Looking to upgrade to new/used cell phone..advice?

[Donald]

Originally Posted By: daddi
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: Donald
That is not what Verizon told me. If you get a new smart phone from Verizon and do not pay full retail, you loose the unlimited data plan.

Yup. The unlimited data plans on Verizon are history, regardless of device. The only way to keep your current unlimited plan is to not sign a new contract.


I will not be getting a new phone or signing a new contract...More like just switching phones.

From what I understand the 4G lte really burns up the data.


If you do the exact same things on 4G as you did on 3G the data usage per month should be the same.

But if its now fast enough that you start streaming things like video, yes you will use up a lot more bandwidth.

 

[ctrcbob]

One of the things I like about AT&T is that they use the GSM system. When I want a new or different phone, I just buy it from anyone, remove the SIM card from the phone I'm replacing, put it in the new phone, and everything works. Completely bypass AT&T, don't tell them anything, and I'm using the new phone.

Although I've not done this with my smart phone, I've done it with my regular "dumb" phone. Purchased a "Gray Market" phone, removed the SIM from the old phone and installed in the new phone. All the info is on the SIM card and I did boo lose any info.

In addition, when I go to Europe, I buy a European SIM card with a French (or British or Italian) phone number. Costs less than using my American number all without changing phones.

In reality I now take three phones. Smart phone for wifi data only, second dumb phone with my American number for people in the US to get hold of me in emergencies, and my third old dumb phone with a European number.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: ctrcbob
In reality I now take three phones.

And you consider this convenient?

If you really wanted, you could root any Verizon Android LTE phone so that it would accept any carrier's SIM.

 

[Donald]

Almost all phone companies use GSM except Verizon. GSM was the first one out of the shoot. Then came TDMA which was abandoned years ago, then CDMA. CDMA is slightly better but now it seems the oddball. If any smaller company had CDMA they would have moved to GSM, but Verizon is huge and so far can stand it alone.

 

[Azeem]

Our contract with Verizon was over last month. We didn't renew,instead we moved to Pagepluscellular which is Verizon for less than half the price for the same service and NO CONTRACT. we used our Droid 2 and ported our numbers out with no problems and FREE of charge.

You can check their website and their awesome monthly plans.You also can buy whatever device you want,IT HAS TO BE CDMA DEVICE NOT GSM, and activate it on Pagepluscellular.

Good luck.

 

[Azeem]

Originally Posted By: Donald
Almost all phone companies use GSM except Verizon. GSM was the first one out of the shoot. Then came TDMA which was abandoned years ago, then CDMA. CDMA is slightly better but now it seems the oddball. If any smaller company had CDMA they would have moved to GSM, but Verizon is huge and so far can stand it alone.



Verizon Wireless, Sprint,Virgin mobile(Sprint's service), MetroPCS, Cricket, and U.S. Cellular are CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access)

T-mobile and AT&T are GSM (Global System for Mobiles).

 

[FADEC]

Originally Posted By: Azeem
Our contract with Verizon was over last month. We didn't renew,instead we moved to Pagepluscellular which is Verizon for less than half the price for the same service and NO CONTRACT. we used our Droid 2 and ported our numbers out with no problems and FREE of charge.

You can check their website and their awesome monthly plans.You also can buy whatever device you want,IT HAS TO BE CDMA DEVICE NOT GSM, and activate it on Pagepluscellular.

Good luck.


I actually had page plus a few years ago. Great service from them. Now I live in a somewhat rural area, and with the prepaid option you don't get to use all of the Verizon cell towers.

 

[RW1]

I'm a Verizon customer with the Razr Maxx. I really like it and have been very impressed with the 4G speed. As others have pointed out, you'll tend to use it a bit more because it's so much faster.

I actually find that I can tether my laptop to my phone and upload/download files faster than on my Comcast cable service. I have the basic Comcast plan and it's been giving me upload/download speeds of 2/6. While tethered to my phone, I've been able to do 6/11.

The battery life is pretty good. I don't spend my day texting or playing games on my phone. It's usually used as a phone, some texting, and the occasional internet use. I find with my use, I can go the entire day and still have 70% battery life when I plug back in at home at night.

I don't have a long commute but when I do go on a long drive, I tend to connect to Pandora. It really doesn't use much data; much less than you might think.

The downside with the Razr? Every once in a while mine gets hot for no reason. I can understand it getting hot when I'm tethered and moving large files. But there have been times it's been sitting in standby and it just gets hot. No idea why. I've just switched it off, let it cool off for a few minutes (it does cool off fast) and then switch it back on and life is good again. This has happened perhaps 3 times in the year that I've owned it.

