International Texting

International texting is now offered by many service providers like Verizon and Sprint. So when talking to a friend or relative is not an option international texting is simple and fast way to communicate with those in other countries. Pricing can be as low as 20 cents per message. For companies like Verizon you send and receive international texting from up to 70 countries paying only 25 cents for outgoing messages and 20 cents for incoming. Better yet they don't count against your monthly allowances.

International texting and how it works

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1. Find the country code and international carrier for the destination

International Texting

2. Send the international text as if you were making the call

3. If you run into problems just confirm that person is using a participation carrier

4. If you don't have a text enables phone go to Verizon wireless and look for their get TXT service

Remember when sending performing international texting that use the standard 10 digit number simply type that number and send your text. When the service does not use the 10 digit number you must start with 011 and locate the country code. Costs sending and receiving international texting while in the US is different when you are traveling internationally. check with your service provider for more information.

Depending on your provider you should be able to send and receive international texting. But remember to make sure the participating carrier is correct and if the person you are trying to text doesn't have the 10 digit code you must start with 011 and then the country code.

A new service allow bring text and chat together for the first time. The service is called chat to text and the application can be applied to your social networking page or your website or blog. Now when customers or friends are on your site they can communicate with your via this live chat application. You do not have to be in front of your computer to communication because the messages are sent to your cell phone. The first service of its kind and much cheaper than your normal standard live chat applications.

They also have a referral program for inviting others to use the service and with over 145 million people alone using Facebook there is a lot of potential.

International Texting

Who Has The Best Unlimited Plan?

There has been tons of press lately about the new unlimited cellular plans being offered by the four major carriers, Sprint, Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T. Verizon was the first to offer an unlimited plan for .99 a couple weeks back. AT&T and T-Mobile followed suit quickly with their own .99 unlimited plans. Sprint took about ten days to announce their Simply Unlimited plan and it appears to be the best deal out there.

Here is a quick comparison of the unlimited cellular plans offered by Sprint, Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile.

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Unlimited Cellular Only

Who Has The Best Unlimited Plan?

AT&T .99

Sprint .99

T-Mobile .99

Verizon Wireless .99

Unlimited Cellular, Text Messaging and Picture Messaging

AT&T 9.99

Sprint .99

T-Mobile .99

Verizon Wireless 9.99

Unlimited Cellular, Text Messaging, Picture Messaging, Data Access, and Mobile E-mail

AT&T 4.99

Sprint .99

T-Mobile 9.99

Verizon Wireless 9.99

Family Plans for 5 lines of service with Unlimited Cellular, Text Messaging, Picture Messaging, Data Access and Mobile E-Mail

AT&T 4.95

Sprint 9.99

T-Mobile 9.95

Verizon 9.99

I think Sprint made a good move by holding off a couple days before coming in with their Simply Everything unlimited plan. By waiting, they were able so see what the other carriers offered and then offer something better. All the other carriers charge extra for premium content and messaging functions but not Sprint.

Sprint beats the competition by at least 10% in every category. In the unlimited cellular, text messaging, picture messaging, data access and mobile e-mail category, Sprint is able to beat Verizon by bucks. That is a huge amount on a monthly basis. Even if you had to break your Verizon contract, by switching to Sprint, you would be saving money after 5 months. And the family plans! 5 saving over the AT&T monthly is amazing.

Great job Sprint!

Who Has The Best Unlimited Plan?

Verizon Reverse Phone Lookup - Track a Phone Number Through Verizon

The Verizon reverse phone lookup tool is one of the common ways of tracing a phone number. Verizon is an American based company that provides broadband and telecommunication services with a website that offers for a free reverse phone look up. The type of search that this company offers is also very similar to the different companies that offer the same service.

There are many different reasons why one would like to access for a Verizon reverse phone lookup. Almost all of us have experienced receiving calls at some point in our life and sometimes they are funny and worth a 15-minute talk. However, there are those people who are constantly being troubled by prank calls at any given time and they can be very annoying. Sometimes they will wake you up in the middle of the night just to ask if you are already asleep or there are also those that will threaten you to break in your house or to harass one of your household members. There are also instances that you will just receive a ghost call and this is one of the most frustrating things that can happen to you.

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With a Caller ID, you can track down the number. However, you may not be aware that there are some telephone marketers that can actually fake the number that shows on your Caller ID. And so, if a particular number appears in your Caller ID, you are not really sure if that number is real or just made up. With a Verizon reverse phone lookup, you are assured that the all pieces of information that you will get are real, accurate, and reliable.

