vB Easy Archive - GSM phones overrated. CDMA phones...better?

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GSM phones overrated. CDMA phones...better?
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Posted by: at&t_hitman

I recently checked out a couple of Verizons new high end phones. From Samsung and LG. They were hot! Verizon now has 3 phones with camera resolutions over 1 MP and with expandable memory.

Cingular? Asides from the massive S710a, and the already pulled Nokia 6682 nothing.

Thats 3 sleek phones with great features to really, just 1.

Why is the GSM product falling behind stateside? This frankly shouldn't be. ESPECIALLY with LG and Samsung. Their GSM offerings are pathetic! Low rez screens, ugly designs, no features, etc etc.

Samsung brought their p207 to stores and charges over $150 for it and it is no better then a mid level, if not entry level phone. The same phone for VZW is $50. On the other hand the Motorola E815 which is superior to any Cingular Phone is $150. And the new Samsung tops it out at like $250! The S710a? over $300!!

I'm not talking PDAs here folks. I'm talking multimedia phones.

I am really upset as someone who sells GSM phones for a living. I feel we are really getting the low end of the stick. Cingular wants to quota me based on things such as ARPU and bolt ons and they refuse to give us equipment that give us the opportunity to push that value? It sucks.

V635? The best possible phone we could've gotten didn't even make it to stores.

Who can we go to? What can we do to complain? Yes, I am serious. I want a better product for cryin out loud. Cingulars newest "hyped" phone, the Nokia 6102 is an entry level series 40 phone, and they are charging nearly $100 for it!

Posted by: Sonic McTails

I totally agree. The only good GSM phone that I might get is the E396 (unlocked is important to me and no one has unlocked a ROKR yet), or the v635, neither available directly from carriers. Verizon might cripple their phones, but they're higher quality in the long run.

Posted by: at&t_hitman

The problem with unlocked phones is that they simply will not interact with Cingulars network optimally.

Posted by: danska

Samsung does actually have some cool phones. Sadly, usually made without 850mhz.

Samsung D550
Samsung D720

Samsung s410i
Samsung e880
Samsung e640

lg?
LG m4410
LG g7200

Granted, they are not available for cingular.. But still, cingular is huge. If they asked for one, they should be able to get one....

Posted by: ceebz

Quote:

Originally Posted by cingular_hitman

The problem with unlocked phones is that they simply will not interact with Cingulars network optimally.

Whoever gave you that info was full of

As long as the phone has 850, it will interact just fine.

My unlocked V635 "interacts" with Cingular better than any Cingular branded phone that I own.

Posted by: THETRUTH#34

Im starting to totally agree also, verizon has come up higher in there phones, to bad they lock bluetooth and limit the freedom one should have, but i agree there are so many gsm phones out there that we just dont get, se has like 3 phones with mega pixels music memory, nokia and so on.

Posted by: boston_errol

Quote:

Originally Posted by ceebz

Whoever gave you that info was full of

As long as the phone has 850, it will interact just fine.

My unlocked V635 "interacts" with Cingular better than any Cingular branded phone that I own.

yep this is infact true.

unlocked phones work better with cingular then their own phones

take a look at the 6682.

Posted by: VTECaddict

stupid america with their proprietary cellular frequencies. if they used 900/1800 like everyone else, then we would get all those cool phones without worring about not having a certain frequency on it.

Posted by: ceebz

Quote:

Originally Posted by VTECaddict

stupid america with their proprietary cellular frequencies. if they used 900/1800 like everyone else, then we would get all those cool phones without worring about not having a certain frequency on it.

That's basically the problem. When handset manufacturers finally started including 1900 as a standard band in every handset, the US decides to introduce 850.

Posted by: rosullivan04

Quote:

Originally Posted by cingular_hitman

The problem with unlocked phones is that they simply will not interact with Cingulars network optimally.

What in the world are you smoking?? The unlocked phones without the Cingular garbage work BETTER than the Cingular phones! Good example --> Qtek 8010; works considerably better than the Cingular version, the SMT5600. You gain features you otherwise wouldn't have with the Cingular version. Even the same phone but unbranded works better, such as the MPx220... you gain network select and OBEX and outbound serial BT ports. Nokias unbranded without the Cingular garbage are considerably more stable than the ones that Cingular have crippled.

