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Thinking about leaving for t-mobile prepaid, advice?

amk2795

amk2795

Well-Known Member
I'm currently on the $35/mo with the EVO V and while it's good and all, I'm looking for something with some pizzaz (I can't help the incredible jealousy I feel towards my boyfriend who just jumped ship from the EVO V to the Galaxy Note II) and the Nexus 4 seems like the kind of gorgeous phone I could deal with, haha.

I was thinking about switching to the $30 Unlimited Web & Text with 100 Minutes Talk prepaid T-Mobile plan with the Nexus 4, does this seem like a good plan? I text like crazy (a good few hundred a day easy) but rarely ever call (100 minutes would be plenty, honestly) and I use a fair amount of web but not a huge crazy excessive amount. I think this would be a decent plan for me, AND it's $5 cheaper than VM.

I can't see any flaws with this plan....is there something I'm overlooking, or is this pretty much the perfect combination?
 
It sounds like a great plan for you. I switched to it this summer with the Galaxy Nexus and have no regrets. My download speeds are better with T-Mobile, on my Galaxy Nexus, than what I saw with Virgin and the Nexus 4 should be even faster. The only caution I might give is to ensure you have good T-Mobile coverage where you will be using the phone.

Everything I'm seeing on the Nexus 4 is that it is a great phone, as well. And it is wonderful to get Android updates as Google releases them.

Feel free to ask if you have more questions.
 
I used to use T-Mobile prepaid and I loved it! I only changed services because my phone was just dying and I couldn't afford to buy a new one outright. even if the coverage is not too great where you live, I was always able to use wifi calling/texting to make up for it. especially out in the sticks, this works wonders!
 
Fabulous :D

Do any of you think the Nexus 4 will be back in stock/better availability by the end of February? (my birthday and money and yay)
 
It depends on where you live, if you have no HSPA+ T-Mobile coverage, but great WiMax Sprint coverage, maybe you'll be disappointed. Otherwise, I suspect you will be quite pleased with the change.
 
amk2795 said:
I'm currently on the $35/mo with the EVO V and while it's good and all, I'm looking for something with some pizzaz (I can't help the incredible jealousy I feel towards my boyfriend who just jumped ship from the EVO V to the Galaxy Note II) and the Nexus 4 seems like the kind of gorgeous phone I could deal with, haha.

I was thinking about switching to the $30 Unlimited Web & Text with 100 Minutes Talk prepaid T-Mobile plan with the Nexus 4, does this seem like a good plan? I text like crazy (a good few hundred a day easy) but rarely ever call (100 minutes would be plenty, honestly) and I use a fair amount of web but not a huge crazy excessive amount. I think this would be a decent plan for me, AND it's $5 cheaper than VM.

I can't see any flaws with this plan....is there something I'm overlooking, or is this pretty much the perfect combination?
Click to expand...

That's what I did, well not quite yet, it's scheduled for early delivery for tomorrow, but I already have my micro sim from T-Mobile. I've been using my Evo V with Google Voice/Talkatone for minutes (voice and 3G is deactivated but I'm still able to connect to 4G for some odd reason) until the N⁴ comes in. I'm probably gonna continue using those 2 for minutes if I user my phone to make actual phone calls. 100 minutes should be more than enough for me.
 
I have meh WiMax and I'm sure it's fine T-Mobile, I'm right outside of Chicago so there's really no company that doesn't service my area.
 
I'm in Las Vegas and coverage for pretty much every carrier is good...except Sprint's 3G is painfully slow at times. Normally I can get 1mb down and as high as 2.4 mb. 4G in most places is anywhere from 6-15mb down. But I can't use a nexus 4 on VM :P
 
aurora40 said:
It depends on where you live, if you have no HSPA+ T-Mobile coverage, but great WiMax Sprint coverage, maybe you'll be disappointed. Otherwise, I suspect you will be quite pleased with the change.
Click to expand...

I would expect, with how little area is actually covered by WiMax, that most places that have WiMax coverage have T-Mobile HSPA+. I know I have far better HSPA+ coverage in the areas I use my phone than I ever had WiMax coverage.
 
