Few questions about going to Verizon?

[Goosinurwife]

1. I know they don't update windows phones so I wont buy it from them il just order an unlocked windows phone will that get updates ? I may get a moto g or moto x if no luck with windows phones

2. with tmobile I can send emails direct to mynumber@tmobile.com does Verizon have that ?

3. how is the lte in deep south texas neer the border tmobile here is good in some parts 0 LTE in others

thank you for any an all info much apricciated thanks

 

[xandros9]

1. The only phones that work on Verizon are Verizon phones.
Updates for unlocked phones are typically faster than carriers.
Ironically, Verizon is first to push 8.1 Update + Lumia Denim in the US for the most part.

2. I believe all major carriers have the ability to take emails as SMS, you can look that up probably. I've seen compilation websites.

3. Don't know, I'll defer to someone else.

 

[RumoredNow]

1. I know they don't update windows phones so I wont buy it from them il just order an unlocked windows phone will that get updates ? I may get a moto g or moto x if no luck with windows phones

IMHO, Nexus is way better if you have to go Android... Longest OTA support and easiest to mod, with fastest and most mod targeting by developers - Now that Moto is no longer owned by Google, Moto probably will drop back in support levels officially and by hack targets.

2. with tmobile I can send emails direct to mynumber@tmobile.com does Verizon have that ?

I've never actually heard of such a thing. With your email box already on your phone, what's the big advantage to this? Can't you just send to your regular email account? Providers are free, plentiful and give huge amounts of storage...

3. how is the lte in deep south texas neer the border tmobile here is good in some parts 0 LTE in others

Umm, yeah... The border between Texas and Mexico is over 1200 miles long. That's really hard to address. A more specific area would help others help you... Oh wait. I sussed it out, you're near Brownsville....

thank you for any an all info much apricciated thanks

Here's the thing. If you go Vzw, you really are limiting yourself quite a bit by phone choice and paying mucho dinero besides... No offense to any Vzw loyalists, but they strike me as the worst value in mobile and I hear the customer service does not in any way make up for the price.

Do some research... Every carrier has coverage maps... They have to be somewhat accurate. I would never say 100%, but I've found them a good guide whenever I was in questionable coverage areas... For instance AT&T's map shows you solid for voice and LTE data all around that area... Near Rio Grande City or north of South Madre Island when LTE drops out you have H+. AT&T Maps - Wireless Coverage Map for Voice and Data Coverage from AT&T

Unlocked GSM is going to give you the most flexibility in terms of phones and portability of service (being able to switch when you want to other carriers). Check out Cricket or Straight Talk. Look into the whole mvno thing and get more coverage and data speed for less $.

Make sure your phone's radio modules are right for your carrier... Click the Pic in my sig for my guide or PM me if you need help...

 

[Polychrome]

To the OP: You're probably not going to get a fair assessment of Verizon here. If you want to try asking around the mobile nations community and want to balance out what you see in this thread, try here:

Verizon - Android Forums at AndroidCentral.com

I'm not saying buy an android. (Unless you want one...) I'm just taking the phones out of the discussion. I use WP myself and am very well versed in it. I have noticed that most customers who have Windows Phones love them, and have next to no issues.

I work at a VZW call center. I don't speak for the business or my co-workers naturally, but this forum seems to be under the impression that Verizon actively hates Windows Phone. I've seen no evidence of this internally. A lot of people are hung up over the Icon which went a very long time without an official software update, and when one appeared to be on the horizon, it was cancelled. At the time I suspected that they may have been skipping an update and going for Lumia Denim, This did turn out to be the case.

Every carrier is guilty of pushing the numerous android and ios devices that are available. This is partially the fault of people working at stores. They don't understand it, so they write it off. All carriers are guilty of this, including the oft-worshipped AT&T.

Also, a lot of software updates are very heavily tested here, especially as VZW is trying to get you to the point where your calls run purely over VoIP done on your LTE signal. This is a very long work in progress, and it's getting implemented small bits at a time (rather than fully implemented all at once), so updates are having that tested very heavily.

If you have any questions, feel free to PM me. (Sorry, can't do account support here though. )


EDIT EDIT EDIT!!!! The domain for emailing a VZW number is vtext.com for a plain text message, and vzwpix.com for MMS.

 

[horseybob]

I moved to VZW long ago based on AT&T and T-Mobile lack of coverage and inability to bill correctly. Haven't regretted it since. Much better coverage, great customer service and I only had to question my bill once, after a 4 country trip. Learned the hard way that VZW phones will work anywhere, but to buy a new SIM vs. paying VZW international rates. My 928 is running 8.1.1 and Denim, prior to AT&T phones and I'm good with that. I want VZW to carry more Windows phones (M9!), but seriously, I've had zero complaints about their customer service or global coverage in over a decade. I'll pay extra for excellent customer service. Try calling T-Mobile or Sprint from Thailand and getting your issue addressed.

I have not ever had, and do not have any commercial or personal relationship with Verizon. I'm merely a pleased, occasionally annoyed customer.

 

[DavidinCT]

And as far as updates on Windows Phone, At least with the Nokia phones they skipped Cyan and went to Denim directly. They were one of the fastest to get Denim out on all models besides the ICON and even that was faster than most.

They are known to be slow (look over Android forums) but, they do get it out and you can use the DP on WP to preview the update before it's released.

I will admit, that Verizon screwed up by skipping over Cyan because after it was released, many apps were 8.1 only, so there was apps that you could not use if you were not using the DP and it really pissed a lot of people off, including myself.

