8800 Cingular Vs. Verizon ???

[jmab01]

:? :? Guru's,

Need to make a final decision on paying the extra $175 to break contract with Cingular (8700c) to move over to Verizon and get the 8800. For the past 7 months the Cingular coverage and service has been poor. Other than the Telenav (cool functionality) unlocked GPS Cingular feature, they seem to be the same - please let me know if I am wrong.

It would be great to hear from some of this team that currently has either of the 8800's on Cingular and/or Verizon.

Thanks in advance!!!

[DC-WiFi.com]

I have the 8830. They are nearly identical except for color and a few other little things.

Biggest difference is the network. I do believe that the Edge (Cingular) is not 3G. Verizon is on 3G. I also much prefer Verizon phone network. Rarely ever have an issue.

Honestly, unless you are in an area where Cingular's service is really sub par, I would not switch. The $175 hit is tough to take IMO.

[2 Samuel 22]

I've tried both carriers for a number of years. The coverage is much better with VZW than with Cingular in my experience. For those who travel in the sticks and boonies and have a tri-mode phone, VZW still maintains their analog network whereas Cingular does not and has stopped selling tri-mode phones.

I have both an 8800 and 8830. The built-in GPS/Telenav in the 8800 is a nice feature if you are a road warrior and aren't very good with a map and/or directions. That said, I go through the hassle of resetting my Cingular device almost every weekend in order to stay on the EDGE data network. This is not only true with the 8800 in my area but also a large number of 8700c's and 7290's. And yes, major metropolitan area with a completed network upgrade as of February. Let's not forget to mention the all-too-common SOS or SIM card rejected errors too.

So far my 8830 has needed one reboot since activation due to a lock-up with Bluetooth. I've noticed that the notifiers/ringers/tunes set in Profiles is not as loud compared to the Cingular device as mentioned in another post but there may be more to that than originally thought. For more on that click here. (http://www.blackberryforums.com/general-8800-series-discussion/76860-8830-ringer-volume-too-soft-ring-ring.html) Although VZW's navigation offering has yet to make an appearance, I'm pretty sure it will be close to or on par with TeleNav. Worst case, get a puck and go third-party.

So aside from the not as cool silver color, the quieter sounds, and lack of internal GPS I would still recommend the VZW 8830 over the 8800. Why?? The bottom line is you have chosen to carry a Blackberry for a reason. You want to be able to send/receive calls and email. You want to be reachable, accessible, and wired-in, ready to answer a call or compose or reply at a moment's notice, right? Well if your carrier's coverage or network doesn't perform the way you expect it to, then will the silver color or lack of internal GPS really bother you that much? (okay caffeine rush, over)

[jmab01]

Thank you both for taking the time. Thanks for reminding me of the bottom-line and the Cingular coverage/service has been far less than acceptable lately.

[takeshi]

As for the devices themselves they're pretty much the same even though they're not identical. They're meant to be the GSM and CDMA counterparts to each other. There are some small differences but really the network would be the biggest difference. Just make sure that Verizon's coverage is actually better (use their trial period fully!) before committing to the switch.

I have both an 8800 and 8830. The built-in GPS/Telenav in the 8800 is a nice feature if you are a road warrior and aren't very good with a map and/or directions. That said, I go through the hassle of resetting my Cingular device almost every weekend in order to stay on the EDGE data network. This is not only true with the 8800 in my area but also a large number of 8700c's and 7290's. And yes, major metropolitan area with a completed network upgrade as of February. Let's not forget to mention the all-too-common SOS or SIM card rejected errors too.

Interesting. I've never had any of those problems with any of my Cingular devices (7290, 8700c and 8800). It could be coverage-related and coverage does vary from market to market.

So aside from the not as cool silver color, the quieter sounds, and lack of internal GPS I would still recommend the VZW 8830 over the 8800. Why?? The bottom line is you have chosen to carry a Blackberry for a reason. You want to be able to send/receive calls and email. You want to be reachable, accessible, and wired-in, ready to answer a call or compose or reply at a moment's notice, right? Well if your carrier's coverage or network doesn't perform the way you expect it to, then will the silver color or lack of internal GPS really bother you that much? (okay caffeine rush, over)
Again, it comes down to coverage. Pick your device once you've picked your carrier, as usual. The carrier that provides the best coverage in your area can vary depending on where you live. There's no carrier that provides the universally "best" coverage. If VZW is best for you then go with them. Personally, I'd never choose Verizon since they aren't GSM and they cripple their devices but those are my own personal preferences/priorities after coverage...

