Third Post!

Okay, I swear this is the last time I title a post like that.  I SWEAR!

This time I'm going to do a review of all the cell-carriers that I've had.  It's an idea I've had for a while, since I've jumped from one to another more than anyone else I know.  Some of the information I have is out of date, obviously T-Mobile hadn't started its new 4G network when I used their service, but I think I'm still qualified enough to speak on the subject.



You should understand that I've paid for my own cell phones and service since I was 13.  I'm the one that decides which carrier I use and which phone I get.  Until recently, I've entirely been on my own individual plan as well.  Since I was 13.  Kids these days gotta learn how good they got it when their parents pay for their phones from age 8!

1. Virgin Mobile - This was actually a pretty good service for me at age 13.  It was cheap, and had cheap phones.  I didn't have a lot of money you see.  What 13 year old does?  I rarely used my phone, but it was damn fun to have.  The downside, of course, is that the service wasn't very good.  I often lost service in the dumbest of locations, like my bedroom or my school.  Not that I ever tried using my phone in school, I promise!  ;-)

Anyways, I'd recommend VM for people who don't need top of the line phones or service, and don't use them very often.  I'm sure they've expanded their network in recent years, everyone else has.  They also allow you to top up right from your phone, which is really convenient.

2. T-Mobile - I switched to T-Mobile when I was about 16.  The service was certainly better than VM, and they had a Pay-As-You-Go option as well.  The downside was that you had to top up in increments of $25.  My wallet was still pretty light at this point, which made $25 a lot of money.  Again, I rarely used the phone so it worked out for me.  This was before I even liked text messaging, which helped as well.

Overall, I'd say that T-Mobile had okay service.  Once I started college I often had service issues in my dorm and around school.  The rest of my family had T-Mobile until just this summer and my favorite quotation is: "I remember getting a call in the house and having to run outside so it wouldn't drop."  Which gives you a hint as to what my opinion is.  I feel that T-Mobile works great in major population centers and not so great anywhere else.  I live in the Burbs, so I think that having poor reception in my area is good indicator of poor service.

3. AT&T - I switched to AT&T partway through my freshman year.  I even eventually switched to the iPhone.  At the beginning, it was much much better than TM.  I had service in more places.  Except the subway of course (they only just added this a few months ago) and in the deeper darker cave-ier areas of my dorm.  I put up with it for quite a while.

I did like their upgrade options, you're eligible for an upgrade every year.  But I'm sure you've all heard the same stories about iPhones straining their network.  They're working on a new 4G network as well, but it's moving fairly slowly.  And they should have made sure their network could handle the iPhone before getting it anyways.  The big problems with AT&T are the service gaps and the price.

4. Verizon - I only switched to Verizon this summer, finally going with my family into a family plan.  I talk on the phone more than I used to, and I definitely needed to include my unlimited texting that I about a year into my AT&T stint.  At AT&T I was paying about $110 a month for unlimited internet, unlimited text, and the lowest number of minutes I could get.  At Verizon I am now paying my portion of the bill with $60 bucks a month with all the same stuff.

The service is definitely more robust.  I very rarely encounter any area with no service (in fact, I don't recall that happening yet).  AT&T boasts that its 3G network is faster than Verizon's, which might be true if you could actually find it and access it.  In the meantime, Verizon moves fast enough for me.  I also get bars in my office building, which was very rare for both T-Mobile and AT&T.  Verizon is building its own 4G network, which I believe is being rolled out sometime in 2011.  My only gripe has to do with the ever-elusive Verizon iPhone.  I'm truly hoping that it really does come out in January of 2011.  But Verizon only offers discounted upgrades every 2 years, which means I'll have to pay full price if I do get it right away.  Also, Apple won't make a phone compatible with any 4G technology until it's fully tested and proven.

To conclude, I'd have to give Verizon the gold star in this contest.  You go guys.

-Kevin

P.S. I sincerely hope none of the providers mentioned sue me.

P.P.S. Really guys, I have no money.