I can't add a whole lot to the good comments already posted.

I am a fan of Virgin, and of Richard Branson and his companies (albeit Sprint is the driver of the brand in the US).

I have both services. As you know, T-Mo is a GSM carrier, and Virgin (Sprint) is a CDMA carrier. Two very different technologies and two very different coverage footprints. As someone already mentioned, make sure you have coverage with T-Mo, and I'd not just rely upon the online maps, make sure an active T-Mo prepaid phone is working well where you are going to use it by testing the service first - if possible.

I have had T-Mo service for over five years both pre-pay and post-pay. They are getting better, but I have had very bad luck with coverage as I travel. Perhaps you don't travel as much, so it's not a big issue to you. I don't think the pre-pay T-Mo roams, but I suppose I could be mistaken. I'm currently using their MVNO (Simple Mobile) and it sure does not roam.

T-Mo is also a primary carrier, and not an MVNO (Mobile Virtual Network Operator) like Virgin and Simple Mobile whom piggy-back off of of Sprint's and T-Mo's primary carrier networks. There are thousands of iPhone users migrating every day from ATT to T-Mobile with their "UNLOCKED" iPhones to save big bucks on the T-Mo $50 all you can eat plan. The drawback is that the T-Mobile Network does not support all bands for the new iPhone 4s and 5, so you get EDGE speeds rather than 3g, or 4g. They are working on this at T-Mo and have made modifications in major markets, but it's slow going. I would wonder if all the new traffic is going to effect data speeds at least in the short run for T-Mo. iPhones sure can eat up some serious data.

Bottom line, I personally prefer Virgin - it works for me and I like my Android phone that I use on Virgin. But if you want to be able to easily change your phone by swapping SIM cards, and want the latest and greatest phones from a primary carrier, and have good coverage with T-Mo's GSM signal where you live/work, then by all means, make the hop. You can always come back to Virgin!

Good luck in your decision.

.;)
 
vmforlife said:
I can't add a whole lot to the good comments already posted.

I am a fan of Virgin, and of Richard Branson and his companies (albeit Sprint is the driver of the brand in the US).

I have both services. As you know, T-Mo is a GSM carrier, and Virgin (Sprint) is a CDMA carrier. Two very different technologies and two very different coverage footprints. As someone already mentioned, make sure you have coverage with T-Mo, and I'd not just rely upon the online maps, make sure an active T-Mo prepaid phone is working well where you are going to use it by testing the service first - if possible.

I have had T-Mo service for over five years both pre-pay and post-pay. They are getting better, but I have had very bad luck with coverage as I travel. Perhaps you don't travel as much, so it's not a big issue to you. I don't think the pre-pay T-Mo roams, but I suppose I could be mistaken. I'm currently using their MVNO (Simple Mobile) and it sure does not roam.

T-Mo is also a primary carrier, and not an MVNO (Mobile Virtual Network Operator) like Virgin and Simple Mobile whom piggy-back off of of Sprint's and T-Mo's primary carrier networks. There are thousands of iPhone users migrating every day from ATT to T-Mobile with their "UNLOCKED" iPhones to save big bucks on the T-Mo $50 all you can eat plan. The drawback is that the T-Mobile Network does not support all bands for the new iPhone 4s and 5, so you get EDGE speeds rather than 3g, or 4g. They are working on this at T-Mo and have made modifications in major markets, but it's slow going. I would wonder if all the new traffic is going to effect data speeds at least in the short run for T-Mo. iPhones sure can eat up some serious data.

Bottom line, I personally prefer Virgin - it works for me and I like my Android phone that I use on Virgin. But if you want to be able to easily change your phone by swapping SIM cards, and want the latest and greatest phones from a primary carrier, and have good coverage with T-Mo's GSM signal where you live/work, then by all means, make the hop. You can always come back to Virgin!

Good luck in your decision.

.;)
Click to expand...

