connection, but they do have my favorite upgrade plan now.
I'm happy with Verizon so far.

Loving the Q10

[o4liberty]

One important fact about Verizon is they are the only carrier that requires that all of their cell towers have a backup generator all the other carriers do not. So in the event of a major storm your chances of loosing your cell coverage with Verizon is minimal. Also without a doubt the coverage is far superior to T-Mobile's coverage.
Sent from my RM-860_nam_usa_100 using Board Express

[SirRyu]

Everyone,

Thanks for your suggestions. I definitely agree that Verizon's covergage is superior. Also, it sounds like the Verizon BB Q10 would be compatible with other carriers, so I could switch if Verizon decides to raise prices. I also understand that you get what you pay for, I learned that when I switched to Sprint one time and I would not get coverage in a lot of places.

JRdba, you mentioned how TMobile has horrible indoor reception. i wonder if that is an issue Sprint suffers from also. However, TMobile has the Wifi calling capability, which would take care of the bad indoor reception, at least at my house and work. Although, we all know that the BBq10 does not have Wifi calling, but I did not know it was coming on a future update.

I am going to go into a Verizon store today and hopefully they will have these in stock. I already went to a Tmobile store, but their BBQ10 was out of juice, but they quoted me the price, and I qualify for the lowest downpayment. Like I said, I am happy with Verizon's service, and I would kick myself if I switch to TMobile and end up getting dropped calls and such.

I will keep you posted on my dilemma, but its looking more and more like I wills stick with VZ.

Thanks again!

[SirRyu]

Everyone,

I just got done ordering the white BBQ10 from Verizon. I got lucky, and ended up chatting with the best CSR Verizon possibly has. She was awesome, she talked to her supervisor, they were able to get me the early upgrade, which my actual upgrade date was July 25. I was honest with her, telling her that Tmobile was giving me a great deal to switch over.

I should get my phone on Wed., they gave me free shipping, and I could have asked to get the $30 upgrade fee waived, but, Verizon can keep that, I was definitely impressed with the CSR's service.

With that being said, expect to see me around the forums. I may have some questions, since i have been and Android user for the past three years, IOS before that, but am excited to join the BB family. Everyone at work thought i was crazy for wanting a Blackberry. I work in IT, and everyone is always looking for the latest technology, higher specs, etc. I just want something that has great call quality, security features, and a physical keyboard.

Cant wait till Wednesday!

[sir.dangerfield]

Congrats! Just got mine Friday and really liking it so far. Efficient, beautiful OS, and executive feeling hardware. That's nice you've had a smooth transition so far. I'm looking forward to reading your thoughts coming from Android.

[eaknet]

Congrats and good choice on staying with Big Red, you dodged a bullet there. If you don't live in an area where TMO has very, very strong coverage, you'll drop into EDGE like a bad habit, and my anecdotal experience with call quality and such left much to be desired. This is after testing both service providers in multiple markets around the US.

One side benefit to VZW that its long-time customers don't seem to realize is that their CSR department is excellent. Every rep is in the US and speaks English as either their native language or they are fluent enough to make it seem so. Other carriers have farmed their customer and tech support operations around to various offshore locations and from my experiences they've suffered a corresponding quality decline in customer service. Not saying every other company and rep is this way, I've just had some pretty bad experiences and hold times that would try thr patience of Mother Theresa.

You're right that you get what you pay for. Big Red is the most expensive, they have terrible ways of extracting every last nickle and dime they can from your pocketbook, and the company philosophy as a whole is pretty arrogant, but when it comes to cell phone service and coverage, I want to maximize both. I'll keep paying until they stop playing.

Posted via CB10

[Qaddafi]

I bought it for tmobile. I've been with it since 06. I have unlimited data. And with Wifi it doesn't matter much anyway. I haven't had an issue with coverage wither and the payment plan is good enough. So although I agree verizon is superior I don't think there is a big difference

Posted via CB10

[lactose]

I guess everyone's experience varies but I was dropping calls every day inside my house on Verizon, in an area they marked as good coverage. My wife wanted a T-Mobile Note2 so I got it for her and I feared for the coverage, but have only found one place where it was bad. I am in S Orange County, CA. We even have TMO coverage where my VZW phone seems to get frustrated by a lot of TRW radar equipment.

VZW left a bad taste in my mouth by accepting a payment but not crediting me for it, then accusing me of being two months behind (I was not behind). Consider also they went out of their way to hide the 4g switch on the Z10. Or how they keep charging me the device subsidy long after I have paid off the phone. Or how they took away the one year contract option.

