I can't believe... I have had Sprint for over 10 yrs now (since 98). Over the years, I also have had used all 4 cellphone companies,... wait, actually, 5, if you include the TracPhone. Here's how I did it, and how I thinking of switching companies...
I remember getting my first cellphone from a RadioShack that is down the block from my house. Back then, no one had any experience with cellphone. Nowadays, the general consensus is all cellular carriers suck, for one reason or another. But back then, you get whatever is convenient, and in my case, it was Sprint (I remember they had exclusive contract with Radio Shack back then). I remember getting a Sanyo phone. I don't remember the exact model, but it was consider "small" at the time, measuring at about a KIng size Snicker bar (probably smaller, but I think they shrunk Snicker bars sometime during the last decade), and weighed about as much. It had a green monochrome LCD screen that can display 4 lines of text and a top row that showed V/M and signal strength. It even had a extendible antenna (Remember those?) That was the apex of technology at the time. My, how far we have come along.
Anyway, I think I had like 60 minutes of talk time (who can live w/ 60 minutes these days) and first incoming minute free (yeah, those don't exist anymore). I think I had nights and weekend. Text Message? Nope. I think the phone was capable, but would you? It didn't have T9 or any predictive form of asssisted texting.
I was in my 1st semester of college at the time. Having a cellphone was just really about being "cool" and actually having a device that you can use to call people anytime, although the limited minutes definitely limited the use. But for me, it was even worse, because my mom was "borrowing" it. That's what happens when you don't have a job and your mom insisted you can't work, fearing that I would become a college dropout cuz I can't handle the stressload.
Anyway, I got my first cellphone w/o her permission, so what prevented me from getting a 2nd one? Well, nothing really. But I wasn't gonna stick her w/ another bill (contract was under my name, but where does the money come from for a poor, starving, college student that doesn't work?). At that time, the TracPhone was around and doing okay. For those that don't know, the TracPhone was a pay as you go cellphone service. Back then it was pretty expensive, I think it cost about 50 cents a minute (or something like that). They are really for people that hardly ever use their phones, but do need to make a call once in a while. Its 90's equivalent of Virgin Mobile, except a lot more expensive. I think I got the phone for like $50- $100 and then got like a $20 TracPhone card (which equate to about 40 minutes of talk time). I gave that phone to my mom, hoping to get her off my back. It really didn't do it. It was quite obvious that I just wanted to keep the Sprint phone to myself, and she can see through that thinly-veil disguised scheme quite easily.
That was around late 2000, I don't recall exactly, but I heard about the Danger Hiptop (well, How could I not, I was writing about this stuff back then?). I know they were a bunch of ex-Apple guys designing a new phone that is all about messaging and adding a ton of cool features to the cellphone. Fast forward to 2002, when they finally released it under a new name, the Sidekick, and was carried by T-Mobile.
That was my dream phone back in the day. It can surf the web (in a full browser, not in WAP, even though it was b/w), chat on AIM (yeah, like ppl used that anymore...), SMS, a camera (although it was an external attachment, can't believe they made that...) and be used as a cell phone. All that an a unlimited data plan for $15 (might have been $20, or they might have upped it to $20), that sold me. On the day the Sidekick was release, I was on line at a CompUSA (they were the only ones that sold it at the time, now they're just another footnote in tech sector), waiting to get my hands on one. I was thinking of getting rid of the Sprint phone, but my mom wanted to keep it now. She was so used to it, It was very simple to use, not like the phones these days. So I switched the plan to a lowest plan possible that has the free nights and weekend and renewed the Sprint contract.