Posted by: bodeh6

Verizon does have some very nice phones right now that put Cingular to shame. The currently have the Moto E815 for $99.99 after rebate. 2 Weeks ago they had the LG 8100 for only $99 (now $149) after rebate and my brother got that phone. What do we have at Cingular. The Nokia 6102 for $89. These phones for Verizon kill Cingular's flip phone selection in terms of functions for the money. They just introduced the Samsung a950 for only $149 after rebate.

But how can one enjoy these phones with their Bluetooth functions if it is crippled? How can one enjoy being able to put wallpapers on the memory card of these phones only to realize that they can't put them on the phone? No way would I ever buy a phone that is crippled like this.

Posted by: danska

Quote:

Originally Posted by ceebz

That's basically the problem. When handset manufacturers finally started including 1900 as a standard band in every handset, the US decides to introduce 850.

Don't forget about 450Mhz!

Posted by: at&t_hitman

Quote:

Originally Posted by ceebz

Whoever gave you that info was full of

As long as the phone has 850, it will interact just fine.

My unlocked V635 "interacts" with Cingular better than any Cingular branded phone that I own.

ENS. Unlocked phones do not have the ENS software. I appreciate you guys liking network select, and such. But especially as integration nears completion it is my OPINION that the automatic ENS is what will make the network superior to VZW.

Posted by: danska

Quote:

Originally Posted by bodeh6

Verizon does have some very nice phones right now that put Cingular to shame. The currently have the Moto E815 for $99.99 after rebate. 2 Weeks ago they had the LG 8100 for only $99 (now $149) after rebate and my brother got that phone. What do we have at Cingular. The Nokia 6102 for $89. These phones for Verizon kill Cingular's flip phone selection in terms of functions for the money. They just introduced the Samsung a950 for only $149 after rebate.

With verizon, it's their phone or no phone (for the most part). At least with cingular and tmo, you have the possibility of using a different phone not offered by them. (much easier)

Posted by: rosullivan04

ENS isn't going to matter at all once network integration is complete... they will all register as one network. I've had several problems with ENS regarding the phone sticking to a weaker antenna and also longer transfer times registering onto other towers. I had one phone that would register as not having a signal up to 30 seconds at a time; my other phone with ENS deactivated has no such problem at all. I would rather have Network Select so I am free to select the antenna that has the greatest power nearby. ENS or no ENS, the network itself still won't match up to the coverage of Verizons until they add more antennas.

Posted by: ceebz

Quote:

Originally Posted by cingular_hitman

ENS is a joke. And once integration is completed, ENS will no longer exist.

Honestly, unbranded is the way to go. The only time I'll pay for a branded mobile, is either when I get it dirt cheap, or I have to. (Blackberry)

Posted by: Omega2008

....ENS is just for Cingular...I don't think it would be included on any phone not haveing Cingular firmware.....

Posted by: chonga

I agree that right now at this point in time Verizon has a better phone selection for the price.

2.0 megapixel cameras, with hotswap microSD, external mp3 player buttons, awesome screens, compact..... i wish samsung or LG would release these types of phones on cingular for the same prices ($150-$300) with contract. NOT unlocked...but rather selling them through cingular.

You can say "oh well you can buy an unlocked sammy d600 or get a 1900mhz phone, or switch to t-mo" but the fact is that:

1. if i buy unlocked phone with those same features (2.0mp, mp3 player, expandable memory, etc.) it will cost $500+ since they are not offered under contract (thats right, i dont pay $400+ for a phone like some people who complain americans are cheap with phones....i'll fork over $200-$250 but thats it, call it being cheap, i call it being reasonable)

2. obviously having only 1900mhz is not practical.... thats like having a girlfriend with one boob.

3. t-mo has....0...thats right zero towers in my rural PA area within a 40 mile radius. once again, not practical at all.

but people also have to remember that cingular will have a better phone selection MOST of the time during the year....at this point in time during the year, i think Verizon has cingular beat in terms of phone pricing and features.

Posted by: boston_errol

Quote:

Originally Posted by chonga

2. obviously having only 1900mhz is not practical.... thats like having a girlfriend with one boob.

that's the best analogy as of yet. i've tried in the past but this is the best....

Posted by: i_mobile

Quote:

Originally Posted by cingular_hitman

You said it right, it's your opinion, and you know what the deal with opinions is, they are like ******, everybody has one.

But as far as facts go, I have a couple of OEM unlocked phones that work great with Cingular. One of them is even 1900 MHz only. So, that analogy about boobs, doesn't apply to me. I'm not even interested in them.

Now, back on topic, the reason why I switched from Sprint is because with GSM I can look for any phone based on the features I want, and use it with my service provider. If you feel comfortable staying for 2 years with the same phone, then go to a CDMA provider. But the selection of CDMA phones will never, ever be better than GSM.

