Just a quick note.
Iphone is for people who want to feel cool and accepted.
Android is for cool people who don't need outside approval.

I hate to say it, but I think someone who posted this is in love with apple. That is to say, this was supposed to be an article on carriers, but it turned into a bash of how the android OS is inferior to the Iphone OS and the hardware is lacking as well. Firstly I'd like to say I've used 4 android phones and every one I'd buy over the Iphone for 2 simple reasons, 1) NO ITUNES and 2) I can replace the battery when I feel like it.

The average life of a given battery is maybe a year, 2 if you treat the phone extra nice, but with the amount of data use on the rise whether it be web pages, song downloads, sms messages, batteries don't last like they should. So in a year do you want to pay apple $50 for another battery, be without your phone for a couple weeks only to get it back wiped by apple (experience a friend had). Or would you rather go on ebay, buy a double capacity battery for $20 and be without your phone for 5 minutes?

Itunes is a good program, but honestly it isn't unique nor is it really what it's cracked up to be. I know all audio programs monitor what music is in your library but none are as blatant as Itunes. Personally I like other music players (no, not Windows Media Player) as I can load what I want, I can have the player manage my library if I want and if I want it to sync with my phone, there's an app for it, or at least will be soon.

The Android market is primarily free and those apps which aren't free are inexpensive. There isn't any real restrictions like apple puts on their store and most of the apple store isn't free. The community of android developers is huge, they have been working on everything from copy and paste apps to dialer and sms replacement programs and there isn't some company saying if they will or will not allow it.

I've looked at it this way, if you want to do what you like, how you like and whatever you like to a phone, you get an android phone as it is highly customizable on everything from the OS to any app you really could ever want. But if you want a phone that doesn't require you to think, that tells you what's trendy or how your phone would be better suited for something and have everything monitored, there's the Iphone.

An android phone is not an Iphone killer mostly because there's too many sheep in this world and not enough free thinkers.

my last thought for those who read this is yes the android OS is capable of multi-touch and can be set up on everything including the early Tmobile G1, so that isn't something that Iphone has over G1 if you're smart enough.

New rule... people who are self proclaimed Apple heads are not allowed to do reviews.

I agree with the carrier synopsis, but the actual iPhone drooling is an absolute joke. Cracking the screen on my iPhone was the best thing that even happened too me... The whole experience of leaving Apple will open your eyes to what they really are.

Hmm more of fanboy article trying to justify their obsession with apple. Not much journalism or reporting here in this piece but rather a few paragraphs of opinion. DROID is marketed as competition to iphone. Sure it does some things not as well while doing others better. How about laying out facts rather than hyperlinking to other bias review opinion sites as support for your argument. As a iPhone owner I can say it is not perfect and limiting. There are times I envy the DROID not to mention its network. Disappointed in the site...

because they are all terrible anyways? i think the only company actually trying hard to be loved again is bell canada.

I think SE Kramer is seriously out of touch with what MOST people want. I believe that many people of a certaina age or younger simply want to text each other, but this is because of a new trend - the lack of social skills for interaction. People pay less attention to penmanship, gramar and text just so they can quip a few ideas and save a few keystrokes.

I feel quite the opposite when someone txts me. I can have a five minute conversation over the course of an hour, what a waste of time and efficiency.

As for the "App for that" crAPP, I'm fed up with it. It reminds me of the earlier days of cable and the ensuing jokes - 100 channels but nothing is on. Most of the APPs are junk.

Want to order a pizza? There's an APP for that. Really? My phone's got an APP for that too, its called calling the pizza joint.

Apple is totally elitist and has some good tech behind them, but they are all about image over substance. Heck they even tried to copyright white headphones for the iPod. How ridiculous!

Everyone I know that has the Droid is supremely impressed by it.

Wanna break free from Apple's tyrany and AT&T's lackluster service? There's an APP for that, its called Droid!

Well, whether you love them or hate them, the iPhone is a decent little phone. I've used them, I've used Blackberries, Android phones, Windows Mobile phones... They all have their strengths and weaknesses.

