[cmeisenzahl]

Right now we're longtime Sprint customers, maybe 10 years. I've got a family plan now w/ 550 mins. I've got I think 5 phones and an Airave going.

None of us have "smart" phones but we all have texting. On my phone only (LR Rumor Touch) I have the added $15 for unlimited data.

I'm thinking about getting an iPhone this coming summer when (presumably) the next revision of the iPhone is introduced. I would probably keep my wife and kids on our our Sprint plan and just move myself and maybe my dad. We already own a iPad and a couple of iPod Touches so I'm familiar with iOS.

I do have a few questions I was hoping someone here could help me with. Thanks in advance! :-)

1. What differences are there between the iPhone on AT&T and Verizon? Based on their coverage maps they both cover my home and work area very well.

2. I could see myself using up to maybe 1000 texts/month and a few GB of data, what kind of plan should I consider?

3. After all of the fees, taxes, etc., what is an expected real-world monthly bill for me given the above?

4. Are there any advantages to having two of us with iPhones on a plan? Any kind of add-a-line or family bundle discounts with respect to the plans?

5. What is is important that I didn't even think to ask? ;-)

Thanks VERY much!
Chris

[subego]

1) Theoretically, faster data on AT&T vs. better call quality/less drops on Verizon. Ideally, you want to poll people where you live/work and see who gets the best reception. You can buy a femtocell from AT&T, though I've heard mixed reviews. Mine works fine 90% of the time, but I don't make/receive a lot of calls. I mostly text. It works great for improving text message reception.

2) Unlimited texts, max data plan.

3) I'll look. (edit: about $100 month. $40 for 450 minutes plus rollover, $30 for unlimited data, $20 for unlimited text, $10 taxes/fees. Obviously you can't get unlimited data anymore, but I think the current max data plan is cheaper by $5.)

4) There used to be a $20/month unlimited minutes to other AT&T users plan. I'm not sure of the current status.

5) You covered the big ones. I'm sure I'll think of something as soon as I hit "submit".


Oh... As a tease for how much easier texting is on a smartphone vs. a featurephone, I wrote this whole post on my iPhone.

[Cold Warrior]

Don't rely on the coverage maps. Find a friend with an iPhone 4 or 3GS to come by work and your house and see what the signal looks like. Make and take a few calls on his iPhone, listen for audio quality (to other landlines) and watch for signal strength.

If at&t works for you, I'd go with them, primarily for:

• Simultaneous voice and data on cell network
• Better audio quality in at&t 3G (UMTS)*, and faster speeds**
• International compatibility if you travel abroad

*UMTS uses a higher-quality vocoder than CDMA2000 (Verizon 3G).
**at&t 3G is faster than Verizon — when you get a workable signal.