What smartphone/family plan is best?

I've been out of touch with phone tech for years now and haven't paid any attention to it. My current contract is up Dec. 6th. I've read some forum threads here and there and it seems like a Nexus or Galaxy S 2 phone would be a good choice, or even an Apple of some kind. My current carrier is Verizon but I sure would like to drop them like a hot rock because of the lousy service and gorilla tactics used on me and my family to try and change our contract, which we haven't (we currently have a totally unlimited family plan they used to offer years ago but realized their error and dissolved about as long ago). I love their coverage tho, its the best I've ever had.

I would like a family plan with 4 phones (three smart, one not smart, whatever you call that). I would like the phones to have 2GB data and unlimited messaging. My main concern is monthly cost. Currently we are paying $145 for unlimited everything, but Verizon is screwing us over to get us off that plan. I'm thinking its going to be over $200 a month for 4 phones with those things which is ok.

What's the best phone/family plan out there? What's the best way to sign up: wirefly, the carrier store, the carrier online page, or other?
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For with what measure you measure it will be measured to you.

Where in the world do you have service problems with Verizon? I've never had a problem anywhere in OKC with my coverage. I can't say the same for AT&T or Sprint. What are they doing to screw you over to try and get you off that plan?

Shinare wrote: ...I love their coverage tho, its the best I've ever had.

Verizon has great coverage everywhere except NW Oklahoma. Absolutely none in and around the panhandle and canadian river counties. Verizon and AT&T do not have unlimited data plans any longer. If you are like me and got AT&T before all the apps/streaming data become huge you get a grandfathered in clause to keep your unlimited for the time being. Who knows if that will change.

As far as rate plans, I believe Verizon is a bit cheaper but not much. Sprint still has unlimited data so if your a big data user it might be best for you. If your family can handle not having data, aka smart phone, as your mostly worried about costs there are some really cheap smaller companies.. like 29.99 cheap but if your wanting data id go with one of the major 3, prob sprint cause you have 3 smartphones.

Droid phones FTMFW.
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K-SWISS Power cologne. Who knew you could bottle the scent of boner?

I just moved my wife onto my AT&T plan and changed it to a family plan. If you get their unlimited text messaging, it covers up to 5 people (I think) and converts the voice plan from unlimited AT&T mobile to mobile, into an unlimited mobile to mobile plan. I spoke with the rep at the AT&T store and he recommended against the unlimited minute plan, stating that the only people that need it are real estate agents and such who call a lot of random numbers all day long.

Be careful about signing up with Sprint hoping for unlimited data for the long term. They are marketing it heavy right now but there have been indications that they plan to stop offering it soon. You might be able to grandfather in like AT&T but the reports I read said that they likely will just kill it and not let you grandfather into it.

For what it is worth, adding my wife to my AT&T plan did not cause problems with my unlimited data service.

So far its looking like I will go back AT&T who I had before Verizon. AT&T's coverage seemd a little lacking at the time several years ago and it doesnt seem to have changed much. My co-worker has AT&T with an iPhone3gs and he has to do the same thing I used to have to do at work here which is to talk to anyone he has to stand at the window in our room here on the second floor. I get 5x5 at my desk and even in the basement where AT&T cuts out as well. *shrug* I'm still not completely sold that I need a smartphone but I do love the prospect of having one. I'm also, perrish the thought, thinking of iphone 4's all around for myself, wife and kids.

On December 6th (when my contract expires) I may just ask Verizon what the can do for me and see what they say. That Droid Razor looks good...
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For with what measure you measure it will be measured to you.

Droid + wifi caling FTW. My tmobile work phone has it........doesnt use minutes.
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K-SWISS Power cologne. Who knew you could bottle the scent of boner?

Yeah tell them you plan to shop around. I did this to AT&T without any intention of actually switching. As long as I can keep my unlimited data I won't ever leave. Got an discounted 4GS for 150 bucks, they changed my unlimited texting from 20 dollars to 10 a month forever, they have me the A-Team which is 5 landline numbers which are now free.

So I have unlimited mobile to mobile, unlimited text, unlimited data, A-Team which is unlimited to 5 landlines all for 79.99 so I am rather happy.

Nice deal man.......!
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K-SWISS Power cologne. Who knew you could bottle the scent of boner?

Looks like I'm going with Sprint. They still have the truely unlimited plan and because of where my daughter works she gets some kind of hella discount for the family unlimited plan. Now I have to decide if I want to fork out the bux for a galaxy S 2. Since its truely unlimited I want something that can stream netflix. I think that means I have to choose the galaxy s 2 but not sure.
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For with what measure you measure it will be measured to you.