What we need is a phone carrier system like in most of Europe. You buy the phone YOU personally like, usually for near or full retail price, then you shop around for a carrier. You don't get stuck into 2 year contracts with ridiculous penalties if you cancel early. You try it out, if they suck, you move on to a different carrier, until you find one that takes care of you. The onus is on the providers to actually have good service and quality. Honestly, if AT&T was a European wireless company, based on their performance and quality of service, they'd have gone bankrupt years ago. But, over here, they (and the other big players) have us customers right where they want us. And we all line up to be milked relentlessly, because we don't really have much alternative.

theorig and the rest
you are exactly what you are fighting against. your not a freedom lover, your an apple hater. so what if people are apple lovers, its a great company that has proven time and again to be on the leading end of things and delivers. how many companies had any ideas like an iphone before it came out. it has taken almost 3 years to get a droid and the iphone has millions of sales already. and a copy and paste app? the iphone os does that. apps, your really want to argue against 100,000 apps and you think they are limited by what they can and cant put on there? i bet EVERY company does it, apple is just the first to open their toolbox to anyone who wants it, oh wait now everyone is doing that. i don't know what software you want to argue against itunes but none i have used compare, and again none have the library content itunes has and the features are great. i think though the people you are actually calling free thinkers are the .1% of the population like yourself that like building computers, programming, hacking, and changing shit and fixing it when you get the bsod. the other 99.9% of the world are normal people who dont know how to work with linux or unix and could give a shite about customizing everything on their phone. trust me i would know better than any. people want to make calls, text, use the 100,000 apps, email, etc and they want it all as simple and easy as possible. the iphone is way too advanced for the main portion of the population. and being able to change your battery out with apple is not as hard as you make it sound. for most people its actually simple and the iphone battery lasts at least 2 years. but if you get the AppleCare Protection plan that is covered along with all hardware and support for 2 full years and most people have an apple store down the street. so you can take your dell or your new hp envy, interesting name for a computer that looks almost exactly like a MacBook Pro, but yet doesnt have a cd drive, has a slower processor, extra clip on batteries(thats cool) and a shitty windows 7 op system for $1899. good job hp, apple sells the macbook pro start at 1299 with better specs, and for that much you can get the macbook pro with 8 gigs of ram and not the crappy in the envy. come on guys you really wanna argue? why do you think apple is outselling in desktops and portables. with 2 all-in-one pcs(that everyone is now copying) that come in 16:9 21.5inch or 27inch. multi-touch mice. dell just copied the mac mini. that macbook air has been attempted at by other companies. ipod is now a brand not just an item because it has revolutionized the music world. apples time capsule works better than any backup device i have ever used and it has a dual band wifi-n.. and i am quite sure apple tv is going to be pretty big here soon. steve jobs had apple at the forefront, and has brought them back, oh thats after he took pixar to the top and sold it to disney for more stock than anyone has in that company. so while apple continues to rake in the dollars(the 5th ave store in NY makes over 400million dollars a year.. thats a million dollars a day on selling computers and ipods and iphones) and everyone else keeps slipping back, you consider what is really going on.

ps i used to be a microsoft lover and apple hater. then i got sick of all the viruses and bsod and customizing all my ish. so i bought a mac and have never turned back and never had less problems in my life

yep, another fanboy article, clueless at best.
Droids navigation is superior to some stand alone units not to mention Navigon etc on the Iphone.
Get a clue

I am looking at my next phone being a droid simply for the fact it is an Open Source platform. I am with VZW atm, and I don't think I'll leave. The iPhone may look pretty but I am looking for something that can emulate as well. And with the rumor going around that there maybe a UO client for Flaun... well lets just say I am really excited.

My big problem with the Droid is that Motorola makes it. I am hoping Samsung comes out with and desperately wishing LG would (that is doubtful though). As well I am also waiting for VZW to make the jump to LTE next year. And I think that would be when the iPhone would come ot VZW if at all is when LTE launches... as ATT plans on going to LTE also for there 4G. However, like I said I like the Open Source platform, and I honestly wish MicroSoft would have come up with this idea instead of Google... but whatever.

iPhone still has an old-style OS and hardware design with a serious need to get a clue. Multitasking mobile OS is the latest style in the fast moving smartphone industry. Whether it's webOS Palm Pre or the Android Droid, consumers want options including removable batteries and physical+onscreen keyboards...not locked-up batteries and just onscreen keyboards!
You've got to be a brainwashed fanboy to be blind about what's really hot and what's not and what's in and what has been. iPhone is old tech..get with the program will you?

