Anyone use this?

[DonTx]

This looks like it could be a great idea.

I've never used Nextel because I've been told (once by a Nextel employee at a trade show) that their cellular service sucks. That was several years ago so it may have changed.

I'd like to have the direct connect so I could stay in contact with my inspectors rather than using cell minutes. The card swipe would be an added benefit.

http://www.nextel.com/about/enterprise/ ... itel.shtml

[Bruce Thomas]

Don,

The credit card thing looks cool.

We all have AT&T no minutes mobile to mobile, so we can call each other and the office and not use minutes. Saves us a lot.

Bruce

[Scottpat]

Nextel coverage in my area is not all that great. I use Cingular/AT&T with free mobile to mobile, I was amazed at the reduction in my monthly bill(about half) when I switched over to the GSM service with Cingular. It was kind of spotty at first buy when the AT&T towers came online I have had little problems with coverage.

[kurt]

If you're in a Nextel area, it's excellent. They have the metro areas totally wired, but the outback is very sketchy. I checked out the card swipe thing @ a Nextel store by my house; I'll probably be switching in a couple months.

[swarga]

I had Nextell before I sold my company.

I MISS MY NEXTELL

I never dropped a call and I had unlimited incoming minutes. If I could I would switch back tomorrow.

Scott M. Warga

[Paul MacLean]

The February, 2005 issue of Consumer Reports has an article cell phone service. Nextel rates low in all the areas it's mentioned (it was not included in the Houston area). They do mention the walkie-talkie-style service as a "noteworthy feature". You might want to check it out.

[kurt]

With all due respect to Paul, whom I respect greatly, that CR article sucked. It was apparent the author doesn't understand the industry. It struck me as "filler" material, not a well researched article on cell phones.

Nextel is an absolutely fantastic service, IF it is available in your area. If it's not, well, it's not.

All other services blow, or suck, depending on your preference. Everyone is trading minutes on everyone else's towers and Cingular just bought ATT so that changed everything for a couple weeks/months. There are still huge holes in some markets due to neighborhoods banding together & going NIMBY to keep towers out of their areas; that greatly effects service. It's so screwed up on a national scale, that anyone trying to say one is better, or worse, than any other obviously hasn't read anything about the industry lately.

[Paul MacLean]

Originally posted by kurt

With all due respect to Paul, whom I respect greatly, that CR article sucked. It was apparent the author doesn't understand the industry. It struck me as "filler" material, not a well researched article on cell phones.

Hey, I just saw the article. No offense taken Kurt.

I am ignorant regarding cell phones and most other high tech stuff. Last year I finally broke down and bought a cell phone because my wife said she wanted to know when I was running late. I'm lucky -- she worries about me. Now I use it about 20 minutes a month. Verison loves me.