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Cellular Phone Forum / Providers / ATT Wireless / June 2008iPhone Compared to Other Phones
Well, I am here because I was all set to sign up with Verizon for two more years because I am eligible for a new phone. I can get a Samsung Gleam for $149.99 or a Blackberry Pearl 8130 for $169.99. I'm all set to compare them for sound quality as soon as the Samsung Gleam arrives in the local store. Thing is, now the new iPhone 3G is coming out soon and I could get it for maybe 30 bucks less than the Blackberry Pearl, or maybe the same, as I'd of course have to switch services and be signing up as a new user. Bottom lines are: COVERAGE IN MY AREA--How can I learn if an iPhone would work in my area, and how well? I have taken my Verizon phone all over the place and never had a problem with coverage and little or no problem with sound quality. SOUND QUALITY--I want it good on calls and particularly on the MP3 player, which is the main reason I am buying a new phone! MP3 PLAYER--I need one where I can pause, rewind, or at the VERY LEAST, find my place again on whatever I was listening to. Does the iPhone use the same sort of micro SD memory card as the other phones? The ones I am looking at take only up to 4GB cards. Can the iPhone do 8 or more? How can I compare player quality on the various phones I am considering? PLAN COST--What will the basic monthly plan for the new iPhone cost? Obviously, if it's an arm and a leg for a zillion features and services I'll probably never use when all I need is a phone, MP3 player, and GPS, I'd stick with Verizon which has provided good service. Can anyone shed light on these bottom line issues or direct me to a site with good side-by-side comparison reviews? I'll be deeply appreciative, thanks. Cori In article <69d1d542-b102-4de3-8f8e-f7f79c4488cf@u6g2000prc.googlegroups.com>, > COVERAGE IN MY AREA--How can I learn if an iPhone would work in my > area, and how well? Pick up an AT&T prepaid phone and use it for a month or two. > [snip ... common ramblings] > [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > and never had a problem with coverage and little or no problem with > sound quality. There's always just a few options: a) Buy-Rent-Borrow a phone on the network in question and check it out yourself; b) Tell people where you are located, and solicit their personal experience; c) Take a Risk and just jump in blind. > SOUND QUALITY--I want it good on calls and particularly on the MP3 > player, which is the main reason I am buying a new phone! Have you stopped using your cellphone when driving (or riding in) a car? And also similarly high ambient noise environments? Similarly, when underground, or other similar 'blocked signals' situations? It isn't rocket science to have a good reception view of the sky, but the technology has gotten good enough that people are now constantly forgetting the basics. All too commonly, hardware is blamed today for what are really operator error problems. > MP3 PLAYER--I need one where I can pause, rewind, or at the VERY > LEAST, find my place again on whatever I was listening to. Does the > iPhone use the same sort of micro SD memory card as the other phones? No. > ... How can I compare player quality on the various phones I > am considering? The fidelity "weak link" is predominantly a product of the headphones, not the MP3 player. Don't make the mistake of focusing on "fixing" the wrong component. > PLAN COST--What will the basic monthly plan for the new iPhone cost? At least $75/month. Basic Voice is $40/month, to which you add a $30/month data plan = $70/ month ... before taxes. > Obviously, if it's an arm and a leg for a zillion features and > services I'll probably never use when all I need is a phone, MP3 > player, and GPS, I'd stick with Verizon which has provided good > service. YMMV as to what an 'arm and leg' are worth. At $75/month, your total 2 year contract commitment is roughly $2,000 And while that's $200 for the hardware + $1,800 for the service, the reality is that even basic cellular service isn't necessarily dirt cheap: a 'free' phone with a basic $40/mo plan for 2 years is roughly $1000, to which you might want to add another $200 for an iPod and another $200 for a Garmin GPS. You end up roughly $500 ahead of the game after 2 years, but you don't have miniaturization through product convergence. > Can anyone shed light on these bottom line issues or direct me to a > site with good side-by-side comparison reviews? I'll be deeply > appreciative, thanks. Since you don't specifically mention (push) email or web browsing, you probably don't need a data plan. Of course, this applies to your consideration of a Blackberry on VZW, too ... the monthly cost of VZW with a data plan isn't cheap either, so its not an issue of an AT&T / iPhone "Rip Off": its that data plans on cellular service simply isn't cheap in the USA. -hh Cori <cmashieldscapting@hotmail.com> wrote in news:69d1d542-b102-4de3-8f8e-f7f79c4488cf@u6g2000prc.googlegroups.c om: > Well, I am here because I was all set to sign up with Verizon > for two more years because I am eligible for a new phone. I can [quoted text clipped - 33 lines] > to a site with good side-by-side