Wow, misleading headline. The Droid is amazing and it's a game changer. Enjoy your iPhone. There's no reason to change phones if you like what you have. Trying to pretend the Droid is irrelevant is ridiculous.

Stupid article about stupid things -phones- damn I'm sick of how people are so ridiculously fanatical about stupid phones! Phones are NOT the meaning of life, they're not some magic holy thing that's going to transform your life, or bring about paradise on earth, enough already!

I suppose i might be the only one in this case, but i actually found this article kind of interesting. Yeah i was a bit confused how to switched from providers to Android vs iPhone, but atleast it was interesting enough to read, and he really didn't really praise the iPhone that much (although the 70% chance of Verzion getting the iPhone comment pissed me off a bit (i like confirmed news, not ideas or rumors.)) I suppose it might be a little bias, but i have never owned a Droid or an iPhone so i can only assume this is an honest review. Still say i would favor the droid since i know it can run more than one app at a time, and i am a developer so i have no problem making my own stuff, but that is a little outside of the scope of an average review.

Funny, I managed to sync an itunes playlist to my droid.........

If you're looking for an ACTUAL review, read this (though i'm sure everyone has)
http://www.mobilecrunch.com/2009/10/30/smartphone-showdown-iphone-3gs-vs-motorola-droid/

As much as i wanted this review to be an insight into how much consumers are willing to disregards service for their desired handset, it wound up just being a personal take on why iphone is a better choice than the droid (or android at all).

Not very useful...

Round 2:
http://www.mobilecrunch.com/2009/11/05/smartphone-showdown-iphone-3gs-vs-moto-droid-round-2/

Service providers don't matter???

Wrong. ALL that matters is service. What doesn't matter is how it's delivered as long as all things are equal (and why everyone flocked to the iPhone originally is because it wasn't equal- there were valid reasons why you would live with second rate service to have an iPhone).

But as I see it, if it's called a "phone" it should probably be able to make- and hold- a call for it to be considered "great" and if connecting to the internet is a major selling feature, then it should probably not behave like it's on a 28k dial up modem.

But, hey, I'm a former AT&T customer who decided to leave for anything anywhere else because of poor call reception and slow data services... so what do I know.

Regardless of how great the iPhone hardware is, it doesn't do core tasks (calls and web services) very well and since those problems are the fault of the service provider, than I'd say service providers VERY MUCH DO MATTER.

But more important, without those core features working well (again, regardless of why they don't work), all you have left is a gaming and simple app platform and quite frankly a Sony PSP has always been a far better gaming platform than an iPhone.

Truth is, the iPhone was never best in class in any one task- gaming, making calls, etc- what made it great was the wide variety of things it could do over the competition. But now that Android is slowly catching up on the number of things it can do- SERVICE is becoming the REAL game changer.

And since you decided to turn this into a "my phone is better than your phone" article lets look at your arguements for why people should live with second rate phone services...

"its map system isn't as easy to use, intuitive, good-looking or graceful."

It's Google Maps. The SAME app you use on your PC/Mac. How much more intuitive can you get than a program you already use elsewhere?

"The Droid's camera may have 5 megapixels, but it's insanely slow and takes terrible pictures".

Agree... or at least I did prior to last night's over the air update that fixed the camera.

You see, Verizon/Moto was quick to ready a fix for it's phone's problems instead of making you just wait a year and buy a new phone - like AT&T/Apple did when they originally released an iPhone that didn't take advantage of the already existing 3G network AT&T had. That's the value of great service (something Mac owners hold over PC owners heads everyday!). But what's another $200-300 every year for hardware upgrades when you're already paying for expensive monthly data plan services that only half work to begin with...

"It's hard to zoom in on web pages without inadvertently hitting a link (that is to say, the Droid's double-click-to-zoom system is inferior to the iPhone's multitouch system)."

Agree. BUT, as Apple says, there's an app for that! It's the FREE multitouch and tab enabled Dolphin browser. Unlike the iPhone, you can replace your browser if you like a different one better (just like on a computer). I count 3 browser options in the Android Market already (3 more option than iPhone gives you).

"It won't sync with (Apple's) iTunes".

And the iPhone can't run Google Googles right now either. Funny how Apple and Google protects their phone systems.