Posted by: I have a phone

Quote:

Originally Posted by rosullivan04

and when ENS comes into play where are you? That's right, complaining that you can't get service, can't access operator features, etc. And don't give me the "ENS won't be in use when integration is complete" rubbish. Sure if you're talking 12-18 months down the road then you'll be A-OK. Until then you're up the creek and looking for a scapegoat to yell at (the operator)

Maybe for the "smart" users these mobiles appear to be better options but for John Q Public they are not. Period

Posted by: I have a phone

you'll all be using CDMA mobiles in a year anyway so who cares?

Posted by: FrstdOne

Quote:

Originally Posted by I have a phone

you'll all be using CDMA mobiles in a year anyway so who cares?

Please expand on this for the uninitiated.

Posted by: at&t_hitman

Wow, didn't mean to start a jihad. I was only annoyed that LG and Samsung in particular have better stateside CDMA handsets. Whew. Sorry...

Posted by: I have a phone

Quote:

Originally Posted by FrstdOne

Please expand on this for the uninitiated.

UMTS

Posted by: chuckuzzo

Quote:

Originally Posted by FrstdOne

Please expand on this for the uninitiated.

The up and coming 3G, also known as UMTS, runs on WCDMA technology...

The new Nokia E series announced today, for example, incorporates WCDMA technology into GSM handsets... some models also have GSM quad band capability... Finally quad band handsets from Nokia!!!

Posted by: chuckuzzo

Quote:

Originally Posted by cingular_hitman

Wow, didn't mean to start a jihad. I was only annoyed that LG and Samsung in particular have better stateside CDMA handsets. Whew. Sorry...

No offense to anyone... but LG and Samsung do not make quality phones. I've had lots of bad experience with them when I was with VZW. That's the reason why I'm with Cingular now.

Posted by: TheRupp

Quote:

Originally Posted by chuckuzzo

No offense to anyone... but LG and Samsung do not make quality phones. I've had lots of bad experience with them when I was with VZW. That's the reason why I'm with Cingular now.

Same. I had 9 Samsung A530's, 3 LG VX4400's, and 4 LG VX6100's, all due to not charging, horrid battery life, screens dying, audio components breaking (mic/speaker/speakerphone). I've had the RAZR for a while now, and have no problems with it.

Posted by: at&t_hitman

Wow. Normally its Motorola with build quality issues. Consumer Reports busts its load all over LG and any Verizon rep is eager to throw it in your face. Its like..their only line of defense.

Posted by: bobolito

Quote:

Originally Posted by ceebz

That's basically the problem. When handset manufacturers finally started including 1900 as a standard band in every handset, the US decides to introduce 850.

What are you talking about? 850 has existed in the US long before 1900Mhz! Not only that, 850Mhz has also existed in every country where 1900Mhz exists for many years. The only difference is that it was being used for TDMA and CDMA only.

Posted by: walkguru

Quote:

Originally Posted by cingular_hitman

The problem with unlocked phones is that they simply will not interact with Cingulars network optimally.

simply put, thats bull,

Posted by: walkguru

Quote:

Originally Posted by cingular_hitman

Wow, didn't mean to start a jihad. I was only annoyed that LG and Samsung in particular have better stateside CDMA handsets. Whew. Sorry...

what in the heck are you, smoking

Posted by: SonyStyle

CDMA Sucks. I will never leave GSM.

Verizons phones blow.... i dont care what theyre features are, i hate the e815, to big and dumb looking.

Wait till 2006.... my friends... Razr 2 will be out, along with new 3g handsets, veritrash will cry.

Posted by: rosullivan04

Quote:

Originally Posted by I have a phone

I don't think you quite understand... ENS is NOT of ANY use WHATSOEVER if you have network select! It has absolutely NO benefit to me whatsoever! You can pull a better signal with a phone with network select that ANY phone can with ENS. Network select is not something you have to be a "smart" user to utilize... the only reason it is locked out of Cingular handsets is so that people do not roam off network when there is a Cingular network available; even if the roaming network has a significantly better signal, an ENS phone would still hold onto the Cingular signal until it is completely gone.

Posted by: bobolito

walkguru, I don't see you are contributing to anything useful here, other than critizicing other's posts. Be careful as you are really very close to be trolling. If you can't come up with anything useful to say, please refrain from posting.

