Cell phone providers
From WhyNotWiki
Contents |
[edit] General
CamWorld: How Sprint PCS Loses Customers (http://www.camworld.com/archives/001333.html).
Update: During my research I came across two very good web sites that help the prospective cell phone buyer figure out which phone best meets their needs. The first is PhoneScoop, a blog-like site that breaks down the phones and carriers based on technology, service plans and features. Their Phone Finder section is pretty intuitive but unless you know exactly which features you want it's difficult to choose. The second site I found is called MyPhoneFinder from MyRatePlan.com. It presents a very intuitive Flash-based interface that automatically adds/removes phones based on features. I took it for a few spins and I ended up being recommended to buy the Sharp TM150, a 1.1 megapixel cameraphone that is essentially free with a 2-Year T-Mobile contract agreement.
Update 2: A reader sent me a link to this site called SprintUsers.com, which is very beneficial for people who still use Sprint PCS as a carrier.
[edit] Specific providers
[edit] Sprint
[edit] Question: If I get a new phone from Amazon, eBay, etc., how hard is it to activate it?
(I asked the nice guy at the Sprint store, on 2007-09-14)
He said it was super simple: just bring the phone in and they'll activate for me (and, one assumes, deactivate my other phone).
And that doesn't require renewing my contract or anything?
Correct. No contract renewal required.
Hmm, it looks like you can even do that over the Internet maybe, according to [1]!
[edit] T-Mobile
http://www.camworld.com/archives/001333.html.
I just made the same switch pcs (5 years, great unlisted $35 plan) to t-mobile for a few reasons. 1) I needed a new phone and sprint required either $150 for a cheap one, or a contract renewal for a discount. 2) sprint's sms implementation is horrible on the phone's I've used. 3) Similar complaints regarding inflexibility of changes without contract extensions.
I picked up a 1-year contract, and was basically paid 2 months of service to switch (see amazon.com rebates). So far so good, though the sending sound quality has dropped a bit, I believe due to difference in network protocol. I use google/sms constantly now (46645) to lookup words and addresses.
Be sure to give someone a referral if/when you switch!
So now I also am considering T-Mobile, as much out of principal as anything. Their selection of phones is wretched, but the one-year agreement is easier to stomach than the two-year deals everywhere else. Plus, there is the appeal of unlocked GSM phones. An independent affiliate in my neighborhood has gray-market European models like the sexier new Nokias and the black Motorola RAZR, which are otherwise not available in the U.S., and they're even offering a $200 subsidy on them. Just make sure they're tri-band or quad-band.1
[edit] Trac
CamWorld: Cell Phone Hell (http://www.camworld.com/archives/001339.html).
I have gone the "Pay as you go" thing once with TracFone...Made me legitimately insane! Get this, you buy a 100 minute or as they call it "unit" card for $30. Then when you place a call and the person doesnt pick up after 2 rings it charges off your "unit" balance after 10 seconds. When calling your voicemail for those missed calls you HAVE to listen to the full instruction menu painful repetitive obvious line after line. I have tried hitting * or # to skip it to no avail and yes those "Units" are dissappearing like cupcakes at the fat girl's quinseneta! So effectively I found that 10-12 two minute call and regular management of my voicemails would eat up $30 which made it an emergency only "fone" because $120 per month was not the right "Trac"!
[edit] Verizon
[edit] Opinions / Complaints
[edit] You have to pay for spam
Cellphones: Get Out Of Your Sprint Contract Free Until October 31 (http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/cellphones/get-out-of-your-sprint-contract-free-until-october-31-206605.php).
Paul,2006-10-11
They don't let you turn off text messaging. So if someone texts something to you, for example, a junk mailer, then you are charged for the message even though you don't even read it or want it.
I called them to asked them if they could block all text messages to my phone and they said their system is not equipped for that.
They have been nickeling me every month because of this. I guess they'll be nickeling me three times as much now.
[edit] Ridiculous price per text message
http://consumerist.com/consumer/sprint/oct31-deadline-for-free-sprint-contract-killing-206501.php.
$.15 huh? How about no. It costs >.01 in Japan to send a text message...and similar in Europe from what I understand...when is the US going to join the 21st century?
The same time the US gets a 21st century cellular network...zing!
Hahaha. Why join the Future of Tomorrow when you can stay in the Overcharging of Today™?
See also: Net neutrality scumbags, "it costs too much for fiber lines" (Japan did it with ease), etc, etc.
It's just yet another case of a company getting greedy.
[edit] Questions
[edit] Are phones interchangeable between different carriers? How do you know if it will be compatible?
For example, Tim's T-Mobile service -- would it work with my Samsung VI660?
[edit] Do they charge for calls made to 800 numbers?
That is, do they count as minutes?
(Probably!)
[edit]
Aliases: Cell phone service providers, Cell phone carriers, Cell phone provider comparison, Cell phone plans, Cell phone plan comparison
