Cingular, T-Mobile, the RAZR and the Treo 650
Posted May 10th, 2005 @ 08:33am by Erik J. Barzeski
Yesterday I wrote about how I was considering the BlackBerry 7100 and the Treo 600. I'm no longer considering them, and with that, T-Mobile has pretty much left my list of desired cell phone carriers.
That leaves Cingular, which has absolutely no presence in Erie, PA and Verizon, which has shitty phones and with whom I never hope to deal with ever again after the "Hawaii is not a state" incident of 2000.
I could give Carey my V600 and buy a new phone with Cingular. Their plans are ridiculously expensive, though: $59.99 for 900 minutes + $19.99 to add a line or $69.99 + $9.99 to add a line (1100 minutes). Ridiculous! If Carey and I get to talk to each other free, we aren't gonna use 900 freakin' minutes!
Even if I did go with Cingular (again, having been a customer of theirs for four years), I'm not sure if I would go with the 650 or the RAZR V3. I don't know if I'll use the features the Palm stuff offers on the 650, and I like my V600… $200 and a 2-year contract? Might be worth it…
Thoughts? If you want to look anything up, I use 16506 for Erie and 33445 for Cingular (my old zip code in Delray Beach, FL).
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Posted 09 May 2005 at 11:51pm #
FWIW, my Cingular plan was over a few days ago. I'm "contract-less," currently. Carey's is up in a year, but for $19.99/mo, her parents may take it over.
T-Mobile doesn't won't have EDGE until September. Maybe. And the Motorola V330 - which is supposed to have Bluetooth - won't be available for 1-7 months.
Posted 09 May 2005 at 11:54pm #
My dad uses AT&T here (which is now Cingular), and has trouble finding signal here in downtown Cleveland. Raising the bar my ass. My Verizon phone has little trouble (I know you've got a personal jihad against Verizon, but I'm just saying that the signal can be found in a city, and AT&T isn't doing it). So if you're doing a lot of city work, you may want to check locally to see how coverage is.
But I doubt you're going to be doing too much city-talking in Erie, so that may not be a factor for you. Once out of the city, the signal is just fine.
I'd personally go with the RAZR, because it looks far cooler than the 650. But then again, I wouldn't use the QWERTY on the 650 for anything more than SMS.
Posted 10 May 2005 at 12:13am #
I've actually been looking around for a new cell phone too. I was contemplating the RAZR simply because it's a bluetooth cellphone that doesn't look like ass and works with iSync. However, that price tag is rather daunting.
Posted 10 May 2005 at 12:18am #
I have the RAZR V3, and I like it. It doesn't try to be anything but a phone though, so if you're looking for PDA and other useless features, its not the one to get.
But it works really great (my first Motorola), crisp display, and reasonable battery life (only had it 3 days so far, so we'll see). Dead sexy, too 🙂
iSync works with it.
Posted 10 May 2005 at 8:13am #
How about Sprint PCS? I'm currently in the midst of a similar decision and Sprint is looking like a decent alternative. (esp since I get a 10 or 15% discount through my employer). they have the Treo 650 - I'm looking to cut out my Palm and cell phone pocket junk...go to just one device.
Posted 10 May 2005 at 8:27am #
Sprint's got shit for coverage.
Posted 10 May 2005 at 10:09am #
Regarding the Treo 650 and Cingular contracts, the way I read the fine print on the mail-in rebate is that you are required to have both at least a $39.95 voice plan and the unlimited data plan, which looks to be $44.95/mo. This seems to be the same with most providers, somebody correct me if I'm reading this wrong. Just something to be aware of....
Posted 10 May 2005 at 10:16am #
James, I'm looking for a Family plan. $39.95 ain't gonna be that big of a stretch.
Posted 10 May 2005 at 5:29pm #
The Cingular family plan can be good, but can be pricey. Our plan is about $85 for two phones, unlimited nights and weekends (starting at 7pm), and free family calling. This plan has given us unlimited minutes.
I don't have a problem justifying the cost because before this we were spending $20 a month for a land line plus $40 or so for long distance. Now we have one more phone and mobility for about $25 a month. Pretty good bargain.
Posted 10 May 2005 at 8:05pm #
Eric, even if you get a family plan you have to add the unlimited data. If you get the Treo 650 at the mail-in rebate price you'll be looking at the $85 (or whatever) plus $45 for unlimited data, whether you think you'll need unlimited data or not. So that puts it around $130/mo. Or at least that's how I read it.
Posted 11 May 2005 at 12:40pm #
Nextel has good coverage from where I've used it. They don't usually have the flashiest next generation phones and their pricing up front doesn't look good compared to other companies. In any case, I got to know them not to raise rates or mess with me in any way.
No roaming, long distance, and free nights/weekends as well like most other companies.
Posted 02 Jan 2007 at 9:15pm #
I stay in Erie PA, and was on Verizon plan till now and signal was good. Now I plan to move to Cingular, as I liked thier phone. But is there good Cingular signal in Erie. I am going to buy the instrument online, so need for a store to begin with.
Any help is appreciated
thanks
stash