Treo 650 better carrier ? Cingular or Verizon ?

[sunny723]

I'm about to get a new Treo 650 in Houston, TX. I narrowed the carriers down to Cingular and Verizon. The pricing for the phone is as follow: Cingular priced it at $419 after a rebate when the voice and data plan is purchased. Verizon priced it at $299 after a $100 rebate when the voice and data plan is purchased. The monthly plan rates are about the same.

Now, my question is which has the better coverage to make best use of the Treo 650 ? Cingular or Verizon ?

I do not see why to pay > $100 to Cingular just for the phone. I even see cheaper deals online to buy the Treo 650 but those are after mail in rebate and I don't like the hassle of returning it or other customer service issues when purchasing it online.

Any help would be much appreciated.

[xxpinballxx]

first off you can get a treo 650 through a defferent website with data plan purchase for 179.99......

the coverage would depend on the area....Cingular has EDGE which is nice if its available in your area.....

I would check with people in the area who have the services and come to some conclusion that way......
I mean i had t-mobile and it was terrible.....but a friend in Alabama had perfect reception......

[chris]

What about Sprint - their data plan is still only $15 a month. Compared to Verizon, that's a savings of $360 over a year.

[tfarnham]

All costs aside, and even though I get pretty good customer service from Cingular, my best friend is with Verizon in the same area as me and he gets far better coverage.

[miss_kav]

first off you can get a treo 650 through a defferent website with data plan purchase for 179.99......

the coverage would depend on the area....Cingular has EDGE which is nice if its available in your area.....

I would check with people in the area who have the services and come to some conclusion that way......
I mean i had t-mobile and it was terrible.....but a friend in Alabama had perfect reception......

where was your friend who had the bad t-mobile service? i have it now (but no treo phone yet) and am thinking about trying to break my contract to get a treo 650.

[chris]

where was your friend who had the bad t-mobile service? i have it now (but no treo phone yet) and am thinking about trying to break my contract to get a treo 650.

I had t-Mobile service here in Long Island, NY and wasn't a fan. That being said, I hear coverage is very good in Manhattan. Just be sure to check what you'll have to pay if you break the contract.

Good luck.
Chris

[mcdblake]

I must say that I do not recommend Cingular. Their "raising the bar" campaign must not apply to the Boston area. If you get cingular and travel to Boston ever, get used to dropped calls. I would strongly recommend verizon or sprint (sprint would be my preference b/c of the huge cost savings & I never have trouble with sprint service).

[saras]

I do not see why to pay > $100 to Cingular just for the phone. I even see cheaper deals online to buy the Treo 650 but those are after mail in rebate and I don't like the hassle of returning it or other customer service issues when purchasing it online.

Any help would be much appreciated.

I already have a voice / data plan with Cingular Blackberry. Is there a cost effective way to switch to a Treo 650, other than paying the $400 odd for a Treo?

[chris]

I already have a voice / data plan with Cingular Blackberry. Is there a cost effective way to switch to a Treo 650, other than paying the $400 odd for a Treo?

If you are under contract, the best thing would be to call Cingular and see how much the Treo would be if you extended your contract (and without an extension). You will always get the best deal on a new Treo (or any other phone) with a new contract. Once a new Palm based Treo comes out, they will be more affordable on eBay.

-Chris

[padamson]

first off you can get a treo 650 through a defferent website with data plan purchase for 179.99......

the coverage would depend on the area....Cingular has EDGE which is nice if its available in your area.....

I would check with people in the area who have the services and come to some conclusion that way......
I mean i had t-mobile and it was terrible.....but a friend in Alabama had perfect reception......

Where can you get one for that price? Is it available there for Cingular service? That's the only company with decent coverage in my area (Western KY).