Good cell phones & service?

[drevil]

My cell phone and/or service sucks. The coverage is really bad, and there are spots very close to my house (College Park), and along the Beltway and I-95 where I know calls will get dropped without fail. It seems like if I even go under big trees, things get very s-s-s-sss-stat--ic-y.

What really hit home was when I took the Metro earlier this week and people were chit-chatting away on their cells, deep in the bowels of the Adams Morgan/Woodley Park stop! I was totally dumbstruck because I didn't know it was possible -- mine loses ALL coverage 15 seconds down the elevator into any underground station.

Right now I have a Sony Ericsson T-616 that's probably a year and a half old. I am using ATT Wireless (now Cingular?).

I don't need a lot of features on the phone. I primarily want something that has really good reception and will work at places like underground Metro stops and hopefully "far out" spots like upper C&O. A camera would be nice, but a vidcam is overkill. I'd also like to be able to receive text messages on the phone, but I assume that's probably universal now?

Delicate phones bug me. One of my favorite cell phones was a Panasonic that had a rubber coating all around it. I dropped it and fell on it a few times and nary a whimper. 'Twas good.

As far as service, anyone extremely happy or sad about theirs? ATT is dead to me right now and I don't think I'll use them for my next phone. If it's offered, I'd like to get a discounted service plan where my wife could be on as well.

Anyways, any advice or recommendos are appreciated!

[jromano]

Ricky, I have had verizon service for years now and don't really have any complaints with their service. Their plans aren't the best price wise but as far as coverage I think they are better than most. Verizon consistantly gets top reviews in consumer reports for customer service and cellular service area. As far as their phones go they have a decent selection. I have a LG VX6100 phone and it's been pretty reliable. I've had Motorola and Samsung phones and they have been ok but I think I prefer the LG. I've never gotten any of the really high end phones and they seem to work for me and have all the features you are looking for. That's my $.02 for what it's worth. Good luck in your search for new cellular sevice.

[tuba_transport]

Verizon is your answer

Verizon has receivers installed in the Metro tunnels. I don't know of any other provider who has done that. If you go Verizon then take a good look at the Motorola V710. It is renowned on www.howardforums.com as having the best reception. It also has a camera, which shots mediocre pictures, and also is the only Verizon phone with Bluetooth as far as I know. The V710 is also a triband phone which can receive analog signals when you are out in the boonies. Other perks include ability to add memory, play MP3s, connect laptops to the internet using it as a modem, send and receive pictures/text/video, alarm, event calendar, etc.

www.howardforums.com also has lots of tips on how to get to use Mobile Web, send PIX messages, and connect PDAs/laptops to the internet on this phone without paying extra.

[Buddylee]

I have cingular for "personal" use (the phone is small and fits in my jersey pocket) and Nextel Blackberry for "work" use. I find the nextel service has been the most consitant. Even out in the mountains, it's the only service i've had work. Also, since nextel is so widely used for business use, they have antenna's in many city buildings. I'm not totally sold on paying for nextel myself, but my experience is, it's good from a service stand point.



P.S. i personally hate verizon from a business standpoint. Mine and many people i know have had nothing but bad customer service from them.

[dmofot]

I don't know, Nextel seems to have some major issues with reception these days and their phones are pretty crap. I don't think they put out a phone that myself or a friend was able to break from daily use in less than 2 months. About the only thing they had going was the walkie talkie feature and now you can get that with other carriers.

I'm using Verizon right now and have had some of the best reception I can remember in a long time. I've got a simple cell phone thats...well it's just a phone, no cameras, no video...it rings when I have a call and I like it. I was able to do a family plan and Kristin got a discount from being an AOL employee, so you might check with the college to see what deals they offer. Your more likely to get a better phone buying deal online though. In order to get all fees waived I just told them it was ridiculous and <fill in carrier> doesn't charge that and if they want to charge it I'm not signing up. They usually default to the manager who knocks off the fees.

In today's cell market, your either going with major player or another. I've had a lot worse than Verizon, so for me it's all about the reception cause I can't remember the last time I had to use customer service. Oh, and they have this thing where you get a new phone after 2 years...nice.

DT

[halfinch]

as for phones - i've always been partial to nokias. no antenna to impale or break, no flip hing to weaken. i've battered my phones, stuffed them in pockets and rolled on them while they've been in my hyrdo bag and they hold up.

tmobile blows in my area, imho. i've had no complaints with cingular, but i cant speak for the reception in college park tho.

[liltommy]

I got an el cheapo phone from them (1-1/2 years) thats not worth poop, but the coverage is excellent.

My wife just got a nice new camera/video phone through her work with cingular service. She still uses the crappy old verizon phone just because cingulars coverage stinks.

Tommy

[joep]

Check for coverage near your house too (with whatever company you choose). I live in a 400yd wide black hole where apparently no cell phone will work reliably. I've looked at detailed maps of coverage area from 4 different companies and all of them show a big blank just around my house. But I can walk to the end of my little street and my phone will work beautifully. If you're looking to ditch your land line, be aware of this.

