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Wait, what savings do you get over time from going off contract?

Unlike AT&T, T-Mobile has a discount if you buy your phone up front.

I would argue this is only a limitation on apple device.

You're wrong. It's a limitation on Palm devices, it's a problem with Android, it can be a problem with Windows Mobile. It's therefore very very important for a mobile device that the interface doesn't feel laggy, and it's not a trivial problem.

But not more than that. You can't possibly begin to compare processors through UI responsiveness when they're running different operating systems.

As an end user, that's exactly what you'll do. You don't care about the particular processor, what you care about is whether the device you have in your hand is responsive and performs well - that's a combination of lots of factors, and it's perfectly valid to compare different devices based on their UI responsiveness, and attribute some of the speed to the processor (not all, but some).

Do you have T-Mobile in your area? You could try their Hotspot@Home service; it lets you use your own home Wi-fi network for voice calls (provided that you have a compatible wi-fi-enabled phone like the BlackBerry Bold 9700)

Maybe it's one of those 3G USB dongles you plug into your laptop.

http://www.t-mobile.com/shop/phones/Cell-Phone-Detail.aspx?cell-phone=T-Mobile-webConnect-USB-Laptop-Stick&Wt.z_searchCategory=Site+Search+Summary&Wt.z_searchZone=Products&WT.z_searchTerm=usb&WT.z_searchProduct=webConnect%99+USB+Laptop+Stick

"U.S. carriers carry these phones; therefore, it is worthwhile for a company serving the U.S. to port an application for watching feature films to these phones." I disagree with you reasoning. First, it would fall over if nobody actually has those phones. I'm pretty sure iPhone and iPod Touch have an order of magnitude more market share in the U.S. than Symbian. Second, these people might not have an interest in watching a 90-minute movie on a screen the size of that in an iPod Nano. There's a reason that the early commercials for the second-generation iPod Nano used clips from music videos and not feature films. None of the carriers you listed have Maemo phones like the N900; all appear to be Symbian.

AT&T: Most of these are flip phones, and flip phones tend not to have a big enough screen for watching a feature film. For example, the Nokia 6650 has a 2.2" screen, and the Surge has a 2.4" screen.

T-Mobile: There's a map for that. It appears I would have no 3G and spotty EDGE when visiting my mother. It has the most Nokia models of the three carriers, but no big-screen ones.

Verizon: After I put in my zip code, it forgot I wanted to limit my search to Nokia products. The first page of results consisted of about 20 BlackBerry, Windows Mobile, Android, and webOS handsets and zero Symbian or Maemo, showing me that Verizon doesn't feel like marketing Nokia. I clicked limit search to Nokia, and the results were Nokia Twist (2.4" screen) and Nokia Shade (2.0" screen).

What are you talking about?

So I guess people who live in the gray areas on this map are out of luck.

http://coverage.t-mobile.com/default.aspx?MapType=Data If you are happy with 2-3 times the speed of dialup then go for it. T-Mobile only has 3G in a few select large cities. Cripples the phone in my opinion. Even AT&T has much much better 3G coverage. And Verizon throws Rev-A (3G) on all their towers which is why they have been winning the "map wars" recently.

Here's their plans page. Some plans it's a $10 difference. The plans with a subsidy don't mention options for adding unlimited text and web like the non-subsidy plans do.

Even More Plus Unlimited Talk + Text + Web.

Just to add a few more points:

* Haven't had any hassles with certain off-label applications such as tethering and SIP phone.
* To get you to dump your landline, they also offer a little-known $9.99/mo unlimited home phone via your existing Internet called T-Mobile @Home. I haven't tried it.

Once you have used T-Mobile and UMA at $0.10 per minute, you will NEVER go back to standard plans.

UMA is basically "GSM over IP over 802.11g", and it allows you to make GSM cellphone calls [billed at a standard $0.10 per minute] from any publically accessible WiFi hotspot.

I'd buy an older UMA phone off of eBay, and purchase a $50 [$0.125] or $100 [$0.10] prepaid plan from T-Mobile, and say goodbye to monthly fees forever.

http://coverage.t-mobile.com/default.aspx?MapType=Data

Maybe you haven't heard - T-Mobile is offering unbundled plans now. http://www.t-mobile.com/shop/plans/Cell-Phone-Plans-Overview.aspx?WT.z_unav=mst_shop_plans The US has a long way to go, but this is a pretty big step. Hopefully other carriers will get in line.

