Seriously, AT&T people, be honest.

[S.B.G]

Hmm... I am under the impression, at this point, that you can receive calls while using data, but you cannot use data while on a phone call. Big distinction, there.

I think your impression is wrong. It works both ways.

 

[Namji]

How many times have you been out and about (away from WiFi) and taken a call from a business associate or friend (or maybe your mommy) where they mentioned sending you an important email, and they want to know if you got it. I can easily check for them while they're on the line with me. Couldn't do it on Verizon.

What the hell?? Why can't you hang up and check your e-mail then reply to the email saying "I GOT IT". and then move on with your life.
Seems simple enough for me.

 

[Xian Zhu Xuande]

I think your impression is wrong. It works both ways.

It being that it works both ways, or that it doesn't work both ways?
I've read about this a few times. Some current Verizon/Android users should confirm on this one. Missing calls while using the data network is a very big deal and I'm pretty sure that's not an existing limitation.

What the hell?? Why can't you hang up and check your e-mail then reply to the email saying "I GOT IT". and then move on with your life.
Seems simple enough for me.

Relax. Take your pills. "Let me check the showtimes and call you back," or "Let me check Google Maps and call you back," both suck just a little bit when you're on a phone call. It isn't a big deal, but it is a cool feature. Even the example above is much more comfortably addressed on the phone call, especially if the sending party isn't in a position to check their email.

 

[S.B.G]

It being that it works both ways, or that it doesn't work both ways?
I've read about this a few times. Some current Verizon/Android users should confirm on this one. Missing calls while using the data network is a very big deal and I'm pretty sure that's not an existing limitation.

You were talking about the VZW network? I thought you meant AT&T. My apologies.

 

[Pink∆Floyd]

Please honest answers only.

How often do you use voice and data simultaneously when you're NOT connected WiFi network? Think about it. Because 99% of my day, everyday I'm at work or home or a friends house and all three have WiFi.

I am on Verizon with a Droid X and I very comfortably use data and talk at the same time anytime I need to. The only time I'm not near a WiFi network is when I am driving and when I am driving, I am not surfing the web, especially when on a call.

AND to top it off, if you are an Optimum or Time Warner customer, it's likely there is free wifi for your entire county.

I do not think the lack of this feature is a big deal with WiFi literally everywhere. Especially a feature that isn't really used that often to begin with. Look at the commercials Apple has produced. NONE of them are real life situations.

Sorry, but AT&T has nothing but this one teeny thing on Verizon. And this teeny thing doesn't matter to many people, again, because of WiFi.

You're wrong.

And yes, I do voice and data simultaneously while on 3G more than often, and let me tell you that it is a great feature of the iPhone to have.

The Verizon iPhone is going to be a joke...especially when a new one is coming out in June/July

 

[stewart715]

I'll answer your question by asking you a question to see how often you might use it.

How many times have you been out and about (away from WiFi) and taken a call from a business associate or friend (or maybe your mommy) where they mentioned sending you an important email, and they want to know if you got it. I can easily check for them while they're on the line with me. Couldn't do it on Verizon.

AT&T does have this on Verizon, and it's not as trivial to those of us who have hectic professional schedules as you may think.

They also have a MUCH faster 3G network than Verizon, and will be getting LTE very soon as well.

I'm much happier with AT&T than I was with Verizon. I switched about 5 months ago.

Maybe I just don't talk on the phone enough to find this that useful of a feature. I keep my calls short and too the point and certainly not long enough to start a web browsing session.

However, I am being truthful in saying that I didn't even know that I wasn't able to talk and surf at the same time until someone told me. I guess every time that I actually tried to, I was connected to WiFi.

And again, the only time I'm not near WiFi is when I'm driving. If a friend is looking something up while I'm driving, it's likely on the iPad.

