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I don't know how many of you have been in the same boat (or care, really) but I am just so torn as to what to do!! I have been with t-mobile for the last 10 years and haven't had too many problems other than small hiccups from time to time. And I got onto their no roaming charges plan fairly early on after i signed up. I don't travel very often, but it was nice to not worry about roaming charges. I would always look at verizon and see that they charged roaming fees and were generally more expensive than what I had. Then I got my first smart phone in 2006 and was hooked! However, t-mobile was pretty late in the game as far as 3G speeds were concerned, especially in my area. And sometimes, the "3G" speeds really suck!! Tho I have compared against people with AT&T and verizon, and when I have 3G speeds on my phone, they tend to be faster. Hell, I can even stream netflix movies through my phone! But now with the onset of 4G, verizon seems to be in a good position. Tho I just read that Salt Lake wasn't going to get complete LTE coverage until the end of the year. Which kind of bites. Anyway I am kind of wanting to jump ships now, however I would have to cut my allowed minutes in half (to 450), and service would STILL cost like 10-15 dollars more per month than what I already pay. But I really do have my eye on the thunderbolt. I have gone in like 3 times to the verizon store to play with it. I am a little bit concerned with battery life, and I don't want to pay extra for 2 GB worth for tethering. Yes, I understand you can root and put new ROMs on the device, but that process still confuses the crap out of me since I have never done it before. The other thing that i get stuck on is that I am a terrible decision maker, so I am kind of scared of making a bad move and regretting it (like buying an HD2.) So I guess that my question is (especially for you former t-mobile customers) is why do you like verizon? I'm not asking you to convince me to switch, I just want to know why you like verizon. Is there a reason you don't like verizon? I don't think I need to ask why you like or dislike the thunderbolt, since I have found plenty of posts for that. But hopefully a few of you will give your two cents
Well, from what I can say, I'd honestly say that if you main concern is speed, verizon is the way to go, if you lookin for a balance, maybe look into sprint. They have 4g phones (the evo, and the evo shift) being almost the same as the inc I just owned (I ran an evo rom, radios, and battery), as they have decent prices and coverage and 4g. T mobile I have never used or been a fan of, but if they work, why change? They will catch up in a bit I'm sure. I've always been with Verizon as I'm on someones plan, and could never afford the insane rates myself. really though I'l check to see what you need, what you want, and what you can afford. Assuming sprint is good in your area, I'd highly suggest an eve/evo shift as a balance, but I can't really give you a definite answer. I have a thunderbolt as of he last few days and like it. I can't say I love it even with the 4G speeds being impressive at the moment. Just waiting for some more hackers and HTC to give us the code we need then I may love it.
Hope that helps a bit and I didn't bore you.
I moved over from AT&T this past summer because well I really don't like AT&T and even as a priority customer on an iPhone I had terrible coverage/service. I made the move to Verizon initially for the superior network/service. I am paying significantly more as I'm no longer on a family plan w/ my brother who didn't want to leave his iPhone...
And if you do come to Verizon by the time the free mobile hotspot promo ends I'm quite sure the hacker/developer community will have greatly simplified the rooting process and there will be custom roms/kernels to optimize power. If not the extended battery add on doesn't cost too much and doesn't add to much to the overall size, I grabbed it for those days I'm traveling. And there are tethering options that don't require monthly payments/limits that don't require root.
I'm loving my thunderbolt, though I agree w/ kdb424 I'm looking forward to some further development on the custom roms/kernels front. I only have rooted currently to get rid of the bloatware & access to the root apps, but can't wait to have some more custom roms to play with. But well currently seemingly the community is waiting for HTC to release the kernel source.
But again I love Verizon for the service/quality of network/helpful employees & I am definitely liking the thunderbolt even though it is a significant change in size from my Droid Incredible.
Holy massive block of text!
I would recommend checking out which carrier best serves your personal needs. Verizon is a little pricey if you cannot get any sort of discount (through work, family, etc.)... but they also have amazing coverage and an impressive start on their 4G LTE network.
I understand why you may not want Verizon though. Sprint is a tad more affordable and can offer great devices and service depending on your area.
I was with TMobile for about 8 years before switching to Verizon a week ago (relocated for work and had no data coverage with TMobile at my new location).
Well I have looked at the options. I might get a new job in Elko, Nevada in which case only Verizon and AT&T have any decent coverage. This is also another reason why i ask. And I doubt Elko would be getting 4G any time soon.
Oh, decisions decisions!!
Let me explain this pic. We can see in the lower right area of the pic there is a 4g wimax tower. A little farther up and to the left you can see my location. This is Bremerton, WA, a city that is a hour ferry from downtown Seattle. There are no other wimax towers for miles.
If I am walking by this building on the way to the ferry, I get 12 Mb download speeds.
If its anytime during daytime hours from morning until 9 or 10PM and I am in my house which is only blocks away my speeds are around 1-3 down, and maybe .5 up.
The only time I can get decent speeds is late at night between 12AM until 7. At those hours I can get a decent speed of 6-7 Mb down and up to 1.5 up.
And in my house it constantly just drops out, having to wait on average about 60 seconds before reconnecting.
So, wimax is line-of-sight, no doubt about that. Damn buildings all to hell.
Now I guess I would consider myself an average consumer, meaning that when I went into Radio Shack in FEBRUARY this year, what I wanted was 4g speeds and a higher end device.
I was actually looking to get the Samsung Galaxy S II Epic 4G Touch which was 200 bux. The guy there said because they had a special deal on the Photon that I should go with that. I got the photon for 49.99 with a 2 year plan and it came with a zagg invisible shield and a 16 gig micro SD card. I did put down a $250 dollar deposit.
My plan comes to about 79.99 a month. Mind you my first bill last month was $193 dollars. I pay a ten dollar fee supposedly for my phone being "SO SMART" and "4g" speeds.
I DO NOT consider myself to be getting "4g" speeds.
Its more like "3.232845 g".
So I wasn't thrilled with the first month of service. My Phone? Couldn't be happier. This phone is a beast. My life is now complete and I have purpose (Hahaha!) And with the forums here at XDA, I don't get much sleep.
Now here is what really pisses me off and I am writing this to you today to get your advice and opinions on a few things.
Did Radio Shack know the EOL for the Photon was in April just two months after buying it? I had no idea and if I would have I would not have bought it. He also sold me on the FACT? that it would be receiving the "ICS" Android update.
That might not even happen.
He also never once mentioned that Sprint was saying F--K it to WIMAX and chasing the LTE bandwagon instead.
The first 30 days has come and gone and I feel totally deceived being conned into buying a "LEGACY" phone with wireless technology that is being SCRAPPED.
And even tho I love my phone...if I could walk in there and cancel without a fee and get a full refund, I would.
I bought the photon 4g thinking it was a current high end phone. It is, but IT ISNT.
I signed a plan expecting 4g coverage where I live.
I DONT.
What can I do? Am I just screwed. I don't want to believe that since this is pretty fresh.
Can we here at XDA put our brains together and find a way to strengthen the 4g signal and range by a DIY method. Meaning an signal booster? Or an antenna? Is this possible? It might sound silly but here is the thing. I have many friends that have houses all around bremerton. We have to have something that could be cheaply built and put on top of our roofs to get better 4g signal. Is that even legal?
Anyway just wondering if you feel the same frustration as I am.
Thanks.
This is why its always a good idea to do a lot of background research on things like this. As for a solution I'd call up Sprint, they've been known to send out 3g airaves free of charge to customers in spotty service areas, this would get you good solid 3g in your house. Doesn't do anything to touch your 4g issue though, and not quite sure what you could do other than once again call Sprint telling them all this and see what they offer/say. They may credit you something or offer you an early upgrade to an LTE device once their networks up and running. And I don't know how the phone rep you bought it from could have not known about the EOL of the Photon, I'm sure they don't care too much they just want to push as many units out the door as possible. If you don't get anywhere decent with Sprint try taking it up with Radio Shack, not sure what all they could/would be willing to do for you though since its been a bit since you purchased it.
How many times are we going to have this discussion... EOL does not mean no more manufacturer updates. Other phones have gotten updates past EOL. Motorola has a timeline for the Photon/Electrify to get ICS.
Can't help you on the WiMAX issue, though.
Use wifi?