My dream phone turned out to be a nightmare. I was finally free from sharing a phone w/ my mom. I have a phone that have a ton of cool functions (and nifty pluses like LED that can be used as a flash light). Oh did I mentioned the "flip"? Actually, that didn't sell me, but I love pulling it out and showing off to my friends. They might have Shiny Motos, but none that have a screen that flip out like mines. Although holding that phone to your head is like holding a bar of soap to your head. It was massive. This was the era when miniaturization has led to cell phones that are the size of a tamagotchi toy (remember those?). At least that was the case w/ the Asian imports. I remember seeing one that my friend's ex (current at the time) was carrying. She would lose it in her pocket or her purse or whatever it is that she was carrying it in. That's how ridiculously small it was. Anyway, size wasn't the problem I had w/my dream phone. It was T-Mobile's service. T-Mobile was the smallest (and still is) the smallest carrier of the 4. They just switched their name from Voicestream not too long ago. I never had any issues with signal from Sprint. I would get spotty signal in certain buildings at my college, but it was probably the amount of lead paint that they used. I think Superman would have problems seeing through some of those buildings. But with T-Mobile, it was that, and then another whole ridiculousness. Check this out. I thought I had a broken antenna for my first Sidekick. Afterall, these are one of the first phones to incorporate are fully hidden antenna into the phone body. So when I saw I barely got 1 bar of signal when I was used to at least 3 or more in my house with Sprint, I got an exchange for the phone. Back then T-Mobile had 1 yr free insurance on their phones, and they really needed it with the Sidekick. But after the exchange, it turns out, it wasn't the phone, but T-Mobile Service. I used to joke w/ my friends that my house has a cellphone jammer, but it only blocks GSM phones (my friend's AT&T phone was just as useless).
So what's the point of having my own cellphone when you can't reach me? T-Mobile, as nice as their customer service was (and they were the nicest of all the carriers), they gave me a lame excuse that 3 of the 4 towers for my house were in need of repairs, but they can't specified when they will get it repaired. Can you believe I brought that excuse for over a year? I didn't worked them for more free minutes or things like that, although what's the point of having more minutes when you can't use them? Besides, my dream phone was my first experience of what I now refer to "the cutting edge guinea pig". They must have rushed the release because it was buggy as hell. It was crashing as often as Windows 98se (stable, but not as good as XP, so about 1x a day). BTW, I think I was the first person of my group of friends that have their cellphone "crash" on them. How common it is these days, with Treos, Blackberrys, and even the iPhone (especially, the unlocked, jailbroken ones), that people won't even blink when it happens. BTW, I also got dinged for like $80 by T-Mobile cuz I dropped my 2nd Sidekick and broke the screen (they don't cover the screen w/ their 1 yr free insurance). I did not read anywhere about that. I should have blasted them for my year of "no" service. Oh well.
So while I had my Sidekick, my mom had the old Sprint phone, it was only a matter of time my sister would want one too. Hearing from all my friends that Verizon has the best coverage, and one of my friends had an old Motorola StarTAC that works with Verizon. I signed up for Verizon so she can have her own cellphone (I don't know why she didn't sign up herself, she was over 18 at the time). Besides, the phone issue, the phone really didn't give my sis too much problems. As old as the phone was, it was able to receive Over The Air updates so that it can get better service. I don't recall her complaining much about it, other than their rude customer service. I remember they were rude to her about having to have me talk to them since it was my name on the account. Although they were on the right, they don't have to be rude about it. Just cuz they have the best signal in NYC doesn't mean they can be the Cellphone-Nazi ("No customer service for you"). My sis got tired of the crappy phone after a year and got her own phone herself. When I cancel the Verizon service, they didn't try to retain me as a customer by offering bonus minutes or better plans. I washed my hands of them in less than 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, I was waiting for my 1 yr contract w/ T-Mobile to end. I was already looking at the Treo Phones. I knew that I wasn't going w/ T-Mobile, but Sprint also offered it, so now I just have to get my mom to swap phones with me again. I really didn't have to, I could have gone with the family plan. I don't really know why I didn't, other than that the bill would look crazy expensive (I think my mom was still paying for it at the time). So I dropped