US Cellular fan thread

[Deleted User]

I'm honored to make the first post in the new US Cellular forum here on Android Forums.

So, where do you live that has US Cellular, what do you like about them, and why?

That said... My local store is in Washington, NC. My first cell phone in North Carolina was on T-Mobile, only because they were offering phones without a deposit. (I hadn't thought to check out US Cellular because I'd never heard of them.) T-Mobile offered free roaming, but not coverage of their own... and it was terrible coverage (it used Suncom and Cingular towers). However, they were gracious enough to waive the ETF when my wife and I canceled.

Then we went to US Cellular, and got a pair of Kyocera KX-5 sliders. Good phones but the slide kept breaking. No more signal problems after that. In fact once, we were visiting relatives in California, and my mother drove my wife and I into the mountains... and had to make a call. Her Verizon phone said No Service, but our US Cellular phones had 3-5 bars. So that was awesome.

In 2008 we got a pair of Motorolas, she got the RAZR 2 and I got the ROKR slider. I wasn't about to go back to flip at that point, and I'm glad, because her phone kept breaking, and mine is still in great working condition.

Then we got the Samsung Acclaims, our first Android phones, a couple weeks ago.

Out here, people basically have two different kinds of phones. Whether it's a smartphone, a slider, a brick, or a flip, it doesn't matter. Either it's US Cellular and you have service everywhere, or it's not and you only have service in town. iPhones, being AT&T exclusive, are sometimes referred to as "city phones" -- as in, you can't use it at home. At least not to make calls.

There are a couple places US Cellular has spotty phone coverage, but their EVDO (3G) coverage is just about everywhere down here.

On top of that, US Cellular representatives are far more polite and professional than they need to be. I'm quite sure that they know that many of their customers can't go to the competition, but they still treat everyone right, in my experience and from what I've seen.

 

[JimboMidge]

I can't believe that no one else has posted in here yet!!!

I'm in St. Louis, MO (USC's newest and second largest market)! We have a huge variety of carriers available here, but U.S. Cellular's outstanding coverage and incredible customer service make them my carrier of choice!!

Only having had USC for a little over a year, I started out with the LG Bliss which was an okay Premium device but my touch screen went out a few times. After the 3rd screen failure I made the jump to the Acclaim and I've been loving every minute of it!!

Being the tech nerd I am, I've immersed myself into the Android world and in a short amount of time have gained quite a bit of both useful and useless knowledge!

U.S. Cellular seems to be taking steps in all the right directions right now, and I'm sure I'll be a loyal customer for a very long time!!!

 

[aleckart]

Been with US Cellular for almost 10 years now in the Upper Valley region of central Vermont nd New Hampshire. Have had Blackberrys for the last 3 and a half years and am waiting, rather impatiently, for the Desire to show up on 8/27. The customer service reps have always, always been above average whether a franchise store on the USCC store or phone. Great company!

 

[kevpan815]

USCC Service: Excellent.

Reason 4 Leaving: Wanted a Motorola Droid!

 

[boxer1832]

I have been a U S Cellular customer for about 10 years. I live in northwest Illinois and have always been happy with USC's coverage, pricing and customer service.

I travel a lot on a Honda Goldwing nationwide (10,000 - 13,000 miles per year) and on an annual golf trip to the Kentucky/Tennessee area. It is very rare to not have a service connection.

In my area the only 2 viable carriers are USC and Verizon. My son has Verizon so I am able to compare them accurately. The part about USC that I really like is FREE incoming calls and texts from anyone. It does not have to be a "friend" or another USC customer. Also the gps function on USC's phones is not restricted so you can use any gps app, unlike Verizon.

I currently have a Blackberry Curve, purchased 2 years ago. I have really enjoyed the BB experience, but their smartphones are a step or 2 behind iPhones and Android phones are far as apps and videoing. It is rare that I can view a video on my Curve.

Today is Aug 27th and the Desire is now available to USC customers. I have been waiting for a few months for this day, but I am still a little apprehensive since the Desire is new to the states. I have read alot about its use in the UK and they seem to love it (like all Android phones).

Another reason for my anguish is my wife wants a smart phone. Lord, this is going to be a project. She is a very non-techno person and I'm afraid she will have too many issues with a Desire. The Acclaim is $100 cheaper and I am going to steer her towards an Acclaim. I think the main reason she wants a smartphone is so she can access her Facebook account on a phone. Time will tell.

If US Cellular is available in your area check them out. I know their Android phones are currently limited to the Acclaim and the Desire, but they are a much nicer phone company.

Regards

 

[Deleted User]

Another reason for my anguish is my wife wants a smart phone. Lord, this is going to be a project. She is a very non-techno person and I'm afraid she will have too many issues with a Desire. The Acclaim is $100 cheaper and I am going to steer her towards an Acclaim. I think the main reason she wants a smartphone is so she can access her Facebook account on a phone. Time will tell.

My wife's not technologically inclined, either. She wasn't a big fan of Linux for a few months when I ran it (Ubuntu, I forget which version, 4.04 or 4.10 maybe?) but she loves her Acclaim. I like to tease her and remind her that her phone is running Linux.

