Photo via simply-communicate.com
I’m currently an AT&T account holder and I use the iPhone 3G. My contract with AT&T ran out yesterday. Woohoo! Free agent! Naturally, I’m having serious thoughts about switching providers and phones. I’m not rushing into a decision, because I have much to consider before I make any changes. Here’s a rundown of my current situation:
1) I’ve had the iPhone 3G now for more than 3 years. It’s not the 3Gs, nor it is the 4. My iPhone runs very slowly and doesn’t operate efficiently on the 4G network. Typically I catch it running on the geriatric EDGE network. *Cringe!* My iPhone often takes several seconds to open an app, and 5-10 seconds longer for the app to become functional. Even if I just want to make a phone call or text someone, I find myself waiting for an eternity. I’m long overdue for an upgrade.
2) I spend a fair bit of time in the downstairs level of my house. Unfortunately, my AT&T reception does not extend to the downstairs level of my house, which means I get a lot of dropped calls, if I even get service at all. I have to go upstairs before I can make phone calls or send text messages.
3) As an AT&T customer, I’m the frequent recipient of dropped calls, wherever I am. The AT&T network just doesn’t seem to have saturated coverage. And as for calling themselves the “fastest 3G network”, refer to my first note about app loading speeds.
4) If I switch to Verizon, I won’t be able to use a phone if I go home to Australia (or any other international destination) for a vacation. Verizon’s network is currently incapable of global roaming.
4) I like having an iPhone. I like the user-friendly touchscreen technology. I don’t really want to use a phone with a keypad again. I’ve done that in the past and I’m not going back to it.
5) There’s no doubt that, regardless of provider, I’ll be upgrading to a new smartphone. The question is: Do I stick with AT&T and get an iPhone 4 for only $50? Or do I switch to Verizon and pay $200 for the iPhone 4 (which we all know is soon going to be replaced by the iPhone 5)? Or do I get a Droid? Or something else? My friend Mallory (check out her blog here: http://strategystrange.blogspot.com/) is with Sprint, and she loves it.
Smart phone features I cannot live without: The phone has to fit easily in my jeans pocket (so it can’t be clunky), a decent GPS app, a good Facebook app, customizable ringtone ability, a decent photo camera, ability to shoot video, and finally, a minimal amount of clicks to use any/all phone features. Is all of this too much to ask?
The folks over at Engadget have created a handy comparison of the iPhone 4G on both Verizon and AT&T. After reading the comparison and following comments, I gather that the phones are pretty much identical. The only different is what each network can do for me. So what do I do? Sigh. Does anyone have any suggestions for me?
~C
Elfawin in 24bit
The ELWIN 