Okay, I hate Sprint, I hate my phone, I need a change. I want something that's reliable, but most of all one that gets good reception. I currently have what was, when I bought it, a fancy phone, and it's had shitty reception since day one. I do a fair amount of texting and sending pictures, so I'd like a company that has decently priced plans for both of these, preferably unlimited so I don't have to worry about it.

The people I talk to the most use Verizon, and they have free in-network calling as I understand it, so I might go with them. I've also heard they have really good reception--is this true? The LG enV looks good, and i've messed around with one a fair amount, but I'm not sure about it--it seems pretty big and it's what my girlfriend has, and, well, that's just kind of weird.

I'm also interested in Helio. I really like their pricing ($65 for unlimited data, text, pictures, et cetera, 500 minutes, GPS-based Google maps), but of the two phones of theirs I like, one is very similar to my current one (the Samsung Fin--very vancy, very sleek, but I'm worried behind all the features it's a piece of shit with poor call quality and zero battery life) and one seems basically made for 12 year olds (the Ocean--WHAT'S UP, MYSPACE!).

I don't need another iPod, so while I don't mind a phone having media capabilities--they all do, more or less--it's not worth paying extra to me.


Any suggestions?

9/2/2007 12:10:42 AM

helio uses sprint. HA HA!

verizon isn't as good as at&t in my area (north raleigh). a lot of the time, one might be better than the other in few places. most of the time it has to do with your phone. i've had great results with nokia phones and bad results with motorola.

i believe that verizon and at&t have unlimited plans for texting.

in NY and other major areas, sprint and verizon are great, helio works flawlessly. in nc, you couldn't pay me to use them.

a lot of decent phones are free with 2 yr contract. everyone has a 30 day return policy, so use verizon and at&t and see which one you like most.

i chose free phones like the samsung sync (ipod like i guess), samsung a717, etc...

it all depends on what you want.

9/2/2007 12:38:19 AM

verizon or cingular are your best bets. Just depends on what you and and service in ur area but services are similar

9/2/2007 2:00:38 AM

get the sony w580i online for $79 after rebate with at&t/Cingular...

great phone with a lot of capabilities, the only downside is that it isn't 3G, but i dont use the internet that much on my phones anyway

just browse the websites for at&t and verizon, def look at the coverage maps, Ive had cingular for over 6years and have never really had any issues, but you can't go wrong with either verizon or cingular, just pick the one that has good rates for the stuff you want

9/2/2007 10:08:41 PM

verzion

9/2/2007 10:16:15 PM

ive never had major issues with sprint. all of my samsung phones got WAY worse reception than my sanyo ones though.

9/2/2007 10:29:50 PM

Cool, I terminated my Sprint contract without the ETF and am gonna go with Verizon.

9/3/2007 1:13:23 PM

Quote :

"The LG enV looks good, and i've messed around with one a fair amount, but I'm not sure about it--it seems pretty big and it's what my girlfriend has, and, well, that's just kind of weird."

i love mine

9/3/2007 3:49:42 PM

The EnV is alright if you want to do txting and other things but don't need the full Windows Mobile/Palm OS of a smartphone.

9/3/2007 6:38:24 PM

That's what I got. I went with the new green one so's it won't get mixed up with the other one.

9/3/2007 7:08:28 PM

for future reference, because of statements like

Quote :

"and it's had shitty reception since day one"

most all cell companies have a 30 day return policy.

9/4/2007 10:28:32 AM

i've got helio

good stuff

if you text anywhere as near as much as i do, then the All-in plans are a godsend. and it's not a Myspace phone. it's a phone that can access myspace and any other website. being able to upload pictures directly to flickr and videos directly to youtube is pretty fun, and having google maps in your pocket is pretty much ftw

9/4/2007 3:39:04 PM

for fucks sake I hate cell phones right now so I need to chime in on this thread

I now need a new phone... again... I have gone through 1 old Nokia, 2 old Kyoceras and 3 E815s... I am stuck on Verizon but I am not locked into any contracts and pay month to month... so I sure as hell don't prefer to sign any contracts with them unless I need to. Is eBay seriously going to be my best bet for buying a phone or should I just walk in the store and get ass raped by whatever ridiculous fucking no-contract price I see just to be done with it and move on?

I'm only venting because I paid $15 for a phone in Peru that has been more durable, requires no contracts, and is so damned easy to use and pay for.... where the fuck do I get this type of phone here...?? gg American economy /vent

[Edited on September 4, 2007 at 5:24 PM. Reason : ? mfer]

9/4/2007 5:22:36 PM

Quote :

"All-in plans are a godsend. and it's not a Myspace phone. it's a phone that can access myspace and any other website. "

I have Helio as a provider and the Ocean as my device and even though I was reluctant to switch from GSM service, I'm glad I made the move. Just because the Ocean is marketed to the "MySpace" generation doesn't mean it's a kid's toy. As the matter of fact the price, the interface, and it's capabilities should be 3 reasons why this device should not be given to a child...they might use it to start a revolution! [j/k]

The 3G network is fast, the phone has Google Maps and GPS, and it has stereo bluetooth. The only problem that I have with it is that when you pack so many features into a device, you have to give up something and in this case it's battery life. On the other hand, if you know how to manage the features so that you can prolong your battery life, then you should be straight. Prior to this, I had a SideKick 3 and I thought nothing was going to come close...I thought wrong.

9/9/2007 12:20:06 PM