Of course there are dozens of alternatives for Droid users to iTunes (many of which are cleaper and less restrictive) whereas iPhone users can only look at Google Googles on their friend's Droid and drool.

The real issue here is as an Apple fanboy you're actually going to have to TRY another service and "gasp" give money to someone other than Apple.

"The phone is heavy, and its battery cover comes off too easily."

So buy a Droid Eris, MyTouch or another Android phone from Sony, HTC, Moto, etc that's lighter with a different cover.

You see, the Droid hardware isn't your ONLY Android option- and the Eris and other existing phones are getting the 2.x upgrade.

But if you don't like a feature with your iPhone, then Apple says, "screw you" because Apple isn't going to give you a different design option (like an iPhone with a real keyboard which is what I personally wanted).

Also, the battery cover has a purpose. even if the Droid's is a bit loose My last smart phone went through 3 batteries during the time I had it. Why should I have to pay $50 to replace it? Or walk around with attachments hooked to my phone because I don't have time to recharge? And not everyone lives within a 10 minute drive to an Apple store to get their battery changed when it fails.

Changing batteries is an easy task on every other device I own from smoke detectors to my laptop computer, yet Apple makes it difficult on purpose to increase their revenue stream. How again does that make the iPhone a superior hardware design?

Of course the real difference between the two platforms is if Verizon's service sucks in your area, you can still use Android TODAY on T Mobile and Sprint. Don't tell me the iPhone is superior because there's going to be a second carrier UNTIL IT EXISTS. That's how Microsoft pitches things...

As far as I see it, the Motorola Droid/Android has as many hardware design faults and flaws as the Apple iPhone and any software or OS benefits the iPhone still has left are quickly being negated by better service elsewhere. The question is, which do you prefer to live with (bad service or more fart apps)?

As far as all those really cool Apple apps are concerned (the ones that don't rely on AT&T to provide value that is), I can best sum up the difference between the two platforms in an email I got yesterday from an iPhone user talking about a killer iPhone app for $50 that allowed you to do voice activated searching and dictation- which of course is FREE to do on the Droid.

I have yet to find a killer app in the Apple world that doesn't have a Droid counterpart already except for great video games- and again, if I were a gamer and video games mattered the most to me I'd rather have a dumb phone with great service and a PSP over the iPhone or Droid any day.

And that's really the bottom line. Most iPhone users would be better off with a traditional phone on a reliable carrier and a PSP or iPod Touch with Google Voice so they could still make calls when on WiFi.

Of course Apple still won't let you download Google Voice to an iPod touch. So please someone spin Apple's heavy handed and arbitrary control over your phone into a positive for me because I don't buy that a software developer the size of Google doesn't have the resources to make their app fit the "feel" Apple wants of their applications when Apple had no problem approving Baby Shaker and Hitler's Mein Kampf until people complained.

Although I really like my Droid, I'm not so emotionally attached to it that I wouldn't leave it for a better phone when one comes out. However I do really enjoy being able to make a phone call without having to call someone back 5 times because the call dropped and surf the web without the browser timing out.

And that's the value of the service provider.

I agree with the above posters. This seems to be yet another misleading article. While seemingly about why the choice of a network doesn't matter it quickly plunges into a Droid-bashing pseudo-review, and a poor one at that.

The maps app 'map system isn't as easy to use, intuitive, good-looking or graceful as the iPhone's'? Really? I haven't used the iPhone maps but using the Droids voice navigation system is my car is a very nice experience. I find it very easy and intuitive. As for good-looking ... um, we're looking at maps now, aren't we? Does the iPhone display a different and better designed interstate highway system than the Droid?

Maybe the author is only concerned about the icon representing the app. I don't know. Maybe it does look prettier on the iPhone.

In any event I found the entire premise of the article pretty unconvincing -- that people that have cell phones aren't interested in the quality of their phone calls. I doubt even AT&T would agree with the author -- they have publicly stated that they will make an effort to make call quality better in places like New York City and San Fransisco.

Call me old fashioned but hey, if I'm going to pay for a smart phone maybe it'd be nice if one of its features was to make decent phone calls. Nahh... apple tells us it's not important so it mustn't be.

