[Fox5]

Wondering if anyone here has any opinions on which is the best.(and reasons why)

I've been thinking of getting one, and I don't use phones much so I'm looking for the cheapest plan possible with the most nifty features. For instance, voicemail is good, and the best phone for the dollar would be good too.

[Mize]

I have t-mobile, AT&T (Cingular) and Verizon (non prepay all but the networks are the same).

Verizon has by far the best coverage in non-urban areas. They still have a strong analog network even for phones that still have analog (mine does). I need this phone to visit remote customers (hazardous waste incinerators are never in town), but it cannot roam overseas. For that the T-mobile is best. Cingular and T-mobile are pretty comparable as they're both GSM now.

[Fox5]

Hmm, Verizon happens to have one of the most expensive prepay phones.(I think around 50 cents a minute)

[RussSchultz]

Originally Posted by Mize

Cingular and T-mobile are pretty comparable as they're both GSM now.

I believe that phones are programed to prefer the providers towers (presumably because using a competitors tower costs them). I've found in my area, anyways, that t-mobile does a much better job of keeping connections than cingular.

My wife and I switched to cingular, but had to drop them because service in her office was unbearably bad.

[Mize]

Originally Posted by Fox5

Hmm, Verizon happens to have one of the most expensive prepay phones.(I think around 50 cents a minute)

Holy shit!
I pay about $140 for 2000 minutes, unlimited nights/weekends and unlimited data (I have a palm phone) for email and browsing and I think *I* overpay!