ATT or Verizon, SF Bay Area & Reno.....

Just to let you know Verizon is CDMA not GSM so if you want GSM then you have to count Verizon out.

 

I assume you'll be driving between the two points. If so, AT&T does not provide coverage between them, it is supplied by roaming carriers. Verizon is native coverage most of the way. If you only use voice, there isn't much difference because the roaming network AT&T uses has acceptable coverage.

I give the edge to Verizon, and Sprint gets 2nd choice if they cover your house and work OK. Both are CDMA< not GSM. AT&T is a far third among these, and that's tied with T-Mobile (GSM) who uses the same roaming networks as AT&T.

Of these 4, I would choose the one that covers your 2 destinations at the best price. In the Bay area, there isn't a clear winner because so much is location dependant. Just make sure you try it out where you need it.

 

I have AT&T and T-Mobile prepaid, plus friends with VZW. For now AT&T will get signal everywhere where T-Mobile has signal, but that may change once the roaming agreement is dissolved. T-Mobile has many dead spots and poor coverage indoors. I've yet to run into a place where I would have better signal than VZW people here in Bay Area, but seen plenty of places where the opposite is true. If GSM is important to you, I would go with AT&T rather than T-Mobile.

 

I have both Verizon and ATT right now and in the Bay area I have found similar coverage with a small advantage to Verizon in areas like Mountain View, Oakland, Richmond, parts of SF, San Mateo.

Last time I was in Tahoe, I had better Verizon in North Tahoe,

I try not to go to Reno, so I am of no help there.

I get more dropped calls with ATT than I had with Verizon, but I think some of it is the iPhone.

 

I can confirm what BillRadio said about Verizon having better coverage between Reno and the SF Bay area. If roaming doesn't matter then AT&T will be fine and you can avoid Verizon's horrendous UI. Some people don't mind the UI, others hate it and I am in that group. Take advantage of the trial period.

 

I would be remiss if I neglected to mention 2 web sites with good information about cell phone service at each end of your route:

SFO cell sites shows Cingular/AT&T cell sites in the Bay area,

Reno Wireless Information. covers Reno like a blanket, including cell site locations.

 

User Interface.