Interesting side note: my daughter has the iPhone 5. Standing side by side in our house, my Razr shows a strength of 2 out of 5 bars and is connected at 4G. Her iPhone shows 3 to 4 bars but only connects at 3G. If she steps outside, it will jump to 5 bars and LTE.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: RW1
The downside with the Razr? Every once in a while mine gets hot for no reason. I can understand it getting hot when I'm tethered and moving large files. But there have been times it's been sitting in standby and it just gets hot. No idea why. I've just switched it off, let it cool off for a few minutes (it does cool off fast) and then switch it back on and life is good again. This has happened perhaps 3 times in the year that I've owned it.

It's typically one of your apps or processes getting hung up and hogging up CPU resources. It causes significant battery drain, and quick discharge heats up the battery. When you notice this again, just go into your Settings and see which apps are running and which one is chewing up majority of CPU power. Then you'll know who the culprit is.

 

[Azeem]

Originally Posted By: daddi
with the prepaid option you don't get to use all of the Verizon cell towers.


This is the first time I hear of such a thing but as to speak I have not noticed any difference in the service and I live in a rural area as well.

 

[RW1]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: RW1
The downside with the Razr? Every once in a while mine gets hot for no reason. I can understand it getting hot when I'm tethered and moving large files. But there have been times it's been sitting in standby and it just gets hot. No idea why. I've just switched it off, let it cool off for a few minutes (it does cool off fast) and then switch it back on and life is good again. This has happened perhaps 3 times in the year that I've owned it.

It's typically one of your apps or processes getting hung up and hogging up CPU resources. It causes significant battery drain, and quick discharge heats up the battery. When you notice this again, just go into your Settings and see which apps are running and which one is chewing up majority of CPU power. Then you'll know who the culprit is.

Thanks! I'll look for it next time.

 

[Lillikai]

Originally Posted By: Donald
Originally Posted By: Lillikai
I had the unlimited data plan on my old phone that had 3G. When I upgraded my phone to the samsung galaxy s3 I lost the unlimited data plan b/c it runs on 4G LTE. It now uses a sim card, which my old phone didnt. Im a verizon customer as well.

If you decide to go with a phone that uses the 3G network, you will still have your unlimited data plan.

If you upgrade to a phone that uses the 4G LTE network, then you loose your unlimited data plan. You'll have to pay a monthly fee for the faster network.


That is not what Verizon told me. If you get a new smart phone from Verizon and do not pay full retail, you loose the unlimited data plan.


Well jeez I guess I need to contact verizon b/c I paid the full price for my new phone. I had to renew my 2 year contract with them. (sorry for the late reply, just now got on the internet).

 

[FADEC]

Originally Posted By: Lillikai
I had the unlimited data plan on my old phone that had 3G. When I upgraded my phone to the samsung galaxy s3 I lost the unlimited data plan b/c it runs on 4G LTE. It now uses a sim card, which my old phone didnt. Im a verizon customer as well.

If you decide to go with a phone that uses the 3G network, you will still have your unlimited data plan.

If you upgrade to a phone that uses the 4G LTE network, then you loose your unlimited data plan. You'll have to pay a monthly fee for the faster network.


Got this email from Verizon earlier today.

Good afternoon



I'm excited to learn you are looking to get a new phone. It's important for you to have all the information you need before making the purchase though. My name is Nikki and I would have loved to review this with you personally but I wanted to respect your wishes and not disturb you with a call.



When purchasing a phone from a third party such as eBay or Craig's list, you want to ensure you are purchasing a clean phone. Unfortunately there are some dishonest people that will try to sell stolen phones. Any honest seller will be able to provide you with the phone's ESN or MEID, as well as SIM card ID, if applicable. Once they provide you with these numbers, I recommend you contact us with them so that we can run them through our database to ensure you won't be purchasing a stolen phone. Our Customer Service department will be able to check the numbers for you. We can be reached at 800-922-0204 or *611 from your Verizon phone.



With providing your own equipment, you will be able to keep your current plan the same. You will not need to update to new pricing.



If the phone you are purchasing already has a SIM card, you will be able to use the same one. If the phone doesn't come with one, you will be able to pick up a new card at your local Verizon store. There is no charge if obtained from one of our corporate locations. To find a store near you, please visit: www.vzw.com/storelocator. You can also call into Customer Service and we can get one shipped to you at no charge as well.



Once you receive the new phone, you will be able to activate the phone online. If for any reason you encounter any problems, please feel free to call into the Customer Service line mentioned above and we would be more than happy to assist you.



I appreciate you allowing me the opportunity to address your concerns today Thank you for being the best part of Verizon Wireless and have a Happy New Year!



Sincerely,



Nikki



Verizon Wireless

Customer Service

 

[wmford23]

I have had an Iphone 4, 4s, and now 5, but had the chance to use my friends brand new NOKIA Lumia 920. I really liked the camera, which is better and the live tiles it has that constantly update. So iphone or Nokia - Nokia is probably a better value play.