I'm going to disagree with you a bit on the travel issue. While I will agree T-Mobile leaves a lot to be desired, the fact is that Virgin Mobile overall isn't much/any better. There are areas where one or both might work while traveling, the question is which is better in your area. We've already discussed the 400 mile stretch east of Denver where Virgin Mobile doesn't work at all, and there are plenty of other areas like that.

If considering either Virgin Mobile or T-Mobile, I agree you should "test drive" if you can, to get an idea of how they work. The reason many of us left Virgin Mobile is because service, particularly data speeds, were terrible in the areas where we use our phones. For me, too many times I was getting "dial up" speeds despite having a strong 3G signal and, even though I am in a major city, there were huge holes in WiMax coverage in the areas where I use my phone.

I'll also agree it will be interesting to see how both develop over the next couple of years, particularly as they roll out their LTE. Both will be aided by acquisitions (assuming they will be approved), with T-Mobile taking over Metro PCS and Sprint gaining some of US Cellular's Midwest network. I am hoping both improve significantly as the US really needs more competition between mobile carriers. I'm also hoping that T-Mobile's dumping subsidized phone plans might improve service for non-contract plans.
 
I was considering making the jump to the iPhone for the $30/mo with VM and then I stopped and laughed. $450 for the 4S with 16GB and a puny screen and $350 for only 8GB (and we all know that iOS takes up mounds of room) seemed like a bad choice over the beautiful 4.7" screen of the N4. Also it comes with Vanilla Android and I think that beats out iOS.

Watch me wind up with the iPhone anyway.....sigh.

I bet I won't be able to get more than $100 for my EVO anyway. POO
 
Nice thing is, it's pay-as-you-go. Switch any time you want, and you can always come back if you're not happy with the switch.
Or keep switching until you find something that works for you.

Again, for me, having tried Simple Mobile (MVNO of T-Mo), T-Mobile, ATT (my former iPhone 4s), and H20, I found that Virgin was the very finest fit. Your mileage may vary. :D No one service is going to meet the needs of every person. At least, not today. Perhaps some day.

Regarding iPhone, I used one for a year (the 4s) on ATT. Full service. It was nice, but I preferred my Android. I compared the two side by side, and for me, the Android Operating System was a better match. It seemed more intuitive to me. And I like the option of having "Back" and "Menu" and "HOME" buttons on the bottom of the phone, as opposed to Apples solo big button. I remember when I first got the iPhone and opened an MMS picture full screen and could not figure out how to get back to the standard Texting application. If you pressed the Big Button, you went to the main screen showing all the apps. Touch the TEXT app again and you went back to the open MMS picture you had up, and so on, and so on - stuck in a loop. It took me a while to figure out to "tap" on the MMS picture and you were finally presented with an option that put you back to the TEXTing main screen. Also, and I know this is picky, but things like being able to hold your finger on a TEXT and get a pop-up sub menu for call, or email on Android was preferable to me rather than having to scroll all the way to the top of the TEXT String to get these choices on a top menu banner on iOS. There are many similar things that I preferred the Android OS over the iOS, but that's me. You may like iOS better. I also think Apple is over-priced for what you get compared to Android. Again, my opinion of course.

Anyway, to each their own. Good luck in your quest for the provider and phone that works for you.
 
I'll check back with you guys in a week once the battery gets settled in. I already know battery life is going to be not what I'm used to coming from using a 4000mAh battery on the Evo. Got 10 hours off the initial charge, mostly on Wi-Fi and moderate to heavy usage.

Edit: I intend to keep this completely stock. Custom kernels usually have better performance and battery life but I'm kind of worn down on constantly flashing ROMs and kernels, so this would be based on being completely stock.
 
To the original point of the post;

When I travel on business, I have my BlackBerry on Simple Mobile (T-Mo MVNO) and my Virgin Mobile Elite with me.

It seems when I stick to major highways in the Midwest or MidAtlantic states, I have better luck with Virgin then T-Mo. West Virginia is a good example. I don't really do business in West Virginia but I drive through it a lot. There is No T-Mo MVNO coverage at all in that state, but good Virgin/Sprint coverage on major highways.

