Always between a rock and a hard place. I believe not all the questions are answered yet. I'm a NYC AT&T Voice + Data customer with an expired contract and was a Verizon customer (work phone) for a few years until a few month ago. A victim of the downturn.
With Verizon voice reception is solid almost everywhere, but 3G data connections at their peak are not as fast as AT&T. Unless you get a World Phone like the Verizon HTC Imagio CDMA&GSM. Verizon's phones are basically useless when you travel abroad. Verizon plans are expensive, but we have yet to see if they're going to offer plans that are tailored for the N1. We have yet to see how the N1 (specifically) performs in Verizon's 3G network. We also don't know if the Verizon N1 is going to be a World Phone CDMA&GSM like the Verizon Imagio so that you can use a GSM prepaid SIM outside the US. Another thing that worries me about a Verizon N1 is that xda and pdageeks community might take a lot longer to release a cooked ROM. The Verizon "exclusive" HTC Imagio has been out for a while and there is no cooked ROM for it yet.
With AT&T I get good voice quality with a few voice calls dropped and in many places the signal is not as solid and strong as Verizon's. Data reliability also fluctuates, but when the 3G signal is optimal it beats data throughput of a Verizon phone with optimal 3G signal. AT&T 3G coverage in NYC is improving. The GSM band that they use for voice is popular outside the US (European and Asian countries) All you need is a pre-paid SIM and you can use your N1 in many countries. AT&T "appears" not to have an "official" relationship with Google as it relates to the support of the N1 on their network. AT&T offers 2-year voice contract plans for $60 with a subsidized phone or 2-year without a subsidize phone for the same $60. Their no-contract also cost $60. In other words, none of their contracts are pro-rated to be friendly to "unlocked" phones.
What I hear about t-mobile in NYC is that their 3G data speeds are not so great, but that they're working on improving their network. T-mobile has subsidized plans for the N1 and has no-contract plans that take into account the cost of the N1. In other words, t-mobile has plans that are tailored for the N1.
The main reasons I have not bought my N1 yet is that I'm waiting to see what Verizon is going to do in regards to N1 service plans, is the Verizon N1 going to be a World Phone, and how fast is the N1 going to be on their 3G network. I have Verizon POTS and DSL, so I can also get a break if I bundle my Wireless service with them.
I welcome any positive or negative comments you have in regards to where "I see" my position to be. I know, I know... I should stop looking so much at the pros and cons and get the freaking phone from AT&T without renewing my contract!
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