In the booming metropolis that is Rapid City, South Dakota, we have two choices for cell phone carriers: Slim, and None AllTel or Verizon. Because we travel quite a bit,1 we need the broader coverage Verizon provides. Still, I’d like to see some more competition here.
It’s time to upgrade our phones again, and I’d love to see some other options such as AT&T and T-Mobile. If AT&T were available here, my choice would be a no-brainer: After using an iPod Touch for the last 5 months, I’d jump at the chance to own an iPhone. However, that’s not going to happen.
We agreed on the LG Chocolate2 in Blue Ice for my wife (it was free, and she’s all about free), and I headed to the local Verizon retailer. I had pretty much decided on a Motorola offering for myself. However, when I spoke to the in-store representative, I learned that I’d have to pay actual cash for my phones, then go through the mail-in rebate process to get the "free" phones. Forget that…I headed home, and back to Verizon’s website.
After upgrading our plan to Verizon’s Family Share Plan (the older plan we had was obsolete, while the new plan includes the second line for two dollars less per month), I was offered the option to upgrade my phone to the LG Voyager. I’d looked at the Voyager while I was in the store, and was rather intrigued (I’ve also seen the commercials for the Voyager recently, and liked what I saw).
I asked the Verizon representative what the Voyager would cost me under my plan: $149.99, with a $50 mail-in rebate, so a net of $99.99 plus tax. Meh. Don’t need it, and I don’t want it that dearly, either.
However, when I looked online after returning home, the Voyager could be mine for only $49.99. (Aside: Does anyone have any idea why Verizon does this??) Not only that, but shipping (for both phones) was free with 1-2 business day delivery! My birthday is Tuesday; guess what my birthday present to myself is?
Sure, the Voyager mimics (or copies) many of the functions of the iPhone/Touch, but the vibrating feedback when you make selections is pretty cool (and not at all obnoxious, in spite of my initial trepidation). And while integrated Wi-Fi just might turn the Voyager into an iPhone-killer, its absence (for me, at least) is tempered by having that capability in my Touch. I simply don’t anticipate needing to carry both around with me; but if I did, I think I could manage.
The other driver in helping me decide on the Voyager is the hope (it’s not yet an expectation) that my planned expansion into commercial blogging may justify expanding my cell phone plan to include broadband access, for which the Voyager will be well-suited.
Now I just need to see if there’s a Texas Hold’Em game available for the Voyager comparable to Apple’s offering for the Touch/iPhone!
Notes:
- In the past 12 months: Hawai’i, Los Angeles, San Jose CA (wife only), Chicago (myself only), St. Louis, Tampa, plus another trip to Hawai’i next month (after driving to California’s Central Coast and then to Los Angeles) and St. Louis again in November, with a possible trip to NYC in early November. ↩
- All photos courtesy LG Mobile Phones. ↩
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{ 8 comments }
Quick comments as Im headed out the door.
1. Check out the LG Dare. You should be able to get it for the same price as the Voyager.
2. Google Howard Forums, it is the place on the internet to go for cell phone talk.
Please email me if you have any questions. I chose the LG Dare over the Voyager and absolutely love it.
As I recall, the Dare was quite a bit more; I got a special deal on the Voyager because I was “upgrading” my plan.
Happy birthday (a few days early!).
I had to get a new cell phone a few weeks ago and ended up going with the Dare, and I love it! At the time, I didn’t think I could make it with a touch-only phone. I was too used to having a keyboard with my old enV. I spent a lot of time deliberating between the Voyager and the Dare. It was a tough choice. They are both really nice feature phones. The physical size of the phones ended up being the deciding factor.
Verizon always seems to have its phones $50 cheaper online. Perhaps it is because they do not have to pay a sales rep commission?
Could be, and since I was taking advantage of my “New Every 2″ plan, there wasn’t going to be much commission anyway.
Much of the time you can get the internet reduction in person if you mention it to the salesperson, especially if you are going to buy an accessories.
Heheh…he certainly didn’t try to dissuade me from going home and getting my deal online. I’ve never quite understood Verizon’s marketing (at least in our market; perhaps they don’t try to be competitive here because there isn’t much competition).
I recently worked for Verizon as an online consultant. At&t has cooler phones in my opinion but Verizon offers 95% Nationwide coverage…wow haven’t had to say that in a while. If you order online we get a commission and it is cheaper by far. If you order on the phone or at the store you would not be entitled to your online discounts or free shipping.
lol… sorry
Just my 2 cents
-Visin
http://www.azerothnow.com
Darn; thought I’d replied already.
Anyway, Visin, yes: that 95% coverage is one of Verizon’s most attractive feature. My real desire for more competition here, though, is that I suspect our pricing would drop (or at least, we’d get more for our money).
The other thing I don’t care for with Verizon (and most carriers, I guess) is that so many phone features are “locked” or otherwise hidden/unavailable. The Voyager is the first of my phones I’ve ever considered hacking.
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