Cell phone questions

[USC***]

I am getting a new cell phone plan and have narrowed my options down to Verizon and Cingular. Cingular is giving 850 minutes for about $10/month cheaper than Verizon's 800 Anytime minute package, but just wondering if anyone has any positive or negative to say about them. I know many friends happy with Verizon, but just wondering how the service at Cingular is since the merger with AT&T wireless.

Another question:
All the cell providers offer data packages where you can hook up your laptop to a card and get internet access from $20-$80/month depending on usuage. Does anyone know anything about connecting the cellphone to a laptop using a cable and using your normal plan minutes(The cell phone acts as a modem using a basic dial up package). Since night and weekend minutes are free this would be perfect. I fly to a lot of small airports that don't have the wireless internet installed.

Thanks for the info.

 

[banned username 2]

I am getting a new cell phone plan and have narrowed my options down to Verizon and Cingular. Cingular is giving 850 minutes for about $10/month cheaper than Verizon's 800 Anytime minute package, but just wondering if anyone has any positive or negative to say about them. I know many friends happy with Verizon, but just wondering how the service at Cingular is since the merger with AT&T wireless.

Our company issued phones were Verizon and we switched to Cingular... We have been very happy with the change... Cingular's coverage is growing very fast, and their merger with AT&T Wireless will help that along even further... Plus Cingular has a bunch of really cool, new phones they are just releasing...

 

[atrdriver]

I never had any problems with Cingular when I had them, and my neighbor swears by Verizon. If possible get a week or 2 week trial period where you can take the phone to where you will use it and try it out...The best coverage areas in the world won't help if it doesn't work at home or at work.
FWIW, Verizon is supposed to be coming out with a pretty nice data package where connect speeds will rival DSL or cable.

 

[sweptback]

I am getting a new cell phone plan and have narrowed my options down to Verizon and Cingular. Cingular is giving 850 minutes for about $10/month cheaper than Verizon's 800 Anytime minute package, but just wondering if anyone has any positive or negative to say about them. I know many friends happy with Verizon, but just wondering how the service at Cingular is since the merger with AT&T wireless.

I have Cingular, and everywhere I've been has had signal. (Pretty much everywhere in the South and Midwest). The biggest deal to me on Cingular is the no roaming, if I have a signal, I'm good. With Verizon, you could be roaming in remote areas. I know they have a no-roaming plan like Cingular but it's much more expensive.

Another question:
All the cell providers offer data packages where you can hook up your laptop to a card and get internet access from $20-$80/month depending on usuage. Does anyone know anything about connecting the cellphone to a laptop using a cable and using your normal plan minutes(The cell phone acts as a modem using a basic dial up package). Since night and weekend minutes are free this would be perfect. I fly to a lot of small airports that don't have the wireless internet installed.

Verizon has the plan that uses minutes, I believe. This would be good if you plan to use it infrequently.

Cingular bills by the amount of data transferred, or is unlimted if you get the $20 GPRS/EDGE plan. GPRS is a little faster than a modem, EDGE is approaching DSL speeds. They have a map somewhere in the site saying where the coverage is. Now, that being said, the largest problem with phone-based data isn't speed, it's latency. It may take a few seconds to "make the connection" and then after that the data comes down fairly fast. It just feels slow because of the latency issue. You can connect to your computer by data cable (look on ebay), IR or bluetooth (if your phone/laptop supports it).

If you do tricks like telling your email client to download all new email at once, and send out all outgoing email at once, loading your webpages in the background, etc., it'll feel faster.

 

[Gulfstream 200]

We have gone from TMOBILE to CINGULAR due to tmobiles lame domestic coverage.

Tmobile does have great Intl coverage and the best customer service though.

Another big plus is they will give you the "unlock" subsidy code for your phone so you can pop any sim chip in there....major plus when overseas or in an 850 cingular area. (cingular operates on 850/1900, tmobile only on 1900)

I have heard good things of verizon, but they $uck overseas if that matters to you??

I now use a Motorola 4band V300 and its a good phone, Im pretty abusive to it and it always has worked!

All aside, you just gotta take one to the normal places you go and see which works best I suppose!


Good Luck

 

[2000flyer]

I carry a TMobile and another pilot has Cingular. Many times I've had coverage where he has not or if he did, he was roaming.

I have to really be in po-dunk nowhere and 20 miles from the airport before I've had problems. Had great service across the US and in Europe. Never had a billing issue that wasn't cleared up with one phone call. I definitely can't say that when I had AT&T.