Sent from my MB855 using Tapatalk
I understand not being happy with the 4G I guess, though it's always been pretty spotty and hogged during the day in my experience so a little research would have told you that I think. Contact Sprint is the best you can do.
As far as the Photon being EOL'd, if you are happy with it then who cares? The phone is great, they all get EOL'd at some point. As far as the life span of WIMAX, yes they are moving away from it but the towers are not going away anytime real soon, you will still have WIMAX coverage for a while yet.
First: let me say I use this phone in Canada, and with Cyanogen Mod 7 and I bought this phone for $380 unlocked (SIM) and without contract.
Regarding WiMAX: I don't care because
a) I don't use 4G anyways,
b) I CAN'T use 4G because it's not provided in my area,
c) Unlocked bootloader,
d) For fast speeds I can just use WiFi.
e) Abandoning WiMAX means better technology is coming
f) Honestly, do you NEED to have hundreds of Mbps speeds on your PHONE?
For EOL:
I don't care/I appreciate it because:
a) It doesn't affect MY phone use whether or not Motorola stops making this phone
b) Accessories will be cheaper
c) It's still a good phone and I'll be able to get it for cheaper (on eBay, etc)
d) We're still getting ICS
e) Motoblur sucks and even if they don't do it, CM9 is always going to be there
Therefore, I don't care on both accounts.
as far as a signal booster or repeater, I think it may be possible. I did a google search, and found some interesting links. I would read carefully before purchasing to be sure the bandwidth matches.
about your 4g connection/speed problem, I can help a bit
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1365058
Use that to thread to find your msl code, ull need it to change a few things
Go into "##DATA#" in your dialer, using your msl code as the password,(hit nenu nd edit) in data profile turn reverse tunneling off, set device IP to 0.0.0.0, in multimedia set RSTP and HTTP to 0.0.0.0 and set the two ports to 0, set the buffer length to 20, in Wiimax set Entry CINR (db) to 2/4
Note - this should help your signal problem, it is the required signal strength to connect to wiimax
And also before changing everything id recommend backing up the original settings if you ever need to switch back, this should help your 3g and 4g
Sent from my MB855 using xda premium
I posted this on another thread but it really fit better here
===============================================
Look..
The bootloader is unlocked..... it just breaks wimax..
And with with wimax dead... (I.E. no more build out).... if you don't have it now you never will....
So this is now the best sprint unlocked 3g CDMA/GSM world phone there is....
So punt on 4g on this phone....
Go unlocked (no wixmax)
If we can get cm9 on this phone .... and get gsm unblocked for US you have a killer 3g world phone.....
Considering sprint screw us on wimax I say we have a right to recover some of our investment....
Sprint can give some of the value back to this phone now that wimax is dead by unblocking the damm GSM for the US market then we have something worth selling or keeping as a backup world phone
I say class action at min at Sprint.. demand unlock and unblock gsm to recover our investment in a phone sprint made a 4g promise they never met
Sprint...We lost a service you sold us for use in the US (Wimax 4g) so give us back a service for use in the US (GSM) that gives back some value to the phone...its as cheap and easy as a radio firmware update....
In fact for any Wimax phone Sprint has sold...
Sprint should an mim unlock any and all services it can on those phones as some kind of compensation to buyers so they salvage back some of the investment lost as buyers of that hardware...
We as buyers of Sprint Wimax phones have a business case to be made to demand as such
redhatter said:
I posted this on another thread but it really fit better here
===============================================
Look..
The bootloader is unlocked..... it just breaks wimax..
And with with wimax dead... (I.E. no more build out).... if you don't have it now you never will....
So this is now the best sprint unlocked 3g CDMA/GSM world phone there is....
So punt on 4g on this phone....
Go unlocked (no wixmax)
If we can get cm9 on this phone .... and get gsm unblocked for US you have a killer 3g world phone.....
Considering sprint screw us on wimax I say we have a right to recover some of our investment....
Sprint can give some of the value back to this phone now that wimax is dead by unblocking the damm GSM for the US market then we have something worth selling or keeping as a backup world phone
I say class action at min at Sprint.. demand unlock and unblock gsm to recover our investment in a phone sprint made a 4g promise they never met
Sprint...We lost a service you sold us for use in the US (Wimax 4g) so give us back a service for use in the US (GSM) that gives back some value to the phone...its as cheap and easy as a radio firmware update....
In fact for any Wimax phone Sprint has sold...
Sprint should an mim unlock any and all services it can on those phones as some kind of compensation to buyers so they salvage back some of the investment lost as buyers of that hardware...
We as buyers of Sprint Wimax phones have a business case to be made to demand as such
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Just curious, why do you want Domestic GSM unlocked when it's only useful out of the country? Sprint has no GSM towers and they don't have an incentive to unlock it because if it's unlocked, you will be using a SIM Card from another provider like AT&T or T-Mobile... meaning providing competition from a Sprint phone...
Why you blame photon not getting LTE no sprint phone to this moment are available even some are on a horizon tho, even SGII if you would of got couldn't get you better signal or LTE. This phone still be good for awhile especially the way sprint moving the things forward.
Sent from my MB855 using XDA
ArchangelRenzoku said:
Just curious, why do you want Domestic GSM unlocked when it's only useful out of the country? Sprint has no GSM towers and they don't have an incentive to unlock it because if it's unlocked, you will be using a SIM Card from another provider like AT&T or T-Mobile... meaning providing competition from a Sprint phone...
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Yes which mean it usable on other networks so it has more value....look I payed money for a Sprint 4g phone....Sprint now is making my 4g hardware, 3g hardware forever...pure loss of value...how to recover some value...let the hardware I OWN work on other carriers like AT&T or T-Mobile.....
I did not break my part of the deal with Sprint... Sprint broke the deal to provide 4g on the hardware they sold me
If you had a phone geting 4g in your area and the phone hardware failed and was no longer able to get 4g that would be a warranty issue for the phone right?
The phone would be replaced with one that worked as you were sold.... and if they could not replace or repair.... you would be offer a phone of same or greater value....
However I would not be warranty if I deliberately broke the phone
But Sprint is deliberately breaking there side of the network so why do I not Sprint take the loss?
This is not what I was sold or told when I bought....
So replace or repair or offer a phone of same or greater value or let me move on to another carrier with the hardware I bought
Look Im a network engineer of 30+ years....(in fact im posting while on a test bridge, telecommute in, since 4AM...boring)....Ive turned down many customer on data services...
A customer in good standing, you do not sell them a hardware investment on thier side of the link...
Then turn around and turn it down and just tell them "tough ****!"
"And Oh by the way we are going to hold you to your part of the deal, while you will not get the services and the growth of services and service network contracted for, you must keep paying the same rate with all penaltys for early cancellation"
Any business that pulled that on another business would be in court in a heartbeat.....
Hell in someways this is what Clearwire did to Sprint ... Clearwire could not provide the services and the growth of services and service network contracted for...
Did Sprint just let Clearwire keep charging them as all was contracted for? ...So why should we?
Look this is business.... provide what was contracted for or that deal is void...you can have the phone back and I get my money payed back...or let make a new deal
FYI... Do not expect to see any real performance difference at first beween Sprint /Clearwire 4g WIMAX and Sprint /Clearwire 4g LTE (unless they mask it with QOS for LTE traffic have priority over WIMAX traffic for thier internet bandwidth)...the issue was never WIMAX vs LTE as the layer 2 datalink itself ... Clearwire issue was Clearwire (I interview with them...for a while it seemed like they would call , via the headhunters, for new contract engineers ever other month...they have got issue and it was not WIMAX)
Redhatter, were what you're saying completely correct, then I would mostly agree. However, it's not quite correct. From what I've read, Sprint IS going to provide you with what they sold you. The 4g Wi-Max infrastructure is supposed to stay functional until 2015. So Sprint sold you a phone that's going to be fully functional (4g) until 2015, which I think I'm safe to assume, is past the contract you've signed with them. Not looking to start a fight here, but I just wanted to clear up that 4g will still work until 2015
318Charger said:
Redhatter, were what you're saying completely correct, then I would mostly agree. However, it's not quite correct. From what I've read, Sprint IS going to provide you with what they sold you. The 4g Wi-Max infrastructure is supposed to stay functional until 2015. So Sprint sold you a phone that's going to be fully functional (4g) until 2015, which I think I'm safe to assume, is past the contract you've signed with them. Not looking to start a fight here, but I just wanted to clear up that 4g will still work until 2015
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I live in Phoenix...Phoenix was to be build out as part of the 4g wimax network but was not and now never will be therefore I will never received the services sold the network was never built as presented....
