AT&T 4G LTE Now Available in Major Cities

I recently changed my wireless service from Verizon Wireless to AT&T and got an iPhone because I not only liked the idea that I could talk and surf the web, but i also needed a phone that was going to keep up with all my foolishness simultaneously. Since the iPhone 5 had been announced, I was seriously entertaining the idea of going back to Verizon Wireless to take advantage of their expansive 4G LTE network. Something told me to look and see what I find out about the other wireless carriers launching LTE in major cities. Low and behold, I go onto AT&T's website and I see a listing of the cities now servicing LTE, and my city (Philadelphia) is there in black and white. I do some more research to find out when this change took effect, and it looks like this was turned on September 14, 2012 (same date as the announcement of the iPhone 5 which is LTE capable).

I must say, this has probably saved me as an AT&T customer. :)

To check out which cities have launched 4G LTE on AT&T's network, check it out here:
http://www.att.com/network/?WT.srch=1&wtPaidSearchTerm=at%26t+lte+philly

My Samsumg Galaxy S III Disappointment

Most of you know that I have been busting out of the seams to use the new Samsung Galaxy S III. I am just dying to find out how this phone stacks out to my iPhone 4S. I have been SSOO interested in just finding out what little quirky features they have added that will make my life that much more simpler. I decided I was going to go to my local Verizon Wireless store to go play with it and hold it in my hands. I immediately asked for assistance because I knew there were things in particular I needed to find out that the phone did/didn't do. If any of you have ever read my blog, you guys would know that I have had a bit of issues with not only Verizon phones, but Samsung phones (see my post This Samsung Fascinte!). I have had issue with call waiting and call conferencing. Now I just KNEW that since this phone is so new and innovative, that this issue would SURELY be addressed and fixed. I go to the Verizon rep and explain specifically what I need to test because this was something that was important. We test it out, and what do we find out?? That Samsung's software STILL doesn't allow call conferencing where you can switch between calls, or merging a call while using call waiting. That literally CRUSHED me! My newest most favoritest (I know that's not a word...lol) toy was gone before I even owned it. All in all I'm glad that I figured it out before I spent the money. Now I just need Samsung to work on this to make it a reality (PRETTY PLEASE w/ sugar on top)!

No Samsung for me! :(

SHE FINALLY UPGRADED!

My Mom's New Phone

My mom, my brother, and I all took a trip to our local Verizon Wireless store so I could get some information on a phone I liked. In the process, we came across a really good promotion Verizon was offering that was going to end that same night. The promotion allowed you to get any 4G phone in the store with a new 2-year agreement with $75 off the 2-year pricing. It was so weird because I literally talked to my brother no more than an hour ago about getting Cricket. Since it was a really good deal, we wound up getting him an LG Sprectrum. The phone was normally $149.99, but we paid 74.99 w/ a $50 mail-in rebate. That means his phone will come to $25! My mom was so excited she was getting a good deal, she said what the heck, I might as well get one too! I asked her if she was sure because I know how much she HATES signing contracts with the wireless companies. She said "I don't see why not?!? I'm getting a $150 phone for $25 after it's all said and done, and to be quite honest with you, we both know I'm not leaving Verizon!" I INSTANTLY got excited because I have been wanting her to upgrade to a smartphone for some time now. And the fact that she was on board just made me so happy for her.

Now my mom FINALLY has a smartphone! I know this is a good thing for her, but I also know she is going to be calling me left and right trying to figure out how to use the thing. I don't really mind because I know that it will make things simpler for the BOTH of us in the long run! :)

P.S. The first app she downloaded was Brick Breaker (she was SSOO excited for that...lol)!

For more information on the LG Spectrum, visit:

http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/store/controller?&item=phoneFirst&action=viewPhoneDetail&selectedPhoneId=5842&cmp=KNC-58700000019204039

The Quest For a Mommy Friendly Smartphone

For the people who like my facebook page Nicki's Tech Talk, they know I have been looking for a smartphone for my mom. She currently has Verizon and has been using a Samsung Alias for about the last two years. She likes her phone, but she has really been driving home that she needs something that is a little more user friendly in terms of her e-mails being received. I suggested that she start looking into what she might like, but that was kind of a lost cause since she has NO IDEA what she likes. I decided to take her to the Verizon Wireless store so she could see what was out there and what she could actually use. She INSTANTLY walked up to the iPhone! I almost felt like pulling her away because she KNOWS she has no idea how to work an iPhone.

