I Have been debating for a while over which phone I want to use; I have been using a Palm Treo 700p (Sprint) for over a year now and the 'newness' of the phone has worn off. I picked up an iPhone and promptly ran jailbreak on it and unlocked it to use any SIM from any carrier (and recently used pwnage to clean it up); it was nice but I now had two phones from two carriers and I wanted the best of both combined. I ordered a 'Pick Your Plan' package from AT&T (with a $10 refurb Nokia 2610 for $10) and requested that my number be ported over from Sprint; I would get an iPhone with a SIM (so I can easily change to another phone if so desired), no contract, and my old phone number- sounds good!
At some point, AT&T dropped the ball. I waited the standard '3-5 business days' and no sign of my new phone. I called them and found out my order had been 'stuck in a loop' and not processed. They apologized and told me that my order would be processed ASAP.
That was Friday; my phone arrived this morning. But over the weekend some dramatic changes occurred...
One of the primary reasons for my switching to AT&T was the ability to change phones on a whim via SIM card. In the past I have been forced to re-sign my Sprint contract for 2 years every time I added/changed a phone. By some ironic coincidence, Sprint was doing web site maintenance over the weekend and an 'Upgrade or Activate Phone' option has now appeared in my online account. This made me take a second look at the new Sprint Phones (and possibly avoid the $200 early cancellation fee with Sprint).
I came across the HTC Touch and the HTC Mogul from Sprint- two Windows Mobile 6 smart phones that do much of what the iPhone can do. After some research (and a very convincing video from youtube) I decided that the HTC Touch can do more than the iPhone could- namely play music via Bluetooth A2DP. Apple will be releasing applications for the iPhone soon, but there is already a huge library of Windows Mobile games and applications that I can use on the Touch. In addition, I found that Sprint is supposed to be releasing an EVDO Rev A and a GPS update for the unit in the future- two more things that the current iPhone does not have (3G and GPS)...
Another previously unmentioned upgrade reason was I purchased a Nokia N810 from a co-worker and I needed a phone that can offer decent data speeds when paired to the N810 via Bluetooth.
My final decision was to stay with Sprint; I was able to find a phone with the functionality that I found lacking in the iPhone and I am able to have a single device for my primary phone. I can also use the HTC Touch as a gateway (once I figure out how to do this) if I want to browse the web at a higher resolution on my Nokia N810. I saved myself from cancellation fees, kept my number, didn't have to sign a contract and I am still able to talk for free to my friends on the Sprint network.
I purchased the HTC touch for full retail price ($550!) at Fry's as my plan was rather complicated and this also meant I didn't need to extend my contract yet again. I tried to activate but found that my phone number transfer was already in progress; Sprint could not cancel and told me to contact the carrier requesting the transfer.
By another ironic twist, AT&T was having phone/support issues for most of the weekend; I would call in, get into the hold queue, and then get a 'we are unable to answer your call due to technical issues- goodbye' message... I did manage to get to someone the next day and cancel the number transfer.
I then called Sprint to activate the new phone- expecting to be told I had to wait several hours/days until the cancellation appeared in their system. I was surprised that the phone activation went without a hitch and I was receiving messages on the new phone in about 15 mins...
So now I sold my (unlocked, jailbroken, ipwned) iPhone to my roommate and I will be able to sell my (well cared for) Palm Treo 700p on eBay- and perhaps (between the two) make a little more than the cost of my new phone!
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