I just think the fact that you can make calls and surf the web at the same time with WiFi and NOT 3G isn't really a deal breaker for someone contemplating Verizon vs. AT&T. Perhaps it could be annoying at times that you can't surf and talk while on 3G, but like someone said, unless you're a lifeline for who wants to be a millionaire, I don't see it being that big of a deal -- especially when all Verizon customers can freely talk and use data when connected to WiFi.

To say that you CAN'T do it on Verizon is a false statement. You can freely browse already received emails or receive new ones while on the call if you're connected to WiFi (which at work or home, most if not all of us are). It's unlikely I'm walking down a street talking on the phone and wanting to surf the web at the same time.

But like I said, I'm mostly a texter.

 

[stewart715]

hahahaha, wow, I guess you've never worked in an office. There's these crazy things now called "attachments" that you can add to an email. something like a picture, a word document, a PDF. I know, it's seems crazy that you could be talking on the phone with someone and want to have them look at a letter draft, or a logo, or send a picture and ask them if that's what they were talking about or wanted. Things like that would certainly never happen during the work day, but seriously, check out this "file attachment" thing, it will blow your mind more than a Verizon iPhone.

OKAY - I've never worked in an office. As I am right now, in mid-town Manhattan.

If I'm working, I'm on WiFi in my office. If I'm working I'm near a computer. I'm not at lunch receiving business calls and reviewing spreadsheets. Give me a break. Anytime someone calls you in regards to an email, they've already sent it and you've already received it. I guess you don't know what it's like to work in an office.

Maybe this would come in handy sometimes, but the vast majority of businessmen are on Blackberry devices on Verizon and you don't hear them bitching about not being able to do such a thing. I have NEVER heard of a SINGLE Verizon customer wish they could "talk and surf the web simultaneously." The Apple advertisements for it are ridiculous -- The man buys his wife flowers as he says "I'll be home soon." Ridiculous.

No one has yet to mention a truly everyday practical experience, because there isn't one. Between spotty coverage and simultaneous data/voice vs nearly perfect coverage and no simultaneous data/voice -- I think it's safe to say the perfect coverage wins. No matter how you cut it, the feature isn't a big deal to everyday use.

Most on Verizon don't even know they CAN'T do that, because they haven't even tried.

 

[tremlock]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_2_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8C148 Safari/6533.18.5)

I use it all the time. Mainly for mapquest and checking email. But I used it many times a day as I'm in sales and use the phone email and maps all day

 

[tigress666]

The argument is ridiculous.

No one has yet to mention a truly everyday practical experience, because there isn't.

Trying to get together with friends to see a movie and looking up movie times.

Trying to get together to go to a restaurant and looking up restaurant times/menu/location.

Getting in an argument about something and looking up the answer to prove who is right.

Trying to get an estimate of how far some place is so you can tell person when you'll be there or if that is a feasible place to go/meet/whatever.

Finding out your flight info that you left in an email to give some one cause you figured that you can just access it through the phone when you need it.

Finding out info from some email to give some one.

Basically anytime you need to look up info for some one you are talking to.

How about that?

Sure, nothing you can't do without data + voice at the same time, but it sure makes things a lot more convenient than having to hang up and call back. Especially if you are still trying to figure out where you will meet, what you will see, where you are going to eat, etc. It certainly wouldn't be something I'd nix going to Verizon over. But it would be a small consideration against Verizon (if Verizon had some good reason for me to go over. They'd have to offer more than AT&T for the money to make me decide it's worth the hassle to change).

 

[stewart715]

Trying to get together with friends to see a movie and looking up movie times.

Trying to get together to go to a restaurant and looking up restaurant times/menu/location.

Getting in an argument about something and looking up the answer to prove who is right.

Trying to get an estimate of how far some place is so you can tell person when you'll be there.

Finding out your flight info that you left in an email to give some one cause you figured that you can just access it through the phone when you need it.

Finding out info from some email to give some one.

Basically anytime you need to look up info for some one you are talking to.

How about that?

Sure, nothing you can't do without data + voice at the same time, but it sure makes things a lot more convenient than having to hang up and call back. Especially if you are still trying to figure out where you will meet, what you will see, where you are going to eat, etc.