comparison reviews? I'll be > deeply appreciative, thanks. Get an iPod Touch and stay with Verizon for cell phone sevice. Best of both worlds. > Well, I am here because I was all set to sign up with Verizon for two > more years because I am eligible for a new phone. I can get a Samsung [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > as I'd of course have to switch services and be signing up as a new > user. i'm not sure why you think you're getting a iphone for $140 as a new user on at&t, but... > Bottom lines are: > > COVERAGE IN MY AREA--How can I learn if an iPhone would work in my > area, and how well? I have taken my Verizon phone all over the place > and never had a problem with coverage and little or no problem with > sound quality. the obvious answer is to port your number over to at&t and try it out for a month. if you don't like it, port it back. most (all?) carriers now allow you a 1 month-get-out-of-your-contract-free-card. i tried this with the first gen iphone just about a month back (i had said i wasn't considering an iphone because i really don't like at&t, but i'll admit it- i caved in to the hype. :D i'd played with the iphone, but people keep saying it's the best thing since sliced bread so i gave it a try...). the voice coverage isn't too much different (verizon's a little better), but the data coverage of verizon is much superior over at&t in socal (and this is just at&t on edge- their 3g coverage is seriously crap). > SOUND QUALITY--I want it good on calls and particularly on the MP3 > player, which is the main reason I am buying a new phone! sound quality on calls... just isn't that good with the iphone. the mp3 player is obviously one of the iphone's strengths, but it's not that much better than other options UNLESS you're into buying (drm'd) songs from the itunes store. > MP3 PLAYER--I need one where I can pause, rewind, or at the VERY > LEAST, find my place again on whatever I was listening to. Does the > iPhone use the same sort of micro SD memory card as the other phones? > The ones I am looking at take only up to 4GB cards. get something that takes microsdhc (16gb+, 8gb for dirt cheap) if you go the non-iphone route. > Can the iPhone do > 8 or more? How can I compare player quality on the various phones I > am considering? > PLAN COST--What will the basic monthly plan for the new iPhone cost? the plans are comparable. what you might actually want to do, if you're trying to keep costs low, is switch to sprint. that's right, i said it, sprint. they have some killer SERO plans (do some searching on line), and while their native coverage is not that good, if you have at all decent coverage, you can roam up to 50% of the time (on verizon, alltel, etc). you have to turn it on in your phone, but then, bam!, good coverage. if you roam more than 50% though, they might boot you as a customer. > Obviously, if it's an arm and a leg for a zillion features and > services I'll probably never use when all I need is a phone, MP3 > player, and GPS, I'd stick with Verizon which has provided good > service. if you want gps on verizon, you're either paying a monthly fee for vznavigator, or you're hacking your phone (which is what i did). > Can anyone shed light on these bottom line issues or direct me to a > site with good side-by-side comparison reviews? I'll be deeply > appreciative, thanks. i ended up with a htc touch, which i'm very happy with so far. i have another week or two to decide if i want to keep it, and as of right now, the answer is definately yes. gps, mail clients, web browsing (w/ opera 9.5), music (including streaming music off the internet (something my buddy just got me thinking about)) all work great. oh yeah, and it's a great phone, with good sound quality, and does voice dialing and mms too. takes a bit more setting up to get a windows mobile phone like the htc touch all set up super spiffy just the way you want it, but the point is you CAN set it up super spiffy just the way you want it (other than that itunes drm thing). :D >but the data coverage of verizon is much >superior over at&t in socal (and this is just at&t on edge- their 3g >coverage is seriously crap). Suppose he lives elsewhere? > >but the data coverage of verizon is much > >superior over at&t in socal (and this is just at&t on edge- their 3g > >coverage is seriously crap). > > Suppose he lives elsewhere? the answer to your question is in the first sentence of the very paragraph you snipped my comment from- "the obvious answer is to port your number over to at&t and try it out for a month. if you don't like it, port it back. " > > >but the data coverage of verizon is much > > >superior over at&t in socal (and this is just at&t on edge- their 3g [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > your number over to at&t and try it out for a month. if you don't > like it, port it back. " Words of wisdom! Cori > >but the data coverage of verizon is much > >superior over at&t in socal (and this is just at&t on edge- their 3g > >coverage is seriously crap). > > Suppose he lives elsewhere? Then it's either better (because socal is so crowded) or worse (because if they can't do it right in a large urban area, how bad would it be out in the