deciding what carrier to go to from T-Mobile

I'm currently with T-Mobile and their Customer Service has been nothing but top-notch but the phones they offer are nothing like what i'm looking for (cingular and VZQ have MUCH better options) and they are barely on EDGE whereas Cingular has 3g (in my area ) and VZW has EVDO (which they are upgrading to Rev A soon). So i'm leaving T-Mobile and choosing between these 2 (also, kinda considering Sprint b/c of nights starting at 7 and a very good tv cast)

I'm not a noob and no carriers are VERY subjective just like buying a new home theatre stereo system. Now i'll get specific: How is V-Cast compared to Cingular Video? I've watched both and CV on an LG CU500 was VERY impressive. V-Cast seems to be very limited clips.

Some guy at Verizon told me yesterday no carrier is gonna let you stream live tv as it uses way too much bandwidth. You would be blocking many people from accessing the towers. When i read up about MobiTV which is coming out for Cingular in a month, it says it is STREAMING LIVE TV (delayed by 30 seconds of course

I then asked this Verizon rep when they would have simultaneous voice and data on their networks. He told me that is like basically using two separate lines so until you see phones with two receivers (antennas) you aren't going to see that. He basically said, "not for a long while".

Here is a summary:

1. Cingular Video vs V-cast

2. Cingular has simultaneous voice and data so i can be talking on my bluetooth while i'll look up the weather or movie times. Verizon can not.

3. VZ Navigator is AWESOME! Way easier to use than even my car gps and super fast. Cingular has nothing like this and won't for a while. (mapquest mobile and rand mcnally maps are not a proper substitute for LBS GPS)

4. Verizon obviously has pretty high customer satisfaction and tied T-Mobile for best customer service. But i feel like all the people complaining on Cingular's side are the idiots that won't upgrade their analog phones they've had for over a decade.

The Samsung a930 for Verizon is awesome. I LOVE the super advanced voice dialing feature on it and VZ Nav is the best app ever. The LG CU500 is so fast on the internet and streams vid clips perfectly.

There, my situation is more clear I know they all have their ups and downs but i want to hear from people their opinions and why they chose the carrier they chose. What has been frustrating? What has been great?

I'm leaving T-Mobile simply b/c their phones suck (Moto Pebl is gimmicky, samsung t509 is ok, best phone is BB 8700g but i dont care about email) and they are barely on EDGE. Their customer service has been amazing but i hate their old phones and network. Any thoughts are appreciated!

---

› See More: deciding what carrier to go to from T-Mobile

From experience like you switching from t-mo to cing I've noticed that they have come leaps and bounds, I've also seen the v-cast (not very impressive) and have heard rumors about a new sotware/hardware that will allow cing users to video confrence (Don't know how much I can believe it but it seems to be leaning on the side of truth) As far as mobtv goes although it looks promising it won't be a service I subscribe to, just for the simple fact: the screens are too small to enjoy tv. Not to sound like I'm trying to put you down but for the most part I can read a map and know my state well enough that I don't have to rely on gps to save/help me. So that's not really a turn on for me either. I just know that if you came to cing you wouldn't be disappointed. (Man I sound like a salesman, I'm not)

Originally Posted by Griffzan

From experience like you switching from t-mo to cing I've noticed that they have come leaps and bounds, I've also seen the v-cast (not very impressive) and have heard rumors about a new sotware/hardware that will allow cing users to video confrence (Don't know how much I can believe it but it seems to be leaning on the side of truth) As far as mobtv goes although it looks promising it won't be a service I subscribe to, just for the simple fact: the screens are too small to enjoy tv. Not to sound like I'm trying to put you down but for the most part I can read a map and know my state well enough that I don't have to rely on gps to save/help me. So that's not really a turn on for me either. I just know that if you came to cing you wouldn't be disappointed. (Man I sound like a salesman, I'm not)

Thanks for the response. I agree GPS isn't THEE deciding factor but i definitely enjoy it in my car. And even though i can read a map as well, when we have the technology to basically press one button and have our location and all the turns we need to take to get to our destination, why not take advantage of it? $10/mo isn't breaking my bank or most any other person's who can afford a cell phone. But i understand what you're saying.

I also have to disagree with you on screen size . The clips i saw on the LG cu500 were very acceptable and most importantly extremely smooth and the audio matched the video . Sure, if i watched a movie or something after an hour my eyes might hurt, but just the fact I CAN watch espn, cnn, fox, weather channel, discovery, etc for 3 min on the train or 30 min in the car is a very cool option, imho.

I've decided on Cingular over VZW for a few reasons:

1. 3G is in my area (west surburbs of Chicago) and it is MUCH faster than EDGE and EV-DO. It is gonna take the other carriers a WHILE to have something of that speed (and by then i will be outta contract and ready to switch if need be ).

2. Rollover minutes are the shiznit! Even though i have 1500 anytime minutes for $40 with T-Mobile i currently don't use them. So hundreds go to waste every month. And with Sprint, VZW, and Cing it's $40 for 450 anytime and unlimited N&W and unlimited M2M (VZW & Cing, not Sprint). I consider 5000 N&W minutes on Cingular to be unlimited . Who knows if they will get rid of Rollover once they become big enough or bought out by someone else. Great feature.

3. Simultaneous Voice & Data! Verizon has told me over and over they can't do it and won't be able to do it for a while. This is HUGE once you start using the internet and tv capabilities of the network.

4. IMO, tied for best phone selection with VZW.

Now i just need to decide how early to jump ship. my contract ends 10/31/06 but i think i may just go this weekend to start up Cingular!

Don't go too soon you may find out the new phone you want came out 2 days after you started your contract.

stay with T-Mobile...

You say T-mobile have old phones?

Than what do you call the Blackberry 8100? It even have maps and you can hook up a optional Bluetooth GPS.

But anyway, to answer your question, I will probably will choose to go with Cingular.

I could see why you ask this question here. That's a tough decision.

couple of things. one we do offer gps service like vznavigator but its on select handsets for now and as for small screens check out the sync, largest screen next to a palm or black berry. also unlike vcast cingular video works off edge as well as 3g verizon's feature does not run off 1xrtt or on all 3g handsets. also should you decide that mobitv is not enough i recommend sling player on a pda

Well, if you really want data, then Sprint because they have the best plans for that, but you seem to be leaning towards Cingular.

T-Mobile is launching a GIANT 3G network next spring that will cover more than they do now with their 2G GSM network. It may be worth it to stay. It will use the same technologies as Cingular's UMTS and HSDPA.