Your only practical use is the maps functionality. Finding the right answer to an argument with a friend? That's your number three best answer? Really.

I can still read received emails.

Everything else you mentioned is a once a month (if that) experience.

Oh, and lets not forget, 99% of the day we're near WiFi so, problem solved.

All kidding aside, the chances that people run into the situations you described and aren't near WiFi are slim to none, besides the maps one. That is a very solid point and probably the only time I really needed data and voice in my life.

Nonetheless, the fact that AT&T fanboys bring up Voice/Data simultaneously as their number 1 argument for why the far inferior AT&T is better, is bogus. There are alot of things that are great and bad about both networks, but if AT&T has to use the voice/data as their number 1 argument, they have bigger problems than the iPhone going to Verizon.

 

[vachargerfan]

Your only practical use is the maps functionality. Finding the right answer to an argument with a friend? That's your number three best answer? Really.

I can still read received emails.

Everything else you mentioned is a once a month (if that) experience.

Oh, and lets not forget, 99% of the day we're near WiFi so, problem solved.

All kidding aside, the chances that people run into the situations you described and aren't near WiFi are slim to none, besides the maps one. That is a very solid point and probably the only time I really needed data and voice in my life.

Are you really just trying to convince yourself that Verizon is better? People keep giving you examples and you keep dismissing it. We get it. Data/Voice at the same time isn't important to you. Verizon is the correct choice for your needs.

And those points are something that can be done while driving/riding in a car. So unless you want to stop by Starbucks every time you get a call, they are all valid excuses to not be around wifi

 

[Pink∆Floyd]

Your only practical use is the maps functionality. Finding the right answer to an argument with a friend? That's your number three best answer? Really.

I can still read received emails.

Everything else you mentioned is a once a month (if that) experience.

Oh, and lets not forget, 99% of the day we're near WiFi so, problem solved.

All kidding aside, the chances that people run into the situations you described and aren't near WiFi are slim to none, besides the maps one. That is a very solid point and probably the only time I really needed data and voice in my life.

I think I see two (2) key words here, we get it, it's about you and you only

 

[stewart715]

Are you really just trying to convince yourself that Verizon is better? People keep giving you examples and you keep dismissing it. We get it. Data/Voice at the same time isn't important to you. Verizon is the correct choice for your needs.

And those points are something that can be done while driving/riding in a car. So unless you want to stop by Starbucks every time you get a call, they are all valid excuses to not be around wifi

I'm not trying to say which is better, because they both have over 90 million customers so they both have to be doing something right.

I just think it's annoying as hell to read every single Verizon related thread just to have some AT&T fanboy come out and pull the "Oh verizon iphone???? what a waste of time...no voice/data blah blah its such a waste gsm all the way.. u cant talk and surf at the same time? oh no way that is terrible..etc etc"

It's not a great argument to say the Verizon iPhone isn't going to be good. I don't get why AT&T people take the Verizon iPhone as a personal attack on them. Frankly, I find it a bit strange. I could care less what network I'm on. If I could be on AT&T right now, I would be, but I cant.

 

[stewart715]

I think I see two (2) key words here, we get it, it's about you and you only

No it's not just me. Almost everyone I talk to about this issue agrees that its kinda something VZW ppl are missing out on, but it's nothing to not go to a provider for. That's my point.

I'm not saying it's not useful in some cases or for those of you who do use it. But I find it strange that people believe that that's the reason they would never switch. Or that an iPhone on Verizon is 'worthless.'

 

[vachargerfan]

I'm not trying to say which is better, because they both have over 90 million customers so they both have to be doing something right.

I just think it's annoying as hell to read every single Verizon related thread just to have some AT&T fanboy come out and pull the "Oh verizon iphone???? what a waste of time...no voice/data blah blah its such a waste gsm all the way.. u cant talk and surf at the same time? oh no way that is terrible..etc etc"

It's not a great argument to say the Verizon iPhone isn't going to be good. I don't get why AT&T people take the Verizon iPhone as a personal attack on them. Frankly, I find it a bit strange. I could care less what network I'm on. If I could be on AT&T right now, I would be, but I cant.