I am getting a BB10 phone for my birthday this month, likely on T-Mobile. We will see if this was a bad decision.

[SirRyu]

I have been lucky with VZW in terms of customer service. One time my wife somehow signed up for one of those ringtone clubs, and I was charged $20 for three months in a row. I went through my bills to see why the increase and saw this third party charge. I contacted customer service, and even though I had to go all the way to a supervisor, they credited my account $60.

In terms of service, VZW seems king here in Springfield, MO. I have not had a single dropped call.

[theclipart]

while im an ATT user, going in to tmobile today was pretty impressive.

not only are there NO CONTRACT upgrade rules, they offer unthrottled UNLIMITED data for $70. add another $10 for UNLIMITED international data. pretty amazing if you ask me...considering verizon and att have both increased their contract upgrade time to 24 months (and throttle their 'unlimited' plans when you reach a certain GB).

verizon sucks for international anyway. id vote tmobile.

[rthonpm]

The easiest way to determine a carrier is to check their coverage maps and then see what they offer in your immediate area, as well as the areas you travel to frequently. In this particular instance, T-Mobile offers HPSA+ in Springfield and a few other areas, but you don't have far to go before you're into third world quality 2G signal. Kind of makes the decision a little easier...

[anon(3072139)]

Search these forums for experiences buying one from T-Mobile and those buying from Verizon. Most of the T-Mobile stories were positive to very positive. Not so much Verizon. Reading the Verizon stories almost makes me appreciate Rogers.

Posted via CBQ10

[geoffsdad]

Only gripe I have with T-Mobile is coverage outside the city. Go 5-10 miles outside the city and it goes to Edge. I have run into 30 mile stretches that I cannot even get gsm. My z10 is so fast edge doesn't seen all that slow as long as there is 5 bars. As long as you stay in the city and burbs, you should be OK. Never had any indoor issues. I am glad I went with tmo for the price and it appears less issues with. OS release and bloatware.

Posted via CB10 on my Z10 featuring BBM Channel C0002FE04

[BoldWorld]

AT&T vs Verizon?
Which has better service

Posted via CB10

[jrdba]

JRdba, you mentioned how TMobile has horrible indoor reception. i wonder if that is an issue Sprint suffers from also. However, TMobile has the Wifi calling capability, which would take care of the bad indoor reception, at least at my house and work. Although, we all know that the BBq10 does not have Wifi calling, but I did not know it was coming on a future update.

I will keep you posted on my dilemma, but its looking more and more like I wills stick with VZ.

Thanks again!

My sister has had Sprint for about 13 years and always has had great service, cdma networks in the states are great. The only thing Sprint suffers from is slow data. Good decision with Verizon


Posted with my amazing Z10

[eaknet]

(and throttle their 'unlimited' plans when you reach a certain GB).

No they don't. Back when 3G was king Verizon used to do this; now on LTE they don't touch it. I regularly use 14-19 GB/month with no speed degradation at all, and have read comments by people who use around 100 GB who say the same thing.

[eaknet]

Search these forums for experiences buying one from T-Mobile and those buying from Verizon. Most of the T-Mobile stories were positive to very positive. Not so much Verizon. Reading the Verizon stories almost makes me appreciate Rogers.

Posted via CBQ10

Verizon certainly has an arrogance about them, and this cascades all the way down to the local store reps. However after you pick up a device from the local brick and mortar, you don't have to deal with them again. Phone support is stellar, and if you want to buy your devices online you can stay away from the locals altogether.

[eaknet]

AT&T vs Verizon?
Which has better service

Posted via CB10

This is a tougher call than TMO vs. VZW. Check your local coverage maps as well as those of the places you travel frequently. One thing to note is VZW has far better LTE coverage even in their "remote" areas, where ATT will often drop to 3G and even EDGE at times. I think for the vast majority of the US however, the services are pretty comparable.

[SirRyu]

I received my Q10 today. I am currently charging it. I have setup all my accounts on there. I just have a quick question regarding the network technology setting. After the SIM activated I noticed the default setting was set to "Global." I believe I want to set it on CDMA/LTE, since that is what verizon uses, correct? Although, I was able to make a call while on the Global setting...what do the rest of VZW Q10 users have this setting on?

[lushpinkgirl]

I specifically waited to be able to switch from TMobile to the white verizon Q10. I have had the worst service from TMo, and was counting the days to leave. Constant dropped calls and edge. Not even EDGE. It was ridiculous, and i live in the city!!
Glad you stayed put!