And the blurb about 'there's a 70 percent chance Verizon will get the iPhone' is just total fluff. It's like saying there's a 70% chance of snow tonight. Maybe it will, maybe it won't.

Thanks for such an insightful article.

If every other phone on At&t network is not dropping calls then that's not At&t network it's the iPhone itself

I think this line from the article sums up the writer's fanboy tendency perfectly:

'Given a choice between a great phone and great service, people will chose the object they can see in their pocket and show off to their friends every time.'

In other words, I really don't care if my phone can make calls, or *gasp* there are other innovate phones out there, I just want something that's cool and I can show off to my friends so they know I'm cool.

This may come as a shock to the writer but amazingly there are some people that want to just use a phone, not adore it.

I have three computers available around the clock, none in my phone. I have the real TomTom, works better than anything I have seen in a phone plus it has a bigger and better screen. I have Wii and DS for games, phone games are a waste. I have texting in my phone - for quick "be home at 5" messages. Anything longer than that is a complete waste of time and is dangerous because you are probably walking driving or not paying attention in a class or meeting. My phone is light weight, fits in my pocket, and doesn't cost me $100 a month. I don't have a need to join the "i" club or the geek droid squad. I work in the tech industry and do like getting new gadget, but this "me too" generation is crazy! The revolution against too much tech is rising! :)

http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Investing/Dispatch/market-dispatches.aspx?post=1419669&_blg=1,1419669

Directly related to the topc

You are right about two things with the droid. The app market is lacking and the back cover does come off too often. If you had trouble zooming in with the browser because you were hitting links I don't know what you were doing wrong, but that really doesn't seem a fault of the phone since you couldn't hit the clearly marked plus button.

Also if people just want a small device to play games on and not make any calls get a DS or PSP. I want my phone to make calls, check email, read attachments, send texts, check something on the internet and stream pandora. While not all of those require a good connection, calls, email, internet and pandora do. It doesn't make sense if I have to wait forever to download an email attachment if I could get my laptop faster.

And while it has already been send many other times, it is obvious that the person who wrote this review is either biased or doesn't know what he is talking about. Even if you take the networks out of the equation neither the droid nor iphone are perfect. I happen to like being able to listen to pandora while doing something else with my phone. On the other hand, the android OS is a bit more glitchy than the iPhone OS (something that barely makes the typical definition of an OS since it barely supports multiprogramming)

To conclude, reading anything on dvice.com about the iphone, android or phones in general is becoming more pointless every time.

"These days, when I pick up the phone to call a friend, I feel like I'm doing something rude and foreign. I fear that she'll think, "You couldn't have done this by text or email? Or as a DM on Twitter?" I associate talking on the phone with long hold waits for doctor's offices and customer service help lines." cut the crap and excuses for AT&T... stick with your topic!

this article is stupid and it wasted my FIVE min... imagine what you can do with your AT&T's five min talk time? prolly nothing.
the title of this article is totally misleading and are you for real...? i thought you'd talk about how iphone still sell like crazy w/ att's nasty service... that might be a tad bit on topic? trust me i had the first gen and got out after a year.

your job as a reviewer... its really not about loving or hating whatever phones or services... its about you leading readers like me who try to gather information about phones!

"If you're someone who loves talking on the phone (maybe you even have a Bluetooth headset!), then you're not the ideal iPhone customer. But you're also one of a dying breed." wtf?

It's not the service, it's the phone. I had the first generation iPhone and I could not use it in my basement. I could not even get a single bar on my iPhone. Isn't the first reason you buy a mobile phone is to use it as a phone? The rest is just icing on the cake. I ended up getting an unlocked Nokia 5800 Xpress Music phone and guess what I get about 3 to 4 bars (5 being the highest) in my basement using the same SIM card that I got from iPhone, with the same AT&T service. I've always believe that some mobile phone does not pick up signal that well. I've always have had very good signal with Nokia phones but I got hooked on the hype that the iPhone was the greatest and best. The iPhone is good if you want to play music or maybe play games but if you compare the iPhone to a Nokia phone feature wise the Nokia has more feature that the iPhone. Nokia 5800 Xpress Music can stream stereo Bluetooth, has 3.2 megapixel and takes video, has removable micro SDHC up to 16gb memory media, removable battery etc.... and this is Nokia's mid price phone. Nokia has the N97 and the N9000 as higher models!! The Nokia phone cost as much as an iPhone but no 2 year contract so I can got to T Mobile or even get prepaid on both AT& T and T Mo, heck I can go overseas and use this phone without any hassle with my AT&T carrier. It's the Phone!! That's all I'm saying!!

