[!@#$%!]

Originally Posted by Severian

About three weeks. And I almost did sign us on to Sprint, but I've heard terrible things about their service. Also, they couldn't have gotten them to us any time sooner.

ah i see. i love virgin mobile though the network doesn't extend as far as other networks where i live. this can be a problem some times but life is full of tradeoffs and in my case i value more the flexibility of pay-as-you-go since their network is sufficient for my needs (eg i dont live in the dc area where verizon is the only phone that works in metro stations; i don't live in a rural area where sprint has weak or no service).

i think as long as the contract begins the day you activate your new phone you should be fine-- the paper puts you in a queue. is a 3 week wait worth it to you? can you live with your old phone/contract in the meantime or do you need a new phone TODAY? i ask because my wife has been waiting to replace her dying droid with an iphone5 and it will happen one of these days, but it doesn't need to happen today, so we're in a similar position except nobody here has signed anything. i think having 4G LTE on an iphone is well worth the 3-week wait if a "good network" is important to you.

if the iphone is not really a priority for you but you still want a good tricorder, the samsung galaxy s3 is giving the iphone a good run for its money-- here's a comparative review. but then again, there are intelectual property battles going on (apple has been suing samsung for intelectual theft). and there's always something new around the bend, like a samsung s4 presumably coming out in february. so with your 2-year contract i'd suggest it's best to find something that will keep you happy for the next 2 years rather than making you doubt yourself six months from now.... waiting 3 weeks might be worth it, even though the image of you "walking out with a piece of paper" is fucking hilarious.