Simple question would I have payed the premium for a service I never would get..
Or even better...sprint is now goint to sell LTE phones...but the LTE network is not built it just a promised at this point...so what if they sell LTE phones but then never deliver on the promised LTE...how is that diffrent then never delivering on the promised WIMAX network...
FYI Sprint still advertise in all their Phoenix stores all the Wi-Max products as 4G...something that will never work for most all of the customer in those stores
If Sprint doesn't keep their promises on the LTE this is their last chance before
they go down, hell BestBuy is on the verge go down.
As to the OP comments, it is frustrating that Sprint is so far behind in the 4G game, but 3G is plenty fast enough for me. I would love 4G, but not having it is not a huge deal to me.
dtaylorr said:
As to the OP comments, it is frustrating that Sprint is so far behind in the 4G game, but 3G is plenty fast enough for me. I would love 4G, but not having it is not a huge deal to me.
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#1. I feel the same way, I'v only used 4G 3 times, once on EVO and 2 on Photon.
#2. With that said, you need to thank me, I *****ed an moaned enough and I guess someone saw/heard it. Photon is off the EOL list!!!
http://www.technobuffalo.com/compan...f-life-list-reveals-evo-4g-is-on-its-way-out/
I guess I don't know exactly what the language is in the contract, but I don't think 4g is ever explicitly promised. The way I understand it is you pay for whatever your talk/text is and then for unlimited data, and then $10 extra bc smartphones use more data. So while maybe it was pretty crappy of Sprint to act like 4g was ever going to happen or advertise heavily about it when it's service is so sparse, I don't think they're contractually obligated to provide it.
Let me tell you why I think this is good news. 1. It means Sprint and Motorola may be still talking. #2. I think the conversation would go a little something like this:
Sprint: "We have a EVO 4G LTE coming out, Samsung Galaxy LTE, **** or git off the pot!"
Motorola: "We will if you give us the same advertising pull you give them!"
I tell you another reason this is Great News, In order to trump the other 2, Niviara (sp?) is working on Quad-Core 1.5Gzh that WILL work on LTE 4G, and to top that off, maybe new Photon will still be CDMA/GSM with 32Gb memory, which will make it top dogg!! (Hey, I can dream like everyone else!)
This is just a rant, so sorry if I'm off-topic, but this is just getting to be too much.
I'm a store manager for a multi-carrier cell phone store, nationwide, with stores in the thousands. I won't name names for privacy (and job security) reasons, so yeah. Sprint is just pissing me off lately with everything they've been doing.
First, the OTA ICS update that has been held back for Gods know why, with no official word on anything, and HTC sitting back and just watching, not helping out or releasing source code. They have the gall to release the 3D on Virgin WITH ICS, for half the price of the 3D (unactivated), with better plan pricing and the same coverage for the most part, including 4G, if you can even call it that. Sprint, get off your ass and get us ICS already, the firmware that comes stock on these phones is OVER A YEAR OLD, Jeebus.
Secondly, the way they're dealing with the GSIII fiasco. I have people coming in every day since the 21st, asking where their phone is. Sprint hasn't even contacted almost any of their own preorder customers to let them know about the delay, so anybody not on a forum like this has no idea. Not only that, but they won't release a new date or an explanation, nothing, just a "TBD" is all I have to go by on my system. This is how they treat customers shelling out $200-$250 for a phone? Sure, I don't expect to know everything, but AT LEAST have the corporate courtesy to let your customers 1) know about the delay, and 2) the WHY, even a simple "Samsung can't produce enough phones to keep up with demand" would be fine, but they opted for nothing instead.
Lastly, their pathetic data network. I mean absolutely pathetic. I sell these phones daily, and have to uptalk them as my job, but it's getting harder and harder when I have to DEMO my 3D to customers and can't even load a jpeg at work. I have 2 bars of 3G, on Verizon that gets my associate 1200 kb/s, for me I get 0.7 kb/s. Seriously? Their 4G network? Useless. There's ONE tower in my entire county, a quarter mile from my apartment, and I can't get signal indoors. Even when I'm outside, I'll get up to and including 3 bars, and even then it's barely usable. Then they go and switch to LTE, leaving the rest of us in the dust. I switched years ago just so I could get 4G when it rolled out, and look at where that got us. Now we have another couple years at least until there' LTE where I'm at. It's just disgusting, how Sprint is running things these days. It's not like they're broke, after doubling their upgrade fee, charging every smartphone customer the $10 4G charge, and getting more new customers here than either other carrier (for my store at least), they have the income.
I will give them this, their customer service is by far the best to work with. I've literally been asked if I have any idea what I'm doing while calling AT&T, and been hung up on several times by Verizon, but Sprint has never done me wrong. Any problem I've had they've been able to solve, so kudos. Now get to making your customers happy instead of your reps, unless you want to lose them both to a competitor with better coverage/faster data/faster updates.
</rant>
Excellent thread,
This will open a lot of eyes. I plan to get rid of sprint soon. They are the worst carrier out of them all. Their service is just horrible. I can't imagine your position on convincing customers to go with sprint.
the thing i dont get is why wont they allow good clean esns that have wimax like the shift or the normal 3d on their boost prepaid network. i dont buy their oh it picks up a different signal garbage that they try to say since we all know that they will in fact work just fine with a pri/prl update. I understand the bad esns but let the people use their own damn phone that they have that evo design sux...just my opinion
They have an excellent plan in place. But as of now it's only that, a plan. A 3 to 5 year plan, at that. So maybe in two and a half contracts I'll come back, but I'm switching to a Verizon dealer line the day the GSIII comes out.
I tell guests that their network will only get better with time, and that they're putting a lot of effort and money towards it. Not complete BS, but over the last year I haven't seen jack for this whole county. Once their "Network Vision" is complete (check my previous posts about that for a detailed explanation of what they're planning) then they'll have coverage and speeds as good as, if not (don't stone me) better than Big Red. For now though, even my friend with T-Mobile has ludacris speeds compared to what I'm getting. Hell, when I roam (which apparently isn't onto Verizon, I didn't know ) with 1X I get over double the speeds of Sprint's "3G"
Yeah. I'm not a fan of switching carriers, but I am seriously considering jumping on Verizon. My phone has become nearly unusable. Can't run Google Play, wallpaper apps, news feeds, etc. Data is just too slow. Meanwhile, I'm paying just as much as the guy with 4G service, in fact, I'm on the same plan. That should be illegal. I can't think of many industries where that is allowed to happen. That would be like if a cable provider charged everyone the same, but some people got three channels, while some got 600 all in hd. People wouldn't stand for it.
So I guess the question is, what do I want more? Verizon where I'm afraid of going over my limit but have great data, or Sprint where my data is complete garbage but I can use it all I want. Haven't figured out an answer to that question yet.
Sent from my PG86100 using XDA
verizon.... and u get service everywhere!
Sent from my Motorola Electrify using xda app-developers app
I literally just spent 7 minutes downloading XDA (3 MB) to reply to this. That was with 5-6 bars of 3G (outside on lunch from work now). I rest my case.
Honestly, when somebody on Verizon tells me they want to switch to sprint, I tell them "unlimited data is nice, but not when your data is slower than AOL in 1998." Verizon might be more expensive, by maybe $10-20, but it's oh so worth it.
Sent from my PG86100 using xda app-developers app
The reason they're not giving you information about the GSIII is because Samsung is having problems getting them to Sprint... Sprint can't tell when they're going to get them, as they're waiting for them as well... I've read press releases that they're looking to get the 32gb a week after the 16gb. Maybe just do a quick search online?
X219c said:
The reason they're not giving you information about the GSIII is because Samsung is having problems getting them to Sprint... Sprint can't tell when they're going to get them, as they're waiting for them as well... I've read press releases that they're looking to get the 32gb a week after the 16gb. Maybe just do a quick search online?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Half the people I sell phones to, including GS III preorders, know as much about phones and online forums as I do about the Jersey Shore. The fast of the matter is Sprint dropped the ball and left everybody in the dark. Unless you deliberately went looking for info, you would never know. Courtesy is all I ask, at least tell the people who gave you money what's going on.
