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Carphone Warehouse staff will help you choose the best network for your area
Now that Phones4u is no more, Carphone Warehouse is one of the few independent retailers selling mobile phone contracts in the UK. With mounting competition from dedicated carrier stores, the company hopes to stand apart by offering its customers better impartial advice. To that end it's teamed up with RootMetrics, a firm that specialises in monitoring mobile network performance. Using its CoverageMap app, which combines professional and crowdsourced network tests, Carphone Warehouse staff will now tell shoppers which carriers offer the best coverage in their local area. Whether you're interested in call quality or download speeds, this information could save you from picking a weak network. You can always download the app for yourself or check RootMetrics' map online, but a timely reminder just before you sign up for a new contract can't hurt.
RootMetrics launches Cell Phone Coverage Map, uses crowd-sourcing to test networks' lofty claims
When dealing in Soviet relations, President Reagan impressed upon a generation the mantra, "Trust, but verify." Decades later, this skeptical method is being applied to mobile carriers thanks to RootMetrics' Cell Phone Coverage Map, a crowd-sourced application aiming to provide reliable, verified information on network availability and performance. The app, now available to iPhone and Android users, provides a convenient way to determine which provider has the best signal in your area, and also happens to be great for spite, if you felt a coverage map wasn't telling the full truth. Yes, let's get it out of the way right now -- Root collects your stats and then sells it to the networks -- though given the purpose of the service, we're inclined to let criticism pass on this one. If you're undeterred by that caveat, hop on the bandwagon and share your results for the benefit of all (even if your battery doesn't thank you).
