I used to have a rather thick Qualcomm cell phone, which I used with an AT&T service plan. The problem with that phone, although the reception was perfect, was that they charged an arm and a leg, and they required that I sign a one year contract. As soon as that contract was up, I decided to switch to Nextel.

There were a few reasons for the switch:
1. My brothers lived in Kalamazoo and I could use the unlimited "direct connect" with them instead of paying for long distance charges (they obviously both had Nextel service).
2. The Nextel service is much cheaper than all of its competitors (Verizon, etc.) in the metro-Detroit area
3. I got a good deal on my phone, a Motorola i1000+ ($100 for a $200 phone, not too shabby).

So, about a year and a half ago I bought this phone (along with Nextel service), and at first it was very reliable! The direct connect worked nicely, (actually, better than the regular phone service) and the phone service wasn't bad. Also, the i1000+ has many useful features. Like all other phones, it has a selection of rings, (or a vibrate option), caller ID, it receives text messages (over the internet), voicemail, internet browsing (I haven't tried it, but the phone has the capability) etc. My favorite feature of this phone is the speakerphone... this comes in handy all the time.

Anyway, back to my service woes: At first the service was O.K., every once in a while a call would drop, and that was acceptable to me. As time went on, the quality of the service went downhill, and I recently took my phone in to a Nextel service center. They told me that the phone checked out fine, and they put on some sort of software upgrade, which helped. Before the software upgrade, (I am not exaggerating when I say that) every other call either dropped, or was of such poor quality that I was often saying "HELLOOO!! ARE YOU STILL THERE"... and the person that I was talking to usually said the same. The service would just cut in and out, and sometimes the person that I was speaking to would tell me that they heard loud beeps, or even other people's conversations! Other times, when I would try to dial I would get the dreaded "Service is busy. Try again later" message. Just what does that mean?

After the software upgrade, the service has improved significantly, but I am still suffering from a general malaise concerning the whole situation. This service is best for businesspeople, mainly because of the direct connect service (it is like a walkie-talkie type service), which comes unlimited on quite a few of their calling plans.

Overall, if you are in the Detroit area, I would not recommend getting this service, however I will tell you that two friends of mine recently got Nextel service (with the new "i80" or "i85" phones) and they are VERY satisfied with their service. They claim that it is excellent... so, I suppose I could give you a partial recommendation. Here goes: only use this service if you are going to also purchase an i80 or an i85 phone, but not an i1000+. I love the phone, but my service just doesn't seem to work as it should with Nextel service.

In case you are from Michigan and wondering what area I am usually in, here are the main cities: West Bloomfield, Southfield, Farmington, Birmingham, Bloomfield/Hills, Dearborn, and Downtown Detroit. The service is equally unreliable in each of these areas.

For those of you that are reading this and who still don't have a cell phone, I say to you: Once you get one, you will never be able to go back to not having one. Good luck!

Recommended: No

Amount Paid (US$): 100