sticks?) Cori > i'm not sure why you think you're getting a iphone for $140 as a new > user on at&t, but... I don't necessarily think that, it's just that other companies offer a discount for new users so I hoped AT & T also did. > the obvious answer is to port your number over to at&t and try it out > for a month. if you don't like it, port it back. I didn't know that was possible but it makes sense, especially since my two years with Verizon are up so they can't stick me for doing that, right? > sound quality on calls... just isn't that good with the iphone. the > mp3 player is obviously one of the iphone's strengths, but it's not > that much better than other options UNLESS you're into buying (drm'd) > songs from the itunes store. I could go on indefinitely with ripping songs from CD and even cassette and vinyl, and downloading mp3 files from the internet, before ever LOOKING at any iTunes. > get something that takes microsdhc (16gb+, 8gb for dirt cheap) if you > go the non-iphone route. So microsdhc is different/better than regular micro SD? > if you roam more than 50% though, they (Sprint) might boot you as a customer. Well, that's the thing. When I use the phone portion of the phone, it's mostly away from home, not at home, except for occasional long- distance calls. The mp3 player, on the other hand, if I can get one that's not a total PAIN to use, I would use constantly. > if you want gps on verizon, you're either paying a monthly fee for > vznavigator, or you're hacking your phone (which is what i did). That's why I'm looking at the Blackberry, which comes with basic GPS besides the add-on of VZ Navigator. Truth to tell, though, the basic would probably be slow and not do much and in that time I'd probably drive somewhere and ask directions anyway. Hacking sounds appealing, however that's done. Thanks for the information! Cori Previously on alt.cellular.attws, Cori said: > > get something that takes microsdhc (16gb+, 8gb for dirt cheap) if you > > go the non-iphone route. > So microsdhc is different/better than regular micro SD? The "hc" part means "high capacity". The SD standard tops out at either 2GB or 4GB (I think 2GB, which was then pushed to 4GB). SDHC starts at 4GB and goes up to at least 32GB. Mini- and Micro- SD are essentially just smaller form-factors of the same standard, their current lower capacities are to do with physical limitations of the form factor size and will improve with time.  SignatureJeffrey Kaplan www.gordol.org The from userid is killfiled Send personal mail to gordol "The accumulation of all powers, legislative, executive, and judiciary, in the same hands, whether of one, a few, or many, may justly be pronounced the very definition of tyranny." - James Madison, The Federalist Papers > > i'm not sure why you think you're getting a iphone for $140 as a new > > user on at&t, but... > > I don't necessarily think that, it's just that other companies offer a > discount for new users so I hoped AT & T also did. the $199 price is the subsidized price. > > the obvious answer is to port your number over to at&t and try it out > > for a month. if you don't like it, port it back. > > I didn't know that was possible but it makes sense, especially since > my two years with Verizon are up so they can't stick me for doing > that, right? yup, once you're contract is up, you're free to go where you wish. and when you port to at&t, you can return the phone within 30 days and the early termination fee will be waived. then go back to verizon and try it for 30 days, same thing. http://www.wireless.att.com/cell-phone-service/legal/plan-terms.jsp http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/splash/splash.jsp?v=12 > > sound quality on calls... just isn't that good with the iphone. the > > mp3 player is obviously one of the iphone's strengths, but it's not [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > > So microsdhc is different/better than regular micro SD? the 'hc' is 'high capacity'. regular hd goes up to 4gb, sdhc is, iirc, up to 32gb currently, but that's not available in the micro format quite yet. i know 16gb cards have been announced, but i don't know if they're available quite yet. 4gb cards are down to $15-$20, and 8gb microsd cards are down below $50, and they just keep going down, down, down... > > if you roam more than 50% though, they (Sprint) might boot you as a customer. > > Well, that's the thing. When I use the phone portion of the phone, > it's mostly away from home, not at home, except for occasional long- > distance calls. The mp3 player, on the other hand, if I can get one > that's not a total PAIN to use, I would use constantly. windows media itself is not a very good music player, but there are a lot of good ones available. > > if you want gps on verizon, you're either paying a monthly fee for > > vznavigator, or you're hacking your phone (which is what i did). > > That's why I'm looking at the Blackberry, which comes with basic GPS > besides the add-on of VZ Navigator. not on verizon it doesn't. > Truth to tell, though, the basic > would probably be slow and not do much and in that time I'd probably > drive somewhere and ask directions anyway. Hacking sounds appealing, > however that's done. not