And these same people could be saying you are a Verizon fan-boy. You ask for examples, and have been given them in spades. If you are in constant Wifi connection then CDMA's shortfalls won't effect you. I don't browse the web all the time when talking to someone, but it is nice to be able to. My friend is on verizon and when I send him something, he just waits till after the call to check it. Doesn't really bother him. Me, I just lucked out that when Suncom got bought by Cingular, and Cingular got bought by AT&T that it worked out for me with the iPhone. People just get tired hearing aout how Verizon is the greatest thing and that AT&T sucks. Each carrier has their pluses and minuses. Me, I have no issues with my service. i have dropped maybe 2 calls in 3 months. Sucks that AT&T coverage sucks in your area

 

[stewart715]

And these same people could be saying you are a Verizon fan-boy. You ask for examples, and have been given them in spades. If you are in constant Wifi connection then CDMA's shortfalls won't effect you. I don't browse the web all the time when talking to someone, but it is nice to be able to. My friend is on verizon and when I send him something, he just waits till after the call to check it. Doesn't really bother him. Me, I just lucked out that when Suncom got bought by Cingular, and Cingular got bought by AT&T that it worked out for me with the iPhone. People just get tired hearing aout how Verizon is the greatest thing and that AT&T sucks. Each carrier has their pluses and minuses. Me, I have no issues with my service. i have dropped maybe 2 calls in 3 months. Sucks that AT&T coverage sucks in your area

Nah, I'm just locked into my corporate plan and I don't feel like carrying around two phones. If I could, I would have been on AT&T years ago when the first iPhone came out.

I guess this could be a personal thing for me and I will bow out gracefully...

 

[Primejimbo]

I use more than I thought I would. I'll be on hold and start surfing the web. I finally got a Bluetooth a few months ago and I do it more often now.
If you ever talk to my sister, you would wish you could surf the web at the same time

 

[bowlerman625]

very often here

 

[specify]

Never had to here.

 

[ReallyBigFeet]

The fact is, to maintain a lengthy connection on AT&T at _ALL_ I almost always revert back to Edge only for my phone calls. If not, I'm going to have a dropped conference call. Almost without exception. The longer the call, the more stuff I'm doing on my phone during the call, the higher my odds that I'm going to drop it which is really bad when I'm the call moderator and it dumps everyone else on the conference bridge.

So I've gotten in the habit of going into my iPhone settings and turning off 3G. I get better voice quality and far better stability when I do this.

Of course, that totally negates the voice/data simultaneously capabilities.

I will admit that I do sometimes use both when I'm on short calls, but not when it matters. And for that reason, I can live without it. I'm sure Verizon will offer it once LTE comes around and I don't mind trading phones now just to have to do so again in 6-12 months. What I do mind is dropping phone calls. I know I won't have this issue with Verizon.

 

[vega07]

Oh dear OP, please drop the Verizon fanboy attitude. You come to the iPhone forums which has always been an AT&T forum and then you call us all fanboys?

This was never about fanboy-ism but a question you asked. We answered you HONESTLY so if you can't accept them for whatever insecurities you have (yes I'm saying you have insecurities, again), then please stop.

Go get your Verizon iPhone and be happy and leave us MR AT&T fanboys alone.

 

[tigress666]

Your only practical use is the maps functionality. Finding the right answer to an argument with a friend? That's your number three best answer? Really.

I can still read received emails.

Everything else you mentioned is a once a month (if that) experience.

Oh, and lets not forget, 99% of the day we're near WiFi so, problem solved.

All kidding aside, the chances that people run into the situations you described and aren't near WiFi are slim to none, besides the maps one. That is a very solid point and probably the only time I really needed data and voice in my life.

