cell phones

[desi]

what is the best cell phone to use unlimited local.

[seymore]

I have great service with Verizon here in Houston and surrounding areas.

[RyanH]

Never had any complaints about Verizon's coverage. Their customer service was a little rocky in the beginning, and you have to watch them because they have on numerous occasions listed me under the incorrect plans, but they've always straightened them out.
I've had service in the most desolate regions of the rocky mountains while snowmobiling (will be testing it out this week just north of Jackson Hole, WY, so I'll have a better update on that there) and even boating around in the Gulf. Strangely enough, I rarely can get a signal while standing in the middle of those palatial Wal-Mart supercenters. That really gets my goat. I've also been able to have a signal in a commercial jet when we are flying over high altitude terrain like mountains, but sporadically and the connection won't last beyond 15 seconds. Nice thing about Verizon is they also still have some analog towers in areas where nobody else provides service. The quality isn't great, but in emergencies it's a lifesaver (been there, done that!).

Prior to Verizon I had Tmobile...they work great in cities and on major interstates, but not so well when you get away from populated areas.

[CCPC]

I have Sprint, and have never had a problem. Just a side note, I've tried many brands of phones and found that Sanyo has far and beyond the best "built in" reception. I rarly ever fall below 3 bars.

[Aplus]

I've had good luck with Sprint. I think it's best to look at the coverage maps for your area and choose based on that, and maybe consider the plans they offer....are the minutes appropriate.

As much as I like the Nextel concept, it didn't work out well for me. There were a lot of 'dead' areas, where the calls would drop, and the 2-ways would scramble. It may be better now though.

[Craig]

Nope, Nextel still is terrible. Reception is terrible, too many dead areas to list and when a customer calls the first thing I ask them is for their name and number in case my phone dies. The two-way feature is nice but 1/5th the time is too scrambled to make out what the other person is saying. My wife still has her verizon and a nextel phone. We always take the Verizon along just in case... and many times I've had to use it because I had no reception!

I'd like to switch back but everyone I know has nextel too...

[PressurePros]

Nextel out on the east coast (at least in my area) is excellent. I am close to the Philly metro area but even when I am down the shore I get clear reception with very few dead spots. On top of that their phones (the Motorolas) are incredibly rugged. I also use a Samsung phone with AT&T. Now you want to talk about lousy customer service?

[John Orr]

Sprint just bought Nextel. I wonder what that will mean for 2-way communication? (The technologies they use are incompatible.)

I use Sprint and am very happy with the service and coverage. I am also happy with their new pricing plan, something like 800 anytime minutes for $70 and $5 per 100 over that - or 5 cents/min. Sprint also offers 2 way, but since Sprint-to-Sprint calling is free, I haven't had a need for it.

Consumer Reports has a comparison of cell services in the current issue. As I recall, Verizon ranked highest.

[RyanH]

Originally Posted by John Orr

Sprint just bought Nextel.

That's fitting...Nextel is/was the official NASCAR sponsor....if Sprint now owns them (haven't verified this), how appropriate is that that a sport synonomous with speed is now sponsored by a company with the name of the same?