[AT&T Samsung Galaxy Note I717] E90 Commie:
The Straight Talk plan I am using is the Unlimited $45 plan but I will buy the 3 months $129.99 next time.

My impression is that ST is working great, good call quality and pretty decent data speeds. I don't really see the "quality" argument as being valid when we talk about US carriers. The reason for that is the outrageous pricing, data caps and incompatible networks and a business model that needs drastic improvement. I don't see any US carrier that can beat the Hi3G "Three" over in Europe. When it comes to coverage - there's only one carrier that manage to impress me and that is Eurotel/O2 in Czech Republic. There coverage has been truly exceptional, full coverage even in remote areas of the country - far into the woods. Really impressive.

Here in the US, I think the situation is miserable. Now you can get a FREE Galaxy Note on Hi3G for $50 per month unlimited, as I stated. You pay $0 upfront, just $50 per month for 24 months. Including 10 GB of data.

The US carriers are not even close. You can partly match it with Straight Talk but without the included Note. The contract carriers are completely off the road - yes, a basic contract WILL set you back with approx $100/month per bill with 450 minutes talk and a data package for $30 plus nice "regulatory taxes and fees". I don't see anyone paying "$70" per month, contract with data plan even with corporate discount since there WILL be taxes and fees on top. And yes, they are a part of the bill and should be stated.

I can only see one viable solution here (after spending approximately one year with Verizon) and that is simple:

Buy an unlocked smartphone and use a prepaid provider like Straight Talk.

Don't start a discussion about "quality" or "the service" of the simple reason that the "quality" you got for $100 per month including taxes/fees is not that good. I don't see any US carrier that can beat the European carriers either in coverage, service quality or pricing - even less with "value for money".

You have even FREE tethering in Europe, yes that's right: you are not forced to pay a single cent for tethering. If I have 10 GB of data, I can do whatever I want with them including tether.

Calculations stating that getting a phone on contract is a good deal is a bit flawed. It is very easy: either paying $2400 for the contract or $1080 (if I use the ST 3 month plan, it's $1032). Even if the device is "free" on contract, it can never compensate the extra cost. $299 up front can't compensate the extra cost either.

If I compare it with the new Hi3G campaign, you pay $1200 for the Galaxy Note with unlimited talk, unlimited text and 10 GB of high speed data. Getting a similar contract with a US carrier is VERY expensive in comparison.

With AT&T, a broadly similar deal would be $70 for unlimited talk + $50 DataPro 5 GB + taxes and fees + Galaxy Note $300. I.e a monthly bill which would be approximately $130-140 and still worse since you are restricted to 5 GB of data (Hi3G offers 10 GB).

The closest you can come to this deal is buying the device on your own and go Straight Talk or Red Pocket or something else.

There are absolutely no defense for this outrageous pricing. Don't even tell me that "the country is so big bla bla" or something like that - it represents a huge potential market. In fact, it is cheaper to cover ONE big market with ONE government and administration compared to cover many different countries with different governments and rules etc.

Another problem here in the US is the aggressive branding and even worse: all those carrier specific devices. It is also a huge problem that many "prepaid carriers" don't touch flagships. Why can't I buy a Galaxy Note outright with a prepaid company? They could very well sell a device like that - even with a small subsidy, there are a huge potential to sell it as an efficient economic package. A good slogan would be: "Why pay $2700 for your smartphone when you can pay $1600?"

I think it is a pure disaster and tragedy that either you go contract or (in too many cases) you can go prepaid with an old fashioned device. Instead of just selling all kinds of devices and let the customer decide for them self.

To me, it is very obvious that the US mobile market is a sick market that's not working properly. It needs heavy rework since the EU standard is the proper way to go.

Edit: Another horrible thing is those rubbish devices the US carriers often offers as "free with contract". Why sell rubbish like "LG Revere" and claim that it's "worth $300" when you can get a Nokia E52 SMARTPHONE with much higher quality and superior feature set (still with a classic keypad) for less?

For $100 per month for 24 months, a decent smartphone should be included, not a "basic phone" junk device. If I pay $100 with Hi3G I got a free Galaxy Note (that is the normal price before this $50 campaign).

Even for $50 during 24 months, it is a tragedy to offer such products. I can get a Galaxy S II for that price ($0 up front, $50 per month for 24 months).