Nonetheless, the fact that AT&T fanboys bring up Voice/Data simultaneously as their number 1 argument for why the far inferior AT&T is better, is bogus. There are alot of things that are great and bad about both networks, but if AT&T has to use the voice/data as their number 1 argument, they have bigger problems than the iPhone going to Verizon.

Um, I'm just pointing out examples of when it would be useful. That was the question I answered, not why it would be the reason I stayed with AT&T. They are all valid times you might use both. I didn't say that they were reasons to stay with AT&T, in fact I explicitly said in that post that voice + data wouldn't necessarily keep me from switching, it would just be a point in AT&T's favor if I was deciding. But, I will say Verizon wouldn't get me to switch if it would cost me more or the same to go with them. They'd have to give me a better deal than AT&T. Edit: To be fair I just noticed you had replied before I amended my post explicitly saying that. But I still never acted like it was the end all be all why AT&T was better. I was simply giving out reasons why it is useful!

Oh, and I'm not near wi-fi 99% of the day so don't confuse your own experiences with everyone else. My job does not provide wifi and isn't close to anyone who has an open connection. Usually when I have wi-fi I'm at home and then I'd just use the computer anyways.

And honestly, the only reason I defend AT&T is people keep insisting that some reason anyone who claims to like AT&T must secretly hate them and be making excuses. Yeah.. that's why I've been with cingular/AT&T since 2002. Because I secretly hate them and want to be rid of them and despite having several times when my contract ran out I some reason kept going back to them. I'm a masochist I guess. Or maybe, just maybe, I've never had issue with them and am happy with them and have seen no reason to bother with changing (I'd like to keep my number and that in itself can be a hassle if you change carriers).

Is it really that hard to believe that some of us have not had bad experiences with AT&T? I mean I have never had good connection with Sprint but I realize that doesn't mean some one else must have had the same experience I did. But I probably won't go with Sprint (though at this point I'd be willing to concede that maybe they've improved by now as it is 9 years later. But those ads they used to have where people would misunderstand each other? That was my experience with Sprint, I could never understand my parents when they called me cause it was so staticky. Sure, their calls didn't disconnect, but I think I'd prefer that honestly! At least I could get some time talking to them that I could understand what they were saying!).

 

[ipodlover77]

I just think it's annoying as hell to read every single Verizon related thread just to have some AT&T fanboy come out and pull the "Oh verizon iphone???? what a waste of time...no voice/data blah blah its such a waste gsm all the way.. u cant talk and surf at the same time? oh no way that is terrible..etc etc"

It's not a great argument to say the Verizon iPhone isn't going to be good. I don't get why AT&T people take the Verizon iPhone as a personal attack on them. Frankly, I find it a bit strange. I could care less what network I'm on. If I could be on AT&T right now, I would be, but I cant.

weird. the thing i read the most in the iphone threads regarding verizon is how "sucky" people think ATT service is and how happy they are to switch.

i think its annoying constantly reading about how verizon "just works."

 

[andymodem]

Maybe this would come in handy sometimes, but the vast majority of businessmen are on Blackberry devices on Verizon and you don't hear them bitching about not being able to do such a thing.

Being a BES admin, that's because the users are usually bitching about the Blackberry itself.

 

[Primejimbo]

No one has yet to mention a truly everyday practical experience, because there isn't one. Between spotty coverage and simultaneous data/voice vs nearly perfect coverage and no simultaneous data/voice -- I think it's safe to say the perfect coverage wins. No matter how you cut it, the feature isn't a big deal to everyday use.

Most on Verizon don't even know they CAN'T do that, because they haven't even tried.

I have Droid 2 for work and many times I get a call and have to tell the person (who is a manager or higher up talking about an issue) "I'll call you back after I look at the email". It' really annoying.
On my iPhone, I use that for work at times even if it's my personal phone (because Verizon apparently has the "great 3G network" everyone say is so much better ) I just say "yes, I'm looking at the email now...".