My bad, comment should have just been directed to Aleks. Apologies to Richard who wasn't rude.

Bah, ignore that double post about the Q9h.

Now to Aleks and Richard, Geez, rude clods aren't you guys? They are phone companies. Neither shows you any love. They're out to get money from you. That's it.

No, I didn't work for VZW. Bad form to assume that I got canned, but I should have expected that from some Internet tough guys.

Until T-Mobile actually does it, it's all talk. They let their 3G network go for years, they put service in 3 markets and then all of the sudden they should be be believed? Show me the money. DT's really neglected T-Mobile USA.

Please show me where CMDA is used nearly as widely worldwide as GSM - not including dual mode phones. Vodafone is a GSM carrier. Verizon may get some decent rates on roaming but they're really comparable with AT&T's. Verizon has a whole 7 phones capable of roaming worldwide. Whoopty do. They're nice phones, but I'd hardly call that substantial.

My whole point with the grandma argument that you deride is that while this is Engadget, places like this tend to have myopic views and are very prone to groupthink. They may not pay extra for the service, but their limited use can make them profitable customers that allows companies to invest in better infrastructure - something AT&T definitely should do. Times are changing and smartphones are becoming more popular - no doubt. That doesn't mean that they're taking over any time soon. Many people don't want or need the extras that a smartphone can do now. If you've ever been out of the country, look and see how many phoens are smartphones. In places where peope are pretty tech savvy like Korea, I was quite surprised to see the US had more smartphones. Try to open your mind up and think about that for a little bit.

I know what Verizon offers - I haven't seen any plan with international text at anything than the international rates Verizon advertises. If they're including Canada, they're not saying it in their text plans or the T&C's. Verizon and AT&T both offer Canada plans at the same price. Choose what works best for you. AT&T works better for me for now and they've treated me better. Verizon works better for you. Everyone's happy. When LTE shows up, I can re-evaluate then.

I'm well aware of Android phones and what's been released - I read this site too and follow it. Android doesn't really impress me much. YMMV.

Do you have a link saying where 40% of the market will be smart phones in a year's time?

Funny thing is, I never said AT&T's network DIDN'T need to be upgraded, but I've been jumped on it like I have. I actually agreed, but I guess saying anything nice about AT&T will get you flamed on here.

Try arguing with some respect next time. It's possible to disagree without being a prick.

You're right about the Q9h being a tank on reception. Best reception I've ever gotten on any phone I've owned.

I love my Fuze, but the reception and call quality isn't anything like my old Q9h.

You're right about the Q9h being a tank on reception. Best reception I've ever gotten on any phone I've owned.

I love my Fuze, but the reception and call quality isn't anything like my old Q9h.

AT&T is the LA Clippers of the wireless world? Are you forgetting T-Mobile? :p Talk about being behind the 3G curve, and on an oddball slice of spectrum to boot.

AT&T has it's problems - no doubt about it. I've been on AT&T since moving to Maryland. I've generally been happy. I prefer GSM and WCMDA tech over CDMA. I travel so it's nice that my phone will work almost anywhere in the world. If you want GSM coverage, who else are you going to use? No way I'd use T-Mobile. That leaves AT&T.

Yes, I know Verizon has GSM compatible phones, but I'll get to why I'm not interested.

I was a Verizon customer several years ago. I couldn't wait to ditch them. It wasn't because of their network coverage - I was generally happy with the coverage. Their customer service was awful. 60-90 minute waits in the stores. The stores never answered their phones. And the general "you signed a 2 year contract, we have you now" attitude. They're the reason I'll never sign a 2 year agreement ever again. I also worked for Verizon for 3 1/2 years - I can't say I was treated any better as an employee when I carried a company phone.

There's another, more tangential but important issue for me - phone tweaking. I love that for GSM, HTC phones are highly tweakable and customizable. Cooked ROMs have done more to enhance my enjoyment from my phone than anything else. That doesn't really work well, if at all, with CDMA phones due to technical issues. I like that I can tether my phone with AT&T on the cooked ROMs. I don't like how Verizon cripples their phones. And some of their pricing plans just didn't work for me (texting Canada in particular would be much more expensive on VZ than on AT&T).

I'd be really happy if I could have Verizon's coverage with AT&T's technology. But since I live in an area where coverage isn't an issue, I don't worry about it. The places I go, 3G's available and when it's not, I'm usually driving anyway so it's not a big deal. Maybe if I lived on my phone and used tons of data I might.

For the average Joe, they're not going to care about 3G, EV-DO, EDGE, or whatever. You ask someone like my parents or grandparents, you'll just get a blank stare when you talk about them. I think all most people (outside of communities like this) care about are does my phone work when and where I need it? If it does, they're happy. So use what works best for you where you live and go.

No real reason for the fanboy arguments either way. They sell a service. If it works for you, use it. If not, pick something else.

BGR has an interesting take on the Storm debut and OS versions. With the multiple layers of stickers, it looks like there was some downgrading going on.

http://www.boygeniusreport.com/2008/11/21/the-real-story-behind-the-verizon-blackberry-storm-os/

That phone looks pretty fugly. I agree with the others ... too much metal on it. It looks like a very bad imitation of the Omnia.

I'm holding out for Black Friday to upgrade ... hoping for a better deal like last year. Leaning toward the Fuze but the Epix isn't ruled out. This thing would have to be stellar for me to buy it.

And if it has a 3" screen ... it's gonna be huge.

Great development ... Samsung should have included this in the beginning though.

I'd buy it unlocked if it had triband 3G.

It was on Premier for me today ... $99 after rebate on a 1 year contract.

The i907 is a rebranded and tweaked i780.

No Omnia love for us for the foreseeable future.