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Re: Wordy and wrong ... (Reply to this comment)
by mnehr
..which all was correct when the review was written three years before this comment..
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Apr 20 '06
12:43 pm PDT
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Wordy and wrong ... (Reply to this comment)
by Kither
This review is very outdated. Voicestream has since been purchased by T-Mobile and many carriers are joining the GSM bandwagon - like ATT and Cingular. And the review is wrong in the matter that Nextel does not now and never has used GSM services - they run on their own entirely different network.
This review can mis-lead customers who have had less than great service with Nextel away from great GSM carriers.
And, people in the cell phone field know that Analog is working on being phased out - so why go for something that will soon give you no coverage? Older networks are in need of updating - customers will soon see a loss of signal in some areas as the switch takes place. I for one would think that the best piece of advise right now is to go with a company that only wants a one year contract - that way you aren't tied down very long with a company that doesn't work. Also, though you will have to pay activation fees up front, you'll be able to upgrade much cheaper after your year is over. In two year contracts, you'll only see a good price on a phone when you renew for another two years - you'll get double the discounts with a one year contract.
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Apr 27 '04
9:55 am PDT
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Re: GMS incompatible between US and Europe/Asia (Reply to this comment)
by mnehr
Thanks for the comment.. This actually was true 3 years ago when I wrote this and many of the European providers had not started converting to the 3g GPRs systems. You are correct for current coverage.
Once again, an old out of date review is discovered...
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Apr 06 '04
2:11 pm PDT
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GMS incompatible between US and Europe/Asia (Reply to this comment)
by steview85
U.S. GMS phones are incompatible with GMS systems used in Europe and Asia. This negates Matthew's only reason to recommend GMS service for U.S. residents. (I have no experience with GSM so I can neither back nor rebut his low regard for GSM in the U.S.)
In Europe and Asia, GMS is operats on 900MHz or 1800MHz. (Typical GMS phones will operate in either band depending on the SIM card to select the appropriate band.) In the U.S., GMS operates on 1900MHz, and, to my knowledge few or none of the U.S. phones will operate in the 900MHz or 1800MHz bands.
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Nov 14 '03
4:47 am PST
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AT&T Plan change (Reply to this comment)
by vlad1964
I have AT&T service for 5 years now and changed plans many times and was NEVER charged for it.
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Jul 27 '02
9:34 pm PDT
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Re: Great information (Reply to this comment)
by mnehr
Good point, thanks for brining that up.
I actually do not care for by-the-second billing because the per/minute average is so much higher.
It also makes the billing more complex.
Plus
I would rarely recommend Nextel because they use GSM digital service, which, in my opinion, is substandard in the US.
If you travel to Europe a lot, Nextel is a viable option, but not if you use your phone stateside mostly.
Thanks again for your comments..
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Mar 06 '02
11:33 am PST
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Great information (Reply to this comment)
by simplygib
Thanks for all the information. I've been buried in wireless research for the past three days trying to learn all I can before signing up for a plan, and your comments were by far the most comprehensive and helpful.
The one and only thing I didn't see in your article, which I think is an important consideration, is the by-the-second vs. by-the-minute billing practices of the various wireless companies. From what I can tell so far, Nextel seems to be the only company that offers a by-the-second billing plan (after the first minute) in the US. But your comments regarding the digital technology they use has me hesitating to sign up for one of their plans.
I consider "by the minute" billing to be legalized robbery and can't understand why wireless as well as land-based long-distance companies are allowed to bill in this way. No one in their right mind would willingly pay for 2 gallons of gasoline when they only pumped 1.1, so why are people not up in arms about being billed for 2 minutes of phone usage after using 1 minute and 1 second? The only thing I can imagine is that most people don't realize what a huge impact this can have on depleting their monthly minute allowance, or on running up their bill.
Imagine your number of inbound and outbound calls total 300 in a month, the average length being 2.2 minutes. You will be charged 900 minutes (2.2 minutes rounded up to 3, times 300 calls) even though you really only used 660 minutes. You've just been robbed of 240 minutes, or 4 full hours of airtime!
Better stop now before I get carried away further. Thanks again for the great article!
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Mar 04 '02
4:32 pm PST
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Very Helpful (Reply to this comment)
by QponsRus
Thanks for writing this review. We are looking into getting a Cell Phone. But always avoided it before because of the fine print and the idea of getting stuck with a big bill we could not afford to pay. Your review was very helpful in helping us know what will be right for us.
Thanks
Heather
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Sep 17 '01
8:42 pm PDT
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I can see clearly now. . . (Reply to this comment)
by Suzer
Thanks Matthew. That explains a lot to me that I had heard about but had no clue about. Great review!
Suzi
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Aug 13 '01
4:43 pm PDT
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Dang! (Reply to this comment)
by itztru
My gosh you're a technical genius!
-Cindy :)
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Jun 04 '01
7:52 pm PDT
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Re: Ah+Ha! (Reply to this comment)
by mnehr
Normally, I would not recommend AT&T, but I am glad to see they provide quality service for you in your area.
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Jun 03 '01
8:03 pm PDT
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Great Info! (Reply to this comment)
by Pandemonium
Very nice opinion. Lots of information.
Take care.
Pandemonium
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Jun 01 '01
4:58 pm PDT
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Ah Ha! (Reply to this comment)
by thedragonweyr
Now I know why Cellular-1 and Sprint were worthless for my needs! I finally settled on AT&T and a Nokia 5165 after driving from Topeka to Colorado Springs with NO signal from Sprint.
The AT&T plan not only covers those huge stretches of geography in the middle but manages to find a signal in West Virginia and, most importantly, at my farm in central Virginia.
Thank you for explaining about the TDMA thing. Until reading your article I did not know why I was able to get better call quality at the farm than in the Springs.
Of course the nicest thing I have going with AT&T right now is that it is a local call for the Consort when I am in residence at the Weyr East, so we are saving a bit on long distance land line calls. I am sure this will not apply to very many users, but it sure is saving us money.
A very useful article!
Pamela, Chief Dragon
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Jun 01 '01
5:52 am PDT
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Well Written! (Reply to this comment)
by tchoate
This was a very well written review. It was easy to read and understand. Since I live in rural East Texas, I know all about those phone plans that want reach my house. Luckily for us we finally found a great one for our area.
Twyla-tchoate
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May 31 '01
6:03 pm PDT
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VERY Comprehensive!! (Reply to this comment)
by AVaddict
What a cache of info you put together! I especially liked how you layed out the various types of service, Great review
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May 31 '01
2:50 pm PDT
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