Cell Phones and Services

John Sprung · March 31, 2005

It looks like I should finally break down and get another cell phone again. My previous experiences are that they turn into glorified beepers. Every conversation is the same: "Who.... Who .... .... OK, let me call you on a land line."

If anyone has a phone and service that sounds as good as a land line, especially around Melrose between Gower and Van Ness, I want to hear about it.

Thanks --

-- J.S.

Phil Rhodes · March 31, 2005

Hi,

My phone picked up Cingular while I was there last week, and it seemed OK although the GPRS internet access was nonexistent.

You do generally have pretty crappy cellphone coverage there compared to us tiny countries where the coverage is wall to wall.

Phil

Gordon Highland · March 31, 2005

Well, I'm a little biased as you can see, but. . . :rolleyes: most reports say we have great coverage in the whole area, but I couldn't tell you block by block.

oh, and if you do experience dropped calls repeatedly in the same area (likely during a handoff between towers), be sure to report that information, because it WILL get addressed.

Tenolian Bell · March 31, 2005

The UK well maybe geographically small, but economically is by no stretch a tiny country.

Phil Rhodes · March 31, 2005

Hi,

Oh, and by the way, Tenolian - I just got your message. Um, sorry about that. Blame Cingular!

The place we planned to go was closed, so we ended up over in the Grove.

Phil

Kevin Zanit · March 31, 2005

I use Verizon with a Samsung phone of which I can?t remember (I think it?s an a70).

It works great, never have had much in the way of service problems anywhere in CA. I also get free cell to cell (to other Verizon customers), and pretty much all of the people I talk to are Verizon customers, thus it saves money (I use the cell phone A LOT, in the last 3 months or so I have had 2,594 calls, with 114 hours of time).

Kevin Zanit

John Sprung · April 1, 2005

The UK well maybe geographically small, but economically is by no stretch a tiny country.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Exactly -- When you have lots of dollars or pounds per square mile, it becomes practical to install good cell coverage. Likewise, subways are a good idea in compact, built-up cities like NY and London, but make no economic sense in spread-out LA.

So, one strong vote for Verizon, one for Cingular. Thanks, and keep the votes coming.

-- J.S.

Kevin Zanit · April 1, 2005

I know Cingular has good coverage in Burbank, so if you are in that area a lot you may want to look into that.

But for around the Melrose Verizon seems to be a little better.

I had real bad experience with Cingular in the Woodland Hills area (where I live).

Kevin Zanit

Elhanan Matos · April 1, 2005

I have great reception in Woodland Hills with my Cingular phone, and terrible reception with my Verizon phone.

Tenolian Bell · April 1, 2005

Hi,

Oh, and by the way, Tenolian - I just got your message. Um, sorry about that. Blame Cingular!

The place we planned to go was closed, so we ended up over in the Grove.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Quite all right. Catch you with you the next time.

I use Sprint.

I was about to leave Sprint until they announced a merger with Nextel. Sprint customers soon will have Nextel's push to talk feature, I will love that.

Over time the service is getting better. I travel all over the US as long as I'm in a major area don't seem to have many problems.

Sprint's customer service used to be absolutely criminal, but has gotten a great deal better.

Gordon Highland · April 1, 2005

Although I'm legally forbidden to talk details (of which I have little of public interest anyway), if the merger gets approved, it'll likely be announced around June-ish. Until any theoretical combining of the technologies, we do have a feature called ReadyLink that is push-to-talk. I think it's like $5 a month. It's admittedly not quite as robust as Nextel's, but it does work well and is very similar. I believe it uses the data channel instead of the voice.

April 1, 2005

If you are in NYC or plan to do work here, avoid ATT or ATT/CINGULAR WIRELESS as they call it, I have had many dropped calls and incoming calls going straight to voice mail. In lower Manhattan and parts of midtown it seems like a genaral problem with most providers but I have heard better things about Verizon's service in the city than ATT/Cingular.

Y

Kevin Zanit · April 1, 2005

"I have great reception in Woodland Hills with my Cingular phone and terrible reception with my Verizon phone"

I get great Verizon reception at home; I also get great Verizon reception at your home, so I don?t know what to tell you :unsure:

When I used to have a Cingular phone I couldn?t get any service at home. Granted that was a while ago, so things may have improved.

Kevin Zanit

John Sprung · April 1, 2005

If you are in NYC or plan to do work here,
<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Manhattan is a nightmare for anything radio frequency. Multipath off of big buildings, lots of different uses and users crammed into a small area.....

-- J.S.