You actually save about $100 by going to month by month. Here is my calculation:

$179 + 2 years of Even More ($79) = $2075
$529 + 2 years of Even More Plus ($59) = $1969

The $60 500 minutes + unlimited data plan:
http://www.t-mobile.com/shop/plans/cell-phone-plans-detail.aspx?tp=tb1&rateplan=Even-More-Plus-500-Talk-Text-Web

Surely the T-Mobile stores will have demo units available?

Wouldn't you use GoogleVoice instead of the talk minutes when calling? I thought that was one of the draws of Google's Android (although I haven't gone deep enough into the release info to see if it's still there).

As for the plan being different with the phone than without, T-Mobile is taking $350 off the price of the phone for your 2-year commitment plus the extra $20/month (the plan with unlimited data, as with the Nexus One plan, is $59/mo, $20 less than the N1 plan). I dunno, sounds like a really bad deal, but might appeal to those who absolutely have to have a phone now and have $200 to spend but not $600 to spend. Note that T-Mobile usually tacks on $10/month for non-contract plans, but the contract plans on their site don't appear to offer unlimited data, so there's no apples-to-apples comparison.

Would this work with T-Mobile's $39.99 Total Internet plan?

If so - I would consider carrying an N1 around for web access, and still hold on to my $0.10-per-minute prepaid phone for the times that I need voice. VOIP would be another option for voice, if latency is not too bad.

I was under the impression that Verizon and Sprint happen not to.

Verizon.

Sprint (select "Mobile Broadband" toggle).

AT&T.

T-Mobile.

Last I heard all of the US carriers were requiring the data plan if you had a smart phone. Any word on whether the "Even More Plus" plan does this?

No, you are not required to purchase a data plan. Plans start at $30 for 500 voice minutes and go up to $80 for unlimited data, texts and voice minutes.

T-Mobile Even More Plus

Thanks. Did not think about that option.

But two problems:
1. Will definitely have to get a phone on contract and ebay it - if I am on their network for long time, I would rather I use their subsidy. And I am not good at ebaying stuff.
2. (More importantly) Unfortunately, the phone wont be able to use T-Mobile 3G network. Here is more detail on it - http://forums.t-mobile.com/t5/Non-T-Mobile-Devices/Motorla-Milestone-GSM-ver-of-Verizon-Droid-A855/td-p/272760

"a GSM area" covers most of the United States.
http://www.wireless.att.com/coverageviewer/
http://www.t-mobile.com/coverage/pcc.aspx

http://www.t-mobile.com/shop/plans/Cell-Phone-Plans-Overview.aspx?WT.z_unav=mst_shop_plans

These plans have been in effect for at least a month now.

T-Mobile has plans that are cheaper and do not provide the phone subsidy. Check out their "Even More Plus" plans. I would switch if they had coverage where I live...

How does a consumer not concede to the carrier's game? Sure, you can pay cash for a phone rather than purchasing a subsidized one, but you will still pay the same price for the service. The only difference is that you can take your ball and go home if you want. The next guy is going to charge the same price though. The only alternative is to not play their game at all.

Actually, it seems T-mobile is trying something new with their "Even More Plus" plans. I called them last week to see about changing up my plan, and the first thing the operator asked me was: "Which is more important to you? Do you want a free phone, or cheaper monthly payments?" I answered enthusiastically "cheaper monthly payments" since I've never been interested in getting a subsidized phone and then being under contract for 2 years to pay it off. These new plans are pretty cheap it seems, don't offer a free or subsidized phone, and don't put you under contract.

If you've got T-Mobile with internet service, you can pretty much get online for free anywhere in Europe. Here's a listing of T-Mobile HotSpots.

https://selfcare.hotspot.t-mobile.com/locations/retrieveGlobalLocationByCountry.do?country=UK

Also, laptops are almost all 120/240 dual voltage. Just look on the power block part of the power adapter. You should just need a cheap <10 dollar adapter. NOT an expensive converter. If you're lucky, your power adapter will have the kind of removable plug/cable most radios, DVD players, etc, have coming out of it you can swap cheaply. I keep one for mainland europe, the UK and the US. They're just as cheap and way more convenient. Like this:

http://www.national-tech.com/specs/power-cable/10w1-13406.htm
http://www.national-tech.com/specs/power-cable/10w1-15406.htm

They have the added bonus of not marking you out as a tourist.

it would cost a tremendous amount unless you have some kind of truly unlimited data plan.

