Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Glad you found something that works for you! I've always been lucky enough to get fantastic reception pretty much everywhere I go with AT&T, but the one morning when they were having network problems that caused me to drop 4 calls in the space of about 15 minutes, I was ready to heave the phone out my 3rd-story window. I can only imagine how frustrating that would be to deal with on a daily basis.
 
In the end, I'm going to be keeping the Droid. It's not an iPhone killer, but it's certainly the next best thing...add that to the ability to actually use it as a cell phone and you have a real winner.

My iphone work perfectly as a cell phone.
 
Nice "review" except, like others have noted, it fails much like your AT&T service claim.

It's fine to think the network is crappy. But your grading is bogus in this category. There's no way you can give AT&T a zero. That would and should be reserved for someone that was only able to use their iPhone on wifi because they couldn't ever get ANY signal. That warrants a zero. I think, if you remove your hyperbole and desire to skew the results, a "fair" score might be somewhere between 25-50.

And stating that Verizon is 100 percent implies there is NO room for improvement. Which means you had perfect call quality, never dropped a call or had a failed call (one that didn't go through when you dialed) and always had the very top speeds for Data.

I just don't buy it. Give Verizon somewhere between 80-99.... but 100 is a crock.
 
I stopped reading after you gave AT&T a 0/100. That's just ridiculous. This thread has no credibility and should be deleted.
 
This review is biased. Just because you are unable to get a network connection doesn't mean others can't. As the others have pointed out, I'll love to see even 3 bars of reception in a lift. :rolleyes:

Verizon iPhone rumors.. why? Be happy with your Droid since you've made that purchase..
Nice "review" except, like others have noted, it fails much like your AT&T service claim.

"My Experience: From iPhone 2g -> 3g -> 3gs -> Droid"
I'm curious why everyone thinks this is a review? It's not. It's my own bloody experience with my iPhone on AT&T and my Droid on Verizon. Why is that threatening to so many of you? I never claimed for this to be an unbaised, universal look at the intricacies of two competing smartphones and their networks across the United States...it's the experience of one man who's had bad luck with a phone that he loves on a network he hates and his journey to try and find a happy medium. Hell, I even said "here's my report card" trying to imply a singular experince. I have NO DOUBT that many of you have outstanding AT&T service, but I do not and would ask you not to think that just because you get reception in your mom's closet doesn't mean everybody does.

Congrats on the new phone, but I'm curious as you mentioned that you get zero bars at work on ATT and you're at work from 7:00am to 7:00pm, why did you get a 3G and then upgrade again to a 3GS - seems kind of silly to be spending all that money on a phone that won't work during the day...
never had service for more than a fraction of a second, and you kept your phone for 2.5 years, and paid 80+ bucks a month for it? sounds like you should of bought an ipod touch

I agree. If it makes any sense, the WiFi on the iPhone is actually what kept me coming back for more. It's allowed me to access the hospital's wireless network from anywhere offering easy access to email, etc. Then I carried my pager with me so that if someone needed me, I was paged and called from a landline.

...
The real question is: are you actually happy?

Good question...the answer is "kinda...".
I really miss my iPhone but I'm ecstatic about the new found reception. The Droid is excellent, don't get me wrong, but it's not an iPhone.

...
It's fine to think the network is crappy. But your grading is bogus in this category. There's no way you can give AT&T a zero. That would and should be reserved for someone that was only able to use their iPhone on wifi because they couldn't ever get ANY signal. That warrants a zero. I think, if you remove your hyperbole and desire to skew the results, a "fair" score might be somewhere between 25-50.

And stating that Verizon is 100 percent implies there is NO room for improvement. Which means you had perfect call quality, never dropped a call or had a failed call (one that didn't go through when you dialed) and always had the very top speeds for Data.

I just don't buy it. Give Verizon somewhere between 80-99.... but 100 is a crock.
If you are a Doctor you should know that your review has a large false positive rate

giving at&t a zero and verizon a 100 is a huge bias and throws your study down the sh|thole :p

a more accurate rating would probably be like at&t 50 verizon 80-90

but glad you found a phone that works for you
yeah bad form on the 0/100 att service and 100/100 verizon service...
granted, verizon probably has better coverage, but i tell ya, not always. I get 2-3 bars everywhere i go, 1 bar in my house (and it has actually gotten better since 3 yrs ago)... i dont see 4 bars on my verizon, although i rarely have dropped calls, but where i live i will expect the same from att.
people might not be arguing so much if he hadn't used those scores to create overall averages grading each phone. Personally, I thought it was a decent review if you just go by the text instead of the numbers, which are definitely too black and white (99/100 on iPhone software? Hey, I love it too, but there's more room for improvement than that)...