[PabloTX]

Personally, I'd never choose Verizon since they aren't GSM and they cripple their devices but those are my own personal preferences/priorities after coverage...

That's exactly why I'm seriously considering a move from Verizon to Cingular. I love Verizon's coverage and call quality, but am sick of crippled devices.

I'm in Houston as well. So can I assume that you have no real complaints about the coverage area and call quality of Cingular around the area?

[woodi68]

Cripple or not. The stuff they cripple is only for those who want to play with their devices. The ONLY good use for GSM is anything international. Other than that, the quality of voice and data is horrible.

[PabloTX]

Cripple or not. The stuff they cripple is only for those who want to play with their devices. The ONLY good use for GSM is anything international. Other than that, the quality of voice and data is horrible.

If by play you mean use those features which the manufacturer included then I agree with you.

My Treo 650 wouldn't connect with my Garmin C550 GPS via the bluetooth connection. I had to create a custom ROM (using Sprint's 650 bluetooth files) in order to have it function as it was intended.

My wife's Motorola v3m's MicroSD slot is disabled for transferring files to and from the phone, thereby forcing you to use a lower quality and sending the files through MMS, or getting files through Get It Now.

The new Motorola Maxx Ve has disabled the ability to take ringtones sent via email and save them to the phone.

Disabling of OBEX throughout the phone product lines.

Disabling the built-in GPS on the BlackBerry 8830. Why? They don't even have a GPS option that it competes with. There is a rumored version of VZ NAV for smartphones, so maybe it will be enabled later, but again, it's forcing you to use their pay for use offering rather than having the option of using Telenav or Google maps.

This lockdown of features in order to protect a revenue source (GIN) that I would never use anyways has me looking at other options.

I've got a prepaid Cingular phone on order and will give it 30-60 days to determine whether or not the call quality and coverage is adequate.

Voice is paramount, but Verizon's attitude toward it's customers and crippling of it's devices has become ridiculous. I'm willing to pay a premium for the voice and data service because of it's quality. What I am not willing to do is do the same while being extremely limited on handsets, and having features disabled from those few handsets you are allowed to use.

[Dawgfan]

You may want to research your data availability issue with regards to EVDO versus EDGE, especially regarding "outer" areas. It is my understanding that the VZN voice footprint is not necessarily the EVDO footprint while with Cingular the voice and data footprint are the same (EDGE, not 3G).

I personally experienced my BB's battery lasting a couple of hours (when I was on VZN) in a rural area due to lack of good data service. I have had EVDO (VZN) and now have EDGE with Cingular and honestly cannot tell that much of a difference. I was actually a bit concerned about moving over to Cingular due to my perceived issue with data speeds and it has been a non-issue for me.

Another thing to consider is that rumor has it that the EDGE network willl be seeing some needed improvements due to the iPhone. I assume Apple is putting the heat on Cingular to ensure that EDGE is running to the best of its capability.

I bought into the whole EVDO is the speed demon thing and now that I have experienced both on a BB I am pretty indifferent.

[Ominx]

I agree with the dissatisfaction with Verizon's crippling of features. But as everyone has heard before, what good are features if you can't get a signal.

While I am sure some are perfectly happy with Cingular/AT&T, overall it is impossible to deny their reception is as reliable as VZWs.

Here's a good read that may educate or infuriate some: Wireless Call Quality Performance Study - Volume 1 (http://www.jdpower.com/corporate/news/releases/pressrelease.asp?ID=2007040)

(Scroll down to the bottom for some pretty charts)

[brucejr]

Had VZW w/o issue. Went with Cingy for the Pearl (also w/o issue). Both have excellent coverage in my area. Like Dawgfan said, where you are is very important to what data (EVDO versus EDGE) is in your area.

Feature rich devices can have one significant downside: Battery Life. One way to offset that is with an extended battery.

Sure it would be more convenient to have internal GPS but the BT puck isn't too bad either.

Bottom line is research you coverage for both Cingy and VZW for your area and (if you travel) the surrounding areas.