I agree. iPhone 3Gs completely owns every single cell phone in the entire world. I travel for a living and i have used every phone that there is, from throw away cells all around the world to the big dogs here in the usa. im a tech nut and i make heavy cash. whenever a new phone comes out i scamper away and throw all my big face down to be the first to get it. i always have the newest and best phone.

now having said that... i need to tell you all a secret. i used to hate apple. i hated them for years. i swore i would never turn to them for anything. then someone GAVE me an ipod nano at a conference simply because i was seat 320. neat. whatever. i threw it into my bag and never looked at it.

two months later when i got back to the usa i opened the item, charged it, and proceded to throw about 50 songs on it. i was very impressed with its format layout speed and technology. this made me think...

have i been missing what may be falling from the apple tree all these years? was eve right? well i decided to go to the evil corporation of Crapple and get myself an iphone...

WOW. what an amazing device. this thing is really amazing! i have now had my iphone for over 2 years and i use it pretty much all day while i travel around the world. i never need to think about a battery! it has 300+ hour standby, but im on it so much! WELL GUESS WHAT!? My battery still lasts approximately 1.5 DAYS before i charge it again. sometimes 2. why HAVE to worry about a battery. APPLE makes it so you dont have to. they also will give me a new screen if i want, or battery, or case, or charger, or anything fixed for the next 4 years for free! so... guess what?

i switched.

Now. I have never ever paid for a single app that I have downloaded. and I can do anything that i can do on any laptop, on my iphone. (except burn dvds)

I have over 8 pages of apps and can multitask like nobodys business. im not sure who says that iphone doesnt multitask. cuz anyone who owns it knows. it does. unless you call listening to music while checking my bank balance, then watching a video while talking to jimmy NOt multi tasking. but i digress.

some people are just going to hate the big dogs out of jealousy. I bought a new service contract at VZw last week and bought a DROID. I wanted to see for my self the iphone killer?!

oh no. i was so sad! i really thought that they had something... so sad... :(

i returned it within my 30 day window and cancelled my contract. it just wasnt enough cool for me. you see im one of those poser cool guys who thinks that theyre better than you because they have an iphone 3gs and im such a loser! NO WAIT thats just what the jealous people say i am.

I hope one day that im a broke single guy with no sexy ladies all over him every day and no boats and no cars and no house. just living on the street, being envious of everything everyone else has... just so i can know what it feels like to hate someone or something just because its better than you...

Oh well. I guess ill never feel that. Guess im STUCK with the best phone and life ever. Im such a douchebag! iPhone 3Gs or as I like to call it:

The winner.

Palm Pre ftw fools! 4g network.. wait.. you guys are still on SLOW-G network? get with the program kids, as good as those phones are.. service wise, ill take sprint thank you very much!

By reading the comments here it's clear that a new specimen is born, Droid fanboys. Just as pathetic as Apple fanboys.

I waited for 3 years for Apple to change providers, but never happened. Now I have an ATT Iphone and the only real complaint I have is that ATT has not changed in the 10 years since I left them. 11 Million Iphone users in the US means around $1B to ATT's bottom line each month, for 3 years and they still have not upgraded the network beyond the introduction of 3G. Thats 30 billion in and maybe 1 billion out. If they truely wanted to help service, they would have expanded coverage like Verizion did without the IPhone, or Enhance the coverage they have like Sprint did without an Iphone.

When Apple leaves ATT so will EVERY Iphone user.

Apple will not give Verizon the iPhone as their network can not support boht data and voice at the same time. Apple is really pumping up the adds about how the iPhone can do both voice and data at the same time. They wuold not now relace their product on a network so much inferior to AT&T.

Also keep in mind all you AT&T Hatters that when your beloved Verizon starts to move its network to GSM your service is going to go down hill fast. AT&T was smart enough to make the move when they switched to digital. That alone puts them 10 years ahead of every other US carrier in the game.

Your title differs from the content of your article.
You advertise "Why Cell Phone Carriers Don't Matter." You write "Why I Love My IPhone."

