Picking a cellphone doesn't have to be hard. At Version.com we have put together a quick reference
guide for each of the top thee cellphone providers in the US. If you take the time to read about each
service you can make a well-informed decisions and pick the right provider for you.
We are very focused on making sure that every one of our visitors gets the latest version of the
operating system on their phone. By pointing-out the current software versions each cellphone provider
offers on their phones you can make sure you don't end-up with quickly outdated software.
AT&T
AT&T started 17 years before Verizon and holds the title of the #2 cellular provider in the United States.
AT&T is the largest provider of fixed telephony in the United States and is the 7th largest company in America.
When Apple launched the iPhone AT&T closed a deal to become the exclusive carrier of the iPhone. This resulted in huge growth in subscribers
as the iPhone became an instant success. AT&T also offers droid phones, the Palm Pre, and of course Blackberry devices allowing them to offer
many similar phones found on both Verizon and T-Mobile.
Along with offering cellular phone service AT&T also offers digital television and Internet service in select areas. Bundling services
together is a great way to reduce your monthly bills.
T-Mobile
T-Mobile was started in 1990 and is headquartered in Germany. As a global provider T-Mobile is the 8th largest cellular phone carrier in the world.
At the moment T-Mobile operates the largest 4G network in the US and like AT&T focuses on GSM phones. While T-Mobile does not carry the iPhone, many people
have purhcased the iPhone and run it on T-Mobile's network. This is not recommended by either Apple or AT&T.
Along with carrying Android phones T-Mobile also carries some of the latest Android tablets that are hitting the market. Similar to the iPad these new tablets
are coming in at a much lower price point and offering a semi-stable version of the Android operating system.
Version Alert:
The current version of the Android OS for tablets is not stable and we recommend you wait until the next version is released.
Verizon Wireless
Verizon wireless was started in the year 2000 and over the last ten years has grown to become the
largest cellphone provider in the United States. Verizon took the lead in 2009 after it acquired
Alltel Wireless and is ahead of AT&T by only about 400,000 subscribers.
Verizon offers a wide variety of phones and plans and is one of the leading providers of droid phones
in the United States. At the moment Verizon does not yet have the iPhone but there have been many
rumours floating around that they may get it in 2011.
The Verizon iPhone deal has been speculated as a potential major win for both Verizon and Apple who
would most likely gain many new customers from the deal. Verizon uses a different cellular technology
than is currently used in the iPhone. While most of the world uses GSM, Verizon has built a strong
CDMA Network in the United States. This means that in order for Verizon to sell the iPhone, Apple would
have to make another version of the phone specifically for the carrier.
Verizon is offering a number of deals this holiday season including special offers on the following
phones; Droid X, Droid Pro, Droid Global 2, Droid Incredible.
While these are all Android phones they are different versions tailored to specific users. The Droid X
is for heavy video users and features 720p video capture and an HDMI connection. The Droid Pro is a business-centric
phone with a keyboard directly below the screen. Droid Global is a global phone for International
travelers and the Incredible is HTC's latest offering with an 8 MP camera.
The current version of Android is 2.3 - make sure your phone is running this version before you buy
it to ensure compatibility with current apps.
Sprint
Sprint is the third largest cellphone carrier in the United States and the second largest CDMA carrier next to Verizon.
Sprint acquired Nextel in 2005 and with it gained a huge group of users and phones with push-to-talk functionality.
Just like the other US cellphone carriers Sprint offers Android phones along with Blackberry and palm. For International
cellphone users Sprint offers dual mode CDMA/GSM phones. Sprint offers their own live TV service that allows users to watch
television directly on their phones.
Sprint runs-into the same issue as Verizon when it comes to the iPhone since they only offer CDMA and iDEN. If Apple ever decides
to make a CDMA version of the iPhone it could be used with both Sprint and Verizon but most-likely one of them would get the contract first. Unlike
the other major carriers in the US Sprint does not offer prepaid plans at this time.
