I traveled all over the southwest as well as the east coast with a iPhone 4 using AT&T and a Millenicom 3G air card. Although there were a few places where I had AT&T coverage but no Verizon (the carrier for the Millenicom card) it was far more likely that there would be Verizon than AT&T. If you are out in the sticks, you will find some locations with no coverage from any service.
Once you get your iPhone, get the Coverage app for it. Gives street level 3G, 4G, Roaming, etc maps for Verizon, AT&T, Spring & TMobile.
enblethen wrote: I would look at different phones then "I" products.
I would look at other phones besides the iPhone but, unfortunately, my wife is already familiar with Apple products. She is not at all tech savvy and for the sake of her sanity and mine I think I need to limit it to iPhones.
Maybe you need to walk her into a Verizon store and ask the questions, let her play with a 4G Android vs a Iphone and then decide what would be best for your needs.
Donn,Lorri,Max (The Rescued Lab)
Resident Know It All
Just my reasoning....Like others have said the iPhone is not 4G yet. I just switch from AT&T to Verizon due to coverage problem with AT&T including my home area. I elected to go with a Motorola Droid Razr because it is 4G and can be tethered to my laptop at no additional charge. For an additional $20. the Razr can become a wi-fi hotspot for up to 5 wi-fi units. That was the selling point for me. After 15 years with AT&T I am much happier with the coverage of Verizon.
Chuck
02 Travel Supreme, 2 street side slides
09 Toyota Tacoma 2WD
we had sprint, then went to verizon. sprint coverage was and still is lousy in our area. With sprint I had to force my phone to roam and use the verizon networks to get coverage at our house, and even then it was hit and miss. Verizon coverage is a huge improvement, we have 4G and it is WAY faster than AT&T's 4G in our area and dropped call are very very rare, don't remember the last dropped call we had. DS has AT&T and 4g is slow and coverage is ok, but not as good as verizon and he still gets way to many dropped calls. But there are areas in the midwest/west where verizon coverage isn't as good as AT&T (idaho, MT, etc).
The only advantage I've seen with AT&T using GSM is that you can be on the web and phone at the same time. Verizon/sprint you can't. One or the other. Don't know if that is a CDMA limitation or a carrier limitation.
2011 Keystone Outback 295RE
2004 14' bikehauler with full living quarters
2004.5 Silverado 4x4 CC/SB Duramax/Allison
I have had the iphone with both cell phone services (AT&T and Verizon). I currently have the iphone 4S and prefer Verizon, which I found to have better cell phone coverage than AT&T. I also obtained the hotspot which enables 5 internet devices to access internet services for an extra $20 per month.
My advice is worth what you paid for it!
Both of us are Retired Law Enforcement
2003 Pace Arrow 36B
Ansel Adams Edition
3 slide outs
FMCA
Good Sams Lifetime Member
If you are looking for coverage, number one consideration should be your local area where you live and work. But if you desire your iPhone for travel then Sprint is not a bargain. For one, they do not have very good coverage outside of metro areas and except maybe along major freeways. I had a Sprint network mifi card that proved to be pretty much useless. Secondly, you may find you really don't need an unlimited plan. I've never gone over a gigabyte in all my travels in a month's time and at home never over 200 mb. At home I use my home wifi and in most metro areas when out shopping it is difficult not to find a free wifi hotspot anymore. To me that leaves Verizon and AT&T. A few years ago I would have said no question Verizon because of superior coverage but AT&T has made dramatic strides in the past couple of years and I find little difference between them in our travels now. Given that I stayed with AT&T when I upgraded to the iPhone 4S for two reasons--AT&T's 3G speeds are considerably faster and you can talk on the phone and be on the internet simultaneously. As far as traveling goes 4G is not yet a prime decider for RV activities yet.
Davydd
2011 Great West Van Legend Sprinter B Camper Van
Visited states in an RV
As you said yourself, the decision is between true unlimited data and coverage area. I have had Sprint for several years - I do not have an Android or an Iphone, but we do have standard data service on our phones. So far we have not traveled further west than West Virginia and no further south than South Carolina. We have had no problem with coverage BUT I know that if we head west and even to other areas on the East Coast that we have not been to we will encounter problems with data coverage. You will not encounter problems with voice coverage because Sprint roams onto the Verizon network when you are off Sprint's map. This is not the case with data, however and for that you are stuck with the many holes in the Sprint map. If you want the broadest data coverage that you can get, despite the limitations to how many gb you have available to you, then you want to get your Iphone4S from Verizon. You will have data coverage almost everywhere you go and if Verizon has no service somewhere - no one does.
1775 wrote: As you said yourself, the decision is between true unlimited data and coverage area. I have had Sprint for several years - I do not have an Android or an Iphone, but we do have standard data service on our phones. So far we have not traveled further west than West Virginia and no further south than South Carolina. We have had no problem with coverage BUT I know that if we head west and even to other areas on the East Coast that we have not been to we will encounter problems with data coverage. You will not encounter problems with voice coverage because Sprint roams onto the Verizon network when you are off Sprint's map. This is not the case with data, however and for that you are stuck with the many holes in the Sprint map. If you want the broadest data coverage that you can get, despite the limitations to how many gb you have available to you, then you want to get your Iphone4S from Verizon. You will have data coverage almost everywhere you go and if Verizon has no service somewhere - no one does.
My 4G Sprint Android phone will roam for data or phone service. There is a setting for both in the setup menu.
I am on the east coast and have no signal issues with Sprint.
I use my phone a lot and have no overage issues. I have not had any other service providers to compare to but Sprint works well in my area.
07'Duramax dually,12'Open Range 399BHS
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