very familiar with enabling the gps on verizon blackberries, but on the windows mobile devices, it's really simple (if you follow the directions- people DO manage to screw it up anyways though). flash the radio, flash the rom, call verizon to reactivate, and you're done. takes about 15 minutes. xda-developers.com and ppcgeeks.com has a lot of info. Uh, not looking good for AT & T coverage. Here is what the map says about my area: "PARTNER: The areas shown as an orange stripped (sic, striped) pattern represent the coverage of unaffiliated carriers and should have sufficient signal strength for on-street or in-the-open coverage, but may not have it for in-vehicle coverage or in-building coverage. Excessive use of Partner coverage may subject your service to early termination, in accordance with your service terms. Data services may not be available." Buying an iPod Touch and sticking with my Verizon phone was my original plan, then they lowered the price of the iPhone. Now if they would only lower the price of the iPod Touch! But if they don't, rather than buy a cheapo mp3 player separately I'd like to have as good a phone one as possible with a Verizon phone. Cori Previously on alt.cellular.attws, Cori said: > COVERAGE IN MY AREA--How can I learn if an iPhone would work in my > area, and how well? I have taken my Verizon phone all over the place > and never had a problem with coverage and little or no problem with > sound quality. You can get a fairly good approximation of the coverage area (down to street level) including "regular" GSM, data, and 3G for AT&T here: http://www.wireless.att.com/coverageviewer/ > SOUND QUALITY--I want it good on calls and particularly on the MP3 > player, which is the main reason I am buying a new phone! I've spoken to people with the first gen of the iPhone and they say that the voice quality is as good as anything else they've used. No idea what that "anything else" could cover, though. Sound quality for MP3s, I don't know, but I hope it's at least as good as the sound quality of a "classic" iPod. Toss the included earbuds and get something different and better. > MP3 PLAYER--I need one where I can pause, rewind, or at the VERY > LEAST, find my place again on whatever I was listening to. Does the > iPhone use the same sort of micro SD memory card as the other phones? I hope that's two questions! A "regular" iPod does that and will hold the place if you turn it off, but not if you change to another track. But if you know about where you were in it, you can fast-forward to it. I haven't tried with an iPhone. The iPhone uses internal-only storage. It comes in 8 and 16GB versions. > The ones I am looking at take only up to 4GB cards. Can the iPhone do > 8 or more? How can I compare player quality on the various phones I > am considering? Subjectively? Only by trying each one. > PLAN COST--What will the basic monthly plan for the new iPhone cost? Basic voice is $40/month, AT&T apparently requires an iPhone specific data plan. I've heard $20/month and I've heard $30/month for that with the new iPhone. If the reason for the hike is 3G, then I had better get the lower price because my home area does not yet have 3G. SignatureJeffrey Kaplan www.gordol.org The from userid is killfiled Send personal mail to gordol "Experience should teach us to be most on our guard to protect liberty when the Government's purposes are beneficent. Men born to freedom are naturally alert to repel invasion of their liberty by evilminded rulers. The greatest dangers to liberty lurk in insidious encroachment by men of zeal, well meaning but without understanding." - Justice Louis D. Brandeis, dissenting, Olmstead v. United States In article <69d1d542-b102-4de3-8f8e-f7f79c4488cf@u6g2000prc.googlegroups.com>, > Well, I am here because I was all set to sign up with Verizon for two > more years because I am eligible for a new phone. I can get a Samsung [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > and never had a problem with coverage and little or no problem with > sound quality. Find someone with AT&T service in your area and ask them how it is. Have them come over and see how good a signal you have at home. Preferably someone without a RAZR; they seem to have below-average reception. > SOUND QUALITY--I want it good on calls and particularly on the MP3 > player, which is the main reason I am buying a new phone! I've found audio quality on my first-generation iPhone to be fine for both. > MP3 PLAYER--I need one where I can pause, rewind, or at the VERY > LEAST, find my place again on whatever I was listening to. The iPhone's media player is, as you'd might imagine, quite good, and of course can sync everything (music, podcasts, audio books, TV shows, etc.) with iTunes, which is a major benefit if you're already using iTunes to manage your media. And yes, for longer media it not only remembers your place, but syncs this info with iTunes, so you can, for instance, go back and forth between listening to a long audio book on your computer and on your iPhone, without having to manually find your place every time you switch. > Does the iPhone use the same sort of micro SD memory card as the > other phones? The ones I am looking at take only up to 4GB