With all of the choices for cell phone service, and no way to find out which one works without getting locked into a multiyear contract or spending $300 on a phone which only works for one carrier, it is understandably frustrating choosing a telephone service. Fear not. Here is the long and short of the major telephone companies. Weigh the pros and cons and dance with the devil. Metro PCS. No contract, and here is why. Phone conversation has the worst quality of any company listed here. If you upgrade to their $50 per month service, you get their navigation service, which tends to black out when you need it most. The Metro411 service is pretty useless, as many cities remain unlisted. However, MetroWeb always seems to work well, even though the service recently stopped allowing Javascript (goodbye Hotmail). Verizon. The king of the phone conversation with the widest coverage; however, no one really talks on the phone anymore. Their services are the most stable of any company listed; however, if you should have a problem, their customer service is absolutely atrocious. They will always find the nicest way to not do anything for you. AT&T. This network always seems to slow down when many people are on it, no matter whether you are dealing with their TV, internet or phone services. So away from peak hours, AT&T is probably your best bet. This means that you are better off going with another company for your business needs, but AT&T should be fine for your personal account. Sprint. This company always seems to have the best phones first with the most features. A smaller network means that some areas will be better than others; check yours to see how your coverage will be. However, in terms of add ons, bells and whistles, and everything that a phone should not be used for, Sprint is the absolute king. The best company for entertainment. Make sure to call the company directly and do NOT get service from the local store or the kiosk. You can get a better deal from the corporate offices. Good luck and happy hunting!