So just as an update, I did get the Sprint plan, with the discount, and I did get the evo 3d for myself and daughter, and wife got an evo shift. My phone is "4G" but since WiMAX in OKC is nonexistent its basically a 3G phone. Sprint has halted all WiMAX deployment due to it changing over to the LTE network. I've heard the latest 4G phones can do either format from about %50 of the people asked, and the other %50 say no way. Bummer if the latter is true. Then again its also going to be 3 years before Sprint catches up to everyone's LTE coverage so I'll have a new phone by then anyway. (and possibly new carrier) *shrug*

I love the Evo 3d. And that has nothing to do with the "3D'ness" of it. It's 3D abilities are, to me, more of a gimmick and adds nothing to the phone except for an occasional "cool" from a colleague. But it is speedy, the screen is crystal clear and extremely sensitive (at least it is until I get my otterbox from amazon), and it runs everything just fine. The only complaint I have is that if I'm using WiFi and I'm playing "Hanging with Friends" it hard-locks and I have to batterypull it. So I just turn off WiFi. (I just found out that you can "three finger salute" the Evo 3D which will make it easier once I get the otterbox on there.)

My wife's Shift has a slide out keyboard, which I truly miss, but it has a smaller screen and is twice the thickness so I don't like it much. Hopefully eventually I will get used to typing on a touchscreen.
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For with what measure you measure it will be measured to you.

OK new update. I loved my HTC Evo 3D. I really did, but the nag of %100 no WiMAX 4G data EVER in OKC and VERY VERY slow 3G data was really grating on me. I was paying a 4G premium and getting lousy 3G speeds.

I saw that Sprint was changing the shared plans pricing breakout which normally wouldn't change what you are paying a month unless you have a discount. I have a discount and so my bill went up. I took the "This is a material change in my contract" route and got them to terminate my contract with no early termination fees (ETF).

I ended up going back to Verizon. Their customer service sucks ass, but you just cant argue with the 4G rates I'm getting. (around 10 Mb down 1.6 up). Its a little more expensive than Sprint but I'm happier. And just for the record, Sprint was incredibly helpful and polite with the whole ETF thing and made no bones about it. They did only give me one day to port over my numbers tho, which forced us to go to the verizon store and pay outrageous prices for phones. I do have to say that if I had been trying to do the same thing with a Verizon rep it probably would have degenerated down to 5th grade school yard name calling.

I got the Droid Razr. My initial impressions of this stupid thing is that its just much much too thin. Its very uncomfortable in my hand and I'm afraid of it flying out of my hand and dropping. And this is with a freakin otterbox around it!!! Without the otterbox on it its just unusable. I'm all for smaller is better in most cases but I think I've found one where I would rather have a little thicker of a device for comfort. That said its faster than my Evo 3D, the screen is much nicer, and I get te same amount of battery life from it. + freakin fast 4G speeds.
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For with what measure you measure it will be measured to you.

That's how I feel about my SGS2 Skyrocket. Way too thin.

I finally got used to it, then I got a grippy PVC cover from Amazon.

Time for my bi-monthly update with all this crap, heh. Turns out Sprint was not so helpful after all. I got a bill in the mail from Sprint for $1,445 dollars. It took 10+ calls over 3 weeks to finally get the charges dropped, and that was after each time giving them the "confirmation number" I was given that there would be no ETF. It turned out to be the hugest pain in the ass I've ever gone through with a telco. They even made my wife cry when she tried talking with them about it, those bastards. I guess once your off their network, there's no reason for them to be nice to you and want to help you anymore.

Wow, I said so many nice things about sprint customer service and not only do I wish I could take them back and erase them from history, I feel like I need to cut off my fingers and gouge out my eyes for ever typing it.

But finally I am done with Sprint, possibly forever. *knock on wood*

PS> I found out that if I had never left Verizon, based on my old unlimited family plan I was on, I would have been grandfathered in on unlimited data for all phones for the standard smartphone fee. *sigh* fisk me.
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For with what measure you measure it will be measured to you.

The grass isn't always greener. I'd take Verizon great network and service over the occasional customer service problem, which I've never had by the way.

That sucks Shin. What is ETF?

Early Termination Fee

Menos wrote: The grass isn't always greener. I'd take Verizon great network and service over the occasional customer service problem, which I've never had by the way.

LightningCrash wrote: Early Termination Fee