cards. > Can the iPhone do 8 or more? The iPhone doesn't have removable storage. It comes in 8 GB and 16 GB models, and that's all you get. If you have a large music collection, though, iTunes does make it pretty convenient to manage what gets downloaded to the phone, so it's easy to swap thing around. > How can I compare player quality on the various phones I am > considering? Well, you can try out an iPhone in any Apple store. Apple is usually pretty good about loading its display models up with real content you can play around with. You'd have to bring your own headphones/earbuds, of course. > PLAN COST--What will the basic monthly plan for the new iPhone cost? > Obviously, if it's an arm and a leg for a zillion features and > services I'll probably never use when all I need is a phone, MP3 > player, and GPS, I'd stick with Verizon which has provided good > service. iPhone plans are pretty pricy. $75+ with taxes, etc. You should probably pass on the iPhone if you're not interested in making fairly frequent use of data services, because you're going to be paying for them. (And they're a particular strength of the iPhone.) Also, I don't know if you have any interest, but one other factor to consider is that in a few months, there are going to be lots of third-party applications for the iPhone. The way things seem to be shaping up so far, it looks like it's going to provide a much richer applications platform than other mobile devices. > Can anyone shed light on these bottom line issues or direct me to a > site with good side-by-side comparison reviews? I'll be deeply > appreciative, thanks. Signature"No one has supported President Bush on Iraq more than I have." -McCain in April "I disagreed strongly with the Bush administration's mismanagement of the war in Iraq." -McCain in June > iPhone plans are pretty pricy. $75+ with taxes, etc. You should probably > pass on the iPhone if you're not interested in making fairly frequent > use of data services, because you're going to be paying for them. (And > they're a particular strength of the iPhone.) Dang, I'm totally sold on an iPhone except for the question of coverage and the issue of paying a huge amount for services I probably won't use. Now I can only hope/expect that after July 11 a huge number of iPod Touches will be for sale as people ditch them for the new iPhones. I just wonder if I should wait till then to decide on a Verizon phone or try to get one with a reasonably decent mp3 player if only as a backup. Cori Previously on alt.cellular.attws, Cori said: > Dang, I'm totally sold on an iPhone except for the question of > coverage and the issue of paying a huge amount for services I probably [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > Verizon phone or try to get one with a reasonably decent mp3 player if > only as a backup. Do not switch carriers just for a nifty phone. Especially if, as you indicate, the new carrier has no coverage where you need it. Ignoring the price tag, your best bet to get the functions would be to stay with Verizon and get the least expensive phone they have and get an iPod Touch for the media and PDA stuff the iPhone can do. SignatureJeffrey Kaplan www.gordol.org The from userid is killfiled Send personal mail to gordol Peter's Top 100 Things I'd Do If I Ever Became An Evil Overlord, #162. If I steal something very important to the hero, I will not put it on public display. Yeah, I've been thinking that is the best bet. In fact, I'm wondering if it makes sense to even switch phones at all, since my old one works fine...as a phone, just doesn't do all the other stuff. Especially since, with the new iPhone now at half price, a lot of people may be unloading their iPod Touch and I might even find one in decent shape at an affordable price. Cori > Do not switch carriers just for a nifty phone. Especially if, as you > indicate, the new carrier has no coverage where you need it. Ignoring > the price tag, your best bet to get the functions would be to stay with > Verizon and get the least expensive phone they have and get an iPod > Touch for the media and PDA stuff the iPhone can do. > Yeah, I've been thinking that is the best bet. In fact, I'm wondering > if it makes sense to even switch phones at all, since my old one works > fine...as a phone, just doesn't do all the other stuff. Especially > since, with the new iPhone now at half price, a lot of people may be > unloading their iPod Touch and I might even find one in decent shape > at an affordable price. if you're really into new / different music, and you're in a verizon ev-do area, i'd SERIOUSLY consider taking a look at a windows mobile phone. it wasn't a big consideration when i bought my htc touch, but the ability to stream internet radio is a serious plus with the verizon network. :D Is that with an mp3 player or some other means of audio playing? Thanks. Cori > if you're really into new / different music, and you're in a verizon > ev-do area, i'd SERIOUSLY consider taking a look at a windows mobile > phone. it wasn't a big consideration when i bought my htc touch, but > the ability to stream internet radio is a serious plus with the > verizon network. :D |
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