Tikkabik

My days with AT&T are numbered. I just couldn't pass up a two-for-one deal at Verizon Wireless that netted Bonnie and me a pair of LG VX6000's for $100 total, both sharing a family plan that's only like $8 more than the two plans we have now, with 100 more minutes a month to boot to split between us. Number portability has been nationwide since early this year, so we'll get to keep our numbers too.

The VX6000 is a nice phone -- a buddy of mine has one and let me use it in a dead spot that my shitty AT&T phone would just not work in at all, and I got a crystal clear connection. It's got almost all the features I was looking for except for Bluetooth, which I had really counted on as a reliable way to get data like contact info into my phone. I barely use my Nokia 3360's address book because I just can't bear to retype all the crap I've already put into Address Book. But there aren't any really outstanding deals on Bluetooth phones at the moment, so I've decided to put it off. I'm also pretty sure that phones with that technology are going to turn over some big improvements in the next twelve months, so I think it'll pay to wait -- besides, I have a Bluetooth PDA now, so I can carry my numbers with me if re-inputting them is that much of a hassle.

Turns out some enterprising developers have written an application called BitPim that works with VX6000's and a few other models, and supports the Mac. I'll need a data cable which I can get for short money from Radio Shack, but I should eventually be good to go. Phones are supposed to be here by the end of the week the latest. I'll let you know how it turns out.

I'd considered a new AT&T GSM plan, but neither they nor Cingular have particularly good customer service reputations, their TDMA service has been nothing short of miserable, and I am just not anxious to jump into another contract with them.

Sprint is out of the question -- spotty service in this area, lousy deals, and unimpressive phones for the most part.

T-Mobile was a consideration; they offer the SideKick II, which is an awfully intriguing piece of kit, but I decided against it based on the high cost of entry -- $250, plus the relatively high cost of the plan, combine with the fact that there are some features I just wouldn't use. T-Mobile also has some mind-bogglingly good deals through Amazon, but almost all of them require you to lay out a whole bunch of cash before getting -- in some cases -- an even larger chunk of cash back. Maybe I'm foolish, but reducing short-term cash flow like that just irritated the hell out of me. Besides, T-Mobile's coverage in this particular geographical region ain't the best.