I've been complaining about the coverage of AT&T Wireless for three years, since the day I switched from Verizon. My iPhone doesn't work where I need it most: at home, on top of the Hoan Bridge, on vacation in Door County or at the cabin Up North.
But where I'm most bothered is by the inconsistent and spotty service at Miller Park. Even when my phone says it has four bars, it's often impossible to send a text or post a tweet. Calls are just as bad.
Obviously, just as soon as the new iPhone comes out, I'm breaking my contract and switching to Verizon. But in the meantime, the PR agency that represents U.S. Cellular heard my plight and asked if I'd do a head-to-head test.
Sure, I said, so I jumped up to the Miller Park press box, which has the best view in the house, and during the first three innings of today's Brewers-Dodgers game, I conducted five different unscientific tests between the AT&T iPhone and U.S. Cellular Samsung Mesmerize.
The results were a bit surprising, as AT&T worked as well as I've ever seen it here in Miller Park. And that's not saying much. The U.S. Cellular did well, too, with, a few hiccups.
Here are my unscientific results:
Web browsing from U.S. Cellular Android to OnMilwaukee.com
Time: 92 seconds
Web browsing from AT&T iPhone to OnMilwaukee.com (cache cleared)
Time: 65 seconds, it said "could not activate cellular network" and service dropped to "Searching ..." Site did not load. Four bars of Edge came back, and it timed out, not fully loaded at 3 minutes, 15 seconds
Text from U.S. Cellular Android to AT&T iPhone: "At the Brewers game. Wish you were here."
First attempt: 8 seconds
Second attempt: 9 seconds
Third attempt: 9 seconds
Text from AT&T iPhone to U.S. Cellular Android: "At the Brewers game. Wish you were here."
First attempt: 13 seconds
Second attempt: 8 seconds
Third attempt: 10 seconds
Picture message from U.S. Cellular Android to US AT&T iPhone:
First attempt: unknown seconds (outbound), 36 seconds later showed up on iPhone
Second attempt: unknown seconds (outbound), 50 seconds later showed up on iPhone
Third attempt: unknown seconds (outbound), 10 minutes later showed up on iPhone
Picture message from ATT iPhone to U.S. Cellular Android:
First attempt: 45 seconds (outbound), 70 seconds later showed up on U.S. Cellular
Second attempt: 48 seconds (outbound), 28 seconds later showed up on U.S. Cellular
Third attempt: 44 seconds (outbound), 38 seconds later showed up on U.S. Cellular
Sample tweets from U.S. Cellular Android:
First tweet: "Testing cell coverage from Miller Park for upcoming blog. Next up, U.S. Cellular Android."
Time: 10 seconds
Second tweet: *Couldn't attach photo on mobile Twitter for Android
Sample tweets from AT&T iPhone:
First tweet: "Testing cell coverage from Miller Park for upcoming blog. First up, AT&T iPhone."
Time: 5 seconds
Second tweet: "That took five seconds. Here's the test with photo attached on AT&T iPhone."
Time: 20 seconds
Call to colleague Andrew Wagner, three feet away, on U.S. Cellular Android:
Time: Error, "Your call cannot be completed as dialed." Second attempt: 6 seconds.
Call to colleague Andrew Wagner, three feet away, on AT&T iPhone:
Time: 15 seconds until first ring on his phone
Andy is the president, publisher and founder of OnMilwaukee. He returned to Milwaukee in 1996 after living on the East Coast for nine years, where he wrote for The Dallas Morning News Washington Bureau and worked in the White House Office of Communications. He was also Associate Editor of The GW Hatchet, his college newspaper at The George Washington University.
Before launching OnMilwaukee.com in 1998 at age 23, he worked in public relations for two Milwaukee firms, most of the time daydreaming about starting his own publication.
Hobbies include running when he finds the time, fixing the rust on his '75 MGB, mowing the lawn at his cottage in the Northwoods, and making an annual pilgrimage to Phoenix for Brewers Spring Training.
