T-Mobile 7 day trial ..

[Steven58]

Well, I can tell you now what it includes. They give you earphones, a charging cable and an iPhone 5s. Unboxing done. However, what I'm most interested in is the quality of coverage, not the phone itself. Although, I'm mildly interested in sitting with the iPhone for a week.

 

[mogelijk]

Well, I can tell you now what it includes. They give you earphones, a charging cable and an iPhone 5s. Unboxing done. However, what I'm most interested in is the quality of coverage, not the phone itself. Although, I'm mildly interested in sitting with the iPhone for a week.

Including earphones surprises me, not sure I'd want to get a pair of used ear buds. I'm curious about what literature they include, such as T-Mobile advertising.

 

[Steven58]

Ok... maybe I'll an unboxing or at least a written one. Used earphones. You kidding? Show some love to the earwax, please!

 

[Digital Controller]

So how's the iPhone treating you Steven?

Are you a full blown devout Apple fanboy yet

 

[Steven58]

I'll let you know when the 5s is delivered later today.

 

[CafeKampuchia]

So how's the iPhone treating you Steven?

Are you a full blown devout Apple fanboy yet

I doubt Steven is able to live happily inside a walled garden.

 

[Steven58]

I doubt Steven is able to live happily inside a walled garden.

Sounds like an insane asylum. I'm ready.

 

[Steven58]

I'm starting to think this guy will never come.

 

[CafeKampuchia]

I think it has arrived

Spoiler

 

[Steven58]

heh. not yet.

 

[iowabowtech]

And you can BYOP which makes both of those issues go away if you are willing to buy a phone outright. The rest of the world does this already and the US is finally catching up.

Think of it this way:

• I bought my international S4 last year for $560.
• If I use it for two years and sell it on swappa for $200, I've lost $360 in depreciation.
• $360/24 months is $15/mo. to use the device.

In the long run, that's pretty cheap--probably less than 1/3 of your taxes and fees on Verizon And I can do anything I want on a factory unlocked international device. And I can buy/sell/trade whenever I want.

Ok, but how much does it cost you per month to have that line in addition to the device cost? And how much data do you get? In other words, what's the total monthly cost of a line with your byod scenario?

 

[Steven58]

the wife texted me IT ARRIVED AT HOME!

 

[CafeKampuchia]

Ok, but how much does it cost you per month to have that line in addition to the device cost? And how much data do you get? In other words, what's the total monthly cost of a line with your byod scenario?

I'm on Strait Talk (AT&T) and I pay $45/mo. + state sales tax for unlimited talk, texting and 3GB of data. T-Mobile has similar plans, but their reception here isn't as good.

 

[Steven58]

This is a display of the contents. Forgive me. I think I left out the power cord. Live with it. I'm not doing it again.

This is the outer box:

This is the inner box:

 

[Steven58]

T-mobile coverage in Princeton, NJ..

Well, to tell you the truth, the guys at the tmo kiosk did say that coverage was somewhat spotty in Princeton. Otherwise, it was good all around. I called my sister and had trouble understanding some of her phrases. It could have been on her end, so I called her back to her landline and she sounded fine. She did say that I cut out once or twice. This is not good. However, if I could use wifi calling that could theoretically help. BUT: considering the fact that I use my phone as my sole line for business.. tbh? This was not a good first impression. I'll let you know more, tomorrow. I'm going to forward my VZW calls to the Tmo iPhone tomorrow. If it doesn't work well, I'll discontinue that and give the testdrive back right away.

First impression of walled garden (iphone): I liked it. It was a bear to set up. They don't make it as easy to set up passcodes and that like, as google does. Maybe because I'm already setup on Google and know how to do it, it feels easier?

I downloaded speedtest.net to find that the Tmo speedtest came out 100 or so kbps stronger than big red. That surprised me because it seemed as if the 4g was cutting out more often on tmo than vzw.

I really liked the feel of the iPhone. It felt high tech for sure. Nothing I'd ever owned felt as high tech as this iPhone.

I speak to my friend Kelmar (another former moderator) daily via chat. I'll tell you what I told him. I'll give this phone a few days. If it works out, I'll switch. If not, I'll just get a new phone on DPP with Verizon.

Tune in tomorrow for more impressions.

Phone rating:95%
Tmo rating: 74%

I'm giving percentages based upon my initial gut sense and experience. Tune in tomorrow.

 

[Steven58]

Telephone coverage on my upstairs floor: virtually non-existent.

 

[EarlyMon]

Telephone coverage on my upstairs floor: virtually non-existent.

1. If coverage is bad on your upstairs floor, trying standing up.

2. Try an M8 when you get the chance.

 

[CafeKampuchia]

Telephone coverage on my upstairs floor: virtually non-existent.

In 2012 I used AT&T. Coverage was great but it was expensive. Last year I used T-Mobile and the pricing was great but the coverage was iffy. This year, AT&T's pricing and T-Mobile's coverage drove me to try an MVNO--Straight Talk. Now I get AT&T's network for pricing better than T-Mobile's. I couldn't be happier.

While you have the GSM iPhone you should give it a try. Go to straighttalk.com and get a SIM card for AT&T's network. They are like $7. Then try their cheapest service plan for $30.

 

[Digital Controller]

Telephone coverage on my upstairs floor: virtually non-existent.

I've pretty much only messed around with an iPhone for a few minutes.

What are some really nice features that you are liking about it?

 

[Steven58]

I've pretty much only messed around with an iPhone for a few minutes.

What are some really nice features that you are liking about it?

hey DC.

I'm impressed with the elegance of the software and hardware. the same programs I use on android run more elegantly on iOS. The screen is beautiful and the feel is solid and well-made. The iPhone 5.5 is seriously in the running. I'll likely have to stay with Verizon because GSM is not great in my area. I wish I could get my hands on an m8 for a trial to see how it feels.

new ratings:

tmo coverage: 60%
iPhone impression: 97%

 

[Unforgiven]

Steven, I hope you aren't basing your Android impression on the GNex. That phone is in my now enlightened opinion an abject failure for Android.

 

[Steven58]

Steven, I hope you aren't basing your Android impression on the GNex. That phone is in my now enlightened opinion an abject failure for Android.

I am. good point.

 

[Steven58]

I'm off to the mall now. I'm returning my free trial. I need a phone that works home so I'm stuck with verizon. This, in a fact, was more of the free trial for the iphone and I o s rather than t mobile. I o s was a success t mobile is a failure for me

 

[Steven58]

To be fair, Princeton, nj won't let tmo put towers up so I lose.

 

[jhawkkw]

hey DC.

I'm impressed with the elegance of the software and hardware. the same programs I use on android run more elegantly on iOS. The screen is beautiful and the feel is solid and well-made. The iPhone 5.5 is seriously in the running. I'll likely have to stay with Verizon because GSM is not great in my area. I wish I could get my hands on an m8 for a trial to see how it feels.

new ratings:

tmo coverage: 60%
iPhone impression: 97%

Yeah, T-Mobile's 2G can be a real pain but remember that they said they are updating all their 2G towers to LTE by the end of next summer. So it might be worth another trial run next year. Have you checked out AT&T towers in your area? It can still be a better bargain than Verizon if you go with Straight Talk or AIO/Cricket.