Verizon Reverse Phone Lookup - Track a Phone Number Through Verizon

There are several websites that provide for a reverse phone lookup and one of the most popular is the Verizon. The Verizon reverse phone lookup sources their data from the Superpages.com website that also sources their information from the Whitepages.com website. Just go to the Verizon website (at Verizon.com) and click on the Yellow/People Pages link at the Support section at the lower left side. The link will direct you to the Look up Tools page and there you can have several options on how you are going to do the search. You can either type in the phone number, but you can also put as many information as you know so that you can narrow down the results.

If you want to reduce your search into just a couple of seconds, you will have to pay for a very nominal fee. Furthermore, the information that you will be getting if you pay for their services is more accurate and comprehensive. So if you want a fast, accurate, and convenient way to trace phone numbers, then opt for a Verizon reverse phone lookup.

Verizon Reverse Phone Lookup - Track a Phone Number Through Verizon

I Receive Email But Cannot Send it Out - Why?

Ask any network administrator what is the most frequent customer question, and the likely answer is email.

The most popular email method uses two different services that work together, called POP and SMTP. POP (Post Office Protocol) receives email, and SMTP (Simple Mail Transport Protocol) sends email. Most people don't have trouble receiving email, and when they do it's usually because someone sent them a huge file, but problems with sending email are far more common.

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This is because the majority of large Internet service providers have set up safeguards in an effort to limit the amount of unsolicited email on their networks. Unfortunately, these safeguards often cause problems for legitimate users. For example, Cablevision's Optimum Online service, will only allow outgoing email using its own SMTP server, mail.optonline.com, which works on the default SMTP server setting,TCP port 25.

I Receive Email But Cannot Send it Out - Why?

So if you tried to send out email from your company laptop on an Optimum Online without using the Optonline SMTP server, your email would be stuck in the outgoing mailbox and you will probably get error messages referring to the SMTP server.

Changing the SMTP address in your email program is a straightforward process. If you are using Microsoft Outlook or Outlook Express, locate "Tools" from the top menu and then select "E-Mail Accounts" or "Accounts" depending on the version you are using. Then select the email account you want to access. Next hit the "Change" button and you will see the text area where you can change the SMTP address. (Note that all versions of Outlook and Outlook Express have different layouts, but the SMTP settings is always found in the "Tools > Accounts" menu.)

In the case of Optimum Online, we will need to the change the SMTP address to "mail.optonline.net". We also had to click on the "More Settings" button, which opened up a tabbed menu, from which we selected the "Outgoing Server". We then selected thecheck box next to "My outgoing server (SMTP) requires authentication" and below it choose the radio button for "Use the same settings as my incoming mail server."

Almost every major ISP, including Verizon, Time Warner, Earthlink, requires a similar configuration. You can usually find out how to configure Outlook by looking in the support section of the ISP's website. (To no surprise, the sections covering email are usually very extensive and include screenshots.) or by calling the ISP's support department.

A problem with using the ISP's email settings is they will only work when you are on that network. If you decide to bring your laptop to Starbucks or the office, you will need to change the SMTP configuration again.

But there is a way to work around the SMTP issue. Google allows Outlook users to send and receive email using POP and SMTP with its Gmail service. Gmail avoids the default SMTP port 25 used by all the bigISPs and instead uses TCP port 465 for SMTP. For incoming email using POP, Gmail uses TCP port 995 rather than the standard TCP port 110.

Gmail accounts are free and also have excellent spam filtering. If you need a second personal email account of if you want to switch your primary email to another provider and not have worry about whether you can send and receive email on a certain network, Gmail is an excellent choice.

So the next time, you plug your laptop into a new network and start getting email errors, the first place to look is the SMTP settings.

This is a list of SMTP settings for a few of the larger ISPs.

Time Warner (Roadrunner) smtp-server.nyc.rr.com
AT&T imailhost.worldnet.att.net (DSL) mailhost.att.net (Dial-up)
Comcast smtp.comcast.net
EarthLink smtpauth.earthlink.net
MSN secure.smtp.email.msn.com
Mindspring mail.mindspring.com
Netzero smtp.netzero.net
Optimum Online (CableVision) mail.optonline.net
Verizon outgoing.verizon.net or smtpout.verizon.net

I Receive Email But Cannot Send it Out - Why?

