Cell service

[CadillacMatt 31]

Hey gents,

What cell service you guys use? I'm using Verizon and frankly I'm disgusted with the amount of cash I'm expected to fork over every month for my Blackberry service... regularly I'm paying $130 for ONE phone, 900 minutes. Isn't that ridiculous? Gettin' screwed pretty hard. Plus the Storm phone that I have I completely and utterly hate it's got so many problems both physically and with the software that I can barely use it anymore.

Been checking into Boost Mobile.. they have a Blackberry plan (Curve 8330 phone), unlimited EVERYTHING, for $60 a month... a bit skeptical, I did some nosing around on the internet -- turns out they use *Sprint's* network (I have an inkling they are somehow attached to Sprint one way or another). The only possible downsides that I see is that you are required to buy the phone for full price ($230 at Radio Shack) and pay ahead the first month. Oh, and if you don't pay on time your service is instantly cut off but that's understandable for non-contracted phone service.

Your 2 cents?

[inkfx 3]

If they are using the Sprint towers, your signal should be fine. I had Sprint for a few years and was satisfied with the service. Only reason I ditched them was because the Instinct phone I had froze up on me and they wouldn't replace it. So my dad and I switched over to AT&T and grabbed some iPhones. We have a family plan with 1400 minutes, unlimited texting and data, costs around $170 a month.

[jcarter1885 995]

I like Sprint and there services but hate their phones, never had a fun that functioned properly but I just narrow that down to my luck.

[CadillacMatt 31]

My experiences with Sprint phones haven't been too bad... bout 5 years ago I had one of those PowerVision phones that the screen would flip and turn like an actual video camera, the quality of the recordings was amazing. Loved that thing, I used it for 3 years until it was really beat up and the battery didn't hold a charge anymore (Sprint told me that a new battery was $50 since the phone had been discontinued... so I moved on ) Then I got the UpStage, little bar phone with a screen on each side... got tired of flipping the damn thing back and forth.

I've had the Storm for a year now, and it has been absolute hell... the camera would freeze after 30 seconds of recording when I first got it (A known issue with ALL Blackberry Storms, took RIM [parent company of BB] **6** months to issue an update to Verizon for it!) Plus its slow, freezes up quite a bit, and now the touch screen has gotten screwy and only registers half of my input. I feel like I'm taking a gamble buying another Blackberry product but I've read good reviews on it so I'm willing to give it a chance.

Edited March 26, 2010 by CadillacMatt

[inkfx 3]

Any reason you're stuck on the Blackberry? I had a Palm Treo with ATT&T before my Sprint plan and absolutely LOVED the phone. Similar in looks to the Blackberry. Plus the touchscreen isn't a piece of shit! Another cool thing about it was it came loaded with Microsoft Office!

I keep thinking the title of the thread is call service for some hookers or something. It's trippin me out. lol

Edited March 26, 2010 by inkfx

[Penguin4x4 1,761]

Where do plan on using your phone? Predominately the San Antonio metro area? Out west near Hondo and Dunlay and Medina and Bandera?

If you're using it mostly in the San Antonio area (and/or anywhere on I-35 between San Antonio and DFW) and not much else, flip a coin on which carrier you want to use.

[CadillacMatt 31]

I keep thinking the title of the thread is call service for some hookers or something. It's trippin me out. lol

lol... just lol

Where do plan on using your phone? Predominately the San Antonio metro area?

Yep, I checked the coverage maps and they looked pretty good... 99% of the time I'm around SA but in the case I might go to Dallas, Austin, San Marcos, or the coast the coverage looks pretty good there too.

[Penguin4x4 1,761]

between San Antonio, San Marcos, Austin, Austin, Georgetown, Temple, and Waco, 3G service is about as good as you can get in the state

[Sir-Lancelot 216]

I have verizon, but get a 35% discount from my company.

I had Sprint a few years ago and it was bad. As long as I was in a populated area it was fine, but once I hit a rural area it would roam or have no signal.

[jcarter1885 995]

I have verizon, but get a 35% discount from my company.

I had Sprint a few years ago and it was bad. As long as I was in a populated area it was fine, but once I hit a rural area it would roam or have no signal.

Definitely can agree with you on that, I would never have reception on road trips at all (just hated it).

[CadillacMatt 31]

between San Antonio, San Marcos, Austin, Austin, Georgetown, Temple, and Waco, 3G service is about as good as you can get in the state

Really good news to hear... really don't mind breaking my contract with Verizon if it means less headaches in the long run...

[Penguin4x4 1,761]

between San Antonio, San Marcos, Austin, Austin, Georgetown, Temple, and Waco, 3G service is about as good as you can get in the state

Really good news to hear... really don't mind breaking my contract with Verizon if it means less headaches in the long run...