Sent from my PG86100 using xda app-developers app
Atoro said:
They have an excellent plan in place. But as of now it's only that, a plan. A 3 to 5 year plan, at that. So maybe in two and a half contracts I'll come back, but I'm switching to a Verizon dealer line the day the GSIII comes out.
I tell guests that their network will only get better with time, and that they're putting a lot of effort and money towards it. Not complete BS, but over the last year I haven't seen jack for this whole county. Once their "Network Vision" is complete (check my previous posts about that for a detailed explanation of what they're planning) then they'll have coverage and speeds as good as, if not (don't stone me) better than Big Red. For now though, even my friend with T-Mobile has ludacris speeds compared to what I'm getting. Hell, when I roam (which apparently isn't onto Verizon, I didn't know ) with 1X I get over double the speeds of Sprint's "3G"
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cobraboy85 said:
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If this were Reddit I'd upvote the **** out of you
Sent from my PG86100 using xda app-developers app
My bad, I assumed that people who would go and pre-order a phone (that isn't an iphone) would be enough of a tech person to kinda follow this stuff.
X219c said:
My bad, I assumed that people who would go and pre-order a phone (that isn't an iphone) would be enough of a tech person to kinda follow this stuff.
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Never assume anything. If I just assumed people wanting a smartphone knew about the extra data fee and didn't bother telling them, for example, I wouldn't still be a store manager. Only thing you can assume is that the guest knows nothing, so you tell them what they need to know. That way, everybody you help is on the same page, knows the same stuff, and is well informed on what affects them.
Sprint could take a page from that. Don't assume your preorder customers are going to stumble upon your Facebook post, or that article about your press release, or even call up customer service. Assume they live under a rock and it's your responsibility to inform them of any changes in the order process.
Well that small thought escalated quickly... you get the point. :
Atoro said:
This is just a rant, so sorry if I'm off-topic, but this is just getting to be too much.
I'm a store manager for a multi-carrier cell phone store, nationwide, with stores in the thousands. I won't name names for privacy (and job security) reasons, so yeah. Sprint is just pissing me off lately with everything they've been doing.
First, the OTA ICS update that has been held back for Gods know why, with no official word on anything, and HTC sitting back and just watching, not helping out or releasing source code. They have the gall to release the 3D on Virgin WITH ICS, for half the price of the 3D (unactivated), with better plan pricing and the same coverage for the most part, including 4G, if you can even call it that. Sprint, get off your ass and get us ICS already, the firmware that comes stock on these phones is OVER A YEAR OLD, Jeebus.
Secondly, the way they're dealing with the GSIII fiasco. I have people coming in every day since the 21st, asking where their phone is. Sprint hasn't even contacted almost any of their own preorder customers to let them know about the delay, so anybody not on a forum like this has no idea. Not only that, but they won't release a new date or an explanation, nothing, just a "TBD" is all I have to go by on my system. This is how they treat customers shelling out $200-$250 for a phone? Sure, I don't expect to know everything, but AT LEAST have the corporate courtesy to let your customers 1) know about the delay, and 2) the WHY, even a simple "Samsung can't produce enough phones to keep up with demand" would be fine, but they opted for nothing instead.
Lastly, their pathetic data network. I mean absolutely pathetic. I sell these phones daily, and have to uptalk them as my job, but it's getting harder and harder when I have to DEMO my 3D to customers and can't even load a jpeg at work. I have 2 bars of 3G, on Verizon that gets my associate 1200 kb/s, for me I get 0.7 kb/s. Seriously? Their 4G network? Useless. There's ONE tower in my entire county, a quarter mile from my apartment, and I can't get signal indoors. Even when I'm outside, I'll get up to and including 3 bars, and even then it's barely usable. Then they go and switch to LTE, leaving the rest of us in the dust. I switched years ago just so I could get 4G when it rolled out, and look at where that got us. Now we have another couple years at least until there' LTE where I'm at. It's just disgusting, how Sprint is running things these days. It's not like they're broke, after doubling their upgrade fee, charging every smartphone customer the $10 4G charge, and getting more new customers here than either other carrier (for my store at least), they have the income.
I will give them this, their customer service is by far the best to work with. I've literally been asked if I have any idea what I'm doing while calling AT&T, and been hung up on several times by Verizon, but Sprint has never done me wrong. Any problem I've had they've been able to solve, so kudos. Now get to making your customers happy instead of your reps, unless you want to lose them both to a competitor with better coverage/faster data/faster updates.
</rant>
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Suggest you quit your job and drop sprint then. Otherwise stop crying and do something about it.
Sent from my EVO using xda premium
swaze said:
Suggest you quit your job and drop sprint then. Otherwise stop crying and do something about it.
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Troll harder, bro.
If something isn't what it should be, if service is less than what is stated, if I'm paying for something that cannot be used as advertized, why would I stay quiet about it? Lemme learn you somethin', boy. The squeeky wheel gets the oil. If nobody makes a complaint, if nobody rises up, nothing will ever change. This applies to more than just a cell phone company, obviously, e.g. everything from the American Revolution to the current battle for gay rights. Nothing will change unless we act and do something about it, which is exactly what I'm doing.
I've already sent letters to both Sprint and HTC about all this, HTC more about the bootloaders and source code. I'm also switching to Verizon until Sprint gets their act together. I'm here to let people know that there are other options besides rolling over and offering to be Sprint's 'bottom' while they take your money. I'm here to tell you that it is not only the customer who is pissed at them, but the CSRs, the Sales Associates and even the SMs like me, who are at their wit's end with all the cloak and dagger secrecy about fraking everything.
Anywho, yeah. Sprint has my full support in the future, and I'll gladly come back when they are better, but I can't deal with not having good service while it's my job to sell these things.
Are there any other Sprint employees or people in Sprint sales positions (Best Buy, Target Mobile, Radioshack, etc.) who feel the same way as I do? Chime in here, let these people know what you think.
You just made me hate sprint even more than I already do.
Thanks!
Sent from my PG86100 using Tapatalk 2
Where else you gonna get unlimited? Sure you get better data speed with other companies, if i was them id make it as fast as i could. Cause when you jump over your 2-3gb limit id just rape the sht out of you with overrage fees just like they do. As much as i dont like sprint, i wont be going anywhere until they get rid of their unlimited plans.
youdug said:
Where else you gonna get unlimited? Sure you get better data speed with other companies, if i was them id make it as fast as i could. Cause when you jump over your 2-3gb limit id just rape the sht out of you with overrage fees just like they do. As much as i dont like sprint, i wont be going anywhere until they get rid of their unlimited plans.
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I just checked my last 6 months of usage. Due to Sprint's speeds, I've never once used more than a gig. Most months were under 400 MB. I stick to wifi at home, and don't even bother downloading anything until I'm home.
I'd S so many Ds for the ABILITY to use 2 to 3 gigs a month... just saying. Like I said before, unlimited is nice, but it's useless if it's so slow that it becomes unusable.
EDIT: Also, they have no plans to remove unlimited, they have quadruple the bandwidth of every other carrier for data, which is how they can still offer unlimited. Again, good plan in place, but words are just words.
The above is why I got the Virgin Mobile rebranded version. At $35 a month, I'll break even for the $300 the phone cost in 9 months. And at that price I can accept less that great data speeds.
Sent from my Sprint Evo View 4G (PG41200) using Xparent Purple Tapatalk 2
[email protected] "I'd s so many D's" wth brah. never is anything worth s'in d's unless of course it is for more d's in which case the initial d s is negated by your willingness to s a d.
logic flawed.
*you now realize what you said. world implodes.
Sent from mobile device
So I just signed up with Sprint so I can get unlimited everything, but I bought a Photon. I didn't realize how limited Wi-Max is, altho I wanted a dual mode GSM/CDMA phone for when I go out of the US, in case I do in the near future. I did have an Atrix on ATT with unlimited, but I had to leave my parent's plan and ATT doesn't offer unlimited data anymore. I'm also not too thrilled that Photon has to wait until Q4 to get ICS and prob won't ever get Jelly Bean or 5.0 when that comes. Should I just cough up the money and get a GS3, or should I wait until Sprint comes out with a dual mode phone with LTE, 4.1, etc.? I'll prob have more money come later this year or early next year anyway. I'm trying to balance having the latest and greatest vs. being financially responsible.
are you in an area in which Sprint has LTE or will in a short period of time?