T-Mobile, and went with AT&T. I figure I can get my mom to swap the phone again. It was really better for me anyway, cuz all my friends were still calling me at my Sprint # and getting my mom instead. This was before they merged with Cingular and then renamed themselves back to AT&T. I remember they had TDMA (analog) service and it worked great, but then when they switched to GSM, their service was crap. I remember getting a TDMA Motorola V60 from my friend as a trade for my old Sidekick so I can connect it to AT&T. Then I got screwed by them when they switched to GSM and I had to get a new phone. Again, I went to the closest phone dealer in my area, and this time, it was a 3rd party reseller. I got some crappy Siemens phone that still had a monochrome screen. It was one of their smallest phone at the time. And I remember I was using it for a while, probably cuz I was still waiting for the Treo 600 (or saving up for it, that phone was exp back then). Anyway, I got slammed so many different ways. First off, as I pointed out, the swtich from TDMA to GSM. Then the reseller that promise me all those discounts didn't tell me I was locked up for 18 months (that's when they began extending the contracts from 12 to 18 months). I also didn't know the discounts were in the 6 months rebate off my phone bill. On top of that, I called AT&T to switch my plan in my first month and guess what, the CSR that did it didn't process it properly, cuz I was slapped w/ a $150 phone bill the next month because I went over. I have fight them hard for them to finally bring that bill to $60, and it was not my fault at all. That really soured me towards AT&T, but somehow, I managed to keep them all this since that point.
I think I finally saved enough for the Treo 600, back in 2003. I have had experience with many Palm PDAs in the past. They were decent devices, but I mainly used them for games than their actual purpose. So I got my mom to take the AT&T phone (after all the issues were resolved). She really like that she got a 718 (NYC Brooklyn local area code) and gave me back my Sprint # (so that my friends can stop calling me and get her instead).
While the Sidekick was a cool "toy", the Treo 600 was all business. The silver black body and the fact that it was heavier than the Sidekick made it look and feel way more expensive than the cheap, flimsy, gray looking "soap phone". Although big, the Treo 600 had an antenna nub that at least made it look like you're on a phone. The phone was a lot more useable than the Sidekick, it didn't crash as much, for example, although once I started overloading it w/ apps, it was crashing more and more. Before they had a term for it, I had a phone that would fall into a reset loop, making it unusable, hence the term, "bricked". I was able to "unbricked" the Treo after pouring through all the forums online, but Treo 600 was a weird phone. All the applications on the phone was created for other Palm devices, most of them non-phones. I felt like I was using a computer w/o an internet connection, even though the phone had (and only $15). All the apps do not use any of the internet connection on the Treo. Actually, at that point, I hardly care. I was immersed in the 30+ games that I had on the phone. And surfing the web was really slow back then anyway. It was like going slower than 56k Modem when I got DSL at home.
Eventually I got bored of the games and needed to upgrade (you can only play Bejeweled so many times...). I stayed with Sprint and got the Pocket PC 6600 (I think it was by HTC, but was rebranded for USA at that time). I missed all the games, but now I can watch a movie on my phone. The problem is battery life was horrible when I watched a movie. With cell service on, the battery would drain out in a little over an hour when I watched a movie. That's not even a whole movie. The battery lasted longer w/ the cell service off, but kinda defeat the purpose of having a cellphone, right? Its not like I'm in a theater, where you suppose to quiet your cellphone watching a movie. I'm just watching a movie (or a tv show) on the bus or train ride. And it was a pain in the ass to remember to turn the cell radio off/back on. Maybe they could have just incorporate it into the movie app and just turn off the cell radio when the movie app its running. Again, defeats the purpose, but at least I won't forget to turn my cell radio back on. Anyway, that phone did not have a long life span, after a few month, it decided to do a Superman dive out of my pocket when I was in the Superman ride in NJ. The screen was all busted up, but surprisingly, the phone still worked. I just don't know how to dial out but i can still answer calls (but don't know who was calling). Good thing I had the insurance from Sprint. They kinda screwed me though when they said that they can only offer me a comparable phone, which at the time, was the Treo 650. Really? That's actually a good deal for me. I was able to test out a phone, didn't like it, and you gave me an upgraded model of my previous phone. Sweet!
