Which mobile service in CA Bay Area?

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joelmold

Senior member
May 15, 2000
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Ok, I finally decided to get a mobile phone (I know, I'm behind the times) but I don't know much about them.

I'm in the Bay Area (East Bay). I'm not loyal to any one company, I just want to know some people's opinions about what's the best out there right now. My only real question is what's TDMA/GSM/etc.? Do I need to worry about this?

I need at least 500 anytime minutes and I'd like unlimited off-peak. I don't travel far from the Bay that often, but when I do I'd like to not have to worry about roaming.

So what's the best company as far as coverage? I saw T-mobile has nationwide 600/unlimited for $39.99 a month. This seems like a good deal, but I'd like to hear what others think. Which phones should I look into? I don't care about color/cameras/other nifty cool features, just so long as the reception and quality are good.

Thanks!

joel
 
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jonnyjack

Platinum Member
Oct 13, 1999
2,162
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joel,

regarding your question about what TDMA and GSM is. that's the type of network the cell phone company uses. Verizon uses CDMA, Cingular uses GSM, i think T-Mobile is GSM, AT&T is TDMA and they also have GSM now.

in the sf bay area, verizon is cosidered the best but is more expensive. cingular is supposedly the worst, at least it was a couple of years ago.

i had been on AT&T TDMA since june 2001 until two days ago. i have had no complaints with the TDMA service. i just migrated to AT&T's GSM network cause they had a good deal for a family plan and i needed a new phone. i live in union city and my house is like the black hole for cell phone reception no matter what company you're with. but with AT&T's GSM network i get full reception. since i just got it two days ago i haven't been to too many places, but i go to hayward state and it's pretty much full reception from my house to the campus. no dead spots at all. i'll be going down to the milpitas/san jose area this weekend so we'll see how good the reception is.

the current $39.99 local plan includes 600 peak min, unlimited night and weekend (starting at 9pm). nationwide long distance. the home calling area includes the entire state of california and reno and vegas. currently you can add another line for the family share plan for only $9.99 for each additional line. the family share plan comes with 1,000 mobile to mobile minutes as well. so calling other AT&T subscribers will use up mobile to mobile minutes before your 600 peak minutes.

you can get the sony ericsson t616 (camera phone) for $50 with $100 rebate (if you sign a 2 year contract). yup, they'll pay you $50 for it. well that's my experience with AT&T, i haven't tried the others.
 
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PoPPeR

Diamond Member
Oct 9, 2002
6,993
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Originally posted by: GOSHARKS
best coverage in the SFBA is probably going to be ATT TDMA.
Click to expand...
my sister has that, goes between San Francisco and Walnut Creek 4 times a week, and it's been nothing but horrible for her. She's on TDMA not GSM. My Sprint gets better reception when side by side with her. I've heard Verizon works even in the hollow buildings of SF.

Use the 14 day trials and see for yourself. Personally Sprint has worked great everywhere. The place I get the worst reception (but still good) is my house.

 
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ApacheXMD

Platinum Member
Oct 9, 1999
2,765
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In my house in San Jose, ATT TDMA gets no signal at all.
Verizon is like 3 bars.

-patchy
 
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thomsbrain

Lifer
Dec 4, 2001
18,148
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i have ATT TDMA. i get usable but not stellar reception nearly everywhere i've been. only places i lose reception are in like santa cruz.
 
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777php

Diamond Member
Jul 17, 2001
3,498
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definitely verizon, almost everyone i've spoken in regards to cell phones agree that verizon has the best coverage for the bay area. Unfortunatley though, they have the worst selection of phones.

Do the current verizon plans have nights starting at 9pm? I got my plan almost 2 years ago.
 
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joelmold

Senior member
May 15, 2000
296
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Thanks for all the replies!

So I did some more research this morning and ATT GSM looks like the way to go right now. One negative, some people have told me that ATT way overcharges (compared to other providers) if you differentiate from your plan at all.

The T616 looks like a pretty cool phone, anyone have personal experience?

Finally, I had some confusion about local vs. national plans. If I understand correctly, local means I can make calls anywhere in my home calling area (CA + Reno & Vegas), including long distance calls out of my home calling area, for the same monthly price. National means I can call from anywhere to anywhere for one price. Is this correct?

Thanks again,

joel
 
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jonnyjack

Platinum Member
Oct 13, 1999
2,162
1
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joelmold: when you say differentiate from your plan, do you mean go over your minutes? i've never gone over my minutes but i think it's like 40 cents/minute which is a lot but if you go over the plan i suggested (600 peak) then you talk way too much, haha.

my brother got the T616, i got the T226. 226 supposedly has better reception but 616 works fine too. 616 gives you a camera and also a much better screen (higher resolution). both are good phones though. ask the AT&T dealer if they will let you try the service for 30 days or less so you can see if you get good reception in the areas you frequent. i think after 30 days you are locked into the contract but before 30 days you'll be ok.

for your national vs. local question: you are correct. but if you look at the coverage maps national really only adds major cities like NY, Dallas and Orlando. ask the dealer for coverage maps so you can see. personally if i were to go out of town i wouldn't want to deal with phonecalls anyway and if it's an emergency then the extra cost won't matter. you also get less minutes when selecting the national plan.

lastly, AT&T's contract for 1 or 2 years only locks you into their company. you can switch between plans, i did this with no problem (moving from $40 to $30 or vice versa)

hope this helps.
 
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PoPPeR

Diamond Member
Oct 9, 2002
6,993
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be careful about the whole switching plans things. Read the actual company policy, to get their official stance. Sprint CS are notorious for being either really unknowledgeable or really rebelious, because half of them will stick to policy and say you need to extend your contract when changing your plan and others will change it without making you sign a new contract. I don't know what ATT's official policy on this is, but it's good to know and will answer your question.
 
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andylawcc

Lifer
Mar 9, 2000
18,183
3
81
Doesn't ATT TDMA offer very limited choice of cell phones since it is an earlier technology compare to GSM? Beside, ATT's GSM phone are compatible with Cingular, T-mobile and new ones look way cooler. :)
 
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Kenny

Platinum Member
Oct 12, 2002
2,567
0
76
I go to school in San Jose on weekdays and go to SF on weekends. Cingular sucks (had them less than a year ago)

I have ATT TDMA right now and it stinks in both areas. I have a friend with T-Mobile that seems to be getting pretty good reception, and someone else with Verizon that's getting good reception as well. Personally, I would go with Verizon. The service is just superb everywhere you go.
 
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habib89

Diamond Member
Jan 17, 2001
3,599
0
0
ATT was really good for me back in the days.. and back in the days was like.. a year and a half ago.. the ONLY place it didn't work was my house.. and when we moved, it still didnt' work (as evidenced by apache)... so i got verizon.. works everywhere.. still tiny dead spots in my house.. like i'll move one inch, no signal, but move back, and get a signal.. so it's kinda wierd.. but hey, it works.. personaly, i liked att when i was with them.. but i'm also very happy with verizon

btw, as i live with apache, i live in san jose.. and back in sf on the weekends..
 
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geckojohn

Diamond Member
Nov 28, 2000
4,679
0
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I live in San Jose and I've been with AT&T TDMA, At&T gsm, Tmobile, and Verizon. Verizon has been the best for me. They have the most coverage and the best customer service. I highly recommend them, even though they're a bit more expensive.
 
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