SO NOW the iPhone
My first thought: Luke Wilson has sunk to this?
My second thought: I ought to give AT&T props in this space for trying to begin backing up its claim of having a first-rate 3G network by extending decent 3G coverage in our area more than a mile off the Interstate 95 corridor recently (and literally providing us with a map for that). AT&T has extended 3G service as far west as Culpeper and as far east as Westmoreland.
You go, Luke.
Anyway, back to the mud-wrestling match between Verizon and AT&T.
As the sale of the pricey unlimited data plans that feed YouTube apps and fast Web page downloads becomes vital to the survival of carriers like AT&T and Verizon, it's important for customers to not only have third-generation network coverage that allows that, but to believe it will be speedy enough to work when they purchase an iPhone or a Droid or a BlackBerry. Otherwise, those cool phones become a lot less cool.
On Nov. 3, AT&T filed a lawsuit against VWz saying that its "There's a Map for That" ads that claimed AT&T's 3G wireless coverage stinks were deceptive. AT&T asked for a restraining order against the ads to stop them from airing. A federal judge denied AT&T's request.
So AT&T decided that it can get down and dirty, too.
In a new commercial, Wilson compares the "3G experience" of the two major carriers. Referring to a chart, Wilson says AT&T's network is faster, lets customers talk and surf the Web at the same time, and has more popular smartphones. He says the only area where Verizon prevails is "names that start with V." OK, that's pretty childish. But hey, that's Luke Wilson dissing Verizon, so it must be so.
Logic would dictate that, for the next step, Verizon sign fellow "Frat Packer" Vince Vaughn to do its counterattack ads slamming AT&T and end them with something like, "Hey, I can think of something else that starts with 'A.'"
I hope it doesn't come to that. I hope that instead of figurative mudslinging, the ads focus on something really important, like, come to think of it, literal mudslinging.
I personally will switch
I have both AT&T and Verizon smart phones for personal use. And I can see a big improvement in AT&T's coverage and download speeds in places like Locust Grove and Culpeper since the upgrade went online this month. But overall, as I travel around the area, the two networks seem about even.
So, as far as I'm concerned, let the best (mud-wrestling or Jell-O-wrestling) ad win.
If you've noticed coverage and /or download speed improvement for either network in your area, please let me know. Maybe your input will help readers whom Luke hasn't convinced--and who won't be swayed by Jell-O wrestling--decide whether to switch carriers.
Michael Zitz: 540/846-5163
Email: mikez@freelancestar.com