How about Wimax?
Is this your primary access to broadband internet?
findthedr said:
are you in an area in which Sprint has LTE or will in a short period of time?
How about Wimax?
Is this your primary access to broadband internet?
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We don't have Wi-Max on eastern LI, but even if Sprint doesn't get LTE here for a few months, at least they're likely to build it here in the next year, and I'll be moving to an area later this year where they have both WiMax AND will have LTE (NYC). I also wanna balance having the best and latest and being financially responsible. Of course I can always wait till later in the year till I have more more, but IDK.
Financially, your phone is a depreciable asset. The longer you hold onto it, the less you will get at sale.
It doesnt sound like you will enjoy the benefits of LTE/Wimax until later this yr (at the earliest). Thus it makes sense to get a phone with those capabilities at that time.
So I just signed up with Sprint so I can get unlimited everything, but I bought a Photon.
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If you truly "just signed up", than you should be able to give the phone back to the carrier. Depending on your usage of voice/text/data, a prepaid plan would make the most financial sense.
Here is some good advice on saving on smartphones.
I'm trying to balance having the latest and greatest vs. being financially responsible
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those who are financially responsible do not chase the latest and greatest depreciable asset.
findthedr said:
Financially, your phone is a depreciable asset. The longer you hold onto it, the less you will get at sale.
It doesnt sound like you will enjoy the benefits of LTE/Wimax until later this yr (at the earliest). Thus it makes sense to get a phone with those capabilities at that time.
If you truly "just signed up", than you should be able to give the phone back to the carrier. Depending on your usage of voice/text/data, a prepaid plan would make the most financial sense.
Here is some good advice on saving on smartphones.
those who are financially responsible do not chase the latest and greatest depreciable asset.
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Click to collapse
does anyone know if Sprint is planning on coming out with an LTE/world phone anytime soon? That would be optimal.
Return the Photon, and run away from Sprint until Network Vision is imminent for your city. There's no good reason to subject yourself to Sprint or Motorola right now.
Let's start with Sprint. Right now, their 3G is in a state of collapse nationwide. "5 bars and 50kbps" is only an exaggeration in the sense that lots of guys now routinely see speeds that are LOWER. And in most places, it's going to get a LOT worse before it gets any better. The icing on the cake is that if your area's upgrade experience is anything like the experience they had in Houston, and we're having now in South Florida, 3G data will basically cease to exist for a month or more while they're doing the upgrade itself. With a wimax-capable phone, it's annoying, but semi-endurable with the knowledge that it's going to be a lot better in another month or two. With a LTE phone, you basically have no working data service during the transition. No working 3G, and no wimax to limp along with in the meantime.
Believe it or not, in some areas, guys who've disabled EVDO and forced their phones to use 1xRTT have been getting faster throughput than EVDO (due to the way traffic is routed on Sprint's back end).
Now, the Photon itself. If you don't mind owning a phone that's a locked-down consumer appliance with about as much potential for end-user enhancement as an iPhone, it's a nice phone. Otherwise, you're going to hate it.
Don't try to rationalize the purchase by thinking someone will crack the bootloader eventually. They won't. Yes, HTC and Samsung's attempts at locked bootloaders have been quickly cracked. That's because HTC and Samsung go through the motions, but don't really know how to do it... nor do they really WANT to do it. Motorola is another matter entirely. It's their religion and way of life. They have decades of experience making hardware with military-grade encryption. Spend an hour or two reading about real custom ROMs on real Motorola phones, and let it sink in just how grim the situation really is. In 3 years, maybe 4 Motorola phones have been meaningfully unlocked... and two of THEM were semi-open to begin with. The remainder have either been uncrackable, or have temporary solutions that can be taken away by Motorola at any time... possibly, without your permission.
We all hope Google will clean house, make Motorola non-evil, and unlock the bootloaders. If that's their plan, they've done a great job of keeping it a secret so far.
This is harsh, but assuming you're still within the 15-day return period and can walk away from the Photon and Sprint without penalty... do it. You have nothing to gain by choosing Sprint today. If you're in an area where T-Mobile is good, they're probably your best bet today. If you can live with 100 voice minutes (no free nights/weekends, either), T-Mo has prepaid for $30/month with 100 minutes voice, unlimited text, and 5 gigabytes of data (after 5 gigs, speeds drop down to EDGE). If you like the Gnex, you can buy an unlocked GSM Galaxy Nexus from Google for $350.
If you want to keep the door open to Sprint, maybe you can get a year-old Sprint phone like the Galaxy S2 and reflash it to Metro PCS (I'm pretty sure the Gnex and GS3 will be Metro-able soon, but I'm pretty sure neither one is Metro-flashable yet). Stay away from Virgin, though... they use Sprint towers and backhaul, and are as dysfunctional as Sprint right now.
Choosing betweeen AT&T and Verizon is kind of like choosing between death by firing squad and electric chair, but AT&T is probably a tiny, tiny bit less bad just because at least you can use an unlocked GSM phone with AT&T and avoid most of their blatant control attempts. I'm totally sure about the specific ways Verizon defiled and tainted their Nexus, but I've heard a Verizon Gnex reflashed with non-Verizon ROM is basically a wifi tablet that can make voice calls.
bitbang3r said:
Return the Photon, and run away from Sprint until Network Vision is imminent for your city. There's no good reason to subject yourself to Sprint or Motorola right now.
Let's start with Sprint. Right now, their 3G is in a state of collapse nationwide. "5 bars and 50kbps" is only an exaggeration in the sense that lots of guys now routinely see speeds that are LOWER. And in most places, it's going to get a LOT worse before it gets any better. The icing on the cake is that if your area's upgrade experience is anything like the experience they had in Houston, and we're having now in South Florida, 3G data will basically cease to exist for a month or more while they're doing the upgrade itself. With a wimax-capable phone, it's annoying, but semi-endurable with the knowledge that it's going to be a lot better in another month or two. With a LTE phone, you basically have no working data service during the transition. No working 3G, and no wimax to limp along with in the meantime.
Believe it or not, in some areas, guys who've disabled EVDO and forced their phones to use 1xRTT have been getting faster throughput than EVDO (due to the way traffic is routed on Sprint's back end).
Now, the Photon itself. If you don't mind owning a phone that's a locked-down consumer appliance with about as much potential for end-user enhancement as an iPhone, it's a nice phone. Otherwise, you're going to hate it.
Don't try to rationalize the purchase by thinking someone will crack the bootloader eventually. They won't. Yes, HTC and Samsung's attempts at locked bootloaders have been quickly cracked. That's because HTC and Samsung go through the motions, but don't really know how to do it... nor do they really WANT to do it. Motorola is another matter entirely. It's their religion and way of life. They have decades of experience making hardware with military-grade encryption. Spend an hour or two reading about real custom ROMs on real Motorola phones, and let it sink in just how grim the situation really is. In 3 years, maybe 4 Motorola phones have been meaningfully unlocked... and two of THEM were semi-open to begin with. The remainder have either been uncrackable, or have temporary solutions that can be taken away by Motorola at any time... possibly, without your permission.
We all hope Google will clean house, make Motorola non-evil, and unlock the bootloaders. If that's their plan, they've done a great job of keeping it a secret so far.
This is harsh, but assuming you're still within the 15-day return period and can walk away from the Photon and Sprint without penalty... do it. You have nothing to gain by choosing Sprint today. If you're in an area where T-Mobile is good, they're probably your best bet today. If you can live with 100 voice minutes (no free nights/weekends, either), T-Mo has prepaid for $30/month with 100 minutes voice, unlimited text, and 5 gigabytes of data (after 5 gigs, speeds drop down to EDGE). If you like the Gnex, you can buy an unlocked GSM Galaxy Nexus from Google for $350.
If you want to keep the door open to Sprint, maybe you can get a year-old Sprint phone like the Galaxy S2 and reflash it to Metro PCS (I'm pretty sure the Gnex and GS3 will be Metro-able soon, but I'm pretty sure neither one is Metro-flashable yet). Stay away from Virgin, though... they use Sprint towers and backhaul, and are as dysfunctional as Sprint right now.