2000Flyer

 

[cforst513]

i use verizon and am very happy with it. i have nationwide coverage, but it's weird b/c i will be travelling on the highway, from OH to NC, and i'll start to roam in the mountains. i'm not sure if this is b/c i'm moving so fast for such a long time or if they don't cover me in the mountains, but other than that, it's a sweet deal. always have service, rarely does it switch to analog. i have an LG flip phone, pretty sweet and sturdy as hell. it's got dings, scratches, and a cracked face but it just keeps on pluggin' away!

 

[350DRIVER]

T-Mobile, plans are hard to beat... The service, customer support, equipment, and coverage is hard to beAT as well. I have used the service in Mexico, Canada, and have never had a single problem.

c h e e r s

3 5 0

 

[FN FAL]

Hey, since we got this cell phone thread started, I was wondering if any of you guys were selling any of those pre paid minute plans?

What about amway or amsoil, any of those pyramid schemes worth getting into?

AVIATION REFERENCE: I once saw a corporate jet with amway on the tail, you think they got a tax break for flying that old rockwell turd around?

 

[Bandit60]

I went from T mobile to cingular. I have been really happy with cingular. The best thing is the roll over minutes

 

[Smoking Man]

Also the GSM network, if the phone has a signal in the U.S.A you are not out of aera regardless of if it is not a Cingular/ATT tower. The Cing/ATT merger for me has produced no ill effects in coverage and customer service.

 

[Ravengirl]

I use Verizon on a nationwide plan, and I've never had a problem with anything in my four years as a customer- no dropped calls, good customer service, etc. Heck, on a recent roadtrip, I was out in the middle of nowhere in Arizona. We had to be a good couple hours from any real civilization, yet I still got full signal, no roaming. Also, my whole family uses Verizon, and we talk free

Stephanie

 

[Magneto]

I use Verizon on a nationwide plan, and I've never had a problem with anything in my four years as a customer- no dropped calls, good customer service, etc. Heck, on a recent roadtrip, I was out in the middle of nowhere in Arizona. We had to be a good couple hours from any real civilization, yet I still got full signal, no roaming. Also, my whole family uses Verizon, and we talk free

Stephanie

I'm a Verizon customer also, but "no dropped calls". Come on. Every carrier drops calls it just depends on how much.

 

[FlyFastLiveSlow]

T-Mobile has benn great. Never had signal problems. Will lock onto the Cingular and ATT GSM towers with no roaming fees, and the Customer Service is second to none.

 

[banned username 2]

T-Mobile has benn great. Will lock onto the Cingular and ATT GSM towers with no roaming fees

Are you sure about that? From what I understand, T-Mobile uses GSM1900 and AT&T and Cingular use GSM850 (This is why Cingular & AT&T sell Quad-Band GSM Phone and T-Mobile has mostly Tri-Band GSM phones)

 

[FlyFastLiveSlow]

Are you sure about that? From what I understand, T-Mobile uses GSM1900 and AT&T and Cingular use GSM850 (This is why Cingular & AT&T sell Quad-Band GSM Phone and T-Mobile has mostly Tri-Band GSM phones)

I have a T-Mobile phone, and I've had AT & T and Cingular signals a few times. I only have a dual band phone though.

 

[Kingairrick]

I had AT&T for years, and thought all Cell Phones sucked. I switched to verizon over 2 years ago and have had less than a dozen dropped calls. They are great all over the US.

Outside the US, forget it. I recently got it to work in Marsh Harbor, but not Nassau. Go figure that one...No coverage at all in Cayman or Central America, where most other companies phones work.

I've heard the good things about cingular, but AT&T is so terrible that it scares me now that they merged...

You could go old school and get phone cards and a pager.....

 

[banned username 2]

I have a T-Mobile phone, and I've had AT & T and Cingular signals a few times. I only have a dual band phone though.

Ok, you might have an 850/1900 Mhz phone (900/1800 Mhz bands are International)

 

[Wankel7]

I have AT and T . I am using their digital one rate plan. 60 bucks a month gets my 750 anytimes with 5000 Nite and weekends starting at 7.

The TDMA network has been great for me. I have no complaints using it. My FO has TMobile and his phone works good if not better than mine. Although a few spots his won't work. Such as Escanaba MI.

I do not think ATTWS is pushing the digital one rate anymore. I am sure they are trying to go straight GSM.


Wankel

 

[Wang Chung]

Just switched from Sprint to Verizon after threatening to do it for the last year or so- very happy with things so far, especially with the improved coverage. Our company uses Verizon phones; we drop into some places that are turbo-podunk and coverage is super. I drop calls on rare occasion, and for whatever reason that seems to happen in big cities. The free Verizon-to-Verizon is nice, too.

That being said, some of my colleagues use Cingulair on the road and they swear by it.