Again...my own personal report card.
Like in school, as a teacher when you look at Vicky, Timmy and Andy at the end of the day who all turn in their work from class. Vicky and Timmy might turn in wonderful or crappy papers...but they turn in something and make an effort so they deserve a grade. But Andy? He turns in a blank piece of paper ever single day because he has done zero work. That's a 0/100.
If I cannot make a call and everyone else around me can, it's a zero.
Does Verizon deserve a 100? I dunno...but so far, they do. I've yet to drop a call or not have reception. So MY EXPERIENCE with them is flawless as of today.
And...again...I have zero doubt that many of you have very different experiences which I can appreciate

Have you contacted AT&T about your reception at work?

Yes. They tell me that they have no control over what happens in buildings. I've even talked to the cellular directors of the hospital...turns out there are two antennas on the top of the building that ALL other carriers pay for access to...except AT&T. I asked if they have any plans to gain access to that antennae and he said "no" :(
 
Why do we think it's a review? Because it is. Period. A report card is a review too. You don't need to defend the fact it's your experience. We know that. It's YOUR review - not others.

I won't speak for others - but the points I raised are valid. I simply refuse to believe that ATT has a ZERO implying you have never been able to connect to their network for data or voice EVER and Verizon has NO room for improvement.

If you want to go with the teacher/report card analogy - you'd be brough before the board of education for your grading practices. Just sayin'
 
All my dropped call and connection issues are related to the iPhone and not to O2. It'd be the same on any network. It sucks at connectivity to GSM.
 
I was on Verizon for years and had the same experience with them the OP is claiming with AT&T. Although I wouldn't rate their network a zero (nobody's network is that bad) I did experience spotty service and a lot of dropped calls. So, I left for AT&T 3 years ago and I've ben much happier. I'm not basing my experience on just where I live as I travel across the country a great deal. What I've found is that every cell phone provider has problem areas and they have dropped calls. It's just not fair to bash one provider and elevate another and worship it.

As for the Droid it has a sluggish OS. The thing Verizon phones all have in common is that they are thicker and bulkier than the iPhone and their OS is slower, less responsive and sluggish. If the OP is looking for an experience closer to the iPhone's on Verizon he'll really need to wait until the Omnia II comes out. Til then the closest phone they have is the Imagio. It is not as thick as the Droid and it has a virtual keyboard like the iPhone. It's OS is Windows Mobile, but that can greatly be enhanced by installing Mobile Shell. With Mobile Shell the OS actually rivals and even surpasses the iPhone in some areas. But still, it's going to be sluggish compared to the iPhone. Even the Omnia II with an 800 MHZ processor is sluggish next to the iPhone. Apple just got that part right when they engineered the iPhone and its OS.

Exactly, most of the bashers are Verizon fanboys. Before the alltell deal AT&T was the largest carrier in the US. They gained more subs last quarter than Verizon but yet these Verizon fanboys have been ragging on like their ***** don't stink and it's getting tired. No carrier is perfect but to go on like Verizon is some holy grail of networks is getting boring.
 
All my dropped call and connection issues are related to the iPhone and not to O2. It'd be the same on any network. It sucks at connectivity to GSM.

Yeah I wonder why I don't get no dropped calls on Fido with an iphone 3g. :rolleyes: I also wonder why after using my brother in law's iphone 3g on AT&T in New Jersey last week I didn't get no dropped calls and the internet was fast for 3g comparable to 3g on Fido in Canada.
 
Not one size fits all. I'm glad the original poster is happy with the Droid, but that doesn't mean that Verizon would be perfect for all of us, nor does it mean AT&T would suck either. It depends on where you live. I am arguing that if and when Verizon gets a large number of phones like the iPhone on their network, they will see problems too with overloading and slower internet.
 
The OP is just trying to justify his move to Verizon. I'm sure we all do this, internally, and I don't doubt his service problems with AT&T (every provider sucks IMO) but there's really no need to post it on this forum.

I really don't understand why so many people treat this place like their personal blog, and to a greater degree, why the moderators here continue to allow it.
 
I'm curious why everyone thinks this is a review...
Well, it kind of is a review, but here is what intelligent people would do. If you have good network service on your iPhone, disregard that part of your personal review and pay attention to everything else.

Since you don't want a physical have you thought about returning the Droid and waiting for the keyboard-less Eris to be released?
 
When I've visited Houston, I've had no problems getting at least 3-4 bars. :confused:
Considering you don't spend 24 hours a day at the hospital, you should give AT&T some credit for the fact that you get service when you're not at work. A score of 50% or lower would be fair. Zero is not.
 
i have a Sprint BB that roams on VZW for calls. i get bad signal and dropped calls in elevators and other enclosed places as well. the other day i couldn't stream pandora or slacker from my iphone or BB.
 