Posted by: Rcadden

I think the difference is here:

CDMA phones tend to feel more solidly built, and come to market quicker. That's why you're already seeing 2MP camera phones with expandable mem. over there.

GSM phones, however, offer you more freedom than could ever be wanted. I can buy a phone off Ebay, throw my SIM card in there, and be hot to trot, with Cingular never the wiser. I could (and have) use 6 different phones in a single day, and no one cares. I can use a phone that has nothing Cingular on it, and they don't know/care. I'm not limited, that's the difference.

You can sit here and debate call quality, blah blah blah. Also, each technology has its own strength manufacturers. For GSM, it's Nokia, and I guess Motorola would be next, I dunno. For CDMA, it's Sanyo. If Sanyo made a GSM phone, I'd definitely check it out. I can't stand LG or Samsung, on either technology.

And while I would like to agree with the argument that better phones will sway people, it's simply not true. We have ROKRs in stock, as well as RAZRs and v551s. What phones do most people walk out the door with?? THE FREEBIE!! It's just a fact, guys. Most people could care less if it has a camera or not. It sucks, and it breaks my heart, but that's just the way it goes.

Posted by: i_mobile

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rcadden

CDMA phones tend to feel more solidly built, and come to market quicker. That's why you're already seeing 2MP camera phones with expandable mem. over there.

You got to be kidding. A quick search on phonescoop for phones with 2MP cameras brings up 6 phones: 4 GSM and 2 CDMA.

Also, I don't think solidly built has anything to do with GSM or CDMA. That depends just on the manufacturer.

Cheers!

Posted by: JDScott302

If you can swap what phone you are using for a particular number in one minute what other feature can you ask for. Besides how many phones does verizon carry that have bluetooth vs. cingular. I would give up a 2 megapixel camera on a cell any day of the week to have bluetooth. besides its a god damned phone, talk on it, if you wanna take pictures get a digital camera. I believe they are running 5 megapixels plus right now, so who cares about a 2 megapixel phone.

Posted by: rosullivan04

There are CDMA phones that have SIMs that are swappable... Verizon and Sprint opted out this standard for whatever reason.

Posted by: chonga

Quote:

Originally Posted by i_mobile

yeah but how many of those gsm phones support 850 for us in the US and also can be had for a contract price..... 0

and like i said before, call me cheap, but i am NOT spending $400+ for an unlocked phone that has the same specs (NOT features) as a verizon phone for $150 under contract

and i would say verizon customers moreso get phones that aren't free than cingular customers

i see WAY more c1300's, x427's, etc. than the freebie's for verizon

i see a lot of lg vx6100's, v710's, e815's, lg vx7000's, than the free one's....but then those phones are only $50-$100 and you get much more features than the freebies.

Posted by: rosullivan04

I see where you are coming from definitely... for contract phones, Verizon does have an appealing selection to choose from. For someone, however, that wants a more powerful phone, those aren't available as readily with Verizon. Verizon *and Cingular* tend to cripple their phones. IMHO, Cingular's modifications to their firmware qualifies as crippling in the strictest of sense. It is nice to have the option to get an advanced phone *MPx220, I-Mate SP5* that hasn't been crippled from the carrier. With Verizon, this option is severely limited; I've heard it is increasingly difficult to get an unlocked unbranded CDMA handset activated with them. For someone that doesn't mind these limitations, all these points are a non-issue.

Posted by: quillhill

Right now Verizon has one handset that I am actually lusting after: the LG VX9800. But, if it's like the three LGs my husband used while he had Verizon, I dunno. I would love to have a phone with a hidden qwerty keyboard and EV-DOesque speeds on Cingular. It will happen eventually ... but there are moments where I consider conning my father in law into adding a line to his Verizon plan so long as I pay for the phone. Then I remember all the things Verizon does that drives me crazy as a customer and decide I can wait for Cingular to come up with something like that.

Personally, I far prefer GSM after using Sprint for three plus years and dealing with my husband's Verizon account for two years. At this point and at least for a year into the future, I can't see going back to a CDMA network. But, that's just me and my personal preferences as a subscriber and admitted phone geek.

CDMA still doesn't have a series 60 phone. American CDMA networks may have 2MP cameras on their phones but if you spend any time at SprintUsers, you'll discover there are a fair number of complaints about say the Samsung a800 as a phone. I hear the a940/a950 are better devices, but it's still not enough to make me consider CDMA to have better phone lineups at this point. Verizon is at a point now, IMHO, where its phones are actually comparable to other carriers for once.

