I mentioned in April 2011 that the hubby finally acquiesced and joined ‘modern technology’ by signing us up for a family plan with AT&T and picked up some SmartPhones for us to replace our previous DumbPhones. 

We opted to go with Android – Samsung, to be exact, since we have a good track record with our other Samsung products and that ‘good track record’ computes to loyalty from us.  Of course way back then it was the first edition of the Galaxy, also known as the Captivate:

They’ve served us well, with the exception of me updating the firmware on my phone a few months ago and now my phone needs to be rebooted daily by popping the battery out, and even then it acts wonky and definitely not as reliable as it was before.  Very annoying.  When I was at BlogHer I chatted with the Samsung reps there, and the only solution they had to offer was for me to get a new phone – since mine is now, after a year-and-a-half, the old version.

If the budget could handle it, I would love to get the newest version of the Galaxy, the Galaxy S III:

It’s thinner and more lightweight than my current phone, and does a lot more than mine does as well.  I’ve also thought about getting the Samsung Galaxy Note, which is more like a combo phone mini-tablet (even though I already have the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.2) but having a phone that doubles as a tablet would be cool:

Regardless of which phone I decide to upgrade to, I have a slight conundrum.  AT&T hasn’t been all that reliable as a service – getting cell signal when we really need it has been iffy at best.  Even here at home, I have one signal bar.  One.   If I use it to talk to anyone, it’s crackly and cuts out, so I don’t bother.  Sometimes it’ll be the next day before I get a text message – because the signal drops more than not.

We will be eligible for a free phone upgrade in November – though I’ll be curious to what that really means – a phone they decide would be part of the ‘free upgrade’ or a phone we want?  But in the meantime, we’ve been talking about looking into other phone services – Verizon, T-Mobile…anyone else besides AT&T. 

Since the ‘free’ upgrade means we’d be signing another 2-year contract with AT&T (and we might have to pay something to get the phone we want), we’d also subjecting ourselves to their less than stellar coverage.  Maybe we’d be better off signing a 2-year contract with an alternate service instead.

Which brings me to this week’s question:

Who do you have for your cell phone service?  Are you happy with their coverage?

Have a great weekend.

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Happy Aloha Friday!

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From Kailani at An Island Life:
In Hawaii, Aloha Friday is the day that we take it easy and look forward to the weekend. So on Fridays let’s take it easy on posting, too. Ask a simple question…nothing that requires a lengthy response. It’s a great way to make new blogging friends!

 

More Friday Follow Fun:

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18 Comments

  3. We have Sprint and are very happy. Supposedly they are the only ones with truly unlimited data. My husband and I both have android EVOs and two of my teens have IPhones – we never have to watch our data use because it’s unlimited. The only small complaint I have is that I don’t think Sprint offers as good of deals on purchase prices of phones as some of the other companies. But, the plans are great.
    Kari would like you to read ..Aloha Friday – Dessert, Anyone?My Profile

  5. We have been with Verizon forever. They have consistent coverage. While at a conference at Walt Disney World, we were the only ones that had constant 4G network and no issues with our phones. They may be a bit more money, but without a land line these phones have to be reliable. We opted not to go with Sprint because locally people have had issues.
    Beth – TheAngelForever would like you to read ..Monopoly DreamingMy Profile

  6. We have AT&T and while the service here is as good as just about any carrier–we live in the the “rural” part of the country and service can be spotty at best–we will most likely be changing to Verison–they have a better discount deal with the university than AT&T does. If we are going to pay up the wazoo, we might as well get all the discounts we can.
    VandyJ would like you to read ..Confessions!My Profile

  7. We have AT&T and it has been awesome! We live in a large city so we have coverage everywhere! We also have family who lives in VERY rural areas…seriously population 20! And our coverage is amazing there too! We switched from t-mobile who we had for about 10 years because the service was so poor for us.

    Thanks for stopping by my page! I love the fall too!!!
    Britni would like you to read ..Encourage Me!My Profile

  8. I have Verizon, and just upgraded to the Droid Razr. Don’t ask me why – I can’t even remember to take the damn thing with me half the time (I don’t particularly like phones). But, it has Google Maps and a GPS, which makes it worth every penny, since I could get lost in the second story of our house.
    Jan’s Sushi Bar would like you to read ..Let’s Get PhysicalMy Profile

  10. T-Mobile, and yes & no. I like it that you can call someone of the same service and it’s free, but they are very expensive so I don’t get any extras with my phone like texting, on-line stuff or anything. Just calling. We live on a tight budget and I’m pretty good at managing it if I do say so myself just as long as they extra luxury stuff is omitted. Guess that’s why I like entering give-aways so much. Not that I’m all that lucky, but if you don’t mine I’d like to give my opinion about the big entry give-aways. Lately these give-aways have over 1,000 heck over 10,000 entries. I’d like to try especially when it’s really cool stuff like I’ve been trying for a year to win a Kindle & no luck. Those kind of entries I just pass on by cuz I just don’t have that kind of luck and to me it’s a waste of time & I’m not the only one that thinks like that. Have a great weekend Girlfriend & hugs to the kiddies!
    Xmasdolly would like you to read ..FLASHBACK ALOHA FRIDAY!My Profile

  13. That one looks nice.

    My phone died, but we couldn’t afford to upgrade to the smartphone because of budget.

    We still have At&t. I’m not sure how I feel about them. Seems they’ve been okay with us so far, but yes I did notice my phone had one bar, but when I went to dial, the bars went up. Not sure what that is about.

    Happy weekend and good luck with what you choose.
    JamericanSpice / Colette S would like you to read ..Flowers Vs FlowersMy Profile

  14. Does anyone really 100% love their service? Years ago I had an individual plan with Sprint that was fantastic. Things have changed and now freeloaders need a phone (why???).

    I’ve already booked Blogher for next year. Maybe you’ll be there too???

    Have a great weekend!
    Harriet would like you to read ..What was the last promise you broke?My Profile

  17. We are with Tmobile and have been with them since 2000. My husband talked me into the Android system too…guess what phone we have? The Galaxy S – first edition too! 🙂 I had a few issues but I don’t have to pop my battery out. I have not done any updates and probably won’t after hearing your story. I do like the Samsungs although we might go with a windows phone once we upgrade. Still researching.
    Tammy would like you to read ..Sunday Giveaway Showcase – Ton of Great Giveaways!My Profile

  18. Isn’t it At&t is far more expensive than any other plans offered by other companies? A good friend of mine changed her plan from At&t to Virginmobile because of its very cheap unlimited call, text and data usage. She’s pretty happy with her plan, but not really sure if the company has that family bundle that would be ideal on your part.
    Cristian Stan would like you to read ..Best Steam Mop Reviews 2012My Profile

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