I had the 650 for over 3 yrs. I had many rants over the past as you see its software grow so long in the tooth that you wonder if will ever release a new phone for Sprint. Palm finally did in 2007 when they release the Treo 755 (almost wanted to type iPhone, heck, must be tired...). I snapped it up quickly because it has 3G service. But even then, I knew that was a mistake. The iPhone was just around the corner and everyone was buzzing about it, even though it didn't have 3G service.
The Treo 755 is a good phone, but I feel like I'm living in the last century now. The OS, unless you heavily customize the theme, looks exactly the same as it did 10 yrs ago. I didn't bother to do any customizations, or installed any of my old games, for that matter, because they will just cause more issues than I need. Although I never come across the bricked scenario, the phone still does crash on me at least once a day. In addition, everybody left the Palm development ever since the iPhone was announced. Today, I see all those cool apps on the iPhone that I once thought would only be available in a device like the Treo because there were hundreds of thousands of apps for the Palm, and I thought it would just continue on w/ 3G internet access. But nope. I was dead wrong. My guess is that Palm didn't make it easier for programmers to write and utilize the 3G. Or that the iPhone is the sexy hotness that all phones wish to be but never even came close. Either way, I'm looking to close my book on Palm and Sprint (since the iPhone is an exclusive to AT&T until 2012) but I can't because I'm locked up in a 2 yr contract which won't end until 5/11/2009.
Sprint has been a good service provider, and they haven't screwed me like other providers. Well, I guess they did screw me by not coming out w/ great phones since the Teo 650. There is a slight glimmer of hope with Samsung making the next Google Phone for Sprint (and T-Mobile) that will arrive sometime in 2009. But can I wait that long? I don't think so. I waited once, and that got me the Treo 755 instead of the iPhone. I don't think I will be waiting again.
I'm leaning towards the iPhone. Actually, I almost gotten it, I was actually at an AT&T store when I found out from Sprint (had to call them for the acct # to port over my existing phone #) that my contract doesn't end til May and I would get screwed $150 if I decided to leave now.
But leaving just makes sense. I can switch to AT&T and finally get a family plan with my mom. The savings won't be much, but its better than no savings at all, like my current situation. In addition, I don't think Samsung can come up w/ a better design for their Google phone than the iPhone. No one has ever beat Apple at making a better looking iPod (except themselves), I don't expect that to change with the iPhone.
The only thing I worry about is the syncing issue. I'm done syncing my phone. I sync'ed my Treo 600 almost religiously, but why do you need to sync a phone that is in fact, a mini computer that has full internet access? That is such an outdated technology. In fact, going back, the Danger guys got it right. The T-Mobile Sidekick sync'ed wirelessly with the servers (now known as the Cloud), but not your computer. It had a USB port that was absolutely useless. I never lost any data w/ them, and even when I had to hard reset or when I had to replace my Sidekick, I knew my data was up to date. So why the hell is Apple making us do this? The Google Android OS doesn't have to do this, and you know that's way things will be heading. Apple, when are you gonna implement that feature? Did you mean to implement that w/ the simultaneous launch and catastrophe known as the Mobile Me? Hmm....
So much of our data is in the cloud these days, when can we get a phone # from someone, and then be able to have their email address, their Twitter, Facebook, Yelp, Digg, and Flickr info downloaded into our contact info? All the social networks would be friended automatically, a picture from their Facebook or Flickr can be used as their contact photo and shows up whenever they call. Heck, add Last.FM to it and they can even choose a certain song as their ringtone. Its time our online persona, our avatar, be what is express out to other people as a whole, not bits and pieces.