ATT is more angry that Verizon says thier map is small. ATT is a joke. G4TV has made that very clear. I've been very satisfied with my Verizon service and can't wait for my LTE service. I remember the days when you'd have a dozen people standing near me on ATT when the tower dropped them and I just keep on chatting.
Also as far as I know I can chat and send texts at the same time. Phones voice on 1x while data's on EVDO.

I live in North East, PA. Pretty much on the side of a mountain. I have AT&T and there are spots in the neighborhood that cell phones just completely die (one no farther than my living room). I also have other services by Verizon (Phone, TV, Internet), and am asked all the time why not switch the cell service? In my area there just isn't any Verizon towers. AT&T is the only one to choose from. The best coverage? Sure, the Verizon "map" is very impressive, unfortunately it doesn't help when there is no tower in the area.

IMO use what you think is the most practical cater for your own needs period.

AT&T really is a big part of the "dropped calls" problem with the iPhone. Ok, sure, the iPhone is a decent PDA (not great until you get multitasking without jail-breaking), but a poor phone.

But the dropped call thing is also due to GSM, in general, and AT&T, specifically. GSM is to blame due to the fact is does hard handoffs from cell to cell. When your call leaves a cell, it completely disconnects from that cell, before connecting to the next cell. This is supposed to happen transparently, and usually does. But when it doesn't, you drop the call. CDMA, by contrast, does soft handoffs.. your call is actually connected to up to three cells at the same time, and the best of these is the one actually handling the call. So, you only drop calls when there's no cell to take your handoff.

AT&T made this worse than it had to be, too. Today's AT&T is actually comprised of the old AT&T Wireless plus the old Cingular. Prior to the buyout (Cingular bought AT&T wireless, but used their better-known name), AT&T was using the D-AMPS cellular system... they called it TDMA. GSM is also TDMA based (they use CDMA for 3G, but not for voice/2G). Thing is, D-AMPS had somewhat better range than GSM. When they upgraded the cells, they didn't change the coverage pattern. So AT&T is more likely to drop a call than other GSM carriers.

Add to that their size.. AT&T is number 2, they have lots of customers. Systems do get flakey, GSM or CDMA, when there are too many clients demanding service in any area.

The other downside is also a GSM thing... 3G coverage. Every Verizon cell is a 3G cell. This was possible because their 3G protocol, EvDO Rev A, runs on two 1.25MHz wide channels... same as EDGE. So you connect, and the cell kicks into voice, 2G, 3G mode as needed. It doesn't hit AT&T's max speed, 7.2Mb/s down, 2Mb/s up... the limits are 3.1Mb/s down, 1.8Mb/s up.

Full speed (7.2Mb/s) HPSA on AT&T's 3G network, unfortunately, wants 20MHz of bandwidth... two bonded cells, 5MHz channels, one each per cell for transmit and receive. This is new gear, over and above the 2G stuff, and new spectrum as well. This is why only about 20% of AT&T cell sites support 3G, and of those, only a small number support 7.2Mb/s mode... they claim they'll have this in 30 major cities sometime next year. Which is about what Sprint and Verizon say with regard to 4G next year.

AT&T is horrible. My wife and I just switched from AT&T to Sprint. I love my HTC Hero. It rocks and it zooms in on web pages just like iPhones, with the hand motions.

With AT&T both myself and my wife wouldn't be able to send texts, email, or even make and receive calls everyday around the same time. It was like a black out of service for a few hours everyday.

With Sprint we are paying half of what we paid with AT&T a month and we are getting better service and many more services for less money. It's a flat rate fee for unlimited calls to any other mobile, any land line, unlimited data, text, email, GPS, whatever.

We can now use our phones however we want, whenever we want without having surprise bills that have sky rocketed because of some fee or another.

If you are seriously willing to take it in the rear and use AT&T's service, which costs more and is less effective than just about any other carrier, just so you can use a trendy iPhone... you're a moron and you shouldn't be able to vote or affect anyone else's lives with your stupidity.