Verizon FIOS Vs ATT Uverse - How Does it Compare?

Verizon FIOS and ATT Uverse are two new avenues with the latest techniques in telecommunication, television viewing and high-speed internet management. Both providers use sophisticated mechanism to allure customers with high class multimedia viewing, telephone facilities and availability of internet. These companies are trying to attract customers with different promotional strategies so customers of satellite providers and cable connections are influenced adequately to switch over to the novel service.

Verizon is adopting the FTTP or 'fiber to the premises' technique and drawing fiber optic cable to each subscribing home. This process will cost very high because the direct connection with fiber cables will take more time and is an expensive proposition. The fact of the matter is that the company is not able to use the copper wire connection that is present there joining the field station and subscriber homes. To turn the same connection with fiber optic cable is a time taking arrangement and will eventually cost the company more to take it to the operational stage.

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On the other hand, ATT Uverse is confident to take advantage of the present fiber optic lines and copper connections joining the field station and subscriber homes for availability of the new service to customers. They are positive about their FTTN or 'fiber to the node' access system. The changeover takes relatively small time and involves lesser investment for the company as well as for the customers. The need to switch over to the FTTP access system will be a future possibility when there will be huge demand of bandwidth from customers. The required up gradation can be easily done at a future time with the additional demand from the market.

Verizon FIOS Vs ATT Uverse - How Does it Compare?

In reality Verizon is a most reliable system with several services for consumer use, which they have provided after continuous up gradation, expansions and meticulous maintenance credibility. The principal of service is quality, which they have built over the years, which have been achieved after huge expenditure on technology improvement on a regular basis with adequate use of will to offer the best service to customers. The company is not interested to compete with the satellite service providers or the cable companies on price ground. It is still to be seen whether the company fights with the competitor ATT Uverse on the same ground as both of them have adopted identical technology. The approach of ATT Uverse is to give relief to customers in rentals by way of discounts and they are continuing with their attitude of wooing subscribers by offering standard rates for services to homes. The company is able to enjoy this facility of providing reduced rates because of their current infrastructure, which they could use in the application of this new technique. The policy is welcome by customer for reduced rates of services which the company intends to exploit to their advantage at present.

It will take some time to engage the FTTP connections from Verizon FIOS because the cost of growth is very high and it has to be competed phase by phase. On the other hand, ATT Uverse has used the existing network to get more number of customers for their services at cheaper rates. The future is still a matter of debate when the market will be exploited by other entrants, but one thing is certain that the new technology has totally altered the approach to television viewing, high-speed connection on Internet and telephonic communication rates.

Verizon FIOS Vs ATT Uverse - How Does it Compare?

Black Friday Deals for Apple iPad in 2010 - Verizon Wireless Sells Table Device for Christmas

As we are getting very close to Halloween 2010 many Americans will begin to start thinking about Christmas gift ideas for their loved ones. One of the most popular gift ideas in 2010 is likely to be the Apple iPad. With this item being very hot many customers will hope that there are Black Friday iPad sales at retailers such as Verizon Wireless, Wal-Mart or Target. Unfortunately, this item continues to fly off the shelves so it is very unlikely that we will see any sales or deals for this tablet device during the holiday shopping season.

Before making any final decisions on a Christmas gift for your children, husband or wife in 2010 it is always important to see what will be on sale during the major shopping days. There is no doubt that Black Friday is the biggest shopping day of the year as millions of Americans will be out and about looking for the best possible discounts for items that they hoped to buy as Christmas presents. With there being many retailers offering steep discounts on very popular items it is always a good idea to plan ahead and think about which types of big-ticket items will be the best Christmas ideas.

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There has been great interest in the Apple iPad as millions of people throughout the world have purchased this item in 2010. It is quite amazing to see the sales growth of this item as anything Apple throws out there seems to sell very well. Now that the iPad has been around for several months it will be very interesting to see if the growth continues through the Christmas holiday. It will very likely be the case that many children and young adults will ask for this item as a Christmas gift but if there are no sales on this item it could be the case that customers resort to other tablet devices.

