Yibbyl wrote: 
I guess everybody uses their phone a whole lot more than me.

 oldslabsides wrote: 
Windows has had a lot of misfires.  Windows 7 ain't one of 'em by a long stretch.

 Yibbyl wrote:
 
That is the phone I want to have! Heck, that's the phone I HAD. I really like the Samsung Rugby, but I want to disable the bloatware.

 BlueHeronDruid wrote:
 
It's really only just now I've started to care. Normally my experiences have been fine. In fact, the last time I needed help, the store had a guy who actually knew something, and got me fixed up right away. Now they're just sales, and you have to go to some far-flung office, just to be told you have to call the insurance carrier (for one phone) and there's nothing they can do (for the other). Thanks a lot.

 oldslabsides wrote: 
iPhone 3gs or whatever the old one is lasts 1-2 days per charge, since we've had it. BluEdyes' 4g has been the same. My old, crappy, flip-style, not-so-smart phone got 8-9 days and far better reception in outlying areas! And the more you travel, the more the phone has to search for a network, which just eats up battery time.

 islander wrote: 
I know that AT&T is rated at the bottom of every market in the US by Consumers Union. I know that everyone hates them.

We've been customers since 2001. I have always had excellent reception at home (IL, New Joy Sea and here) where my family can't get a signal (Verizon, T-Mobile) and all over the county (remember I took that little drive in 2010?). I have always had excellent customer service. We've even gotten them to lower our minutes plan beyond anything they currently offer.

I guess our mileage varied, huh. 

 islander wrote: 
This from a Windoze 7 user.  pffft.

 islander wrote: 

 islander wrote: 

 islander wrote:
 
Brutal.

 oldslabsides wrote: 
Try turning it on. Also when you 'use' it, you should dial a phone number an speak into the device - just holding it in your fist while yelling at the neighbors doesn't constitute "minutes of talk time".  

 cc_rider wrote: 
I call BS, too.  I get ten-twelve DAYS out of my iPhone.

 aflanigan wrote:
  I don't know what to do. I just got this phone to replace the one I lost. The guy at the disService Center said it was the software, he said his phone is the same way. He said getting 12 hours of life from a battery is pretty good these days. I call BS on that, along with you. But hey, what can you do?

 cc_rider wrote: 

I wouldn't be so sure you can blame AT&T's preloaded software for your battery woes.  I have a Motorola QA1 phone with all kinds of preloaded apps and get about 2-3 days worth of battery use out of a 3+ year old battery.  Perhaps it's a hardware problem.  Have them replace the phone and see if you still have the poor battery performance.

 islander wrote:
  That's what I'm finding out. I really only want 'just a phone', but the little lady is considering a smart phone (iPhone) to replace three separate gadgets.

I think V is gonna be the one. I've gotta check them out and see what I can get.

What precipitated my disillusionment with Ma Bell? I just got a replacement Samsung Rugby phone (lost the last one). Now the battery lasts less than a day, no matter how little I use it. Old one would go a couple days, at least. Even bought another battery, no luck. The 'Device Service Center' said it's a function of all the software ATT loads up, and you can't disable it. Lovely. See ya, suckers.

 cc_rider wrote: 
We are currently Verizon.  We were Alltel before (both cell and land) and got absorbed by Verizon for the cell phone.  As a phone, its pretty decent.  We just have phones however, we still don't text, not even cameras in the phones.  But nearly everyone we know is Verizon and all our mobile to mobile is free so that was a consideration in staying with them.  The coverage seems very good, no matter where we go when we travel.

For data usage an all that, I am clueless.

Pretty soon we will have to make the leap to smart phones, but it will be done kicking and clawing.  One thing I have learned about Verizon is that it is best to go to a company owned store and stay away from brokers and kiosks.  The answers you get to questions at a Verizon O&O store will be different than from a broker.

 cc_rider wrote: 
I'm shopping for the work plan now. Everyone has pluses and minuses.

AT&T has more minuses than any other major carrier, they are already out of the list.

Verizon has good coverage, and good 4g speeds now. As they depoly more phones though, there will be saturation and speeds will drop a little. Overall engineering is sound though, so as long as you are in a major metro you should be fine. Plans tend to be more expensive by 10-20% and they have bandwidth caps. They have some nice phones, and seem to get the new shiny first most of the time.

Sprint has good coverage, but because they use higher frequencies, their building penetration isn't as good. Concrete and steel block a lot of their signal, so if you work deep inside a building You may find coverage lacking.  Their phones are good, but the selection & tech is a step behind the big V unless you want an iPhone. They are switching to LTE, but don’t currently sell any LTE phones. So as they roll out new tech, you’ll be stuck on a WiMax phone for 2 years unless you pay to switch. They claim they will continue to support WiMax in Parallel, but that seems unlikely to me. They certainly won’t be building out any more, so if you can’t get it now you won’t. Also, regardless of if you can or can’t get their 4G coverage, you’ll pay $10/month for any phone that could potentially use it. They are the only carrier left with truly unlimited plans.  We use them now, and they are decent. They will screw up your billing anytime you make a plan change. They’ll eventually get it right, but it will take time and the error will NEVER be in your favor. Plans are reasonably priced as long as you’re not on an iPhone. If you have a few lines and can get a family plan they have some deals too.

 

T-Mobile -  Best priced plans, worst phone selection, most questionable future. Now that the AT&T merger has been all but scuttled, you really have to wonder about them. Probably fine if you’re in a market with good coverage.  Not a bad option if you want to stick with “just a phone”, and don’t really care about all the data/internet/other stuff.

If  ‘just a phone’ is all you really want, you might consider pre-paid. These are typically rebranded majors, but if you are mindfull of the caveats you can save some money. We have boost mobile for the mother-in-law, and I pay less than $10/month for her to have a phone. She never uses it, so I just have a calendar reminder to throw the minimum $s at it every 90 days or so. It’s on the sprint network, so see those tech limits, but it works in her house and the only other times she would use it would be on the road.

It’s a lot like the presidential election. You have to consider all the compromises and pick the least worst of your options.  All the cricket/green/rebranded services are like picking a third party - don't throw your vote away!

Howdy. I'm new here. Or maybe I've always been here, but never knew it. Until now.

AT&T is working my last nerve. I'm thinking about switching. Maybe Verizon: CR rates them highly.

I thought about 'Credo', but they're just Sprint in a green package, so hey.

Comments? Suggestions? I'm thinkin' two cans and a string...

 aflanigan wrote: 

My two teens text constantly..

 Lazy8 wrote: 

The main reason we have daughter on a family plan is because it only cost $10 per month to add her, and she's not a text and internet phone fiend.  Son is still on prepaid and is starting to consider going to an itouch for internet access and sticking with a prepaid phone.