AmericanPapist Comments
I have the 8830 and love it, but I wish I had a Curve (8330). Unless you plan on using your BlackBerry in Europe it might suit you better (2.0 Megpixel Camera).
Have you ever heard of Verizon math?
http://verizonmath.com/
The Gist:
George Vaccaro wanted to point out to Verizon that they were saying ".002 cents" and meaning to say ".002 dollars" but he found that every single person at Verizon did not understand the difference.
I have heard the original audio file. It's quite embarassing. But luckily, I'll have an unlimited data plan. =)
SteveV, any reasons to prefer the Curve beyond having a camera?
I think the Curve is slightly smaller and supports WiFi.
The 8830 feels more solid though, and looks better than the Curve.
I really wish the 8830 had a camera.
I would also look at the BlackBerry Bold. It looks awesome. Twice the resolution of the Curve and 8830. Verizon does't offer it yet, but that will be my next phone when they do.
iPhone!!!!
Verizon's customer service is awful.
"Verizon's customer service is awful."
Isn't that generally true of all cell phone companies? I have T-Mobile, and the one time I had a problem with my phone, I spent a total of at least three hours on the phone with tech support (including hold times, and split up over several calls), and I never did get the problem solved. I knew exactly what the problem was, but had a lot of trouble getting anyone there to get off the "script" and understand the actual problem. Also, the one time that they promised to call me back after researching the problem, they never did. In the end I gave up, and lived with the problem.
Yeah, I don't mind poor customer service, I very much mind poor phone coverage. I heard Sprint is very poor when it comes to that. It's a shame the Bold won't be coming out for so long. I really need this before resuming school (late August) and there's no promise that Verizon will have a version of the Bold until ... May 2009?!
"I don't mind poor customer service"
I don't either, until I have a problem that requires a fix on their end. Then it can be quite maddening. :-)
Oh, I absolutely agree. I'm should say that I mind "less." I still mind.
Tom, in the interest of full disclosure, I must tell you I am a Business Account Manager for AT&T Mobility.
Regardless, before you go signing a 2-Year contract with Verizon, I'd strongly consider the fact that the 3G (3rd Generation Cellular) BlackBerry is coming out from AT&T this fall. If you held out for this device, you would basically have DSL internet in your hand whenever you are in a "Major Metro." Outside of Major Metros you will experience about 3x the speed of dial up on AT&T's National EDGE network, which is much faster than Verizon's National 1xRTT network.
Here is a recent review of wireless data networks from Computer World; http://www.computerworld.com/
act...ticleId=9083559
Another thing to consider is that Verizon uses an inferior voice technology known as CDMA. This creates issues when traveling internationally because 85% of the world is on GSM, including the EU.
Anyways, that's just my two cents--and no I'm not making any cents to post this reply, I just believe in what I sell.
In Christ,
James
Thomas,
My Nextel phone died after five years, so I recently tried out several pay-as-you-go phones so I could see how well different carriers worked in my location. I went back to Nextel eventually because the coverage was best for me. But I have to tell you, although all of the companies have terrible customer service, you cannot beat Sprint for flat-out horrible. Verizon isn't any award-winner in my book, but if it gets you the coverage you need, the equipment you want and the contract you can bear up under, then there's your answer. My husband has had good experiences with his Blackberry and Verizon (although not in our rural home) and it seems sturdier than the two other PDA phones he's had.
I recommend Fatwallet.com and SlickDeals.net for the most extensive discussions of deals on cell phones and services.
Best of luck to you on your search!
Thomas,
Have you considered Charity Mobile for your service provider? They donate a percentage of what you spend to a pro-life charity you choose.
Following up on my wife's post...
http://www.charity-mobile.com/ph...com/
phones.html
There is no contract, making it easier to change carriers than get a divorce (not that I've tried).
We have been happy with their service, but we are pretty low-maintenance customers so it may be worthwhile to get the opinions of others who have had more experience with their customer service.
God bless you!
Well, just returning from WYD with my Blackberry 8830, I'd have to say that I didn't have any difficulty getting voice service in Sydney (or Cairns). Once they figured out that they didn't activate my sim card for data, that fixed that issue and I had data access for the second week of the trip. I have Sprint, so I'm not sure what coverage issues people were talking about. I even had voice and data on the train ride in the rainforest! I didn't know they had towers out there! I do like that each letter has it's own button, for texting and e-mail. It doesn't have a camera, but I was able to transfer photos from my camera onto a micro SD, and upload that on to the Blackberry to post to my blog, so that worked out pretty well too.
with verizon, all of the coolest features of the phone will be disabled. half of these features you can enable by paying through the nose, and the other half will be inaccessible to you forever.
Actually, I am among at least one other person who is wondering why you are not considering ...
1- the iPhone, or
2- one of the multitude of interesting Windows Mobile devices such as the Blackjack.
From a customer point of view, I am OK with AT&T, although the bar is pretty low. I notice the AT&T guy who commented didn't pretend that their customer service was any better than the rest of them.
Living in DC I really need Verizon because it is the only carrier that provides coverage in the Metro. I spend about 1-1&1/2 hours in the metro 5 days a week during the school year, and that's prime phone/emailing time IMO.
Commenting by HaloScan
