Verizon user who wants to get a smt5600

[awflwaffle]

Hey guys. I am relatively new to this type of thing so please bear with me. I am a student at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles CA. We have some of the worst cell phone service here and Verizon gets some of the worst. Add this to the fact that my Verizon plan is almost up and I am in need of upgrading phones. Therefore, I am planning on switching over to another carrier in upcoming months. I have been looking around at phones and have decided that the SMT5600 is exactly what I am looking for in a phone. However, I am slightly confused with the whole ATT and Cingular convergence and am wondering what to do. Cingular gets the best service here by far but the SMT5600 isnt currently available on that plan. I have a few questions to ask:

1) Given that there are no longer any AT&T stores, where is the best and least complicated online place to get an SMT5600?

2) Since AT&T service isnt really a separate company anymore, will the phone still work if I buy it online under that service?

3) Would you just recommend that I wait until Cingular picks up the SMT5600?

If you guys have ANY advice for my circumstances please feel free to help me out.


Thanks,
Zach

[Mike Temporale]

I would wait until your contract comes due. It's my guess that we'll see the SMT5600 in Cingular stores in the next couple months. So by the time you're ready, it may already be out. :)

[awflwaffle]

Hey sorry to confuse things even more, but I have also been looking at the MPx220 for Cingular which would eliminate the hassle of switching from AT&T and it seems to be relatively inexpensive as well. How does this compare to the SMT5600 in terms of gaming, battery life, camera, etc.?

[sn1p3t]

You might want to check out Amazon's deal on the SMT5600:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00068577C/qid=1103600084/sr=8-1/ref=pd_ka_1/104-0258990-9305539?v=glance&s=wireless&n=507846 (I hope that link works). If you get a data plan with it the phone will only cost you... $-25!

I haven't tried the MPx220, but from the reviews I've heard, I'd have to say the Audiovox beats the Motorola in battery life and camera. The Motorola does have a slightly more powerful processor, so gaming might be a little nicer on that.