I'm not sure that any carrier, regardless of technology, gets phones any faster. While we waited for the SE s710a, Sprint folks waited for the Sanyo 5600 and Verizon customers waited for the Treo 650 ... and waited and waited.

And if you went to SprintUsers, for example, you'd see threads just like this one but inverse...why is it that all the cool phones are coming out for GSM? Oh, the woes of the American cell phone geek.

Posted by: i_mobile

But the topic of this thread is GSM vs CDMA phones, not contract vs no-contract prices for phones. If this is about Verizon phones having great prices, then this thread should be moved to the Verizon forums.

And I don't mind paying whatever my phones cost. I want my gadgets, I pay for them. As long as my service is as good as it's been so far.

Cheers!

Posted by: walkguru

Quote:

Originally Posted by bobolito

walkguru, I don't see you are contributing to anything useful here, other than critizicing other's posts. Be careful as you are really very close to be trolling. If you can't come up with anything useful to say, please refrain from posting.

oh my god, dont want to be guilty of that,

as we all know gsm/phones have it all over, everthing else out there. nuff said.

Posted by: shortyd999

Posted by: JDScott302

Quote:

Originally Posted by chonga

and i would say verizon customers moreso get phones that aren't free than cingular customers

i see WAY more c1300's, x427's, etc. than the freebie's for verizon

i see a lot of lg vx6100's, v710's, e815's, lg vx7000's, than the free one's....but then those phones are only $50-$100 and you get much more features than the freebies.

Yeah, and this is probably why our network looks so crappy sometimes compared to verizons. Our crappiest phones are put up against some of verizons best.

Posted by: ceebz

Quote:

Originally Posted by bobolito

You're a genius.

Where in my post was I talking about TDMA and CDMA?

Posted by: danska

Quote:

Originally Posted by i_mobile

There are 13 gsm phones listed at gsmarena.com that are currently available and 20 more coming soon. All that have 2MP or more.
edit: These all have 900/1800/1900mhz.

Posted by: at&t_hitman

You guys are really getting way off subject here. The point is US Carrier released phones. You can trumpet unlocked phones and gsmarena but that really doesnt matter. 90% on mobile US consumers do not know, do not care, and do not have the money.

Carrier provided subsidied phones that are customer facing is what I am talking about. Phones most, if not everyone has RETAIL access to.

The CDMA product is currently better.

Ouote of the week? Try girl with one boob. 850 or bust. People who don't work for Cingulars network team aren't experts no matter what they say. Then again these so called HoFo experts are also the ones who generally get off subject.

Posted by: formercanuck

What's the message when UMTS is available in your area ?

Posted by: ceebz

Quote:

Originally Posted by cingular_hitman

You guys are really getting way off subject here. The point is US Carrier released phones. You can trumpet unlocked phones and gsmarena but that really doesnt matter. 90% on mobile US consumers do not know, do not care, and do not have the money.

Carrier provided subsidied phones that are customer facing is what I am talking about. Phones most, if not everyone has RETAIL access to.

The CDMA product is currently better.

Ouote of the week? Try girl with one boob. 850 or bust. People who don't work for Cingulars network team aren't experts no matter what they say. Then again these so called HoFo experts are also the ones who generally get off subject.

Like I said, Cingular's selection of handsets is severely limited by the introduction of 850. As soon as handset manufacturers start making 850 standard in their handsets, Cingular users will have a much wider selection.

Remember when 1900 was not standard on all GSM handsets?

Posted by: i_mobile

Quote:

Originally Posted by cingular_hitman

Then the discussion is pointless. The whole point of GSM is the ability to use any available phone with a working band.

Maybe 90% of US consumers do not know or care (I don't know where you get your numbers from though), but the other 10% are the ones who frequent these forums. Go talk to those in the 90% and try to convince them that CDMA has better phones. They may be able to believe you, because they don't know or care. But we here know better.

Posted by: Mark Larson

Hahah go up to a random person on the street and ask them if they'd rather have a Razr or an UglyVX8000 or whatever the mishmash of numbers is. Show them a Motorola A630 or Sidekick2 and compare that to the VX9800.

CDMA customers are still very jealous of GSM phones, atleast those that can tell a 3390 from a K750i. I've gotten far more oohs-aahs after showing off my SMT-5600 than any other phone. The unanimous verdict is, "I wish Verizon had such cool phones. I think i'll go jack off somewhere I get reception and you don't. :cry:"

Posted by: NotPennState

Something about all these Samsung and LG phones just gives me the willies. They don't have a soul...