Black Friday Deals for Apple iPad in 2010 - Verizon Wireless Sells Table Device for Christmas

Over the next few weeks it will be the case that many people begin to start thinking about the holiday shopping season. Even though Black Friday is well over a month away it is still the case that thrifty shoppers begin to think about all of the possibilities to save money. If someone starts to ask you what a good Christmas gift idea would be then you know that this is a thrifty shopper that is already planning for the sales and deals that will be available during the busiest shopping day of the year.

Black Friday Deals for Apple iPad in 2010 - Verizon Wireless Sells Table Device for Christmas

A Look At The Top Cell Phone Service Providers

Choosing a cell phone, smart phone or 4G tablet isn't as easy as just reading reviews of the hardware. Picking the right cell phone service provider is crucial. Each of the major carriers offering cell phone service in the U.S. has their own lineup of phones, plans and features to offer, so what's the best way to choose? This guide to the four major U.S. cell phone service companies outlines some pros, cons and valuable information about each carrier that will make the choice a little easier.

Verizon Wireless

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With over 90 million customers in the U.S., Verizon is the country's largest carrier. This is with good reason, as their network coverage and reliability are the highest-ranked of the major cell phone service providers. Verizon's customer support has also garnered praise. The company has, however, attracted criticism for its early termination fees. While every carrier has these fees, Verizon charges much higher fines for canceling a contract on what they term "advanced devices." What this means to consumers is getting out of a contract for a smart phone, which just about everyone has today, costs 0. Still if you're dedicated to Verizon and planning on staying the length of the contract, their service is hard to beat.

AT&T

AT&T really rose to prominence among cell phone service providers with the 2007 debut of the iPhone. Their four-year exclusivity deal with Apple meant anyone who wanted the sought-after technical marvel needed to switch to AT&T. Now that the exclusivity has passed, some of AT&T's rough spots are showing and they are losing ground. The company is still a popular choice for its sheer number of devices offered, the best selection among all major carriers. The only knock on AT&T is that its service is known to be inconsistent regionally. If you are big on hardware selection and already know reception is good in your area, though, it's definitely a safe bet.

Sprint

Sprint is looking to gain ground and differentiate itself from the other cell phone service providers with its variety of flexible plans dedicated to data usage. With more cell phone users employing their phones for texting, browsing and email than they do to make phone calls, this looks like a very savvy strategy. Sprint is now the only provider that offers an unlimited data plan, a major benefit for professionals and others who rely heavily on web connectivity. The downsides to Sprint, as reported by customers, are that their customer service is sometimes lacking and that coverage might be occasionally spotty based on location.

T-Mobile

T-Mobile is the newest challenger to the major cell phone service providers. The company works to differentiate by positioning itself as the most user-friendly of the major service providers. This approach is backed by excellent customer service and the widest variety of phone service options, geared toward allowing customers to pick exactly what services they need to build an affordable plan. The only downfall to T-Mobile is that their network is not up to par with the others in many areas, especially in 3G service. T-Mobile is an economical choice, though, so customers looking to save money may want to read local reviews to see if their nearby T-Mobile service would suit their needs.

A Look At The Top Cell Phone Service Providers

Phone, Internet, TV, Wireless...Comparing Bundled Services

This article will allow consumers to educate themselves on the best deals possible for bundled services. In the ever changing and ultra competitive world of telecom many consumers can be confused with the many different bundled plans and services most phone companies now offer. With the implementation of bundled services consumers can now have most all telecom products (phone, tv, internet, wireless) and services provided by the same company at a lower rate than having multiple service providers. This article will categorically break down plans provided by most major telecom service providers available in th US. Each provider will be rated based on blanket availability, services offered, and cost effectiveness. These are comprehensive reviews based on research and not personal experience. Phone Companies Beware this article is designed to educate consumers and provide the best possible options for telecom services.

First up AT&T The monopolizing entity of the Big 3 phone companies few can compete with the blanket availability of AT&T's products and services worldwide. Being one of only three telecom companies that also offer wireless phone service as a part of its residential bundle which also includes its unlimited calling plan phone service, satellite TV Through Dish Network and of course the world famous ATT Yahoo DSL. Few companies can compete, but there are cheaper bundled service plans out there especially for the consumer that is not interested in cellular phone service. Here is an example of the services offered and billing for the AT&T Residential bundled services plan.

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Phone Service- Order AT&T All Distance Online Select(SM) online and get unlimited local and domestic direct-dialed long distance plus great calling features.

TV Service- AT&T | DISH Network entertainment package with over 60 of America's favorite channels. Includes local channels Plus Free DVR.

