New phone

[AmericanZ28]

From looking online and comparing similar plans with data V and ATT are within 10 of each other.

ATT and VZs rates are identical on some levels, but ATT doesn't force you to buy data plans depending on your preference of phone brand, ATT doesn't cripple your Bluetooth so that you either buy a text messaging plan or pay per message to send your friend a media file, ATT wont keep you from bypassing a time stamp on a voicemail to get you to use up airtime, ATT wont load their own User Interface onto all phones to save on technical staff.......... I think I make my point.

[Performin Norman]

ATT and VZs rates are identical on some levels, but ATT doesn't force you to buy data plans depending on your preference of phone brand, ATT doesn't cripple your Bluetooth so that you either buy a text messaging plan or pay per message to send your friend a media file, ATT wont keep you from bypassing a time stamp on a voicemail to get you to use up airtime, ATT wont load their own User Interface onto all phones to save on technical staff.......... I think I make my point.

Good info. I know VZ doesn't have rollover minutes but I think ATT does. Is that correct?

[AmericanZ28]

Good info. I know VZ doesn't have rollover minutes but I think ATT does. Is that correct?

Thats correct! ATT is the only one that lets you keep your minutes An up and coming company called Alltel looked very promising, but was plagued by their debt and eventually sold out to Verizon .

[sneitzel]

ATT and VZs rates are identical on some levels, but ATT doesn't force you to buy data plans depending on your preference of phone brand, ATT doesn't cripple your Bluetooth so that you either buy a text messaging plan or pay per message to send your friend a media file, ATT wont keep you from bypassing a time stamp on a voicemail to get you to use up airtime, ATT wont load their own User Interface onto all phones to save on technical staff.......... I think I make my point.

iPhone users don't have to buy a data plan? I could swear when I looked online ATT said I had to sign up for data...

Phone

Apple iPhone 3G - 8 GB - Black

Included in package
Apple iPhone 3G - 8 GB - Black

With fast 3G wireless technology, GPS mapping, support for enterprise features like Microsoft Exchange, and the new App Store, iPhone 3G puts even more features at your fingertips. And like the original iPhone, it combines three products in one - a revolutionary phone, a widescreen iPod, and a breakthrough Internet device with rich HTML email and a desktop-class web browser. iPhone 3G. It redefines what a mobile phone can do - again.
Feature
Please note: Data plan for iPhone is required for the life of your iPhone service and cannot be removed in the future.
Data Plan for iPhone

$30.00/month

I'll give you the phone to phone BT transfer but for me I have never had the need to send a media file that way so minimal issue. Plus, text plans are cheap and included by default on many plans.

I guess I don't get enough voicemail messages for the timestamp to be an issue for me but I'll give you that one too as a minor issue.

I have no excuse for Verizon's awful interface. You get that one 100%. But I'm not sure the default UI on some phones is any easier to follow, faster maybe but not easier.

[sneitzel]

Thats correct! ATT is the only one that lets you keep your minutes

Ya, but those are old minutes and are not as good as the new minutes plus my brother hogs all the new minutes so I can't use them anyway.

[Steel2686]

The data plan for the iPhone is $30, however, all of AT&T data plans are $30.

The major thing I love about the iPhone is that it's the REAL internet. Not a watered down, mobile version. I have logged into this site and posted from my phone. I loved my BlackBerry, but the internet was nothing more than basic text with a few images.

Norm - That's your best bet... Borrow a phone from someone and test your coverage. Mainly, test to make sure you have 3G in your area. More than likely, you do now, but it's worth testing out.

[Performin Norman]

Thanks guys, for sharing the knowledge. My Verizon contract is up next month. I better check the wifey poo's also to make sure hers is up also.

[Jeff_in_Atl]

Ya, but those are old minutes and are not as good as the new minutes plus my brother hogs all the new minutes so I can't use them anyway.

LOL. You could be on the commercials.

OK now that all have ya'll have said all of that I'll put my 1 cent worth in (not worth 2 cents).

I have AT&T (previously Cingular and before that BellSouth). I have been with them ever since I bought my first phone over 10 years ago. I stay with them because they have the best coverage area where I live and roam by far. (Not to say they are that way where you live.) Other companies have done some catching up but out in boonyville mountains and middle of nowhere south Georgia AT&T has better coverage.