It feels like i'm using a machine that was just a series of components and software elements thrown together to house some new techno-feature or meet some target demographic. Which, given their output of a zillion phones a year, is exactly what they are.

Nokias, Sony Ericssons, even Motos...they feel more special.

Even in the rare crossovers (like a Moto E815) it still doesn't feel quite right. Maybe it's something psychological in the inherent roboticness of CDMA voice quality

Posted by: johngotti

[QUOTE=chuckuzzo]The up and coming 3G, also known as UMTS, runs on WCDMA technology...[QUOTE]

Even though CDMA and WCDMA have nothing to do with each other in any way shape or form its a good play on letters I guess...

Posted by: prateeko

I agree with a lot of people about the versatility of GSM, but do we (Cingular users) *REALLY* have it? I mean, all of those awesome unlocked GSM phones you guys talk about are 900/1800/1900, most of them are missing that crucial 850MHz band, thus rendering them mostly useless for us...

Posted by: Nthach

Quote:

Originally Posted by cingular_hitman

Wow. Normally its Motorola with build quality issues. Consumer Reports busts its load all over LG and any Verizon rep is eager to throw it in your face. Its like..their only line of defense.

I think LG and Samsungs feel cheap and plasticky in my hands. Not to mention their flips feel weak when you close them. Some phone rep at Costco was telling me a VX8100 is better than my E815, i told him it was a teeny-bopper phone and i just walked away.

True, GSM phones get more oohs and aahs, but i had a few comments at a concert about my E815, since most people who have VZW just get the cheapest Sammy/LG/Moto they have. The E815 is IMO a CDMA phone with Triplets DNA in it, no wonder why people like them.

Posted by: at&t_hitman

Hm...yea, I wouldn't exactly say the 8100 is better. But it's VZWs bread and butter. So I guess no one will be shocked it is pushed as the best product.

Posted by: Blue4Life

As I recall, ENS is used solely for load balancing the networks & does not necessarily choose the strongest network. I would think that ENS would become obsolete once all of the networks have been integrated.

Posted by: Quatre

Quote:

Originally Posted by VTECaddict

its not america propietary its just cingular.

I've known this and heard this before but chose cingular over tmobile for my gsm carrier as they had better domestic releases and were a bigger company with more towers, subscribers etc. after acquriong ATT.

But it seems that if the domestic phone releases keep slacking and importing unlocked is the way to go most of which dont have 850 then maybe tmobile is the way to go which doesnt' use 850 if you are going to just import cool unlocked gsm phones from euro and asia.
I have yet to do this as its been expensive enough to get domesitcally released phones but yeah if i really want to strictly import i may have to switch to tmob.

Don't be jealy of vzw, they suck and are chaning all their phones to have the same exact generic vzw UI like the communist carrier they are. Basically as usual no carrier is perfect and all have their faults. A lot of ppl are going to be switching from vzw to cingular supposedly because of the crippling of bt, mp3 ringtones nad other features as well as the standard ui on all phones.

Sprint together with nextel may come back as the better cdma carrier if they get the phones and the samsung a940 for example their version of vzw's samsung a970 is supposed to be less crippled and not have the vzw standard ui but rather the samsung one.

so being jealy of vzw is not the answer and its cdma anwyay with totally diff phones. Just get on cingular to start getting more of the euro and asian gsm phones over here quicker and/or get rid of 850 to make this quicker if they really wnat to compete and beat the cdma carriers in teh phone dept. as they should get stuff they never get and/or at least 2 yrs before cdma does.

If Tmobile was smart they would see the one weakness in cingular over them is the 850 and just say screw cingulars largeness and more customers lets just be good at one thing phones and kill them at phones by getting all the great euro and asian phones not long after them and therefore years before any other carrier gets them here.

You would think they would do this and could easily as the euro and asian phones especially the british ones wouldn't need much if any translating and since tmob doesnt use 850 like cingular they could use the same phoens as euro and asia and therefore surpass every american carrier in teh phone dept. even cingular.

Then all the phone junkies and ppl that weight heavily what carrier they choose by what phone selection they have would go to Tmob. I know I would.

Posted by: SonyStyle

cdma i will never.

Posted by: i_mobile

Quote:

Originally Posted by Quatre

its not america propietary its just cingular....

But it seems that if the domestic phone releases keep slacking and importing unlocked is the way to go most of which dont have 850 then maybe tmobile is the way to go which doesnt' use 850...