High Speed Internet- Yahoo DSL ATT,Plus, order Express online and receive 1 month FREE! (New residential DSL customers only. Bill credit applied after three months paid service. See offer details.)

Wireless Cell Phone- Cingular Nation 450 anytime minutes Cingular Wireless® plan with Rollover® Minutes, unlimited Mobile to Mobile minutes, and more. Plus get a /mo. discount
with qualifying AT&T services.

Bundled Plan Total Cost 0.94/mo or less!

Well Old Ma Bell Does Have A Cost Effective Money Saving Bundle With The Most Availability!
4.5/5 Stars

Next we have Qwest Communications One of the Big 3 Telecom service providers its coverage area is limited to the Western half of the states mainly the Pacific Northwest but as far as price and overall services this company by far has the best bundled package including wireless cell phone service on the market. One Negative though No free DVR here but more channels with Direct TV as opposed to ATT Dish Network, Here are the details.

Phone Service- Digital Voice: Unlimited local and long-distance calls from your home phone to anywhere in the U.S. and now Canada, anytime. PLUS, choose up to three of your favorite calling features.

TV Service- The DIRECTV® package offers 185+ channels in 100% digital quality.

High Speed Internet- Qwest Choice DSL Deluxe with MSN. Unlimited Internet access that's up to 25 times faster than 56Kbps dial-up.

Wireless Cell Phone- 500-minute plan, free UT Starcom 7025 phone (after credit on 2nd or 3rd bill, with a two-year agreement), free headset and charger, free shipping, free activation and free Unlimited Nights and Weekends Starting at 9 p.m. WHOO HOOO a FREE PHONE!

Bundled Plan Total Cost 125.96/mo

Unbeatable 5/5 stars if its available in your are choose Qwest!

Well here it is last of the Big 3 Phone companies Verizon. I'm wondering which of these companies will be around for the next 20 years with AT&T having a strangle hold on our national market. Verizon Phone company does provide some pretty stiff competition for Old Ma Bell though, Here are the details.

Phone- Verizon's Freedom Essentials provides unlimited calls to the US and Canada as well as the main basic calling features with voicemail being FREE 1 up on AT&T.

TV Service- Same Plan as Qwest with Direct TV more channels for the money as opposed to AT&T.

High Speed Internet- DSL the cable companies sure have 1 up on DSL consumers with faster speed available but in a bundle Verizon has a pretty good plan, Connection speeds up to 3.0 Mbps, More than 80 times faster than dial-up, Three installation steps
here is the one negative with their DSL service in the bundle One-year commitment required.

Wireless- Well We've all heard of the network on TV and the such and Verizon Phone Company does offer wireless services as part of its bundle with 450 anytime minutes and a standard wireless plan.

Bundled Plan Total Cost 134.99-144.99/mo depending on your area.

I would have to rate them #2 amongst the Big 3 as far as services and pricing but they do have the edge on Qwest based up blanket availability.

4.5/5.0 stars

Now we go on to the cable companies that have also submitted their bids for your telephone service as well first up we have Comcast Cable Company. Well if you are truly dedicated to cable TV and internet if available in your area Comcast Cable Company is the way to go all necessary equipment is Free after mail in rebates and services are exceptional based on consumer reviews online. Here are the details.

Phone- Unlimited local and long distance in the US (excluding Alaska and Hawaii) and Canada from one provider. One bill for local and long distance. Keep your current phone number (subject to some restrictions).

TV Service- Over a hundred channels, plus local channels. Digital quality picture and sound. Parental Controls and an Interactive Program Guide Movies and shows you can start on your schedule with Comcast OnDemand - many included at no cost.

High Speed Internet- Comcast Highspeed Cable Internet, Speeds up to 3Mbps and a reliable connection. Anti-virus and firewall software, spam filtering and parental controls included. Always connected, no dial-up required. Up to 10 email boxes and extra storage FREE MODEM NO LEASING FEE AFTER REBATE!

With no wireless service available as part of the bundle I still have to give the Cable edge to Comcast with So many cash back offers on signup!

Bundled Plan Total Cost 99.00/mo

Next Up Charter Communications, the reviews are in some good some bad and well some just plain indifferent. Charter Communication Cable...Cable TV's answer to the Big 3 phone companies (AT&T, Qwest, Verizon) and satellite tv's quest to crush cable have assembled their own bundled telecom services package as well. Though wireless cell phone services are not offered as part of the Charter Bundle. Charter does have a few advantages that may just sway a chunk of loyal wireless consumers back to the wired world. Here are the details.

