I don't know what it's like nationwide but in Texas Alltel always seems to be behind the technology curve. Does anyone know if/when we can expect to be able to buy the Sliver or the new Motorola Q? I'm tired of carrying around this ginormous PocketPC and if I can't get the SLVR or the Q from Alltel, there's a Cingular store across the street that has every sweet phone ever made. Any news on if/when we are going to get the new phones?
Hey Alltel was the first CDMA carrier with the Razr I believe. But I don't know when we will be getting those. I'm sure it isn't so far off that you should switch to Cingular though.
I don't really know anything about the CDMA/TDMA/yadda yadda of phones, it just seems to me that we're always last with anything. I remember my buddies having the RAZR long before we could get it. Now, I didn't get it, but I seem to remember it was 9 months or so after it was out that we got it. I'm hoping it won't be that long for the Q and the SLVR. Is there a place that posts time estimates on this type thing?
Usually, Cingular and Verizon get exclusive deals to sell the phones for a load of money. Obviously they are much larger than Alltel, I think Verizon has the Q locked down for a long time though, I know that it is several months.
We would not be able to get the Q for six months. Verizon has exclusive rights to it for that time period. On a lot of things your right, Alltel is the last to get it. Features to like touch to talk and picture messaging are some older examples. There is a reason for that. Alltel has taken a stance that we prefer others to come out first, have all the issues and problems, let them deal with the angry customers with features and phones that do not work well, get the bugs fixed and once the issues are corrected, we get it.
If & when Alltel does come out with the Q, is it going to require a special rate plan like the Treo or none like the BlackBerry 7130e?
it would be like the other smartphones. there is no special rate plan you have to have with any of the smartphones. any voice plan is fine as long as you are not on unlimited. if you have unlimited, we ask that you change your plan since the PRL for unlimited is different. If you must stay on unlimited, you will be advised that all roaming charges will apply. The blackberry requires that you must keep a blackberry data feature with your rate plan, the other smartphones do not, but who would want a smartphone without data???
Alltel is a CDMA provider, like Verizon or Sprint, so they will not offer the SLVR until the CDMA version of the SLVR is released, and even then I'll bet Verizon gets it first. Verizon has the Q for a six month exclusivity period... after that they'll have an EV-DO Q-like device so why try and compete with that. The SLVR is currently GSM-only (Cingular, T-Mobile, CellularONE-Dobson) so you can't use one on the Verizon, Alltel, Sprint, etc. network. If you want a SLVR, you have to go with Cingular. If you want a Q, you have to go with Verizon... unless you want to buy an unbranded SLVR or Q, then you can pick your network, as long as the technology is compatible. However, I have heard a rumor that, like the RAZR, the SLVR will be released in a CDMA version... Sprint is slated to get the CDMA version of the SLVR before any other carrier. Cingular doesn't have the PEBL, only T-Mobile offers that phone at this time, so Cingular doesn't have, "ever sweet phone ever made," though I do wish T-Mobile had the SLVR. Possible upcoming phones for Alltel include the Kyocera Strobe, the LG AX-390, the Nokia 6265i and the Pantech PN-218. Alltel got the CDMA RAZR weeks before Verizon did, by the way, so for CDMA carriers, they were first. Nice to see you're still alive, Sandman.
