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Good Coverage vs. Cool Mobile Phones: The Mobile Carrier Debate

Sony Ericsson P910I am at a crossroads with my mobile phone coverage right now. The problem is that I love GSM on T-Mobile because of their cool phones, but I am getting a little tired of the spotty coverage area. I really want to switch to Verizon Wireless for the excellent coverage but their phones kinda blow. Read More and let me know your solution to the dearth of Bluetooth iSync phones…


Sony Ericsson P910I am at a crossroads with my mobile phone coverage right now. The problem is that I love GSM on T-Mobile because of their cool phones, but I am getting a little tired of the spotty coverage area. I really want to switch to Verizon Wireless for the excellent coverage but their phones kinda blow Read More and let me know your solution to the dearth of Bluetooth iSync phones.
I like GSM networks because you don’t have to wait 12-18 months for US carriers to “certify” a phone and bring it to market. Witness the rash of excellent, Bluetooth, iSync-compatible camera phones from Sony Ericsson: T68i, T610, T630 (my current rig), P800, P900, Z600 and soon the brand-new K700, S700 and P910. All you have to do is buy one from eBay or abroad (caveat emptor), slide in your SIM card and you’re golden. The other great feature with T-Mobile is unlimited GPRS data via their T-Zones service for only US$30 per month. The unlimited flat-rate data plan is the envy of a lot of people in other countries forced to pay for every byte. Ouch.
The problem is that T-Mobile’s GSM network is much smaller than Verizon Wireless’s massive network.
Motorola V710Verizon Wireless on the other hand has a reputation for having the best coverage of all the major mobile phone carriers here in the US. The problem is that they don’t care about Bluetooth as evidenced by the fact that they don’t offer a single Bluetooth-compatible phone – at least for another month or so.
Earlier this week Verizon Wireless announced one of the first CDMA phones with Bluetooth – the Motorola V710. The V710 is Bluetooth CDMA phone that includes a 1.23 megapixel with 4x zoom and video capture, 2.2-inch color display and BREW 2.1. Pricing is around US$249 with a US$70 rebate for a two-year service contract. The V710 is due in August.
I am seriously considering a move to the V710. The problem is that it isn’t compatible with iSync (yet), I prefer bar phones over clamshell designs and it would require a carrier switch. So, good coverage vs. cool mobile phones? Will VZW offer the Treo 610 (code-named Ace) this fall? March ’05? Ever? What are your thoughts?

By Jason O'Grady

Founded the PowerPage in 1995.