The Acclaim, and I believe Android in general, is a very user-friendly system. If someone just wants to get on the web and do social networking, Android is conductive to this in a huge way. If you want to go beyond that... it's conductive to that, too.

If you want to dumb down the hell out of the phone, stick Launcher Pro on it (and Home Switcher, so you can choose LP). Take away all the home screens but one, and limit it to one dock (it can have up to 7 of EACH). With just the one screen, populate it with the few apps she needs. Organize it (women are huge on organization, not sexist, I think it's genetic... maybe that is sexist, but it's not meant to be malicious). Phone in one corner (you can get rid of Contacts, it's a subheader in Phone), Facebook and/or MySpace and/or Twidroid (Twitter) in another corner, the browser in another, and a couple games in the fourth. Or something like that. When she's ready to step up her game... add a second home screen, and show her how to move stuff to it (better yet, delete the shortcut and then take it out of the tray on the other screen... that's easier for me anyway). Then she can work up to 7 screens with widgets and shortcuts on each.

I just hate how the Acclaim throws a bunch of crap you don't need at you. Putting LP on my phone and building my UI homescreen for HS and app for app was the best thing I did.

 

[boxer1832]

Thanks Dark Reality for your input.

Day two and I am up and running with the Desire. Great resolution, fast processor and a kajillion apps, of which I will probably download a dozen or less. It is going to be very fun having an Android.

As I suspected the wife is already frustrated with hers, but she is taking that second breath and understanding that I (retired) have had all day to get intimate with my Desire (no pun intended), while she (correction officer in an over crowded/under staffed jail) has had all of 30 minutes to explore with her Desire.

How in the Android world do you get rid of the unopened voice mail (looks like a cassette tape) symbol on the top task bar? There is no unheard VM waiting according to Voice Mail, but the dang thing will not go away, even after 2 battery pulls.

 

[PastorOfMuppetzQ]

Are you using us cellular's voicemail or google voice voicemail? i had the same problem but i have both set up, make sure if its us cell voicemail you listen to the whole message and press # when its over dont just hang up. you can also go into settings -> call -> clear voicemail notification

 

[PastorOfMuppetzQ]

Does anyone know when/if us cellular will release Froyo? everyone i talk to at us cellular seems clueless to the whole thing.

 

[Deleted User]

As I suspected the wife is already frustrated with hers, but she is taking that second breath and understanding that I (retired) have had all day to get intimate with my Desire (no pun intended), while she (correction officer in an over crowded/under staffed jail) has had all of 30 minutes to explore with her Desire.

How in the Android world do you get rid of the unopened voice mail (looks like a cassette tape) symbol on the top task bar? There is no unheard VM waiting according to Voice Mail, but the dang thing will not go away, even after 2 battery pulls.

Like I said, put Launcher Pro on her phone and do as I said... or just take all the shortcuts off her phone, save for the few she needs. Lots of icons, it's kind of overwhelming.

Here's what I have on my screens:

1. Power Bar widget (comes with phone). 3 icons. BattStatt widget (free on Market). Utilities.
2. 4 icons. Camera stuff.
3. 5 icons. Contacts and web browsers.
4. Nothing at all, except Tajm (date/time widget). Home home.
5. 6 icons. Stuff to read and write.
6. 5 icons. Games.
7. Music widget (default one), 5 icons. Media.

All of my screens have a purpose, and the home screen is nothing but the date/time. Very Zen. Oh and I have a yin-yang wallpaper, very minimalist, very... Zen. And I have this OCD tendency of having it idle on the "Home" home screen (#4). Also, my Dock has Phone and Camera on the left, and Browser and Facebook on the right. (Center is app tray.)

As for the voice mail and other notifications, touch the top of your screen and drag down. Then touch Clear in the upper right corner. Not sure about your voicemail issue. I've had it on other phones. It's the voicemail server's fault.

Does anyone know when/if us cellular will release Froyo? everyone i talk to at us cellular seems clueless to the whole thing.

I heard October from someone up here who works for US Cellular. Can't vouch for its accuracy but it's the best info I know.

 

[boxer1832]

It was pushing the # that got rid of it. She is making progress each day and I am totally in love with mine. Watched a movie last night while was in the car waiting for a customer pickup.

Rep told me at the time we made our purchase that USC wants to get up and running with the Android phones and then the 2.2 will be made available. She also said USC was trying to decide in what manner to do the upgrade(?). She said they were trying to decide between posting a download or having customers bring their phones into a company store. I'm sure they will choose the download, but we'll have to wait and see.

 

[PastorOfMuppetzQ]

It was pushing the # that got rid of it. She is making progress each day and I am totally in love with mine. Watched a movie last night while was in the car waiting for a customer pickup.

