Well, that makes my choice of iPhone 5 carrier even easier...

[Robert M]

Hi everyone,

AT&T Iphone user and can vouch that while i don't use data features such as accessing email or the web while speaking often, it is something I've done many times and it's proven very useful.

Consider... Imagine you are on the road speaking to someone, i.e. a customer and you need to pull up information for him/her. Think maybe jumping to a web site, opening an email with photos, or accessing data via dropbox.

On AT&T, I pull up the info while still on the call and provide it. The conversation continues while I'm access the information. If I was on Verizon, I'd have to end the call, pull up the data and call the person back or have that person call me back.

It's very reminiscent of when I'm on the phone in front of my computer. I'll be handling the call and at the same time pulling information on the computer. No need to end the call to get the job done.

This may not seem like a big thing but to some people but to me, it makes a huge difference to me on more than one level. For business purposes, it's important and convenient. Just yesterday a customer called about an order while I was unloading a skid of goods from a truck. I pull over the forklift, powered up UPS on my phone (in the midst of the call), tracked the order and gave the information to my customer. Done. The customer was very happy.

This feature may be less important for personal usage but it's still very useful. I can give you many examples where I've used it at home and on the road as well.

Robert

[Grateful11]

I've had my Verizon iPhone for a year and half. I got a call the other day and someone wanted to know someone's
phone number, I went to Contacts, pulled up the number, went back to the caller and told him the number. Really
can't think of much more I'd need to do while talking to someone.

[M A V I C]

If you really care that much, it's super easy to port your Sprint number to Google Voice. Then everything is data so you don't run into this issue.

http://www.google.com/googlevoice/sprint/

[john-o]

M A V I C wrote:
If you really care that much, it's super easy to port your Sprint number to Google Voice. Then everything is data so you don't run into this issue.

Wow, can't believe I hadn't thought of that, as a Verizon user. In those rare instances where I can anticipate needing to simultaneously surf and converse, just use Talkatone to make the call... Brilliant! Thanks for the tip!!

BTW, pretty sure the Maps app uses GPS, so isn't affected.

[tahoedrew]

Chakravartin and Robert M hit the nail on the head for most regular users. Robert M alludes to this a bit too; if you conduct business with your iPhone, this is a deal-breaker.

I regularly need to be on the phone with a reporter or co-worker while simultaneously looking at an email or a website or accessing data of some other sort. Sure, if I'm on WiFi it's no big deal, but if I'm in the middle of nowhere having to go back and forth with a reporter several times while I check or verify information it will get REALLY annoying for them fast and they'll start using other sources.

I can understand how, if you've never had this feature you don't realize what you're missing. KNOWING how much I use this feature now, I could NOT go without.

Chakravartin wrote:
[quote=tenders]
Haven't found this to be a problem in almost a year of 4S usage on Verizon. Thought it would be an inconvenience. It just isn't.

I use 3G data frequently while on a call. Checking stock prices, looking up movie times, finding directions, locating ATMs, searching Wikipedia.com... It would be a PITA to lose that ability.

[Robert M]

Taho,

Exactly. Now that I think about it, I actually use this feature more regularly than I initially thought when I posted to this thread. Just used it a few minutes ago with my wife. We had blinds installed and new bookcases delivered to our apartment today.

I'm at work. She's home. She took photos and emailed them to me. She called to tell me the photos are on their way and I pulled them up in the midst of the conversation. I couldn't do that without simultaneous voice and data. For business users, it's definitely a dealbreaker.

I don't want to worry about porting numbers or use special apps to do something that should be a standard feature on a phone. Suffice to say, I'm not moving from AT&T anytime soon.

Robert

[M A V I C]

john-o wrote:
[quote=M A V I C]
If you really care that much, it's super easy to port your Sprint number to Google Voice. Then everything is data so you don't run into this issue.

Wow, can't believe I hadn't thought of that, as a Verizon user. In those rare instances where I can anticipate needing to simultaneously surf and converse, just use Talkatone to make the call... Brilliant! Thanks for the tip!!

BTW, pretty sure the Maps app uses GPS, so isn't affected.
Except with Verizon, you have to worry about the data cap. Plus Sprint and Google have worked together to make GV work much more seamlessly with Sprint.

[vision63]

Robert M wrote:
Taho,

Exactly. Now that I think about it, I actually use this feature more regularly than I initially thought when I posted to this thread. Just used it a few minutes ago with my wife. We had blinds installed and new bookcases delivered to our apartment today.

I'm at work. She's home. She took photos and emailed them to me. She called to tell me the photos are on their way and I pulled them up in the midst of the conversation. I couldn't do that without simultaneous voice and data. For business users, it's definitely a dealbreaker.

I don't want to worry about porting numbers or use special apps to do something that should be a standard feature on a phone. Suffice to say, I'm not moving from AT&T anytime soon.

Robert

Why would it be a dealbreaker? A business can just use Galaxy S3 or Evo 4G LTE phone on Sprint and not have that limitation. And they're just as good (even better in many ways). We actually have choices in this world.

[Robert M]

Vision,

I've used competitors and wouldn't choose one of them over the iphone. Between that and being entrenched in the IOS platform ($$$ spent on iOS apps and top-notch compatibility with the Mac, etc), alternatives aren't an option at all. That isn't the point of this thread.

This discussion is about the iPhone, not its competitors. Simultaneous voice and data may not be an issue with some phones such as the models you mentioned but AT&T is your only choice if you want an iphone that handles voice and data simultaneously.

Robert

[vision63]

Robert M wrote:
Vision,

I've used competitors and wouldn't choose one of them over the iphone. Between that and being entrenched in the IOS platform ($$$ spent on iOS apps and top-notch compatibility with the Mac, etc), alternatives aren't an option at all. That isn't the point of this thread.

This discussion is about the iPhone, not its competitors. Simultaneous voice and data may not be an issue with some phones such as the models you mentioned but AT&T is your only choice if you want an iphone that handles voice and data simultaneously.

Robert

You don't have to be married to a device.