<p>I have Verizon and I’m pretty happy with it. I’ve never had problems with coverage (even on an elevator in the basement of CIEMAS in the engineering quad which was impressive). AT&T also is decent though there might be some problem in dorms where you would need to stand by the window. I know that Duke has 3G coverage for the iPhone (according to AT&T’s coverage map) so that shouldn’t be too much of a problem. </p>
<p>As for signing up for a carrier, Duke partners with Verizon (and Alltel before they got bought by VZW) to offer phones and plans. You can order those online through Duke and pick up the phones during Orientation. Phone selection is limited but still pretty decent. Prices are also comparable to what you’d get if you walked into a store and signed up for a plan. The website for more information is:</p>
<p>[Duke</a> OIT - Wireless Phones and Data Devices](<a href=“http://www.oit.duke.edu/phones-pagers/student/wireless/index.html]Duke”>http://www.oit.duke.edu/phones-pagers/student/wireless/index.html)</p>
<p>Text message very helpful. There will be times in class when your friends need to tell you something or you need to get a hold of someone with important info. It’d be really hard to pull out a phone, dial, and talk right in the middle of class so texting is definitely the way to go. </p>
<p>Lastly, landlines. Don’t do it. It’s expensive and it’s stationary. For the same amount of money you can get a decent cell phone plan that you can use anywhere, not just in your room. </p>
<p>Bluestar7: does the blackberry have IMAP support for emails? One of my friends just got one and told me it wasn’t supported and that figuring out a secure way to get email on the Blackberry without giving away account info is a pain in the A$$. Is that true?</p>