I have an AT&T tilt and it is exactly what I could ever want. It has Windows office mobile including word, excel, power point, Outlook. Since it runs Windows mobile I loaded Adobe on it and some other free apps from free site. It syncs with my work computer via Microsoft sync and it is synced with our exchange server at work so all of my email, contacts, calendar, and tasks that are on my work computer show up on my phone 24/7/365. I can change my work computer from my phone anytime. It also syncs with my home email via the pop server 24/7/365. It plays MP3s like any other phone. It has a micro SD ram card which I have a 4 gig in it. It has touch screen. It has GPS software in it. It has a full QWERTY keyboard. It has a real internet explorer in it. It has WiFi. It has AIM, Yahoo messenger, , Microsoft live messenger. I can’t think of anything it won’t do except iTunes which I can’t stand.

[Performin Norman]

I have a question for you ATT users.

With VZ I can save an email addy in my contacts list, take a picture with the phone and choose an email address as the recipient. It can send the picture to an email address without ever getting on the web. Does ATT allow this?

This is pretty important to me as I inspect a lot of homes for my work and forward pics to my staff.

Thanks.

[Jeff_in_Atl]

I have a question for you ATT users.

With VZ I can save an email addy in my contacts list, take a picture with the phone and choose an email address as the recipient. It can send the picture to an email address without ever getting on the web. Does ATT allow this?

This is pretty important to me as I inspect a lot of homes for my work and forward pics to my staff.

Thanks.

I have not thought of trying to send it to an email address but it will send it to another phone as long as both phones have a data package that allows it. I will have to look into sending a picture to an email and get back to you if someone doesn't beat me to it.

BTW the tilt is a 3 megapixel camera phone.

[Steel2686]

Norm - I do exactly what you're looking to do all the time. It greatly depends on which phone you select from AT&T, but pretty much any smart phone is capable. The Tilt is a fantastic phone as Jeff explained. My personal choice was narrowed down to the iPhone, the Tilt, and the BlackBerry Bold.

Coverage means everything. Up here in the New England/New York area, All the major carriers are pretty much the same. All have excellent coverage... Except Sprint/Nextel.

[Performin Norman]

You know, when I posted that question, I wasn't thinking. I guess the cold meds were kickin' in. I was playin with my friends iphone last week and she showed me how easy it is to send a pic. When the pic is up, just tap the screen, icons appear. Click on the email icon, fill in the addy and voila. Not sure if she had to have a data service but it was quick and easy.

[TODD 2000 V6 CAMARO]

Thus my dilema.
I know Verizon will let me return a new phone (either 14 or 30 days, I don't remember) so I can get a good feel for the BB, anyone know if ATT does the same?

I actually was interested in the G1/Android powered phones when they were announced but TMobile is an absolute no-go for me. My Mom and many friends have had MAJOR issues with TM, mainly with their sorry excuse for customer service. What has been your experience with them Todd? Would also be interested in your experience with the G1 after you have it for a while (month or so). I heard some questionable reviews, mainly about HTC and their hardware in general but it being a 1st gen. technology that's to be expected. When Android moves to other carriers and manufacturers I'll look at them again.

I have been with T-mobile for the last three years. I have never had a problem that I didn't get fast, courteous help with. The coverage has always been pretty good and I don't experience many dropped calls at all.
The G1 is very cool so far. 3g is a bit weak right now, but TM is still pretty new to it. So, it can only get better. About the only thing that the Iphone has on it so far is the fact that the G1 lacks a dedicated video player. It supports You Tube, in fact it has an app dedicated to You Tube, but you have to download a video player off of the Android Market, and there still hasn't been any good ones produced. That isn't to say that one won't come out. The market is full of great apps, and more are coming out every day due to the fact that Android is an open platform so that anyone who can write code can write programs for it. Not to mention that every app in the market is FREE right now. I have been downloading like crazy and just trying apps out. If I don't like them, I simply uninstall them and move on. It has Google Maps with street view, which coupled with the accelerometer that is built in, allows you to hold the phone up and turn any direction and it will let you see as if you are standing on the street looking around. It has a great browser built in, but I found a better one called Steel that comes with a virtual keyboard, and lots of other options. The G1 supports cut & paste, the Iphone doesn't. It supports sending SMS messages. (The picture messages over text messages) The I phone doesn't. It has GPS, real web browsing, (I'm typing this on the phone right now.) Google Calendar, GMail and support for other POP3 emails, 4 mp camera, full QWERTY physical keyboard, the Iphone doesn't. And lots of other stuff. And the capabilities keep getting better with the new apps that are being created.
Hardware-wise, it isn't as slick and pretty as the Iphone, but I don't care about that. Like I said, it has the Physical keyboard which is a huge plus for me because I have thick fingers and get annoyed with virtual keyboards, not to mention you can see the whole page while typing. It also has a mini SD card slot, so the memory can be expanded up to 16 gigs. You can get an 8 Gig card right now for $20 on Ebay. 16 Gigs should be fairly cheap when they become available. Also, it has a removeable battery so you can carry extras if you need to. The Iphone doesn't have a removeable battery or expandable memory. If your battery craps out on an Iphone, you have to send it back and get a new phone, basically. The battery life is pretty good, about what you would expect from an Iphone. A longer-life battery is supposed to be in the works. The Camera is pretty good, but lacks options. I am hoping someone with create an app to fix this. You an also customize your desktop or homepage. In fact you get three of them. Just swipe your finger to the left or right to get to the other two. You can drop shortcuts to apps, webpages, pictures, etc on the homepages, as well as widgets like Google search boxes, pictures frames, etc.
Overall, I am loving the phone. Like I said, it's not as pretty as the Iphone and doesn't have the video player ( which blows my mind. Not sure what the devs were thinking. ) But, I love the potential of this device and operating system. Open source offers so much more than Apple's proprietary OS. Anyway, that is my $0.02. That is after having the phone for about a week.