Rep told me at the time we made our purchase that USC wants to get up and running with the Android phones and then the 2.2 will be made available. She also said USC was trying to decide in what manner to do the upgrade(?). She said they were trying to decide between posting a download or having customers bring their phones into a company store. I'm sure they will choose the download, but we'll have to wait and see.

yeah the # thing seems to be a us cellular trademark and it drives me nuts! i always forget.... i just use the google voice voicemail now its so much better and the visual voicemail is really nice too... i havent got my first bill since switching to android yet but in theory since we get free incoming calls any calls i make using google voice(on my old phone from pc it would ring my cell as an incoming) should also be free i think... if you arent already using it you may want to look into it.

i really hope they do not make me come into a store for updates... i'm a grown up i think i can handle it.... and honestly the caliber of employees i've sometimes had to deal with i think id be better off doing it without their help... i really hope its soon i need apps on my sd card i am pretty maxed out and its been a week...

 

[rasmith3530]

I started in '97 with PrimeCo on a prepay account. By the time US Cellular bought out PrimeCo's market share in the Chicago market, I'd moved to postpay. Believing in something better has kept me coming back all these years!

 

[boxer1832]

New question.

How does one log out of Facebook using the Android app? There is no logout option displayed.

 

[rasmith3530]

New question.

How does one log out of Facebook using the Android app? There is no logout option displayed.

If you select the Menu key, one of your options is to log out. Hope this helps.

 

[boxer1832]

Thank you, Rob Smith. Log Out was indeed there after the Menu selection.

 

[the CP]

Thoughts on US Cellular?

I'd been with them for 8 years before leaving last December. Throughout the years, I never had any concerns with their coverage (with the exception of one long trip I took last summer, driving from my home in Columbia MO to Denver CO.. Kansas is a black hole)

Any time I ever had a problem, I called and they took care of it. The stores around here leave a little to be desired, but all carrier stores have been that way in my experience.

The reason I left is now a non-issue. I left in December because I needed a new phone, and due to my increased organizational needs, needed a smart phone. At the time, USC's options were Blackberry or Moto Q, neither of which suited me. So, I left for Sprint. Also, the fact that I could get a corporate discount with Sprint, but not USC, helped.

When I called to cancel with USC, the rep told me that she was disappointed to see me go because I'd been a great customer for years, but that I'd be welcomed back at any time.


If they had the Desire back when I was shopping, I may very well have stuck with them. Instead, I went to Sprint and got my Hero. Now, I'm wishing Sprint had something like the Desire (that is, HTC made--they have great quality, with the 1ghz cpu and NOT 4g!)

Would I ever go back? Maybe, if the price, phone, and timing were right.

 

[rasmith3530]

@the CP - Hope you'll come back!

 

[Strings]

I'm on a USC Acclaim right now (thinking of switching to the Desire, which wasn't out when I jumped to Android).

Been with USC for, well, ever. Between my wife and I, we've had something like 15 phones through them (roughly 10 years). Have no intentions of leaving...

 

[USCellularHTCDesire]

You have to love the HTC Desire for US Cellular!

- MADISON, WISCONSIN!

 

[Strings]

Yep... I made the switch to the Desire, and now love the Android OS even more. MUCH better than the Acclaim!

 

[menoats]

I have been with US Cellular since the very start back when they were called PrimeCo. They're the best at coverage here in Chicago. (in fact in the subways here they seem to be the only ones that get coverage) Not to mention that they have the best price and most polite customer service representatives. Its these three things that have made me stay with them all these years. The one fault of the company has been their lack of phones. Over the years I have been tempted so many times by other carriers new phones. However I resisted temptation and US Cellular is now improving on that front too. The Desire is an amazing phone probably the best phone I owned since its the best phone that US Cellular has had. I came from a Touch Pro 2 to the Desire and it has showed me what an awful piece of phone the TP2 has been. I'm very happy with the Desire and US Cellular right now.

The Froyo update is much needed though! The Desire barely has internal memory and I got a 16GB sd card with so much free space. Come on US Cellular bring Froyo out. They really should of just launched the Desire with Froyo.

 

[snoprosledneck]

The Froyo update is much needed though! The Desire barely has internal memory and I got a 16GB sd card with so much free space. Come on US Cellular bring Froyo out. They really should of just launched the Desire with Froyo.

I agree they do need froyo bad! Does anyone have any updated information when they will be receiving the froyo update?

 

[Jeremy1976]

I cannot believe they do not have a estimated date of when it will be released. Whats the big secret??? The Froyo is def. needed. I barely have anything in my phone and have got the "low on memory" warning a couple times, only to have to delete some apps to download others.

 

[rasmith3530]

Jeremy1976, what if US Cellular announced, while it was in testing, that an update was estimated to be released in two weeks, because that was when the tests would be complete. Then, in the last days of the test, a major problem was discovered. You'd be unhappy if it were announced that the update could not be released on time, and probably even more angry if the update were released, on schedule, with the major flaw included. This is probably why an estimated release date has not been announced.

When I first got my Acclaim, I had well over thirty downloaded applications on it, many of which I hardly used, and only a handful that I frequently used.

Froyo will get here when it gets here. Think of it as a Christmas present, and when it gets here by Thanksgiving, give thanks! ;-)