Question about web-enabled cell phones and plans

[+Cheminer Will]

My contract is soon up with US Cellular and different than in the past when my phone was just a talking device, my desires have changed.

 

I am thinking about getting a phone that will have Bluetooth and the ability to access email and the web.

 

If you do this, I would love to hear your suggestions and reviews about carriers, phones and what your carrier charges for the additional web and email access.

 

Thanks!

[kb9nvh]

Love my new TILT from AT&T.

Usd to have a samsung blackjack. No touchscreen but it did email and bluetooth and would tether to my computer. Much happier with the tilt

 

My contract is soon up with US Cellular and different than in the past when my phone was just a talking device, my desires have changed.

 

I am thinking about getting a phone that will have Bluetooth and the ability to access email and the web.

 

If you do this, I would love to hear your suggestions and reviews about carriers, phones and what your carrier charges for the additional web and email access.

 

Thanks!

[tlhutch]

Your best bet is to determine who has the best service in YOUR area. In most credible surveys T-Mobile and Verizon are tied with the best service Nationally, but it might vary depending on your area.

 

I recommend to choose the carrier first and then look at the equipment you want. Balance the two by priority and you'll have your answer.

 

Here's a good place to begin.....

 

http://wirelessguide.org/plan/service-comparisons.htm

[+pppingme]

I have t-mobile, and I pay $5/month for "data" which I use on both my laptop and PDA (via blue tooth).

 

Currently, t-mobile is the only provider I know of that does data that cheap. T-mobile has some more expensive plans, but in terms of speed, they are no faster. The $5/month plan is "port locked", so all you can do is web browsing (via proxy) and email (ports 25, 110, 143 are open), nothing else. If you can't live with the limitations of the $5 plan, there is a $20/month plan also, which is the same speed but removes the port lockdown.

 

Be sure you get an "Edge" capable phone or you won't like the speed. Even some of the cheaper phones like the nokia 6103 and 6133 have both blue tooth and edge.

 

My speed is about 2x to 3x what normal dialup would be with this setup. Plenty for email and light web browsing.

[+Renegade Knight]

Your best bet is to determine who has the best service in YOUR area. In most credible surveys T-Mobile and Verizon are tied with the best service Nationally, but it might vary depending on your area....

 

In my area, Verizon has the best coverage. When it comes to customer service I switched to T-Mobile after disliking some Verizon Polies. Both are supposed to have good customer service. However I have found that T-Mobile spotty at best. They lied when I signed up. One of my requirements is that services that I don't use I can't use unless I call Customer Service and turn them on. That way I don't get suprises on my bill. T-Mobile said they could do that. They don't. Verizon did do that and I never had a suprise. I also found that when I did have a question Verizon flat out did better answering it. T-Mobile is not the Avis of the Cell Phone Industry. They don't try harder.

 

When my contract is up, I'll probably switch unless T-Mobile has gotten their act together and is now the golden child. Verison has reversed themselves on their business policies that I didn't like so we shall see.

[+PocketSierra]

AT&T doesn't offer any data plan as good as TMobile - it might be worth it for me to switch. i coudl live with the web restriction - I don't care about those stupid messaging features that they would like to charge an arm and a leg for.

 

If you have a PDA phone with Windows Mobile, (like the At&T Tilt, Treo 750W, etc), you can do big downloads while cradled/synced with your desktop. Or over wifi in your home. This is helpful if you don't want to pay big money for map downloads of topo and aerial maps like I use.

 

Of course, If I paid $5/month for unlimited data, I may not worry so much. But the downloads at home are still faster.

[+Cheminer Will]

Well, right now I have US Cellular which has good coverage in our area. I also have the no roaming national plan, so it works anywhere with no extra charges.

 

The bad thing about them as far as I can tell is that they have only two phones to choose from. The Blackberry 8830 and the MOTO Q. Their two web plans are $40 and 25 respectively per month.

 

We also have a new Verizon carrier here, so I'll ask about them.

 

All our carriers here require a 2 year contract on anything you do. I wish the competition was more open on these services.

Edited December 11, 2007 by Cheminer Will