Phone- Unlimited local and long distance in the US (excluding Alaska and Hawaii) and Canada from one provider. One bill for local and long distance. Keep your current phone number (subject to some restrictions).

TV Service- Over a hundred channels, plus local channels. Digital quality picture and sound. Parental Controls and an Interactive Program Guide Movies and shows you can start on your schedule with Charter OnDemand - many included at no cost.

High Speed Internet- Charter Highspeed Cable Internet, Speeds up to 3Mbps and a reliable connection. Anti-virus and firewall software, spam filtering and parental controls included. Always connected, no dial-up required. Up to 10 email boxes and extra storage

Wireless Cell Phone- NA

Bundled Plan Total Cost 99.97/mo

On Demand is Pretty Nice and no matter what DSL users say cable is faster than DSL but with no wireless service it means I still have to look at another bill month to month. Limited availability Though. 4.0/5 stars

Last but not least Time Warner Cable Company Well While Competing in huge markets such as New York, Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio Time Warner has a bundled services package that seems to be the best for the loyal cable consumer. Still no wireless phone service but with high speed cable internet service through Road Runner and On Demand programming as well as a free DVR included in its digital Cable package it seems to be the service to outlast Charter and Comcast in the Cable Providers rank and file in our new telecom bundled services world.

Phone- It's time for a better residential telephone service. It's time for unlimited calling to anywhere in the US, Canada and Puerto Rico, plus popular calling features for one low "monthly" price.

TV Service- Time Warner Cable Over 250 Channels
With features like Digital Video Recorder (DVR), you can now record anything you like and watch it later, with all the control of a VCR or a DVD. You can even pause live TV. Plus On Demand

High Speed Internet- high speed cable via Road Runner. Hey Its Cable internet always on and faster than DSL.

Wireless Cell Phone- NA

Bundled Plan Total Cost 99.97/mo

Hey I had AT&T but DSL was too unreliable I now have Charter but wish I could have Time Warner

4.0/5 stars

In closing with the market as competitive as it has become for your telecom dollars finding the best bundled services package for your home or business is just a matter of educating yourself.

Phone, Internet, TV, Wireless...Comparing Bundled Services

Top 5 - Best Cell Phone Companies Review

Our Top 5 list of Best Cell Phone Service Providers come from user feedback spreading multiple forums and websites and from personal experience. Nick has been a customer of 4 of the 5 major cell phone service providers (exception being US Cellular) pre- and post-merger of these companies (exception being the Verizon/Alltel merger). Nick is currently a satisfied customer with AT&T Wireless. Why so many? No, it wasn't to eventually create a review, but various reasons came into play - moving to college and service had no reception in that area, service reception just sucked, bad customer service, among many other reasons. Nick has used all 4 of the companies as both his cell and home phone. The areas that Nick has tried these cell phone companies are: California (mainly around San Diego, Los Angeles and Orange counties), Oregon, Illinois (including Chicago and suburbs), Indiana (in and around Indianapolis, West Lafayette, Bloomington, and South Bend), Minnesota, Georgia (only around Atlanta), and Rhode Island. Nick certainly understands the common complaints and praises. These are our Top 5 - Best Cell Phone Service Companies. Ridicule us, praise us, hate us, love us for our list.

Please note that there will always be exceptions to individual experiences.

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We understand the needs of any one individual or family will differ. This is a quick summary of the costs of the 5 cell phone providers. In terms of the price of individual plans, the individual plan prices at all levels are exactly the same between Verizon Wireless, AT&T, and US Cellular (nationwide plan) with the exception being T-Mobile. US Cellular is by far the cheapest if choosing their "widearea" plan, which only caters to the 25-26 states that they cover. In terms of the price of basic family plans, the basic family plan prices at all levels are exactly the same between Verizon Wireless, AT&T, and US Cellular (again nationwide plan only) with the exception being T-Mobile. T-Mobile sells their family minute plans on different "minute" levels than the other 4, but on a per-minute cost, T-Mobile is the cheapest of all nationwide individual and family plans. All other companies are exactly the same in regards to the basic plan, not the plans with added features. The reason why some cell phone service providers are more "expensive" is because of the cost of adding these additional options/features.