That is so wierd because my iPhone may be drops like 3-4 calls a month. I cannot imagine that Verizon never ever drops calls. I know people who actually have very dismal Verizon reception. I guess it all depends on the area of usage. By the way during my travel to Indiana last week, I was shocked at the speed of 3G network there. Granted the density of iPhone use is much lower there than say in SF, but it was closer to WifI speed.

Bottom line, giving 0/100 for network on At&T is too harsh - may be 70 or 80
 
In the Netherlands we have a great network from Tmobile. We pay only €30 a month ($45). You poor Americans have bad luck. We don't get tethering but we don't get charged extra when we use a IPCC hack either. So my iPhone experience rating is something like 90/100.
 
Thanks for sharing your experience OP. I'm not a fan of the DROID myself, but still interested to hear what other people have to say. I like to think that most people understand what you were saying in your review and don't take everything so literally.
 
In west Texas Verizons coverage isnt perfect but Id give it a 85%. ATT I'd give it a 59%. I've had Alltel then Verizon when they got bought out and I never had as much dropped calls as I do with ATT. It surprised the hell out of me.
 
Bais review of the network is baised. Honestly.
If you drop the network out of the equation:

iPhone hardware/software = 97%
Droid hardware/software = 75%


iPhone (quick thoughts for comparison)
Hardware: 95/100
Almost perfect sans poor battery life. It's SO fast. EVERYTHING snaps when you open an app, close and app, reply to an email, or scroll a page--there is INSTANT responsiveness when you touch your finger to the screen. I'm lightening fast on the virtual keyboard. The camera takes outstanding pictures and wonderful videos that I can trim and edit. The screen is gorgeous. The hardware vibrate toggle makes me wonder why every phone isn't that easy.
Software: 99/100
Beautiful and elegant yet functional.
Network: 0/100
Unacceptable.
Total score: 194/300 = 64%

Droid
Hardware: 75/100
The Droid does feel great in your hands. The metal casing screams durability and the weight makes me feel like I'm holding a tool, not a toy. Since I'm nearly as fast on my iPhone's virtual keyboard as I am on my laptop, I have no desire for a physical keyboard here and this dings the Droid a few notches in my book, but that's just personal preference. I would have preferred a single solid piece of metal that doesn't slide-out on accident (though, this has rarely happened thusfar). The screen is gorgeous as well...but while the extra vertical height is appreciated, they did this at the expense of a little bit of width. This is counter-intuitive in my mind because the virtual keyboard relies on width to properly space its virtual keys--with decreased width comes congested keys. The volume up/down button is flimsy and feels like it's going to fall off. Also, there's no hardware vibrate toggle for me to easily switch on the fly without activating my screen first. The camera takes improperly exposed pictures with poor color saturation and is very slow to focus. And 256mb of maximum app storage is just silly.
Software: 75/100
Android has potential, but I'm afraid it's its own worst enemy in that there will never be standardized hardware, which will put a ceiling on the quality of the apps that we see. Devs on the iPhone know exactly what every handset can and cannot do and may adjust their software accordingly--Android devs have no such luxury. The biggest problem I have with the OS right now is that it feels SO sluggish in comparison to my 3GS. For example, when I go to the Marketplace and start to scroll the list...there's often a delay before my finger is registered and again from when the finger motion starts and stops. This leaves for an almost disorienting experience as everything you do lags behind your motion and stutters until it seems that it buffers what's on the screen. It may not be a big deal to some that do not know better...but after living on an iPhone, it makes me feel like I've stepped back 10 years in time. They HAVE to improve the responsiveness.
Network: 100/100
AT&T guys that may be reading this...it really is amazing. I have yet to drop a single call since Friday morning whereas I would have dropped literally dozens of iPhone calls. I finally have a phone and a reliable way for my family to get in contact with me. It's amazing.
Total: 250/300 = 84%
 
A 0/100 for AT&T and a 99/100 for the software? What is this... a Fox news Poll?
So you never ever connected a call, and yet, the software is literally PERFECT. This is ridiculous.
 
A 0/100 for AT&T and a 99/100 for the software? What is this... a Fox news Poll?
So you never ever connected a call, and yet, the software is literally PERFECT. This is ridiculous.

The ability to not only make calls at work, but keep the calls from dropping as well, is his main priority. Based on that criteria a zero is accurate, well maybe it should get a 10%.

He is not hiding this criteria and he is not claiming that other people may be happy with ATT.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.