This is my first post here. My VZW contract on my regular wireless phone expires in July and I am trying to decide what to do after that.
I'm pretty sure my decision starts with what carrier to use. I have been with Verizon for a long time and like that they get service nearly everywhere, but AT&T's lower prices and newer devices are somewhat alluring. I am on a family plan, but I could theoretically move the whole family plan to a different service provider. I think an equal number of friends are on Verizon and ATT, but my mom does get a 20% discount on her Verizon bill because they provide her whole office with phones. I've looked around the forums a bit, but have come to the conclusion that all the VZW vs. ATT discussions are just who can shout louder. So, I'm wondering if someone could point me to a simple comparison, with facts only: network coverage/quality, prices, data plans, worldwide functionality, speed, etc. (also if verizon will ever get more than just the curve 8330, world edition 8800, and pearl).
try att for 30 days and see if you like it. You can also call vzw and ask for a discount since you'll be contract free. You can tell them that your are considering switching. I'm sure they will work something out.
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What coverage is best in your area first... ask so friends with different carriers and see which ones tend to have the best voice/data coverage. VZW is out for me too because they do cripple their phones and charge extra for features that are standard on other carriers. Next I would price out all carriers in your area with acceptable service, I know from my experiece Sprint is cheapest for me. Others on these forums as well as locally pay 1.5 times as much as I do for other carriers. Also what the above people mentioned is true, AT&T does get all the new BB faster, but there are always carrier exclusives if you are not just set on a BB. If you do not plan on getting a new phone every 5 minutes, then AT&T is not a necessity. Shop around you have some time, but trust me on this one, VZW will be your highest price wise... Good luck with your decision. If you just want a PDA and it does not have to be a BB then Sprint Sero plans start at like $30 per month with unlimited data, all you need to do is go to a Sprint store and get an employee reference. Heres the link for Sero... SERO Welcome! No other carriers can touch that price.
First coverage is the most important aspect of any carrier, if their coverage is bad in your area it really doesn't matter whether they get the latest and greatest.
Second comes plans that work for you.
No one out there touches Sprints Simply Everything Plan, you have your choice of 3 plans starting at I believe $79. (450 minutes) $89 (900 minutes) and $99 (unlimited minutes) plus all the plans feature unlimited everything else and Sprint doesn't cripple their phones like VZW.
Its true we got the Curve a year after the GSM folks but, if you not a get a the latest and greatest as soon as it comes out then does that really matter? Heck, I had my Treo (it died), for 5 years before making the switch to BB.
Me personally if I were making the switch I'd do the 14 or 30 day test drive (depends on your state) of each carrier I were considering to get a true feel of their coverage.
PS: Also the test drive will allow you to try out different BB's or phones to see what you like. Most carriers carry the same phones minus the exclusives.
This way you get a feel for the phone and a chance to test out the coverage. Best way to go if you ask me.
I would start off with finding out if AT&T even has good coverage in your areas and the places your travel to. If not, the decision is already made.
If AT&T has similar or better service, then you can start looking into whether or not you get those discounts with AT&T @ wireless.att.com/discounts.
AT&T is usually first in the U.S. and not necessarily first worldwide to get the phones. This reason it's so easy to brand them at&t rather than verizon is due to GSM being the standard and when a phone is made in Europe all that's needed is either an addition of frequencies (850/1900mhz) or only an OS update as most phones are Quad band.
Yeah yeah , AT&T gets new phones first, I dont need a new phone every 10 weeks, so I will stick with the best coverage in my area. I am not rich so I can not justify getting At&T just because they have the latest and greatest... =/