5 (4b). Sprint Nextel

Pros:

* Night and weekends start at 7:00 PM, which is 2 hours earlier than the other cell phone service companies

* Free minutes on incoming calls

* 1-year contract as opposed to the standard 2-year contract (you decide if requiring any contract is a pro)

* Strong business-friendly features - 1st mover in walkie-talkie technology - a surprisingly useful function

* Fast internet

Cons:

* No international plans

* Coverage is not as expansive as Verizon Wireless or AT&T, which inevitably means weaker signals, more dropped calls, echoing, etc.

* Limited/outdated phone selection

* Since merger in 2005, plans are not as good a deal as pre-merger

* Post merger, customer service has dropped off as they try to be helpful - the end result should be good news for the customer, not a moot point for customer service

Personal experience: Sprint has always had a limited selection of phones, which to me, really didn't matter. However, as I started relying on my cell phone more and more, I started to care about the looks of my phone (the needs for certain functions remained the same). The phone selection is limited and in many cases seem outdated. From my experience with customer service, Sprint (Nextel) was actually #1 on my list pre-merger in 2005, but it has dropped since then. The customer service pre-merger was excellent - consistent bills from month to month, credits on bogus charges I disputed, and free "loyalty program offers" such as free internet for 6 months. Since the merger in 2005, the customer service still tries to be very helpful, but it gets to the point where you want to start yelling through your phone because of the frustration. Sprint's coverage will be hit or miss if you travel, however, if you're just going to the city for work and going back home to the suburbs, the service will stay consistent for the most part. There is nothing about the cost or the types of plans of Sprint Nextel that really stands out with the exception being international plans. Besides that, the plans offer the usual variety and benefits to meet your need.

4 (4a). US Cellular

Pros:

* Good customer service

* Excellent coverage in the midwest as they should since they are a regional carrier

* Free incoming calls/text messages

* No activation fees on many plans

Cons:

* Poor coverage outside of the 25-26 states that US Cellular covers

* Very limited phone selection; durability of phones offered a concern

* Beware of hidden costs

* Add-ons such as unlimited texting, downloading, etc can add up quickly

* Limited/outdated phone selection

* If downgrading plan, be absolutely sure of your minute usage; they are not helpful in providing advice, but quick to provide recommendations

* If you go over your minutes, get ready to pay big time

The majority of US Cellular's customer base is satisfied by its customer service. The biggest complaint is in the limited selection and durability of the phones. The individual and family nationwide service plans are exactly the same as the others with the exception being T-Mobile. If you live outside of the 25-26 states that US Cellular covers or travel frequently, then choose another cell phone service provider. However, if you live within those states that are covered, US Cellular should be considered as long as you don't mind the phones and/or seemingly unknown brand (outside of the midwest and sports world - White Sox).

3. T-Mobile

Pros:

* Cheapest basic individual and basic family plans out of the 5 cell phone service providers

* myFaves add-on is popular and useful

* 1-year contract as opposed to the standard 2-year contract (you decide if requiring any contract is a pro)

* Lots of different plans and options - most flexible of the 5 cell phone providers and 2nd best offering of plans and options (Verizon is #1 in our opinion)

* Excellent reception in certain populated cities

* Ease of upgrading/downgrading plans - a breeze with great advice and recommendations from customer service, but...

Cons:

* Poor customer service (especially disputes) - worst of the 5 cell phone service providers

* Limited phone selection, tends to sell outdated and even worse, phones that are no longer in production/discontinued

* Inconsistent signal reception/spotty coverage

* Poor insurance policy

* Slow internet

* Pesky about "too much roaming"