It seems that you are unaware about the recent price war going on between mobile data providers.

TMobile Even More Plus.

TMobile is very friendly to unlocked phones. If you buy one of their subsidized phones, they will unlock it for you 90 days from purchase. They even have a gray market phone support department; they support the phones they don't even sell...

.....but there's one overwhelming advantage that the iPhone has in the US - a carrier that actually has a usable network. I realize that some people here whine about AT&T, but I've never met anyone in real life who's had problems with them. Even if you do hate AT&T, you have to realize how utterly pathetic and unusable T-Mobile's network is. Their 3G coverage is like less than 20 square miles.......of the WHOLE US. Just getting a signal to make a regular phone call is hard with T-Mobile once you go outside the major cities.

Here's their phone coverage http://www.t-mobile.com/coverage/pcc.aspx?WT.z_unav=mst_global_cvg

Here's their data coverage http://www.t-mobile.com/coverage/pcc.aspx?WT.z_unav=mst_global_cvg

.....but there's one overwhelming advantage that the iPhone has in the US - a carrier that actually has a usable network. I realize that some people here whine about AT&T, but I've never met anyone in real life who's had problems with them. Even if you do hate AT&T, you have to realize how utterly pathetic and unusable T-Mobile's network is. Their 3G coverage is like less than 20 square miles.......of the WHOLE US. Just getting a signal to make a regular phone call is hard with T-Mobile once you go outside the major cities.

Here's their phone coverage http://www.t-mobile.com/coverage/pcc.aspx?WT.z_unav=mst_global_cvg

Here's their data coverage http://www.t-mobile.com/coverage/pcc.aspx?WT.z_unav=mst_global_cvg

Not if monopoly power robs the consumer of bargaining power.

What monopoly? There's four carriers. At least one of them will let you sign up without any contract what so ever.

I can understand the worry if you have some cheap device and plan that is circumventing a more expensive one, but to have a data plan you have to have a voice plan and the voice + data plans are fairly pricey.

1. A voice+data plan with a minimum number of minutes (but unlimited data) is considerably cheaper than one with unlimited minutes -- but that's what VoIP effectively gives you.
2. Even carriers here in the US have data-only plans (here's T-Mobile's). They say you can't use it with the G1, but I'm not sure what measures they have in place to enforce that...

If you haven't already, you may want to investigate T-mobile's coverage in your area, $100 buys 1,000 minutes that last for a year:

http://www.t-mobile.com/shop/plans/prepaid-plans.aspx

(I currently use Virgin Mobile, which is $20 for 200 minutes, and as long as you add 200 minutes every 30 days, unused minutes carry forward; not fantastically better than a contract, but I get all the minutes I need for less than any contract I am aware of)

"Is there a way to configure the phone to direct all calls through a wireless router, when the router is in range?"

Yes, it's called Unlimited HotSpot Calling from T-Mobile. (Note: You may want to double check this with T-Mo, but I believe the phones and plan will work with almost any WiFi AP, not just a T-Mobile HotSpot, though that marketing page doesn't make that very clear).

Plus, with UHC (Also some times called UMA - Unlicensed Mobile Access, or GAN - Generic Access Network), you can seemlessly transition to the Cell network without having to hang up and call back.

The only problem with that package is that the unlimited calling is $10/mo, but they also require you to have a monthly plan which costs at least $40/mo, so you are looking at a minimum of $50/mo. T-Mo actually have a pre-paid program where for $100 you get 1000 minutes (which don't expire for a year), so unless you talk more than 500 minutes/mo it's not really the best deal out there. Also, as others have noted, Boost/Sprint have an unlimited $50/mo package.

Even without unlimited, the truth is that $50/mo buys a LOT of minutes. T-Mo also offers a 1000 minutes/mo plan plus unlimited nights/weekends for $40.

Interestingly, the mobile operators have apparently recently changed their pricing tiers - I could swear a year or two ago they all had $50/mo plans, but now they all have a $40/mo plan and a $60/mo plan but no $50/mo plan (T-Mo technically has a $50/mo plan, but it's the same as the $40/mo plan, plus unlimited T-Mo 2 T-Mo calling which is rather limited in it's usefulness, unless you happen to know a lot of people using T-Mobile).

