I got the 7130c a couple months ago from Cingular upon contract renewal, then T-mobile came out with the 8100.

I really like the 8100, so these are my thoughts on switching:

FIGURES over a 12 month period...(before taxes)

Option 1: Staying with Cingular and NOT getting 8100
Voice plan: $39.99/mo (300min + 5000 N/W + about 2000 rollover mintues I never use anyway)
Data plan: $29.99/mo (unlimited BIS plan)
Text plan: $4.99/mo (200 SMS only)
7130c cost: $150 (i have to include the cost to compare "apples to apples"...price I paid with new contract and additional $50 discount).
Activation: $36 (to comapre "apples to apples")

Total cost over 12 months: $1085.64


Option 2: Staying with Cingular, getting 8100c when it comes out
Voice plan: $39.99/mo (same as above)
Data plan: $29.99/mo (same as above)
Text plan: $4.99/mo (same as above)
8100 cost: $250 (full non-subsidized pricing, but with my company's discount which is pretty decent)
Activation: $36 (to compare apples to apples)
Selling 7130c: -$150 (based on current ebay/forum prices of locked and used 7130c's without a contract).

Total cost over 12 months: $1035.64


Option 3: Switching to T-mobile and getting 8100
Voice plan: $39.99/mo (600 minutes + unlim N/W)
Data plan: $19.99/mo (BIS unlimited)
Text plan: $4.99/mo (400 text/video/pic messages)
8100 cost: $0 (online retailer after discount)
Activation: $36
Cingular Cancellation: $175
Cingular final month: $74.97 (they don't prorate your final month if you cancel)
Selling 7130c: -$150
shipping: $9.99

Total cost over 12 months: $925.60



ANALYSIS

Options 1 & 2 are more or less a wash, because if I wait until the 8100 for cingular comes out, then the price I can get for the 7130c diminishes. The only advantage I had was I got an extra $50 off the 7130c. Further, I am assuming I can get the 8100c for $250 with my company discount...but no prices are set so it could be higher.

Further, option 2 I would have to wait...I hear rumors that it may be out in November, and rumors it may be out in January. Either way, I want to maximize what I can get for my 7130c.

Option 3 is the best deal, even WITH Cingular cancellation charges, simply because I can get the 8100 for free, and also get more minutes and more text messages, as well as picture and video messages, for $10 less than Cingular.


CONCLUSION

Option 3...I save money over the long run as well as get a newer phone.

I already placed an order for the 8100 through www.1shopwireless.com. They coordinate the activation so porting my number does not happen until after I receive the phone, so I am not without service while waiting for it to arrive.

Total cost was $59.99 ($9.99 shipping), with a $50 rebate. I also got a free bluetooth headset.


My analysis may not work for everyone though since service varies from location to location. Where i am, T-mo and Cingular are very similar as I know people with both and no one complains about either. If you're somewhere that doesn't get T-mo service well, then the savings are moot.

I hear that T-mo's customer service is better too.

 

Um the pearl will be out for cingular either november 6th or novemeber 14th. Cingular works great in my area and for school. The customer service is solid I even broke my razr and then quickly replaced it with no hassle. But it depends where you live I had tmobile and it sucked. It was horrible where I lived. But your gonna drop nearly a thousand dollars for a phone that will come out next month?

 

Did you even read my calculations?

Reasons to switch:

1) If I DON'T upgrade at all, I will STILL spend more over the course of a year if I stayed with Cingular and even more over the life of the Cingular contract.

2) If I do upgrade to the Cingular 8100, I will have to pay at least $250 for it and that is optimistic depending on what discount my company gets on it. I can get the 8100 for FREE switching to T-mobile...that itself makes up for the Cingular cancellation fee.

3) I got my 7130c for $150 new (2 yr contract and $50 loyalty discount). I already have a buyer who will give me $150 for it when I get my pearl. When the Cingular 8100 comes out, the resale price for the 7130c will drop significantly.

4) I save $10 per month with T-mobile for MORE minutes and text. Over the course of a year, that adds up to $120, and even more over the course of the contract. I still have 22 months on my Cingular contract...the longer I wait, the more times I pay an extra $10 to them.

5) Both T-mo and Cingular have decent coverage in my area. I hear customer service is better with T-mo, but even if they were the same, what am I paying $10 more for?

6) Why should I wait at all when I can get a pearl now and it'll STILL be cheaper in the long run anyway?

The only reason I switched from Verizon to Cingular 2 years ago was for the rollover plan...before I got a data plan. I was out of country for awhiel which is why they added up, but they have been expiring because I rarely used over my allowance.

If service was spotty with T-mo in my area, then I wouldn't switch...but it's not, so it's pretty clear taht I should switch.

 

Well let me know how the phone is. Im just saying I wouldnt go through all the hassle to cancel a cingular account when cingular works perfect for me.

 

i don't think it's much of a hassle at all to save some money as well as get a new phone.

All I have to do is order the new phone online (which is done), wait for it to arrive (this thursday), and call Cingular and cancel. they bill the cancellation fee and last month's charge to my last statement, which is set for auto-pay anyway. the new phone is already setup, but the number porting is delayed 3 days so will go through once I get the new phone.

the rest is just transfering data over and packing up the old phone and shipping it out to the new owner...and these steps have to be done whehter I wait for the Cingular 8100 or not.


I can't wait to get it. If it's anything like my 7130c, then I'm satisfied. I'm hoping it's better though, considering it has mp3/video/camera capabilities.

 

It will be better I was thinking about getting thr 7130c but it has no camera so i rather wait for the pearl. It got a less of a rating on cnet tho it says the pearl's call quality was subpar. But im hoping cingular's version is better

 

i think call quality is a factor of the carrier as well as the device.

I got the RAZR when I switched to Cingular 2 years ago from Verizon. When I got the 7130c, I was amazed how better the quality was from the RAZR. I guess they updated the RAZR since I got it so I don't know how better it is, but if the Pearl's call quality is no worse than the RAZR, then I'm satisfied.

My priority for a device currently is: 1) PDA, 2) email, 3) phone, 4) internet. So voice quality is pretty low on my priority list so. I guess blackberries don't do the PDA functions as cutting edge as Treo's (which my company favors) or others, but it does the basic PDA functions and Email really well.

On another note, I had Verizon for 5 years prior to Cingular. Plans were relatively expensive, but the voice quality was excellent, even on the old school phones, compared to any phone I've had on Cingular's network.

 

I just switched from T-mo to Cingular and will not look back. I haven't tried PDAs or Blackberries with either, just regular devices. I know you said voice quality isn't a high priority, but I was never impressed with that aspect with T-mo. Not to mention the number of dropped calls was enough to drive someone crazy. T-mo being cheaper was like the only benefit I noticed; good luck with the switch.