I believe people today, young and old, put too much emphasis on technology. If technology came to a standstill, as I believe it will happen one day, most people would be lost. They would have very little skills in personal relationships (already a fact), actual personal service is unfortunately a thing of the past. What passes for service in all areas of our lives is merely expediency--move the people out and through as quickly as possible, like cattle. Communication skills is a rare thing these days. Today, people "just get through", they don't communicate. People (companies and agencies in every field including the government) depend way too much on the computer. How many times have you tried to do solve a problem with with companies and agencies and been told "I'm sorry, our computers are down" and you had to wait or persevere to solve the problem?

Why all the hype about cell phones? They are, after all, just phones. Its primary purpose is to communicate with someone not in the vicinity. I have a cell phone. I use it as a phone; to reach people I care about. I have an iPhone because I like the way it looks. I have a few apps on it (I use only the free apps). I don't use the apps very often because I use them only when I'm pretty bored. I don't need the phone and a thousand apps to get through my day, to accomplish anything. I have a life in spite of owning a cell phone. I have a cell phone to call for help if I should become stranded away from home and there is no public phone available. I have a cell phone so that my friends and family can reach me anytime, no matter where I'm at or what I'm doing, if they need to reach me. I text only when I'm pretty sure they're at work or involved in something. I text only to ask them to call me when they can. I don't text stupid unnecessary communication because I know how to actually carry on a meaningful conversation and I don't want to waste anyone's time. I text only when I need to. I can still communicate on a face-to-face basis, I can still spell correctly, I still use good grammar (in other words, I can still speak and write the English language). I don't need a constant always-on connection to the internet, I don't need thousands of apps because I'm bored with myself and my life, I don't bother anyone with useless unimportant texting, I DON'T NEED A CELL PHONE TO COMPLETE MY LIFE.

And as regards AT&T. I've been with them for most of my life, since before cell phones. I've never had a dropped call with them. Customer service has always been excellent--my problems were always resolved by a CSR who understood and spoke English AND WHILE I WAS STILL ON THE PHONE WITH THEM. I've tried other cell phone carriers and received terrible customer service with my problems going unresolved and I've had many dropped calls with them. Every now and then I'd try another service but always returned to AT&T because of utter dissatisfaction with the other carriers. I'm not dissatisfied with my cell phone because it serves its purpose perfectly--placing and receiving calls clearly and dependably. The extras are nice but I don't depend on them and I don't need them. I really don't need a phone that can do everything because I can still do everything the "old fashioned" way. I can listen to music without a cell phone. I can conduct business without a cell phone. I can play games or entertain myself without a cell phone. I'm never so bored with myself that I need my cell phone to complete me. I don't need to have my cell phone glued to my ears to feel alive or loved or to feel connected to those I love. I can still write very good letters. I can still speak effectively to people face-to-face.

One day, a huge solar flare will be aimed directly at the Earth and will paralyze all electronics world-wide. Very little and only non-electronic devices will continue to work. When that happens, the world will be brought to a standstill, literally. Every area of our lives will be severely disrupted because just about everything we use on a daily basis, including our vehicles, is dependent on electronics. Everyone will have to walk or bicycle everywhere, conduct business and day-to-day living in actual face-to-face encounters. We'd have to learn to cook, clean, commute, learn, and entertain ourselves without refrigerators, ranges, televisions, telephones, vacuum cleaners, computers, and all the gadgets we use and depend on every day.

The quality of our lives will go back to being dependent on our personal and inter-personal skills. When our electronics are frozen, it will take years to get back up and running. How important will it be then to have a phone that does everything? It's the person that counts, not the gadgets. A huge solar flare was directed at Earth in the late 1800s. There was very little disruption to people's lives because their lives were not being run by electronics. It would be a totally different scenario today.

We seem to have lost the ability to see what's important in the face of all these electronic toys, gadgets, and tools that are dominating our lives and being thrown at us so fast and furious. So, come on, people, learn to have a life without your cell phones. Learn to use your own skills to entertain and teach yourselves sans electronics. Learn to have actual intelligent conversations without texting. Go out and meet real people without the internet. Bolster and enhance your self-worth without gadgets. Depend on your own personal skills to garner and earn respect and not on which electronic gadget you use or have.

How about this for an exercise in self-sufficiency and proficiency? Conduct your daily life sans all electronics for just one month. How well can you do it? Can you even do it? Can you do it even for just one week? How great are you, really, without your gadgets? Can you still function effectively? Or will you be inept without your electronic crutches? Do your electronic gadgets define you and who you are?