[PabloTX]

That's why I'm trying out the Cingular prepaid. To see if the drop in call quality and coverage is acceptable. Even though it's probably admittedly a little worse than Verizon (and the JD powers study seems to show that for the most part, the carriers are all in the same ballpark, with Verizon being consistently better...but not by a wide margin), I'm trying to decide if the gains I would be getting with phone freedom, non-crippled phones, and ease of switching between phones will be enough to overcome any shortfalls with service.

Just have to weigh the pros and the cons and make the best decision based upon my needs. It's not that I'm in a big hurry to leave Verizon, as I am very happy with coverage and call quality. I just think that with other carriers improving their own networks, there may be another out there who better meets my overall needs.

[Dawgfan]

That's why I'm trying out the Cingular prepaid. To see if the drop in call quality and coverage is acceptable. Even though it's probably admittedly a little worse than Verizon (and the JD powers study seems to show that for the most part, the carriers are all in the same ballpark, with Verizon being consistently better...but not by a wide margin), I'm trying to decide if the gains I would be getting with phone freedom, non-crippled phones, and ease of switching between phones will be enough to overcome any shortfalls with service.

Just have to weigh the pros and the cons and make the best decision based upon my needs. It's not that I'm in a big hurry to leave Verizon, as I am very happy with coverage and call quality. I just think that with other carriers improving their own networks, there may be another out there who better meets my overall needs.

It sounds like you are going about it the right way. One of the main reasons I went with Cingular was that I HATED being tied to ONE phone. I use a BB but there are times when I just want a small phone to take with me. If I am going out or riding the motorcycle, I like the fact that I can just pull my SIM, pop it in antother phone and go.

[PabloTX]

It sounds like you are going about it the right way. One of the main reasons I went with Cingular was that I HATED being tied to ONE phone. I use a BB but there are times when I just want a small phone to take with me. If I am going out or riding the motorcycle, I like the fact that I can just pull my SIM, pop it in antother phone and go.


I hear ya. I've been the same way, but as Verizon's online ESN changer won't allow you to go from a smartphone to a "regular" phone, I decided that the call to Customer Service and the possibility of having to pay $20 each way to make the change wasn't worth it.

The freedom that GSM brings is really appealing to me. I just need to ensure that the coverage is adequate.

[LarryH]

I hear ya. I've been the same way, but as Verizon's online ESN changer won't allow you to go from a smartphone to a "regular" phone, I decided that the call to Customer Service and the possibility of having to pay $20 each way to make the change wasn't worth it.

The freedom that GSM brings is really appealing to me. I just need to ensure that the coverage is adequate.
Agreed. Can't beat the convenience of swapping the SIM. FYI, if you first make the attempt (and fail) to use VZW's online ESN changer, they will not charge you when you have to phone CS to swap.

[jmab01]

That's exactly why I'm seriously considering a move from Verizon to Cingular. I love Verizon's coverage and call quality, but am sick of crippled devices.

I'm in Houston as well. So can I assume that you have no real complaints about the coverage area and call quality of Cingular around the area?

I am in Austin and have had a real tough time with the Cingular signal and call quality since they started the Orange and Blue network merger. They keep telling us that it will all be better soon..... It has been so bad that $175.00 is just a sample of how sick I am of the most dropped calls in the industry....

[PabloTX]

I am in Austin and have had a real tough time with the Cingular signal and call quality since they started the Orange and Blue network merger. They keep telling us that it will all be better soon..... It has been so bad that $175.00 is just a sample of how sick I am of the most dropped calls in the industry....


It seems that people I know who have them either have no complaints or they absolutely hate them. One good friend has told me not to get them, as he just moved from Cingular to Sprint. He hates the customer service at Sprint, but says his phone calls are much better.

But I work with a lot of people on Cingular and they don't have many complaints.

So I guess the prepaid option will let me check it out for myself for around $50. I'm not a "grass is always greener" type of person, but I'm so fed up with Verizon's hardware choices and crippling that I need to at least check it out.

I had Houston Cellular right before the Cingular buyout. That was when they were TDMA and I didn't want to go through the headache of the GSM conversion so I went to Verizon. No real complaints then, but again, that was before the GSM days.

[PabloTX]

takeshi,

Any input about your experience with Cingular in the Houston area?

That's exactly why I'm seriously considering a move from Verizon to Cingular. I love Verizon's coverage and call quality, but am sick of crippled devices.

I'm in Houston as well. So can I assume that you have no real complaints about the coverage area and call quality of Cingular around the area?