Phones: They have some of the coolest phones to choose from. Nice selection that they keep updating frequently. Nokia 6682, Blackberry 7130c, all flavors of RAZR, basically something to suit everyone’s taste. For a new phone they make you sign a 2-yr contract, but that is normal for all US carriers.
Network: I find their network coverage to be the best overall. I travelall over because of my job and I have yet to find a place where I don’thave signal. Even high up in the Smokey mountains my phone had good(not great) service, while my friend’s verizon was going in and out ofservice every few minutes. I don’t recall getting too many dropped calls unless I am going through a tunnel or something like that. Hell, their service even works in the elevators and basements where most phones conk out.
Service: I read several reviews here on Cingular and most of them are bashing the service part of it. I agree with these people that Cingular’s customer service is not great but its not the worst either (have you tried calling verizon for an issue?). I have been with Cingular even before they were called Cingular (Bellsouth mobility) and hardly ever had any issues with their service. My phone went bad, they sent a replacement. I had some SMS problems last month and they had the backline technician work with me directly to resolve the issue. Now if you call them and make unreasonable requests like you will leave the service if they do not give you extra minutes for free, then they will not be too receptive to your request.
One major benefit that Cingular (and T-Mobile) have for me is the GSM network which allows me to use my phone in India when I am travelling (which is every 6-months or so).