Choosing betweeen AT&T and Verizon is kind of like choosing between death by firing squad and electric chair, but AT&T is probably a tiny, tiny bit less bad just because at least you can use an unlocked GSM phone with AT&T and avoid most of their blatant control attempts. I'm totally sure about the specific ways Verizon defiled and tainted their Nexus, but I've heard a Verizon Gnex reflashed with non-Verizon ROM is basically a wifi tablet that can make voice calls.
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This is an incredibly informative post. Well said. +1
bitbang3r said:
Return the Photon, and run away from Sprint until Network Vision is imminent for your city. There's no good reason to subject yourself to Sprint or Motorola right now.
Let's start with Sprint. Right now, their 3G is in a state of collapse nationwide. "5 bars and 50kbps" is only an exaggeration in the sense that lots of guys now routinely see speeds that are LOWER. And in most places, it's going to get a LOT worse before it gets any better. The icing on the cake is that if your area's upgrade experience is anything like the experience they had in Houston, and we're having now in South Florida, 3G data will basically cease to exist for a month or more while they're doing the upgrade itself. With a wimax-capable phone, it's annoying, but semi-endurable with the knowledge that it's going to be a lot better in another month or two. With a LTE phone, you basically have no working data service during the transition. No working 3G, and no wimax to limp along with in the meantime.
Believe it or not, in some areas, guys who've disabled EVDO and forced their phones to use 1xRTT have been getting faster throughput than EVDO (due to the way traffic is routed on Sprint's back end).
Now, the Photon itself. If you don't mind owning a phone that's a locked-down consumer appliance with about as much potential for end-user enhancement as an iPhone, it's a nice phone. Otherwise, you're going to hate it.
Don't try to rationalize the purchase by thinking someone will crack the bootloader eventually. They won't. Yes, HTC and Samsung's attempts at locked bootloaders have been quickly cracked. That's because HTC and Samsung go through the motions, but don't really know how to do it... nor do they really WANT to do it. Motorola is another matter entirely. It's their religion and way of life. They have decades of experience making hardware with military-grade encryption. Spend an hour or two reading about real custom ROMs on real Motorola phones, and let it sink in just how grim the situation really is. In 3 years, maybe 4 Motorola phones have been meaningfully unlocked... and two of THEM were semi-open to begin with. The remainder have either been uncrackable, or have temporary solutions that can be taken away by Motorola at any time... possibly, without your permission.
We all hope Google will clean house, make Motorola non-evil, and unlock the bootloaders. If that's their plan, they've done a great job of keeping it a secret so far.
This is harsh, but assuming you're still within the 15-day return period and can walk away from the Photon and Sprint without penalty... do it. You have nothing to gain by choosing Sprint today. If you're in an area where T-Mobile is good, they're probably your best bet today. If you can live with 100 voice minutes (no free nights/weekends, either), T-Mo has prepaid for $30/month with 100 minutes voice, unlimited text, and 5 gigabytes of data (after 5 gigs, speeds drop down to EDGE). If you like the Gnex, you can buy an unlocked GSM Galaxy Nexus from Google for $350.
If you want to keep the door open to Sprint, maybe you can get a year-old Sprint phone like the Galaxy S2 and reflash it to Metro PCS (I'm pretty sure the Gnex and GS3 will be Metro-able soon, but I'm pretty sure neither one is Metro-flashable yet). Stay away from Virgin, though... they use Sprint towers and backhaul, and are as dysfunctional as Sprint right now.
Choosing betweeen AT&T and Verizon is kind of like choosing between death by firing squad and electric chair, but AT&T is probably a tiny, tiny bit less bad just because at least you can use an unlocked GSM phone with AT&T and avoid most of their blatant control attempts. I'm totally sure about the specific ways Verizon defiled and tainted their Nexus, but I've heard a Verizon Gnex reflashed with non-Verizon ROM is basically a wifi tablet that can make voice calls.
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This
Sent from my MB855 using xda premium
Hi everyone, first thread and first post on this forum, i was really thinking about getting the new lumia .. but what i thought is... Contract or pay as you go??
We've seen so far that new phones with new hardware and new features are getting released pretty much every 6months, (iphone 5s? upcoming nexus?)..
so my question is, do you guys feel confident about being "stuck" 24 months with nokia lumia 920, or you will not risk and go for a pay as you go deal? :good:
Hi, end of 2008, I bought the HTC Touch HD because I thought it was quiet well competing with the iPhone 2, even though the iPhone 3 was already coming (but I hate so much the iTunes environment!).
Today, 4 years later, I'm still using my old Touch HD everyday, and I'm very happy of it even though it is getting quiet old now and I'm thinking of moving to the Lumia 920.
Anyway, just to say that the Lumia 920 will most probably no longer be the best one in 6 months of course, and probably no longer the Nokia's best one in one year when an upgrade of the Lumia series comes out with thinner, lighter, faster, stronger phones...
But what is sure is that you will be able to have a lot of fun with it even maybe in 2 or 4 years when it is no longer the newest phone on the market.
Better example, the HTC Touch HD2 which is really know as a killer phone even though it is no longer that great compared to the new devices.
So the real question is if you are used to change your phone often or not.
Keep in mind you can always sell your Lumia 920 next year, probably at half of its current price... especially if Windows Phone 8 rocks .
Personnally, as my company is paying for my SIM card, I will for sure just buy the Lumia 920 as is, without any carrier contract or so.
hey finally a reply, well im not really changing phone so often, since i have no money ahah but yeah, just wanted to see what other people think about getting it in contract..i think i will anyway thanks for your reply
any other thoughts people?
bellasahbella said:
hey finally a reply, well im not really changing phone so often, since i have no money ahah but yeah, just wanted to see what other people think about getting it in contract..i think i will anyway thanks for your reply
any other thoughts people?
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With a data heavy device like a smartphone, it would be wiser (and cheaper) to go with contract. AT&T's prepaid options are rather expensive when it comes to using data on a smartphone. Windows Phone being such a connected device would not be very fun to use on a very limited data plan or on no data plan at all (or any phone really).
At the end of the day, you have to pay for service anyway. You may as well spend a little extra money for a little more convenience, a smaller upfront cost (phone wise), and better overall data options.
I could never go prepaid, no matter how cheap it is. There is little value in it, in my opinion.
prjkthack, you are right for the US market, but for instance, here, in Belgium, you can have much data with a prepaid offer with Mobile Vikings (€15 per month, so around $20 per month, for 2GB of non-restricted data + 1H phone calls + 1000 SMS + 1H phone calls per day to other Mobile Vikings phone numbers).
And as far as I'm concerned, I cannot go for a contract as my company is paying for my contract, so if I want another phone, I can just buy a new one...
That being said, I think it really depends on each person, case and country .
michoob said:
prjkthack, you are right for the US market, but for instance, here, in Belgium, you can have much data with a prepaid offer with Mobile Vikings (€15 per month, so around $20 per month, for 2GB of non-restricted data + 1H phone calls + 1000 SMS + 1H phone calls per day to other Mobile Vikings phone numbers).
And as far as I'm concerned, I cannot go for a contract as my company is paying for my contract, so if I want another phone, I can just buy a new one...
That being said, I think it really depends on each person, case and country .
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Oh yeah, I'm totally speaking from the perspective of purchasing a phone/plan in the US. I know little about other areas of the world, except that its far more common to purchase phones for full price and without a contract than it is here in the US. I wish the US were that way as well, as it certainly has more benefits than downsides (I try to purchase un-subsidized whenever I can), but sadly the market here and the overall mentality of how to purchase phones has been muddled with contracts and subsidization.
prjkthack said:
With a data heavy device like a smartphone, it would be wiser (and cheaper) to go with contract. AT&T's prepaid options are rather expensive when it comes to using data on a smartphone. Windows Phone being such a connected device would not be very fun to use on a very limited data plan or on no data plan at all (or any phone really).
At the end of the day, you have to pay for service anyway. You may as well spend a little extra money for a little more convenience, a smaller upfront cost (phone wise), and better overall data options.
I could never go prepaid, no matter how cheap it is. There is little value in it, in my opinion.
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You need to do the math. Buying on contract is a HUGE waste of money.