This is a no-phone, data-contract-only option I am aware for the US:

http://www.t-mobile.com/shop/plans/cell-phone-plans-detail.aspx?tp=tb1&rateplan=T-Mobile-Total-Internet

Then you could buy any phone you wanted to use or develop for. Having been in Europe for a long time now, I don't understand the US telco contract-phone market, but I am aware T-mobile has this 'unlimited' mobile internet for $40 a month, no phone included.

I wrote this out, because I couldn't figure out why Nokia wasn't on your Dev-list, but then I figured maybe Nokia isn't offered with contracts in the US, (or maybe Nokia isn't your personal pref.). At any rate, I really like Nokia, because I develop VOIP systems, and Nokia supports the open SIP VOIP-standard really well in the OS, which draws little power compared to running an application like Fring. So obviously I try to steer my corporate clients to consider Nokia phones, but really only the ones on the always-updated list of supported SIP phones:

http://www.forum.nokia.com/main/resources/technologies/voice_over_IP/voip_support_in_nokia_devices.html

The N79 has all the features the iPhone doesn't offer to this day, for 287 euros cash (like shooting DVD quality video, A2DP bluetooth meaning speaking-headset/music support), and even negates the need to carry a Polar heart meter when cycling with site/nav-GPS which is why I want one. Note that price includes a 19% value-added tax that businesses like me (sole-proprietership developer) do not pay.

http://gsmtrack.nl/index.php?page=merken&action=toestellos&id=708&id2=1135

And Nokia is attempting great things, like their Sports social-networking site, which I hope they make more dev-friendly: http://sportstracker.nokia.com/

And as far as I am concerned, no phone short-list is complete without the Neopwn, which runs Debian, Firefox, etc., and does *much* more!

http://www.neopwn.com/

And for what's worth, on the deskphone side, I just bought a Polycom IP650, for its speaker-phone quality, and It Rocks(!!), and with a great GUI too.

According to T-Mobile's site, You'll be able to use your phone in Japan, South Korea and Mexico just fine, T-Mobile has a presence in Europe, so it'll work fine there too. It'll cost you an arm and a leg++ to do anything, but it will work. Check http://www.t-mobile.com/International/RoamingOverview.aspx?tp=Inl_Tab_RoamWorldwide&WT.mc_n=ILDCoverage&WT.mc_t=onsite to see the prices of any country you want. As for the phone, T-Mobile happens to sell the G1, which has many excellent programs for email access, and a very find physical keyboard. You can even use it as a wifi router with http://code.google.com/p/android-wifi-tether/ if you choose to check email or type on a laptop.

All US cell phone companies require a contract.

Stop filling slashdot with crazy.

>Don't bitch, you can't even upgrade Windows Mobile at any price, nor Blackberry's OS

I recently upgraded by T-Mobile Blackberry's OS. Free, as in free software. The downloads are available here. Did I mention they are free?

Try one of the pay as you go deals. You can get a phone for $10 or $20 and just pay about $0.25/minute to use it. AT&T has free calling to AT&T customers. It's a lot cheaper than the average monthly plan that will run you upwards of $400/year.

Uh, what? You just made a broad and inaccurate generalization, near flamebait-y. There's some good and bad coverage in general and that's smack dab in the midwest. Did you even bother to look at their coverage map? As with any coverage, rural areas have worse and cities have better. You know, logical buildouts, etc. Verizon, Sprint, I don't care who you have. If you live in farmland, you're just not going to be priority for cellphones nor for internet. This style of building is typical of all service providers. I never said this is ethical and its certainly not great, but business sense and all that.

Meanwhile, I've never heard of a phone being unavailable in the US if it's available in the US. That's pretty contradictory as a concept.

My father has been deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan and other places around the world and he brings with him a T-Mobile Quad-band phone with the International Package. He got pretty good service in Afghanistan. You can check the rates here: https://www.t-mobile.com/International/RoamingOverview.aspx?tp=Inl_Tab_RoamWorldwide It looks like calls are about $4.99/minute there, so you probably won't want to chat for hours on end, but my family has used this method for several deployments and it works stellar. Thank you for your service.

It is supposedly built into the update that is currently being sent out. http://forums.t-mobile.com/tmbl/board/message?board.id=87&thread.id=30897

Instead, every provider offers exactly one plan, and all four have identical terms and prices: $60/mo for 5GB of data.