[skiandmtb]

My wife's verizon is pretty good, except our house in Silver Spring near Langley Park is a bad reception for her phone (my neighbors experience the same.) My ATT (now Cingular) phone is pretty reliable, but I too have noticed some dead spots. They seem to occur more often since the took over ATT, so it may be a volume issue, without an appropriate increase in infrastructure.

I think Verizon and Sprint have the greatest coverage, FWIW. An analog roam capability that was mentionned earlier would be beneficial if you head out to WV. Near Snowshoe, both of our phones are useful as paper weights, and that's it. (Due to the radio observatory)

Just remember that the customer service for all of them sucks. (As a consumer advocate in Atlanta, Clark Howard says--Customer No-service)

My$0.02

LJ

[Snot-Rocket]

Er, built to Military Specifications, big enough to take out muggers- not really sexy, but very practical and durable- I drop this damn phone every 5-mintues and have wounded a mugger at 10-meters...

Great durable phone with great reception...well that has been my experience.

[CRAIG2]

I have T-Mobile because the service is ok, and I have had them for a few years and am too lazy to go look around for another provider. And I don't want to have to be giving out a new number to everyone. And my last phone upgrade was free - I can't have a camera phone; security violation. So, I have whatever Samsung flip phone was free. It's not bad.

Craig

[triscuit]

T-mobile and Cingular/AT&T use the same network, so coverage will be the same for them. Verizon has the best coverage in DC, esp since they have a deal with Metro so their phones work underground. Most phones are now using only GSM, which works in and near urban areas and highways, but is not so great in the sticks where they just don't have the infrastructure. I currently have a Nokia/Cingular phone that uses GSM, digital and analog and works most places kind of (it worked at Big Bear, sort of, when a lot of others would not), but the phone is old and unreliable--short battery life, reception not as good as it used to be, etc, so I just ordered a new phone which required switching to GSM only. There are also dead areas, generally when you are near another company's tower, or in an area where two towers are competing.

However...

If this matters to you, Cingular is the only wireless company that is unionized. Others are non-union, but most, except Verizon, have at least a decent track record of treating employees okay (there were some problems at Sprint a few years ago, but mostly resolved, I think). Verizon on the other hand has actively been union-busting, with complaints currently filed against them by the National Labor Relations Board for multiple unfair labor practices, including illegal firings and taking retaliatory discipline against union supporters.

[shannon]

Verizon - I get reception even up in the depths of the 'shed. Got me un-lost one day when I had a mental lapse trying to find my way back to Hamburg from the ridge and had to call home. Unfortunately, I was leading a ride that day - we got 25 miles in instead of the 20 I'd promised. Oops.

[crashmore]

I think this was custom made for our very own Squirrel Girl. Just when you thought you'd seen it all. This is a Bluetooth enabled squirrel that screens your phone calls. I may have to set a few of these up at work!

http://img.engadget.com/common/images/3633063538663628.JPG

http://www.engadget.com/entry/1234000183050697/

[moishi]

I don't think there is such a thing as good cell coverage. I work for a local wireless carrier, who shall remain nameless, and while I think there are some great features of their phones, they all drive me bats. There is no cell coverage where you need it (i.e., I live in a black hole of coverage...nothing works here), and when you don't want it (i.e., when work calls) you get coverage.

Verizon seems to have better coverage than most, probably because its been around the longest and has the most mature network. They are all having trouble because of the *rebanding* effort going on amongst carriers to get regular public traffic out of the band of public safety (fire, rescue and police). It is a "short" term problem (meaning a couple of years) for the greater good. I know there is no service by my house because there aren't any towers around. Friggin' HOAs.

[ardenbees]

I had verizon (in the NOVA area) for over three years and I was very pleased with the coverage. When friends with other carriers had no signal, I usually did. I switched to Cingular in April, because of a deal offered through work, and I am now stuck for two years with the crappiest signal. I go down a hill, I drop a call. I sit still, reception gets staticky after a few minutes. I've already had the phone replaced once. Drive down Old Keene Mill Rd in Springfield, drop a call. Drive on Rolling Rd, drop a call. Drive on Braddock toward Wakefield, drop a call. I drop more calls than Sprint customers; now that's bad. I use my cell phone instead of a land line, so this crappy signal is driving me nuts. I never had this problem with Verizon. But again, it probably depends on where you are. Most of my experience is in Springfield, Fairfax, Reston, Alexandria, Woodbridge. Verizon = good. Cingular = bad.

[CRAIG2]

You know it's funny that you mention Braddock Road going towards Wakefield (between Backlick and the park, at least) - it might not be the phone service provider; my XM radio is really spotty along that stretch as well, particulary when I'm heading from the park back towards Backlick. The other side of the road seems better for some reason - it's strange.

Craig

[BadMammaJamis]

I have verizon and, for lack of a better word, it blows... of course it could be the free phone that came with the package.

[TMayhew]

I have verizon and, for lack of a better work, it blows... of course it could be the free phone that came with the package.

It might be. Verizon has been like a breath of fresh air after my T-Mobile and Cingular experiences. Cingular is without a doubt one of the worst in this area. It's especially horrible in Springfield.