AnyMal said:
You need to do the math. Buying on contract is a HUGE waste of money.
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I never said it wasn't a waste of money.
Its definitely more expensive, but there is a tradeoff between using a prepaid service versus a contract.
There is value in both, and I'm looking for the best phones with the best coverage, services, and convenience. Contract is the only option that gives that.
Prepaid gives you low prices (on certain things) and flexibility.
More expensive? Yes, but you get more for your money on contract, versus the bare minimum on prepaid. There is a reason why you pay less on prepaid, and its simply because you get less. You don't need math to know that. For some people, that's enough, but I don't want enough, I want my money's worth, and I'm willing to spend a little more to get all the extras. Prepaid data is also commonly more expensive on prepaid services, and with all the data these smartphones use, the cost of it can easily meet or exceed the cost of contract-based smartphone/data plans. Prepaid is totally the way to go if all you want is a basic phone, but for quality smartphone hardware and service, only contract can provide that (with few exceptions).
prjkthack said:
I never said it wasn't a waste of money.
Its definitely more expensive, but there is a tradeoff between using a prepaid service versus a contract.
There is value in both, and I'm looking for the best phones with the best coverage, services, and convenience. Contract is the only option that gives that.
Prepaid gives you low prices (on certain things) and flexibility.
More expensive? Yes, but you get more for your money on contract, versus the bare minimum on prepaid. There is a reason why you pay less on prepaid, and its simply because you get less. You don't need math to know that. For some people, that's enough, but I don't want enough, I want my money's worth, and I'm willing to spend a little more to get all the extras. Prepaid data is also commonly more expensive on prepaid services, and with all the data these smartphones use, the cost of it can easily meet or exceed the cost of contract-based smartphone/data plans. Prepaid is totally the way to go if all you want is a basic phone, but for quality smartphone hardware and service, only contract can provide that (with few exceptions).
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Huh? With Straight Talk I am getting exactly same service I was getting with AT&T, all for a measly $45 per month. What am I missing?
AnyMal said:
Huh? With Straight Talk I am getting exactly same service I was getting with AT&T, all for a measly $45 per month. What am I missing?
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StraightTalk (TracFone) is nice, and is probably one of the better prepaid services out there, but there are still some downsides:
4G LTE - Currently, no access to AT&T, Verizon, or Sprint's 4G LTE network.
Customer Service - there is none. robots upon robots on the phone, then if you can get to someone, they are foreign people who are difficult to understand, and who ultimately have a toolset that does not allow many changes or much flexibility for them unless they speak to someone higher up. If you don't want to deal with someone on the phone, then you can go to Walmart, where you can... oh wait, there's no customer service there either. -_-'
Coverage and roaming - Exactly the same as TracFone (since it is TracFone). Depending on your phone, you get AT&T and/or T-Mobile, or Verizon and/or Sprint. You don't get access to these carrier's extended roaming agreements, which means that roaming is limited to non-existent. Not to mention
Online support - Abysmal. Nowhere near the amount of tools and options for managing your account as any contract carrier can provide you.
Devices - StraightTalk's selection of phones is typical of a prepaid carrier. Poor choices for basic phones and older/slower hardware for whatever small amount of smartphones they offer. To get a real phone, you need to BYOD and that costs a pretty penny (that most people are unwilling to pay).
Additional features - StraightTalk is, like most other prepaid carriers, barebones. Individual line service (no family plans), less international/roaming options, less extra features (stuff like FamilyMap, roadside assitance, AT&T Navigator, A-List, Insurance, etc.), little to not infrastructure to sort out issues coverage wise or technical issues with your cellular service, advanced billing/tracking/history functionality, no official support for wireless hotspot/tethering, and a long list of common data activities that are not supported by StraightTalk (violation of the terms can lead to the end of your service with StraightTalk), etc.
And really this goes for all prepaid carriers. None of them offer the depth and comprehensiveness as a contract carrier can. There is a reason why the prepaid carriers piggyback off of the big carriers, they simply don't have the infrastructure or support (or money) to really provide you a fleshed out mobile service. MVNOs also come and go very frequently, so while you can be pretty sure that AT&T and Verizon (and maybe Sprint and T-Mobile) will be around for a while, you can't say the same for prepaid carriers. So many pop-up every year and die off shortly (RIP Helio). Its a tough business.
prjkthack said:
StraightTalk (TracFone) is nice, and is probably one of the better prepaid services out there, but there are still some downsides:
4G LTE - Currently, no access to AT&T, Verizon, or Sprint's 4G LTE network.
Customer Service - there is none. robots upon robots on the phone, then if you can get to someone, they are foreign people who are difficult to understand, and who ultimately have a toolset that does not allow many changes or much flexibility for them unless they speak to someone higher up. If you don't want to deal with someone on the phone, then you can go to Walmart, where you can... oh wait, there's no customer service there either. -_-'
Coverage and roaming - Exactly the same as TracFone (since it is TracFone). Depending on your phone, you get AT&T and/or T-Mobile, or Verizon and/or Sprint. You don't get access to these carrier's extended roaming agreements, which means that roaming is limited to non-existent. Not to mention
Online support - Abysmal. Nowhere near the amount of tools and options for managing your account as any contract carrier can provide you.
Devices - StraightTalk's selection of phones is typical of a prepaid carrier. Poor choices for basic phones and older/slower hardware for whatever small amount of smartphones they offer. To get a real phone, you need to BYOD and that costs a pretty penny (that most people are unwilling to pay).
Additional features - StraightTalk is, like most other prepaid carriers, barebones. Individual line service (no family plans), less international/roaming options, less extra features (stuff like FamilyMap, roadside assitance, AT&T Navigator, A-List, Insurance, etc.), little to not infrastructure to sort out issues coverage wise or technical issues with your cellular service, advanced billing/tracking/history functionality, no official support for wireless hotspot/tethering, and a long list of common data activities that are not supported by StraightTalk (violation of the terms can lead to the end of your service with StraightTalk), etc.
And really this goes for all prepaid carriers. None of them offer the depth and comprehensiveness as a contract carrier can. There is a reason why the prepaid carriers piggyback off of the big carriers, they simply don't have the infrastructure or support (or money) to really provide you a fleshed out mobile service. MVNOs also come and go very frequently, so while you can be pretty sure that AT&T and Verizon (and maybe Sprint and T-Mobile) will be around for a while, you can't say the same for prepaid carriers. So many pop-up every year and die off shortly (RIP Helio). Its a tough business.
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None of your points are compelling or even valid to begin with.
4G LTE - even for AT&T customers it's only available in handful of locations. Heck, even if it was widely available, HSPA is plenty fast for all data applications.
Customer service - only used once. Filled out an online form and was contacted back in few hours. I also hear that you can get a hold of them even quicker through Facebook.
Coverage and Roaming - not an issue. I am covered no matter where I am as long as I am on AT&T. I travel extensively and my service is identical to what it was when I was paying to AT&T, but at the fraction of the cost.
Online support - covered above.
Devices - not an issue. Tons of smartphones are available on the secondary market for any budget.
Additional Features - Two all-you-can-eat lines with ST cost me exactly the same as a single line with AT&T. Nobody in their right mind should pay AT&T (or any other carriers) for "ripsurance". It's a rip off, plain and simple. All other services you mention should not be obtained from AT&T either; they can be obtained for free or for a lot less elsewhere. I do not know what "data activities" you're referring to, but I stream audio and video all the time, and use the hotspot frequently, but I am yet to run into any issues. Sure, you can get throttled or even cut off if you abuse your data plan, but the same goes for AT&T as well.
Bottom line, OP asked about the most economical way, and there is absolutely no denying that PAYGo IS the way to go, even if you have to pay full price of the device up front. There is no way of fooling the simple math.
AnyMal said:
None of your points are compelling or even valid to begin with.
4G LTE - even for AT&T customers it's only available in handful of locations. Heck, even if it was widely available, HSPA is plenty fast for all data applications.
Customer service - only used once. Filled out an online form and was contacted back in few hours. I also hear that you can get a hold of them even quicker through Facebook.
Coverage and Roaming - not an issue. I am covered no matter where I am as long as I am on AT&T. I travel extensively and my service is identical to what it was when I was paying to AT&T, but at the fraction of the cost.