[sneitzel]

I have never had a problem that I didn't get fast, courteous help with.

I wish I could say the same for a friend of mine.

Got 2 horror stories.

She upgraded from a SKII to SKIII. About 2 months in started having problems with it. It would drop all communication even when she standing still. The only way to restore it was to reboot then it would stay for 5 min or so and poof gone. She spent multiple hours on the phone (the old SKII that would barely hold a charge) and they eventually agreed she had a problem. She waited a week for them to send her a return box (this is when I found out TM customers cannot just swap warranty phones at a brick and mortar store), a week for them to confirm they had received her phone, a week and a half for them to tell her they were able to recreate the problem and would be replacing her phone and another couple of days to get her new phone back. Oh, did I say new? I meant refurbished. (read already scratched coming out of the box) When she called them to inquire as to why she was not getting a new phone to replace her now approx. 3 month old one they informed her that was their policy, and by the way she now had only a 90 day warranty instead of the remainder of the factory warranty. Again, that's our policy. She almost dropped TM then but opted for selling the refurb to a friend of a friend and getting something else.

Her current issue, she is an elementary school music teacher and one of her precious snowflakes stole her phone out of her desk drawer. She called TM immediately and reported it. They said why don't we leave it active, that way if they use it we have a chance of tracking it and you might get it back. Sounds like a good idea, ok. The next day she informs all of her classes what happened and that TM is tracing the phone. Strange thing happens. A few days later her phone is "found" in the boy's bathroom. The little genius had taken pics of himself, his dog and his family as well as bragging by text about his new acquisition then denied it was him. Anyway, they caught him. She calls TM to let them know. They say good news. By the way, you are still responsible for the $350+ in premium content, games ringtones etc. that were downloaded but we can let you pay it out over 2 billing cycles. We suggest since the caught the person you file a lawsuit and we will help by providing any documentation we can.

I think she's going to pay the disconnect fee and switch to ATT with her bf.

But, I love the potential of this device and operating system. Open source offers so much...

That's what I like too. I'm a big fan of open source. Whenever I build a new computer for somebody or clean up and old one they get Firefox and OpenOffice (unless they have a full version of ms office that is) whether they want it or not.

That's something I think Apple has lost. Some of the most useful apps I ever ran on system 7,8 or 9 were not official Apple stuff. Most were small developers who thought they could do something better than Apple did and proved it. The best ones usually ended up in later versions of the OS anyway, proving they were good. It seemed like Apple didn't care about that then but now...It's a little disappointing.

The number of people who risked their new $500+ iPhones by Jailbreaking them is proof people want flexibility. The fact that the iPhone can not cut-and-paste or view pic. messages directly on the phone is proof Apple has lost something. Then again, it took them years to embrace a multi-button mouse.

I do hope Andorid matures and other manufacturers and carriers embrace it as it should be, OPEN!

[Steel2686]

You know, when I posted that question, I wasn't thinking. I guess the cold meds were kickin' in. I was playin with my friends iphone last week and she showed me how easy it is to send a pic. When the pic is up, just tap the screen, icons appear. Click on the email icon, fill in the addy and voila. Not sure if she had to have a data service but it was quick and easy.

That's the main thing with the iPhone... User friendly without being dumbed down. It can be as simple or complicated as you want.