The first three on that list are Cingular, the other three are Verizon. So I could choose either plan. I do have Cingular now, and I know it works at home (mostly) and at work. Don't know what Verizon's coverage is like in my neck of the woods.

Maria - thanks for the input. I think I'll have a learning curve anyway, since I don't have anything more than the numeric keypad now.

And I've heard the same complaints you have about the Treo from a few users here.

The first three on that list are Cingular, the other three are Verizon.

Which has better coverage on Mars?

I mean, if you went with Cingular you could always upgrade later to the iPhone. So that's something to think about.

I don't think I'll get signal there, tommyrot, but one day, man, one day....

I don't know anyone here who has a Pearl, so can't go play. I can get a bunch of Treo user experiences, though.

if you went with Cingular you could always upgrade later to the iPhone.

good point. Might as well stick with Cingular, then. Of course, who knows if my workplace will ever support/allow the iPhone. I can hope!

I don't think I'll get signal there, tommyrot, but one day, man, one day....

I hear Mars already has a Starbucks though.

The work cell is Verizon and the personal is Cingular. I have roughly the same coverage from both in the office and at home. I need to keep Cingular on one of the phones because I use it when I travel overseas. A quad-band phone will work anywhere.

That being said, Verizon's EV-DO network for data blows Cingular's EDGE network out of the water. Average speeds on Verizon's network range from 650-750 kbps. LA is one of the cities that is currently EV-DO capable. Laptop tethering is also fast and easy. Would they allow you to do a 30 day trial to see if you get coverage?

I don't know anyone here who has a Pearl, so can't go play.

If it doesn't bother you, just go into a Cingular store and play with one.

If you get it sight-unseen, I know Cingular has a 30-day return policy, so you should be able to choose another phone without a hassle.

I like my RAZR v3 just fine.

I would love a Treo, but I couldn't justify the expense. The RAZR does pretty well by me, and I'm paying $20 a month for unlimited phone internet service.

The good part about the internet on my phone is that I can access Gmail. The bad part is that I cannot access here, and that makes me sad. I'm still thinking of cancelling the service, but I'm willing to wait a month or two to see how much use I get out of it.

Ooh, interesting about the data speed. It's a whole new world, man!

I'll see about a verizon trial.

So the Pearl says it has a media player - does that mean anything like being able to watch downloaded teevee and such? presuming I got a beefy enough memory card?