Personal experience: I've had a unique love-hate relationship with T-Mobile. The love comes in with the "contract" and the hate comes in with the customer service. I have to start with the "hate" before I go into the "love". After a year and a few months into the service with T-Mobile, like all cell phone providers, I eventually had to call customer service to dispute charges. To put it simply, a complete nightmare. I won't go into the specifics of the dispute, but the way T-Mobile handled the situation from several customer service reps to a couple supervisors was the worst 5-hour nightmare. Yes, I was on the phone for 5 hours getting bounced from department to department, having to explain the dispute over and over again, and had to to take a 1/2 day from work. I started the call at 7:30AM, you do the math. Conclusion of the 5 hour nightmare? I ended up paying the full amount with no leeway given. Even with the energy drinks, steroid shots, power bars, and the like, I couldn't hold up any longer and they would not budge or give anything back that was rightfully owed to me. T-Mobile is great at handling simple customer service requests like upgrading/downgrading a plan or asking simple questions like, do you think I should add the fave-5 plan? They'll actually go through your bills and review your usage and give you great advice and recommendations, but other than that, they have the worst overall customer service of the 5 cell phone service companies when it comes to disputes or anything to do with questioning T-Mobile and their bills. In another instance of "hate", I was experiencing several dropped calls per day and spotty coverage throughout Illinois (specifically Northern suburbs and Chicago). It was extremely frustrating and it got to the point where I called customer service and canceled without hesitation. But Nick, you say, what about the cancellation fee? That's where the "love" comes in, apparently when I signed up for the family plan, we were never obligated to a contract. So all this time, I thought I was under contract and I could've switched at anytime. The reason why T-Mobile barely outranks Sprint Nextel and US Cellular is because of their flexibility and options in their plans, cheapest plan options, better phone selection, although still limited, and more consistent coverage than the last two companies with very good signals in populated areas compared to the two.

2. AT&T

Pros:

* Consistent coverage and reception - closing the gap with Verizon Wireless

* Wide selection of phones - arguably the best selection thanks to the Apple iPhone

* Overall good customer service that helps you and/or resolves issues

* Internet is fast and reliable

* Out of all the phone company mergers, AT&T/Cingular was the biggest improvement

* Rollover minutes is an extremely useful feature/benefit that no other company offers - this is standard on all plans

Cons:

* Dropped calls is hit or miss

* Customer service is absolutely a joy when you are a customer or activating lines/transferring numbers, etc, etc, however, once you become a customer, they are helpful, but they get impatient

* Ever since the merger, extra services/add-ons have increased (compared to just Cingular), which leads to costs piling up quickly

Personal experience: As a current customer of AT&T Wireless, I am satisfied. AT&T Wireless has had the biggest improvements of all the mergers. Their customer service is still lacking compared to Verizon especially once you become a customer, but I have noticed improvements since the merger. Their phone selection is arguably the best. The coverage and reception has been consistent in all the areas I've been to. Although I rarely experience dropped calls, this seems to be a hit or miss issue with others. The one thing that really stands out from the rest of the companies is the rollover minutes. This has saved me lots of money in the long run because a plan I used to have with the other carriers allows me to downgrade due to the extra minutes thus saving me money.

1. Verizon Wireless

Pros:

* Widest variety of plans and options available than any other cell phone company

* Consistent coverage and reception - considered the best, but AT&T is closing the gap

* Wide selection of phones

* Customer service is the most consistent of all the cell phone companies although there are inevitable hit or miss days

Cons:

* Need to keep an eye on your monthly bills - mysterious charges showing up on bills

* Customer service is hit or miss, some days you get great, no, extremely great service, other days you want to reach into your phone and do bad things

* Add-ons can pile up quickly especially the data plans for smartphones

* Most expensive of the 5 cell phone companies (factoring in phones, plans, add-ons, deposit, etc)

* Blocks certain features on your phone, ex: transferring photos to/from your phone requires purchase of software and certain bluetooth features

* If upgrading/downgrading plan, they will extend contract for another 2 years

Personal experience: I have not experienced the "new Verzion" with Alltel, but as much as I hate to admit (being a current and satisfied AT&T customer), Verizon Wireless is the most consistent from customer service to coverage and reception and down to phone selection. One shining customer service moment was when I accidentally dropped my phone in a puddle of water completely ruining my phone. I did not have insurance, as a matter of fact, I never purchase insurance on phones, but after an hour or two of sweet talking, they not only replaced the phone, but rushed the order to me free of charge with next day delivery. An example of a bad customer service is refusing to budge on mysterious charges (over .00) worth that they said would be removed, but never did. I ended up changing services because of this dispute. It took over one year until a collection agency contacted me out-of-the-blue saying I still owed .00 and as one can imagine, my credit score dropped like a ton of bricks.

There you have it, our list of the Top 5 Best Cell Phone Service Companies. We would love to hear your thoughts so feel free to comment on this list. Ridicule us, praise us, hate us, love us for our list. Got topics/categories you'd like topped? Give us a shout through the comments or contact us.

Top 5 - Best Cell Phone Companies Review