I have great coverage on both carriers in major cities like Las Vegas or LA OR NYC or Honolulu. It's the remote towns and smaller cities where I find it difficult to have just one phone to rely on. Actually, ATT seems to be the best, and I have had an iPhone on ATT contract, and H20 on a pre-pay. Coverage was pretty darn good IMO. With H20's new deals, and with Walmarts Straight Talk ATT MVNO, I think that's a really nice option as well if you travel.

If you compare coverage as of today via the coverage maps on Virgin and Simple Mobile or T-Mo pre-pay, you see that T-Mobile obviously has the edge on real estate for coverage. It really depends on where you live/work and where you are going to travel to.

T-Mo's GSM Sim technology sure is convenient. That's a big plus for many.
 
vmforlife said:
To the original point of the post;

When I travel on business, I have my BlackBerry on Simple Mobile (T-Mo MVNO) and my Virgin Mobile Elite with me.

It seems when I stick to major highways in the Midwest or MidAtlantic states, I have better luck with Virgin then T-Mo. West Virginia is a good example. I don't really do business in West Virginia but I drive through it a lot. There is No T-Mo MVNO coverage at all in that state, but good Virgin/Sprint coverage on major highways.

I have great coverage on both carriers in major cities like Las Vegas or LA OR NYC or Honolulu. It's the remote towns and smaller cities where I find it difficult to have just one phone to rely on. Actually, ATT seems to be the best, and I have had an iPhone on ATT contract, and H20 on a pre-pay. Coverage was pretty darn good IMO. With H20's new deals, and with Walmarts Straight Talk ATT MVNO, I think that's a really nice option as well if you travel.

If you compare coverage as of today via the coverage maps on Virgin and Simple Mobile or T-Mo pre-pay, you see that T-Mobile obviously has the edge on real estate for coverage. It really depends on where you live/work and where you are going to travel to.

T-Mo's GSM Sim technology sure is convenient. That's a big plus for many.
Click to expand...

A small correction, Straight Talk is not owned by Walmart. Rather, Straight Talk and Simple Mobile (at least since this summer) are both owned by TracFone, which is owned by Am
 
Got this, this morning, on HSPA+ 42
 

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mogelijk said:
A small correction, Straight Talk...etc.
Click to expand...

Ownership aside, Straight Talk is distributed exclusively by WalMart. FWIW, Straight Talk resells service from all four nationwide network operators. This article describes how to figure out which underlying network operator(s) are available to you and how to choose one over another.
 
vmforlife said:
To the original point of the post;

When I travel on business, I have my BlackBerry on Simple Mobile (T-Mo MVNO) and my Virgin Mobile Elite with me.

It seems when I stick to major highways in the Midwest or MidAtlantic states, I have better luck with Virgin then T-Mo. West Virginia is a good example. I don't really do business in West Virginia but I drive through it a lot. There is No T-Mo MVNO coverage at all in that state, but good Virgin/Sprint coverage on major highways.

I have great coverage on both carriers in major cities like Las Vegas or LA OR NYC or Honolulu. It's the remote towns and smaller cities where I find it difficult to have just one phone to rely on. Actually, ATT seems to be the best, and I have had an iPhone on ATT contract, and H20 on a pre-pay. Coverage was pretty darn good IMO. With H20's new deals, and with Walmarts Straight Talk ATT MVNO, I think that's a really nice option as well if you travel.

If you compare coverage as of today via the coverage maps on Virgin and Simple Mobile or T-Mo pre-pay, you see that T-Mobile obviously has the edge on real estate for coverage. It really depends on where you live/work and where you are going to travel to.

T-Mo's GSM Sim technology sure is convenient. That's a big plus for many.
Click to expand...
i agree with you on this one i had t-mobile a couple years ago and i went to west virginia, no coverage at all, i am with boost mobile now and when i went there i had full coverage throughout most of the state except for certain remote parts, i live in ohio, and t-mobile service is very weak in my town 2g at the most, which is why im sticking with boost mobile, but t-mobile performs well in highly populated areas, most major cities i have been to have great hpsa+ coverage with t-mobile. but overall virgin/boost is my preference.
 
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