Cell Phone Question

[Cudedog]

Ladies:

As many of you may know, T-Mobile has just come out with some very attractive new, no-contract, plans (starting tomorrow, April 12) starting at a no-contract $40/mo plan with unlimited talk, text and 500 mg of data.

A $50.00 plan comes with a lot more data.

I have wanted the Samsung Galaxy Note for a long time (I am currently with Virgin Mobile which does not support a GSM phone - but only costs me a grandfathered $25.00/mo) and it looks like I can get a deal on an unlocked Note from Ebay or Amazon and bring it to T-Mobile via SIM.

Questions for you traveling gals:

Do any of you have T-Mobile, and how do you like it?
How about coverage: good/not so good/terrible?

Any experience with the Note?
The Note: will it do tethering?
The Note: will it do wi-fi calling?
The Note: is it 4G?

I have been doing my research and think I have answers to most of these questions, but since I don't have any direct experience with either T-Mobile, or the Note, just thought I would ask.

Thanks!!

Anne

[Excel]

Sorry, can't help ... I have an I phone & use Verizon.... love both.... Good luck

[Bethers]

I believe you can do most of what you're asking with the Note, but it's easy for you to check wherever you're looking to purchase.

I don't have the Note, but love my Samsung. Am going to look into upgrading to the Galaxy 5 next.

I left t- mobile in 2005 because they simply didn't have good enough coverage. Have been with AT&T and Verizon. Dislike Verizon a great deal, but that's personal. They are still the top two for national coverage. Check with T Mobile to see how they compare with where you want to travel.

[FinallyTime]

I had T-Mobile. I found out the hard way that there is very little service in the Pacific Northwest if you are not in a city or within a few miles of a major highway. Not a good option for RVing as I like to get off the interstate..

[retiredhappy]

T=Mobile has the worst coverage between Verizon (the best), Sprint and AT&T. I'm currently with AT&T because my son-in-law put me on his family plan but I had better coverage while traveling with Sprint and actually had the best with Verizon. When Carole traveled with me she had a Tracfone and had better signal than I did and in more places. I dropped Verizon because their plans had gotten too expensive and it doesn't cost me anything being on my kids plan.

[JudyJB]

I almost always either call ahead of check the coverage maps when selecting a campsite because I need internet access with my hotspot. I cannot tell you how many times they asked if I had Verizon or something else. Verizon really does have the best coverage.

Three years ago when I had Sprint, I went traveling with my son in a rented RV to a couple of national parks, and was very frustrated that all these other people were talking on the phone and I could not. All of the phone carriers work well along freeways in cities. The difference is way out in the boondocks and places like national parks.

So, do consider that the extra few bucks really does get you something with Verizon--peace of mind that people can reach you and that you can call out in case of an emergency.

[Bethers]

I will not claim AT&T has the best coverage, but neither will I accept a claim that Verizon does. I was just doing blog posts at a cg here in Arizona and Liz could get only a fleeting signal with Verizon. I will accept they may be somewhat equal today. Some area one is better than another. But the difference I've seen in coverage with both in my 9 years full-time is astronomical. That said, I've had both and can say again, Version did not have better coverage. Different but not better.

[havingfunnow]

I had a T-Mobile 4G Samsung phone for a while. I found their coverage spotty at best, even in areas where they claimed to provide service. I also found that in many areas I could make a phone call but couldn't use data -- maddening! This was only a year ago, so I can't imagine they've changed much.

[Excel]

I've always had 'Verizon'.. before it was even called that. My experience when traveling has been excellent whereas those around me couldn't get a signal, I always had one. However, many of you boon dock & go to out of the way places that I do not go to so maybe there's the difference. I have a friend in NV who has AT&"T and always has problems.... My daughter in Southern CA has problems with her service where she doesn't get a signal at her home even & she's in a well populated area. However, my point is that before getting my iphone, I had a flip top Motorola phone for 8 yrs. Served me well, course I didn't text or take pictures or have internet connection, etc. Used it as a phone period. But my DIL convinced me to look at & purchase my iphone & she put me on their family plan... I pay about $16 a month more to have everything that I didn't have before. I also bought the AppleCare support which has proven to be worth every penny & then some. My feelings now are, yes, I would absolutely stay with Verizon and I will stay with whatever Apple comes out with when I decide to trade in or upgrade and if I have to pay on my own instead of being on DIL family plan, I certainly will... anyhow... that's my 2 cents again...