Online support - covered above.
Devices - not an issue. Tons of smartphones are available on the secondary market for any budget.
Additional Features - Two all-you-can-eat lines with ST cost me exactly the same as a single line with AT&T. Nobody in their right mind should pay AT&T (or any other carriers) for "ripsurance". It's a rip off, plain and simple. All other services you mention should not be obtained from AT&T either; they can be obtained for free or for a lot less elsewhere. I do not know what "data activities" you're referring to, but I stream audio and video all the time, and use the hotspot frequently, but I am yet to run into any issues. Sure, you can get throttled or even cut off if you abuse your data plan, but the same goes for AT&T as well.
Bottom line, OP asked about the most economical way, and there is absolutely no denying that PAYGo IS the way to go, even if you have to pay full price of the device up front. There is no way of fooling the simple math.
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Read your Terms of Service. StraightTalk specifically prohibits many common data activities. Have you even used LTE before? A world of a difference. I do agree that AT&T's HSPA+ network can't be beat, but dropping from LTE to HSPA (or even worse) is just not fun. And when it comes to devices, I'm not talking about the hundreds of below-average smartphones that you can of course get for bargain basement prices. These are computers after all, you don't want to be caught with a below-average device. I'm talking about getting the best of the best (such as the Lumia 920, which is what the OP is talking about). Speaking about the average consumer, dropping $700 to $900 for a top of the line device is just not an option. A contract gives you the option to get great service and awesome devices. So while dropping a wad of cash for a phone may not be an issue for you, it is for most of the country. Facebook does not equal online support. It compliments it, but does not replace it. You can get your issue resolved in a few hours, I can take care of it in a few minutes. Be glad that you only had to use customer service once, because when you have any real issues, it won't be fun. And insurance can be a rip-off for some, and a life-saver for others. Really all depends on what's going on.
Bottom line, OP didn't ask for a math lesson. OP wanted our opinions of postpaid vs prepaid, and while we can all agree to disagree, there is no doubt that both sides have their advantages and disadvantages regardless of whether you pay a little more or a little less. Value is subjective. Its up to the OP to decide what is more valuable to him/herself.
I am with Rogers Canada with 2 years left on my contract. I do not want to renew my contract for another 3 years yet so that I can get the 920 for the subsidized price.
Given that Rogers will offer the 920 off-contract for $600+ and having to wait for them to release the updates, it seems my best option will be to buy the 920 factory unlocked from eBay or so and use it on the Rogers network.
When it gets old or when I want to change phones, I can easily sell it. That is a much better option than locking yourself up with your provider for longer if you don't have a hardware upgrade to use.
Hi Bella welcome to the forums,
As for your question there are both pluses and minuses to contract/prepaid. Personally I find it better for me to go the prepaid route. I will be purchasing this phone internationally unlocked (screw you AT&T and your branding also hoping international phone is pentaband like fcc papers state) for about ~$600 USD +/-.
I really like T-Mobo's monthly 4G thingy they have (100 mins/ultd text/ultd data (throttled after 5GB) for only 30.00/month. Lucky me T-mobile has refarmed my area so I'll be getting 3G speeds instead of 2G speeds b/c of lack of AWS band on L920. I'll be saving a bunch compared to contract in the long haul but initially will cost quite the penny b/c of phone purchase (but hey that's why I've been saving :laugh
I'm really not a big fan of Carriers and their plans Hope you make the right choice for you and enjoy your upcoming Lumia 920
prjkthack said:
Read your Terms of Service. StraightTalk specifically prohibits many common data activities. Have you even used LTE before? A world of a difference. I do agree that AT&T's HSPA+ network can't be beat, but dropping from LTE to HSPA (or even worse) is just not fun. And when it comes to devices, I'm not talking about the hundreds of below-average smartphones that you can of course get for bargain basement prices. These are computers after all, you don't want to be caught with a below-average device. I'm talking about getting the best of the best (such as the Lumia 920, which is what the OP is talking about). Speaking about the average consumer, dropping $700 to $900 for a top of the line device is just not an option. A contract gives you the option to get great service and awesome devices. So while dropping a wad of cash for a phone may not be an issue for you, it is for most of the country. Facebook does not equal online support. It compliments it, but does not replace it. You can get your issue resolved in a few hours, I can take care of it in a few minutes. Be glad that you only had to use customer service once, because when you have any real issues, it won't be fun. And insurance can be a rip-off for some, and a life-saver for others. Really all depends on what's going on.
Bottom line, OP didn't ask for a math lesson. OP wanted our opinions of postpaid vs prepaid, and while we can all agree to disagree, there is no doubt that both sides have their advantages and disadvantages regardless of whether you pay a little more or a little less. Value is subjective. Its up to the OP to decide what is more valuable to him/herself.
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Just my two cents, I get 4g LTE on straight talk using an ATT device... I pay $45 a month and bought an HTC One X brand new for 300 online. Over the course of two years that's $1380 as opposed to $2355 through ATT. With taxes and other applicable fees that difference increases even moreso making prepaid a pretty obvious choice.
Poecifer said:
Just my two cents, I get 4g LTE on straight talk using an ATT device... I pay $45 a month and bought an HTC One X brand new for 300 online. Over the course of two years that's $1380 as opposed to $2355 through ATT. With taxes and other applicable fees that difference increases even moreso making prepaid a pretty obvious choice.
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How did you get LTE on your device? You need a special SIM in order to do that, and right now, per AT&T's company policy, only AT&T has those special LTE SIM cards. StraightTalk only officially distributes regular AT&T 3G SIM cards rebranded for StraightTalk. I imagine sometime in the future they'll allow MVNOs to use the LTE network, but right now, they are not.
Not that I don't believe you, but are you sure you are getting 4G LTE? The One X (and any 4G LTE device really) specifically has a 4G LTE icon in the top tray when you are on it (at least on an official ROM, if you are on a custom ROM, then who knows what you are really on, lol). An icon that says 4G is not the same as 4G LTE, just so you know.
If you are getting 4G LTE, I'm sure sharing how is good because a lot of people would love to know how, as that is one of the big downsides of any MVNO at the moment.
I'm currently on a Prepaid deal, whereby I get $1000 talk and text + 2gb (or so) data, for $60 per month with Telstra in Australia.
Compare that to the $60 plan, which currently, in nokia terms, gets you a Lumia 800 $0 upfront and $0 extra per month, with $600 worth of bonuses and 1.5gb of data. There isn't that much between them.
In the end, $60 per month is still $60 per month, and it'd be nice to get a phone out of it too.
Sent from my LT26i using xda app-developers app
Prepay is a better alternative.
Sent from my HTC Glacier using xda premium
Well, look at this from the overall standpoint. $60 contract is $1440 over 24 months, phone included. Spending $60 per month prepaid plus a, for argument's sake, $500 outright phone is $1940 per 24 months.
I barely touch the $1000 talk&text, as most of my expenditure is mobile data, and what's 500MB less a month anyway?
In short, for me, with my usage, the Contract probably wouldn't be such a bad move.
In full, that's just me. Your choice of carrier, phone, plan/prepaid, etc. needs to be decided based on HOW you will use your phone, not what people say in a forum.
Sent from my LT26i using xda app-developers app
prjkthack said:
How did you get LTE on your device? You need a special SIM in order to do that, and right now, per AT&T's company policy, only AT&T has those special LTE SIM cards. StraightTalk only officially distributes regular AT&T 3G SIM cards rebranded for StraightTalk. I imagine sometime in the future they'll allow MVNOs to use the LTE network, but right now, they are not.
Not that I don't believe you, but are you sure you are getting 4G LTE? The One X (and any 4G LTE device really) specifically has a 4G LTE icon in the top tray when you are on it (at least on an official ROM, if you are on a custom ROM, then who knows what you are really on, lol). An icon that says 4G is not the same as 4G LTE, just so you know.
If you are getting 4G LTE, I'm sure sharing how is good because a lot of people would love to know how, as that is one of the big downsides of any MVNO at the moment.
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Not sure really, I used a sim card provided by StraightTalk allocated for ATT's phones. I specifically ordered the micro rather than cutting it like myself as I've done in the past and now I get the 4g LTE symbol and I regularly get about 38-43 mbps download speeds. This is much better than 4-9 I was getting prior.