Cell phones, pdas, carriers, etc.

[nugnfutz]

I did a road trip with my gf. We went around VA, TN, NC around the blue ridge and smokey mountains. I had ATT, she had T-Mobile. I had thought that ATT would have better coverage. Not true - coverage was nearly identical. Looks like they share towers/service. As a result, I've signed up for a T-Mobile family plan.

PS: I do have a work Verizon blackberry, which showed better coverage than ATT/T-Mobile on the trip.

[glx]

Cingular and T-Mobile sucked for me at two different apartments in JC, while Verizon and Sprint were relatively solid (though Sprint has coverage issues elsewhere in the NY area).

As far as devices, I have a Blackberry 8830 and love it.  Unless you get one of the very new Treo's you'll find you're playing catchup with functionality that already exists in other devices.  If your main concern is email, the BB is built for it.

[Neeners]

Sorry, I meant I like T-Mobile.  I can't edit my boo boo.  Cingular was the last provider I had and I could barely get a signal in our apartment.

[MCA™]

Provider: I'm too lazy to find a link, but I saw a morning show segment last week where Consumer Reports had their latest cell phone provider rankings: (1) Verizon, (2) T-Mobile and Alltel, (3) AT&T and (4) Sprint.
   Me, I'm a happy T-Mobile customer: I like their prices, customer service, international service and choice of phones fine. Their local coverage could be better.

Phones: No personal experience with Treos, but from looking around I sense that Treos and Blackberries are equally capable but Blackberries are just slightly smaller in general.

Hope this helps.

[Neeners]

I like Cingular.  I have a pebl, and I love it, but I think trying to get email from it would be a real PITA.

[thebes]

I was thinking of a Treo. Does anyone have any opinions? I've come to terms with big and bulky, that's fine...

I need to text, get email, and I would like a camera, but not essential.

I'm getting the impression that the Treo offers the most BANG.

I currently have Verizon, which seems to have the best family plan, but my contract ended a few months back and I am free to shop around for the best deal.

Again, opinions encouraged and welcome! :0)

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