Wireless Provider or Phone?

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EyeMWing

Banned
Jun 13, 2003
15,670
1
0
Provider - and it just so happens that the best provider in this case (Verizon) also has the best phone (Samsung SCH-A650).

Why is the A650 the best phone? Because it's no-bullsh!t and WORKS.

Oh, and CDMA is the least fundamentally flawed protocol in the continental US. GSM and TDMA are rather humorous.
 

Albis

Platinum Member
May 29, 2004
2,722
0
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Originally posted by: Ornery
...in my area...

Never leave your area, eh?

i've gone over to the east coast quite often and haven't had any problems with my phone.

but than again i use an unlocked phone from asia so the provider doesn't really matter b/c it's GSM
 

RossMAN

Grand Nagus
Feb 24, 2000
79,006
430
136
Originally posted by: Ornery
Why would you sign up for a suck ass provider just to have the coolest phone?

That's why I made the poll. I'm hoping those folks will pipe up, but they'll probably just click the Phone answer, and slink off without saying anything.

I'd like to hear from the 4 AT'ers that voted "phone".
 

Ornery

Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
20,022
17
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Albis & Martin said their peace, which is more than I expected.

For me, coverage in those sticky areas is the biggest issue. After that, dropped calls is the next concern. The actual phones used by a provider are not much to worry about, so long as they're clear and don't drop calls.
 
Feb 19, 2001
20,155
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Originally posted by: EyeMWing
Provider - and it just so happens that the best provider in this case (Verizon) also has the best phone (Samsung SCH-A650).

Why is the A650 the best phone? Because it's no-bullsh!t and WORKS.

Oh, and CDMA is the least fundamentally flawed protocol in the continental US. GSM and TDMA are rather humorous.

Yea A650s are like ancient so are A670s. Seriously. Wake up into the world of cell phones.. you don't get good deals from Verizon stores.

CDMA is fundamentally flawed? At least with my GSM phone I can travel the world. Can you? Ok your phone works in Iraq. GFG.
 

Ornery

Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
20,022
17
81
I take it DLeRium is in the camp that chooses the phone over the provider. How does your current provider fair for coverage in this country?

Hmmm...
 

EyeMWing

Banned
Jun 13, 2003
15,670
1
0
Originally posted by: DLeRium
Originally posted by: EyeMWing
Provider - and it just so happens that the best provider in this case (Verizon) also has the best phone (Samsung SCH-A650).

Why is the A650 the best phone? Because it's no-bullsh!t and WORKS.

Oh, and CDMA is the least fundamentally flawed protocol in the continental US. GSM and TDMA are rather humorous.

Yea A650s are like ancient so are A670s. Seriously. Wake up into the world of cell phones.. you don't get good deals from Verizon stores.

CDMA is fundamentally flawed? At least with my GSM phone I can travel the world. Can you? Ok your phone works in Iraq. GFG.

*ALL* the American cell phone protocols are fundamentally broken. CDMA is the best of the junk that we have available. And the A650 is a phone. It works like a phone. Period. The A670 is a bastardization of a great phone to try to compete with fashion phones. "Ancient" has nothing to do with anything in the world of phones. The protocol hasn't changed, so there's no real need to repalce something that already does it's job well. It has a lot to do with the modern "ZOMGFASHIONPHONE!" world, though.

CDMA is actually somewhat tolerant of the signal getting slaughtered by refraction and obstructions. The same cannot be said for GSM - which develops, among other things, under normal real-world usage such symptoms as echos, stuttering, call drops, etc. CDMA will do that, too, but it takes a hell of a lot more junk to accomplish it. As a result, you get more usable coverage off a single repeater of the same power.
 

SpongeBob

Platinum Member
Jan 16, 2001
2,825
0
76
I chose phone and trust me I'm far from a blng blinger. I currently use the Nokia 3120 that I got free back with ATTWS. I went to ATTWS from TMobile because I wanted the smallest non-flip/slide (ie moving parts that break) phone that I could get that had speakerphone. Verizon didn't offer anything but a huge kyocera bar phone that didn't have speaker and tmobile had the Nokia 6610 but it was larger and I like to carry my phone in my pocket (hate those lame clips!) and I don't want to look like an idiot with a big phone sticking out. The phone has been great, I've traveled all over the U.S. for work and it's worked everywhere. I plan on keeping it as long as the battery life is acceptable and then I'll move on to the next small bar phone with speaker with whatever provider that is.
 

SpongeBob

Platinum Member
Jan 16, 2001
2,825
0
76
I personally can see how some people that depend on their phone a great deal and go to remote areas would chose provider before phone but personally I use only about 200 minutes a month, never have a problem getting a signal and never have a dropped call. Why should I think about the provider one bit?
 

Ornery

Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
20,022
17
81
At least that's a reason, which is more than can be said for the other half of the phone 1st folks.
Originally posted by: RossMAN

1) Wireless provider
2) Wireless phone

Why would you sign up for a suck ass provider just to have the coolest phone? Bad decision.
 

skyking

Lifer
Nov 21, 2001
22,765
5,929
146
For me, Tmobile is adequate. I have packed other company phones along with my tmobile, and there are places where I can't get coverage on one or the other.
For the most part, it works where I need it and at a price I can live with.
I just got a flip phone to eliminate the "pocket dialing effect". I'd forget to lock the keypad and dial somebody from the hip:) Beyond that feature, I could care less what the phone does. I have a telephoto camera to take pictures. I have an MP3 player for tunes.
 

imported_hscorpio

Golden Member
Sep 1, 2004
1,617
0
0
Some people have said that they would choose based on the phone because the providers are all pretty equal in large urban areas. I would just like to point out how that isn't always the case, especially here in LA with nextel. Their coverage is horrible, especially when compared to verizons.
 

geckojohn

Diamond Member
Nov 28, 2000
4,679
0
0
Originally posted by: hscorpio
Some people have said that they would choose based on the phone because the providers are all pretty equal in large urban areas. I would just like to point out how that isn't always the case, especially here in LA with nextel. Their coverage is horrible, especially when compared to verizons.

Yup, Verizon pwnz
 

NutBucket

Lifer
Aug 30, 2000
27,151
635
126
Originally posted by: hscorpio
Some people have said that they would choose based on the phone because the providers are all pretty equal in large urban areas. I would just like to point out how that isn't always the case, especially here in LA with nextel. Their coverage is horrible, especially when compared to verizons.

Agreed Completely.

My gf used to have Cingular and it was't very good in LA either. A few years ago she joined me on Sprint and everything has greatly improved. Doesn't hurt Sprint is finally getting some nice phones.