My plan was to start her off with a touch screen android phone with physical buttons since she has that with her Alias. I pointed her in the direction of the Motorola Droid 4. She used it for all of 5 minutes just to figure out how to setup the e-mail and quickly moved on. She then saw the Razr Maxx which I didn't mind because it would have the battery life she would appreciate, the screen was big enough, and it was thin enough where she wouldn't mind. She tried to call me and said it felt like holding a thin brick to her face. After I laughed HYSTERICALLY, she walked over to a little smartphone called the LG Lucid. I really didn't know too much about it, but I said, go for it. She liked the size of it, she liked how the phone sounded and felt when she made a call on it. She then stumbled onto the alarm on the phone. We started to set the alarm and it had a feature to change the snooze time duration. She INSTANTLY started glowing! That feature made her so happy that she was ready to get the phone right then and there.

Just for shits and giggles, I asked her to play with the iPhone 4S, and she definitely liked how the touchscreen performed. She was having a little trouble with the Android keyboard, but when I explained that she could download another keyboard from the android market, she kind of glazed over...lol!

All in all I think it is a toss up between the LG Lucid and the iPhone 4S. I think I may have to side on the Lucid just because I don't think he's quite ready for an iPhone. Plus she should start off small and then work her way up to the big boys. Let me know your thoughts and opinions by either leaving a comment on the blog or by liking my Facebook page and voting on my poll question for which phone she should get. Feel free to add your suggestions!

Wireless Epiphany

I COMPLETELY had an epiphany today. I recently changed my wireless carrier from VZW to AT&T because I was having a bit of signal issues. My boyfriend has AT&T so naturally I just hopped onto his plan and got an iPhone 4. One of my best girlfriends wanted me to go with her to get a cell phone because to her buying a cell phone is like buying a car. She didn't want to get swindled and be forced into buying a phone she knows she's not gonna use to it's fullest potential. She decided she wanted to go to Cricket Wireless. I asked her why she chose them of all carriers. She replied "if I can get unlimited everything for just $55/mo, why not? I don't know why you didn't"! I immediately thought to myself [self], she is absolutely RIGHT! Now for someone like me who goes so hard on ANY piece of electronic equipment, it would make sense that I take advantage of something like that. Now I know that a Cricket Wireless is nothing compared to an AT&T, but it would be nice to entertain the idea that I could surf the web, call whomever, whenever, download millions of apps, text the whole world and have a halfway decent phone all pennies compared to what I pay now.

In my previous posts, I know that I have mentioned that as soon as I could get out of my contract, I would RUN to a MetroPCS or Cricket. But when it really came down to it, I ran RIGHT TO AT&T. I like bells and whistles and when it was all said and done the iPhone is what won the race! Even though I don't have unlimited everything for a small price, my phone is AMAZING!

P.S. I am still learning some things on it so as I learn I will be posting!

This Samsung Fascinate!

Soooo,

I wanted to share with you the recent experience that I had with my Verizon Wireless Samsung Fascinate. I was with T-Mobile and had a Samsung Galaxy S Vibrant which I LLOOVVEEDD! For whatever reason I just wasn't liking T-Mobile anymore so I decided to switch to Verizon. At the time the Fascinate wasn't out yet, but I made sure I waited for it to come out because I liked the Vibrant so much. When I got the phone, it was like love at first sight! I was so happy with the way it looked (the screen was AMAZING), and all the functions it could do. But as I started to use it, I was starting to realize that i didn't heart this phone as much as I thought I did.

I'm pretty much the type of person (when it comes to my gadgets anyway), where I am gonna test out almost every feature and I need to make sure it works in its entirety. The one thing that absolutely needed to work didn't! I come to realize the hard way that this phone does not have independent buttons for call waiting/call forwarding allowing me to properly perform 3-way calls or click over. Something as simple as call waiting/call forwarding just did not work properly. I could take pictures of business cards, and have my phone tell me what mood I was in, but I couldn't place a proper conference call to save my life! It took Verizon five (YES 5) replacements for them to realize that this is something that the phone just can't do. And when I called Samsung, they told me that there was NOTHING they could do because NONE of their Android phones have independent buttons for those functions. I was SSOO sad because I knew that I had to give up my love at first sight all because it couldn't perform what I thought to be something as simple as placing a call! :'(