Not having to worry if your carrier has 3G coverage is one of the bigger perks of living/driving I-35; can't really go wrong with any of the big 4

now, you start going into the rural parts of the state, that is where things start getting interesting

especially around Sonora and Ozona

[CadillacMatt 31]

Not having to worry if your carrier has 3G coverage is one of the bigger perks of living/driving I-35; can't really go wrong with any of the big 4

I'm always on one highway or another I'm a city boy through and through and if I recall correctly as some of you guys had stated I seemed to have no problems with Sprint's coverage, never went under 4 bars. Verizon on the other hand, surprisingly bounces anywhere from 1 to 5 bars in a matter of minutes

[ChargerOn22s 2]

$50 a month , Tmobile, Iphone, Love it!

[CadillacMatt 31]

$50 a month , Tmobile, Iphone, Love it!

What, TMobile has iPhones? What are the details of your plan like minutes, text, pix, etc etc if you don't mind me asking?

[inkfx 3]

The only way to do that is to "jailbreak" the iPhone. Otherwise, you are limited to AT&T.

[CadillacMatt 31]

The only way to do that is to "jailbreak" the iPhone. Otherwise, you are limited to AT&T.

Oh you mean flash it over?

[rodneydude23 5]

No unlocking the phone is what he's referring to. You can look it up on YouTube and figure out how to do it! Haha.

iPhone FTW!

[inkfx 3]

The only way to do that is to "jailbreak" the iPhone. Otherwise, you are limited to AT&T.

Oh you mean flash it over?

Only downside is updates for the iPhone aren't as frequent. You can only get the new updates once they are cracked. I believe the OS3.1 hasn't been cracked yet either and it's been out for a while. At least, not for the iPhone. I think it's worked on the iPod touch.

[CadillacMatt 31]

No unlocking the phone is what he's referring to. You can look it up on YouTube and figure out how to do it! Haha.

iPhone FTW!

Ah... just schooled myself on YouTube about the entire process, lol!

Don't get me wrong...I would get an iPhone, they are really neat little devices... but for one, the damn thing's still so expensive (not even talking about the 3GS here!) and secondly, the thought of breaking one contract just to jump into another frankly scares me right now. I mean, the apps are cool and all don't get me wrong, but that's why I got the Storm in the first place was to use apps, and I ended up just using it for calls, text, pics, email, and browsing. Basic smartphone stuff. So I'm thinking I don't really need one.

Plus, I just traded one of my buddies an 80gig 5G iPod video that I had laying around for his 8gig iPod Touch so if there's any really killer apps I want to get I can still download from the app store . The one feature I really loved that I got to play around with on my friends iPhone on a trip, was the Maps. I am an idiot with directions and that thing makes it damned near impossible to get lost. the iPod Touch has this too, but alas you need to be around a wireless hotspot to use any of those features (in-car wifi anyone?)

Edited March 26, 2010 by CadillacMatt

[ChargerOn22s 2]

$50 a month , Tmobile, Iphone, Love it!

What, TMobile has iPhones? What are the details of your plan like minutes, text, pix, etc etc if you don't mind me asking?

Unlimed text, 700 mins, and no data plan. Why pay for a data plan where most everywhere I am at has free Wifi??

[ChargerOn22s 2]

The only way to do that is to "jailbreak" the iPhone. Otherwise, you are limited to AT&T.

jailbreak is not unlocking a phones service, it allows you to put 3rd party apps on your phone

Oh you mean flash it over?

Flashing?? no its unlocking and jailbreaking

Edited March 26, 2010 by ChargerOn22s

[CadillacMatt 31]

Unlimed text, 700 mins, and no data plan. Why pay for a data plan where most everywhere I am at has free Wifi??

Even Micky D's has free Wi-Fi now. It's a conspiracy to fatten America up even more.

Edited March 26, 2010 by CadillacMatt

[Penguin4x4 1,761]

Personally I can't stand the touch screen interface of the iPhone; I much prefer tactile buttons. But whatever blows your skirt up

[TRP 42]

I have Sprint and use the Palm Centro, it was good at first, had the data plan and could use google maps, NFL mobile live(watch live Games) and it was overall a good phone. After i got rid of the data plan it seems to be just a plain phone again! But i have come to find out the thing has horrible battery life. Likes to restart itself for no reason. And the touch screen can be kinda finicky. Also nearly every time i wanna "wake it up" i seem to press the email button then i have to wait for the email to open then go back to the main menu. I might just also have some gorilla thumbs! The phone does have some great features. I can open different office documents, excel, word that stuff, but again without internet i cant dl them from emails or anything so kinda useless. I have loved the phone, i have added some nice games, and it syncs nicely with my Outlook express for updating saved appointments and whatever else. I use a Bluetooth dongle on my comp to be able to sync the phone and comp. Works really nice. And adding pics or songs are a breeze.

But since my contract is up i was debating about getting a storm. But i am not sure now, i have heard almost nothing but bad things about it. I did hear that the V.2 was alot better. And ideas? Well man GL with it all!!!