Your post has so much misinformation, I'm just gonna pick a couple things:

a) The cellular frequencies in America were stablished by the FCC, not Cingular or any other carrier for that matter.

b) You are lagging in news. All the new roaming agreements T-Mo is signing are for 850. They don't have it as part of their native coverage, but it's an important component of their coverage maps.

Cheers!

Posted by: Quatre

Quote:

Originally Posted by i_mobile

ok but if you are looking to import a phone that doesnt' have 850 aren't you better off with tmob over cingular? I guess its just a matter that you wont be missing out on the native 850 cingular has? is that all, so really it will work just as good. its just the difference that cing has native 850 while tmob just roams on it.

So an imported phone that doesnt have 850 wont work any better on tmob then cingular?

Posted by: poltroop82

Quote:

Originally Posted by chuckuzzo

.......but LG .....do[es] not make quality phones.....

Agreed, LG phones are Siht, Hell, all LG stuff is Siht. Our A/C broke out here, and guess who made it??? (BTW, It gets hot in the desert) Our computor LCD screen broke, and guess who made it? I will never buy sometihng LG out of my own money. Never

Posted by: FrstdOne

But since T-Mobile now has 850 roaming, why would you want to sacrifice coverage for a cooler phone? This may have been applicable for T-Mobile customers before the 850 roaming but now it just doesn't make sense unless you're in a well covered native T-Mobile area.

Posted by: gfunkdave

@FrstdOne: T-mobile's 850 roaming is only in smaller towns and rural areas - places I don't generally go. But just on principle I want to have an 850-capable phone in the USA. Even if there's no service from T-mobile or its roaming partners, I want to be able to make a 911 call if needs be. That said, I really wish Nokia would make quad band phones. Grr.

@poltroop82: Yeah, I pretty much decided that about LG after going through three VX4400's with Verizon in two months. LG after all is Lucky Goldstar, maker of cheap low quality appliances. Why they think they can make decent high-tech electronics is beyond me.

Posted by: stylus

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mark Larson

Hahah go up to a random person on the street and ask them if they'd rather have a Razr or an UglyVX8000 or whatever the mishmash of numbers is. Show them a Motorola A630 or Sidekick2 and compare that to the VX9800.

You know what's funny? I really want the RAZR and I'm mainly a VZW customer. I would of kept my GSM version except for the poor voice and camera I experienced with the two I had then returned. My v400 IMHO is my favorite GSM phone in terms of voice quality and that is why I've kept it so long.

Two guys at work are dying to get a LG vx8000 and are so disappointed it is no longer sold directly by VZW.

People in my area already feel the RAZR is being overplayed.

What I'm saying is that beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

The LG vx8000 BTW is really a quality phone with a beautiful screen and awesome stereo sound + a great functional speakerphone . Don't knock it until you've actually owned it. I own one myself.

I'm not sure why all CDMA users, as you claim are jealous of GSM phones? I'm not particularly. There are some beautiful GSM and CDMA phones I've seen overseas, but the US variety is nothing to lose sleep over.

Posted by: stylus

Quote:

Originally Posted by Quatre

. A lot of ppl are going to be switching from vzw to cingular supposedly because of the crippling of bt, mp3 ringtones nad other features as well as the standard ui on all phones.

Supposedly? Now I'm intrigued. You mean, besides HoFo users? Let's talk.

Posted by: Nthach

Quote:

Originally Posted by poltroop82

LG has improved leaps since they were known as Goldstar. Personally, i don't like how the Koreans engineer "cutesyness" into their phones. BTW: Philips and LG make LCDs for each other, they have a JV called LG Philips.

Posted by: Quatre

Quote:

Originally Posted by stylus

Supposedly? Now I'm intrigued. You mean, besides HoFo users? Let's talk.

yeah i guess hofo users and basically a lot of v710 owners who are in on the class action suit figure they rather just leave vzw with no ETF then stay especially with the new standard UI that will be on every phone from vzw which a lot of ppl including myself do not like the idea of.

Thats very communist having every phones menu all the same, just for the dumb ppl that can't learn their new phone. The whole fun and uniqueness of a new phone is its new menu's and UI and if you are used to a brand (say motorola, who some claim doens't have a great menu system though) you are used to it anyway and thats what makes the brand special, iie."oh i remember this Samsung menus"

when they are all the same it is very boring and I can't believe the manufacs would allow vzw to change their phones like this and make it even more their own communist vzw version just so their techs can be lazy and just read off a script to help ppl with their phones instead of having to look up the actual phone manufac and/or phone.