Customer service is so so, depending on who you get but, that is the same with all carriers. Verizon does have the best coverage in the US for LTE but, this again will depend on where you live.

 

[Ltauhmise]

Here's the thing. If you go Vzw, you really are limiting yourself quite a bit by phone choice and paying mucho dinero besides... No offense to any Vzw loyalists, but they strike me as the worst value in mobile and I hear the customer service does not in any way make up for the price.

Do some research... Every carrier has coverage maps... They have to be somewhat accurate. I would never say 100%, but I've found them a good guide whenever I was in questionable coverage areas... For instance AT&T's map shows you solid for voice and LTE data all around that area... Near Rio Grande City or north of South Madre Island when LTE drops out you have H+. AT&T Maps - Wireless Coverage Map for Voice and Data Coverage from AT&T

Unlocked GSM is going to give you the most flexibility in terms of phones and portability of service (being able to switch when you want to other carriers). Check out Cricket or Straight Talk. Look into the whole mvno thing and get more coverage and data speed for less $.

Make sure your phone's radio modules are right for your carrier... Click the Pic in my sig for my guide or PM me if you need help...

Verizon Wireless has been rated as the best cellular provider in the nation in several categories, including coverage and reliability (I believe by Reuters). Verizon offers the BEST value of any wireless carrier in terms of reliability and consistent download speeds. At least in my area. (On XLTE I average between 40mbps to 50mbps).

For many of those "loyalists" that you mention, we get the best value because we have kept our TRULY UNLIMITED, NON-THROTTLED 4G LTE. ATT cannot boast this. And Tmobile, while having unlimited data--- pales in building penetration and reliability like Verizon under all geographic locations so you're probably not going to be able to use your Tmobile data to its full potential. Verizon customers pay more $$$ per month for arguably a superior product. The CEO of Verizon, for better or worse, has acknowledged this fairly recently.

Verizon has the Lumia Icon, Ativ SE, Lumia 928, Lumia 822, HTC 8x and HTC M8 for Windows. These are all exceptional phones and with some patience, we'll see a lumia 735 and (possibly) a lumia 830.

 

[RumoredNow]

LOL you should get with tgp. He's always on about his grandfathered plan with unlimited.

It's great if you can get it, but guess what? If you ain't got it now, you ain't getting it ever. How is that a great value for new users?

When I shopped phone plans quite hard last year Verizon was far and away the most expensive and what I could get as a new customer was not impressive in light of what others offer.

I'm really happy for you that you have unlimited data, just bear in mind that it does not apply for someone wanting to start up on Verizon right now.

Similarly, the list of phones you are showing are not currently available on Vzw's website. Listing phones that they used to offer does a new user no good. They show Ativ SE and One M8 currently.

Recommending to someone that they get a BNIB Icon from Vzw and put it on a deprecated plan with Unlimited data just does not work until you add in a time machine.

 

[tgp]

LOL you should get with tgp. He's always on about his grandfathered plan with unlimited.

Ha ha you're correct! But there's more to it than unlimited unthrottled data. Verizon overall has the best coverage in the US. If you live somewhere where T-Mobile and/or Sprint have good service, then that's great. But a lot of people don't. Even AT&T doesn't match Verizon in coverage, but it costs about the same.

And WP support? I don't know who you guys are kidding! Who was the first, and so far only (besides a smattering of other devices), to provide Denim for their Lumia handsets? Does AT&T, or any other US carrier, have a better WP lineup than Verizon? Tell me again how Verizon lags in WP support.

You carry on with your rant, and I'll continue on using data with reckless abandon! :wink: Excuse me while I go tether my phone to my PC and watch the Build keynote.

 

[fatclue_98]

Take this for what it's worth. Verizon does have the best overall coverage and it is the most expensive. AT&T is slightly cheaper and historically has updated their devices better. Both carriers have the M8 so that's a wash. Ma Bell has the 1520 and Big Red has the Icon - slight edge to AT&T. Verizon also has the Ativ SE which is a phenomenal but underrated device.

My big issue with Verizon was their billing practices which can be intentionally confusing. As for service, this is where it gets dicey. AT&T has HSPA to fall back on when LTE is unavailable. Verizon only has EvDO Rev. A (3G) which is painfully slow. If you're in a borderline LTE area, you may as well be on dial-up.

 

[Ltauhmise]

LOL you should get with tgp. He's always on about his grandfathered plan with unlimited.

It's great if you can get it, but guess what? If you ain't got it now, you ain't getting it ever. How is that a great value for new users?

When I shopped phone plans quite hard last year Verizon was far and away the most expensive and what I could get as a new customer was not impressive in light of what others offer.

I'm really happy for you that you have unlimited data, just bear in mind that it does not apply for someone wanting to start up on Verizon right now.

Similarly, the list of phones you are showing are not currently available on Vzw's website. Listing phones that they used to offer does a new user no good. They show Ativ SE and One M8 currently.

Recommending to someone that they get a BNIB Icon from Vzw and put it on a deprecated plan with Unlimited data just does not work until you add in a time machine.

People are always looking to unload their unlimited data accounts for Verizon on Ebay. You can do an Assumption of Liability for around $500, just check seller feedbacks. Which is basically the cost of one flagship phone. You spend more now, but in the long run you're actually saving money if you do an AOL. Verizon is not permitted to throttle their data or apply any softcaps. Through-and-through, you get what you pay for and decide where to make your comprises. I chose not to compromise on network reliability and overall coverage. For that I have to pay more than if I were to move to another cell carrier.

You can choose a cheap cell carrier, save money but get poorer coverage. You can't have your cake and eat it to.