What in the world are you talking about? I went to check your facts and the very first carrier that I checked had a $50/month data card plan with unlimited data.

My t-mobile phone roams onto AT&T quite frequently. It's a blackberry pearl. This is in an area with t-mobile coverage

Then T-Mobile allows roaming in your area. Typically they don't in areas where they have native coverage. Go to T-Mobile's coverage map and key in zip code 13760. Look at all the dead zones and notice where the roaming coverage is. Then go to AT&T's coverage map and look at their coverage in the same area.

T-Mobile won't allow you to roam on AT&T around these parts until you get out of the county where they have native coverage -- even if you are in part of the county where no coverage exists. This is SOP for them and be thankful you live in an area where they haven't decided to do this for whatever reason.

Same for G1 users.

T-Mobile offers free unlimited access to all of their T-Mobile hotspots (which includes the new AT&T rebranded ones for another 5 years) to their G1 data plan subscribers. T-Mo even has a free GPS-enabled Hotspot Finder for the G1 that handles the login details for you.

Disclaimer: I'd rather have a thinner phone with only an on screen keyboard (better than the iPhone's which I don't like in portrait mode at all)

I tried the G1 out yesterday at a store and I was pleasantly surprised at some things - the bend at the bottom (the chin) wasn't nearly as annoying as I thought it would be. It still fits in my pocket comfortably and with my sized hands, I had no problems reaching with my right hand to the middle of the keyboard without the chin part in the way. Though I don't buy the idea that the microphone positioning is helped that much by the bend, it does sit in your hand nicely when the phone is up to your ear. I still think the chin was a bad idea though because a) they have been getting a ridiculous amount of bad press about it because it looks dumb, and b) if they had just gone with a full length slider instead like an Xperia or Nokia N810, they could have used the full length for the keyboard which would have made the spacing better yet. But the biggest problem with the phone for me is that the keys do not raise up enough from the surface. My thumbs get some serious resistance from the surface around the key before it is depressed enough to actuate. That sucks. I liked the keyboard on the Sidekick I tried in the store better.

The other hardware quirk that bugs me, but isn't a deal breaker is the stupid proprietary connector (http://www.hardwarebook.info/ExtUSB). I'd rather have a standard Micro-USB (http://news.cnet.com/Pros-seem-to-outdo-cons-in-new-phone-charger-standard/2100-1041_3-6209247.html) and a 3.5 mm headphone jack (using the same 4 connector design Apple uses if this is non-proprietary, or 3 connector if it isn't).

My other main concern is just how well the GPS works. One poster here said it worked great. The reviews are very mixed - some say it is terrible, some pretty good. I'm waiting for a thorough analysis of its performance (especially unassisted performance) before deciding to get it or wait for a G2 from T-mobile or someone else (I'm an AT&T customer now, but though I don't have any horror stories, I don't particularly like their policies either). I started a thread at http://forums.t-mobile.com/tmbl/board/message?board.id=87&thread.id=1969&view=by_date_ascending&page=1 on the topic of unassisted GPS performance in case anybody is interested.

Dara Parsavand

http://www.t-mobile.com/International/LongDistanceOverview.aspx

Skype rates are about the same (also with a small per-month fee): http://www.skype.com/intl/en/prices/callrates/

3. No Exchange support, tethering, desktop sync, video or Skype. Some or all of these would be nice at launch but I assume they will be added fairly quickly by others though given it is an open-source platform.

1. Never heard about the Gmail requirement.

2. Use a bluetooth headset.

3. Exchange Support & Desktop Sync are already in the works, there are Open Source projects already started. Also, Skype is redundant with T-Mobile G1, the much better T-Mobile Talk Forever Mobile UMA enabled VOIP service works with the phone.

* The G1, like the iPhone and T-Mobile's Sidekick, will have its SIM card slot locked to prevent the use of other carriers' subscriber-identity module cards. So if you don't like T-Mobile's network here or its roaming rates overseas, you'll either have to suck it up or hope somebody "jailbreaks" this phone in the same way that hackers have defeated the iPhone's SIM locking.

T-Mobile unlocks phones if you've had service with them for 90 days (and the particular phone for 14 to 30 days). This is still lame, but it's about as good as you can get in the US.

https://support.t-mobile.com/knowbase/root/public/tm51885.htm