Posted by: Quatre

Quote:

Originally Posted by FrstdOne

But since T-Mobile now has 850 roaming, why would you want to sacrifice coverage for a cooler phone? This may have been applicable for T-Mobile customers before the 850 roaming but now it just doesn't make sense unless you're in a well covered native T-Mobile area.

ok, i see your point so before it made a little more sense to have tmobile if you were impoprting because at least you weren't missing out on 850 since they didnt' have it. And now though its just added as roaming your're saying that tmbo and cingular users who import phones withouth 850 are in the same boat more or less.

So thats fine, now I don't hav to switch to Tmob just to feel better about importing phones (most of which don't have 850). Only thing that sucks about that is I was counting on that being an extra bonus for switchign to Tmob if i got fed up with cingular for some reason and also they seem to be usually cheaper. Now I want have that extra incentive to switch to them, and though i guess its asmart move on their part as far as the US goes but now they lost a small group of potential and even current customers who were with them strictly to import phones.

Sacrificing 850 just for a cooler import phone that also is usually more expensive? Yeah it seems a little stupid, but if like to use a bunch of diff phones and put your sim in, and you aren't due for any rebate on a new domestic phone and have to pay full price anyway, then importing one isnt' that much more expensive then a decent domestic phone at full price. Plus if you are just sick of the crappy domestic phone releases and being like 2yrs or more behind Europe and Asia then maybe you don't care about not having 850.

IN most major areas its still going to work fine and even though I have Cingula I still kind of think tmob would be better for non 850 phones just because they have it all in place that way and just roam on 850 now where as cingular could possibly heavily use 850 in some areas right?

oh well, for the right phone I might eventually import even one with no 850. Like the phone pictured in my sig in white the Motorola v1150 aka Razr v3x which is coming out for Vodaphone in Nov. and supposedly never to the U.S. It doesn't have 850 but if its never coming and its available in white like my pic then it would be worth getting especially when all the annoying vzw ppl finally get the first outdated razr. I thought cingular should have a new one by then for the holidays to compete with vzw but it would be great to have this gsm razr 2 for cingular when vzw ppl finally get the first old razr.

In the meantime I might just get the black razr and paint it gloss white (ipod style) and I might order online an i-mate K-jam or Qteck 9100 (both the same windows pda phone with keyboard) as it is the first pda phone to surpass the Treo 650 and will be much cooler then the Treo 670w for vzw which is just the same form factor but with windows instead of palm os.

And as far as cashing in on the v710 class action, well i would get the Samsung a970 maybe with the rotating top of flip just like the Nokia n90 but cheaper and actually available here. Or i can always ditch vzw completely with no ETF and use myu 339 refund towards one of the gsm phones i mentioned above for cingular.

Posted by: Quatre

why doesn't signature picture didn't show up anymore?

Posted by: bodeh6

Quote:

Originally Posted by Quatre

why doesn't signature picture didn't show up anymore?

You signature will only show up one time per page of a thread. Even if you make all the responses and questions in a thread, your sig only shows up once per page.

Posted by: Quatre

Quote:

Originally Posted by bodeh6

You signature will only show up one time per page of a thread. Even if you make all the responses and questions in a thread, your sig only shows up once per page.

oh ok , i see that would explain it, but it just made me look stupid when I said.... as pictured in my signature.

anyway nice phone history. how did you make it. I might want to do mine even just for my own records.

Also speaking of gsm phones vs. cdma

supposedly Cingular is getting a bunch of new phones next month (November) do we know what these models are.

Posted by: Nthach

Quote:

Originally Posted by Quatre

I think VZW red is a POS, i hate the navigation in this. Oh well, i guess a MetroPCS firmware flash might work if VZW has a identical phone, i know I would flash the MPCS firmware onto a Nokia 6256i for VZW...

Posted by: Mykeee

The VZW standard UI isn't even all that bad, I liked it when I first had my vx7000. Crippling of BT, GIN, etc. I didn't really care too much about that as I really don't even use the BT functions on my phone unless I'm using a BT headset. Transfer files via BT? I have a memory card for that, and so have all my phones with Cingular.

I'm really looking into going back to VZW but like someone mentioned in this thread, they don't offer any series 60 phones. I really like the PDA features of a series 60 phone while still being a phone first. It seems that most PDA phones I've tried are PDA's first, phones second. IF, the LG VX9800 had series 60 on it, I'd jump over to VZW, but the LG and series 60, bleh.

If nokia or samsung released a series 60 phone with some type of querty for VZW, count me in.