sandiego/spokane: verizon vs. cingular???

I have both carriers because i am testing them out on prepiad so i can deciede who to go with for a montly fee. I live in San Diego, Ca and have been going alot of places to test out each service making test calls etc. Verizon and Cingular are pretty much the same here. When i went to Encinitas CA to go to a party CIngular was better then Verizon by alot. Also i would either do the 15 day trial peroid to find out which one is better for you. I personally have made up my mind to go with Cingular because Verizon network is getting to overloaded, and voice quality and reception are going down. Good luck!

 

I assume you were asking about Spokane, WA. as opposed to La Mesa, CA. right?

Cingular's service is subpar if you plan on wanting great coverage in the Spokane area. They have some, but it needs improvement. Stick with a CDMA carrier with AMPS backup. VZW or Sprint would be your better options.

I'd inquire too with T-prophet. He seems really familiar with the area also.

 

Just some 411 with your prepaid service:

Verizon's prepaid service doesn't utilize its entire network so your service may vary with others who use post-paid. Of course, this depends on location. Cingular's KIC uses Cingular's network in Southern Cali. to the full yet only utlizes part of it in other areas like Northern Cali. and Washington. So you are in essence comparing apples to orange splats.

A year ago in Houston while visting my family my post paid VZW phone had full service while my younger sisters prepaid phone lost service completely. When I'd call her I'd get " The person you are trying to reach is outside the coverage area."

 

??? what in the hell are you talking about? i live in La Mesa Ca... I have never been to washinton lol.

 

I like my v400 phone. Where I have good signal, calls are crystal clear and the volume of the earpiece is great unlike some Nokias I've had that have had a buzzing muffled sound. I like the speakerphone feature which is useable even when the flip is closed. Speakerphone is loud enough for me while driving too. Ringtones sound better than other phones I've used and you can download MP3's too. No color outer display but the blue light display is good enough and bright at night. Doubles as a flashlight. While charging, the blue light on the outer display won't turn off. Just a heads up if this bothers you.

I don't believe the quality of the camera is as good as my LG vx6000, but I don't care; I have my own digital camera. I still believe phones are made primarily for voice calls anyway. Like most GSM phones, it interferes with your car radio reception when you have it plugged into the CLA while driving.

 

Thanks for the pros and cons i was thinking about getting that phone for CIngular soon.

 

Just so you know, Amazon.com has the Moto v400 for $29.99 after a $150 mail-in rebate from Amazon. You will be charged a $36 activation fee by Cingular. The rebate is valid even for 1-year contracts (although the rebate form does not explicitly state this ). The phone will arrive activated and with a new number. As long as you keep your old service active you will be able to port your old # but I highly recommend that you visit a Cingular Company Store for this.

I recently got my Sony Ericsson T637 from Amazon and I will get $225 back in rebates, so I could not be more satisfied.

 

I couldn't have put it better. VZW is king in Spokane. However, take a look at Sprint, too. Ubiquitel has really improved the coverage there in the past year, and I think they're a strong #2 to VZW now. Last month when I visited, I was surprised and pleased by the improvements they have made.

If you go with Sprint, get a San Diego number and sign up down there. The Spokane plans aren't as good as you will get in San Diego (it's not really Sprint in Spokane; it's Ubiquitel doing business as Sprint, and they have their own plans). Be sure to get the $5 Free and Clear America option. This will cover your roaming at no extra charge whenever you leave the Sprint network.

Be sure that whatever handset you get has an AMPS backup. You will need it in eastern Washington and northern Idaho. I have (and like) the Sanyo 7200, but the Sanyo 7300 is another good choice.

 

Interesting, I will have to ask my parents about this. They live in El Cajon (I grew up there) and both use Verizon.

 

This is close, but not quite right.

Cingular KIC only allows you to use the Cingular network in your region. This includes the entire Cingular/T-Mobile network in California, Nevada, and the Lake Havasu City, AZ area, along with the Cingular network in Washington state.

Unfortunately, this gives folks here in the Northwest the short end of the stick. KIC users have no coverage south of Toledo, WA (it's a speck on the map about an hour north of Portland), and also no coverage in southeast Washington. The entire state of Oregon, according to Cingular, doesn't exist if you're a KIC customer.

VZW allows you to use their prepaid service at home rate in native coverage areas. They do offer roaming (unlike Cingular KIC) at a cost of about $1/min, but it's turned off by default. Native coverage areas are pretty spotty here in Washington; they cover the greater Puget Sound and Spokane areas only, along with parts of the Olympic peninsula. Everything else is roaming.

Cingular has good coverage in California; GSM coverage is more advanced there than anywhere else in the country. This is not representative of the GSM experience as a whole, though, especially here in the Northwest. Give Sprint a try first, if you aren't happy with VZW. Virgin Mobile uses their network if you want to go the prepaid route, although the Kyocera and Audiovox handsets they sell don't perform as well as Sanyo and Nokia handsets.