Choosing the best carrier for your smartphone

— -- The dust has settled with new releases for now, and you're ready to buy a new smartphone. That's exciting. But hardware is only half the decision. Now you need to choose you cellular provider.

It's not a decision to make lightly, because you're locking yourself into a two-year commitment. The cost of changing your mind is dear — the major carriers now charge a $350 early termination fee.

If you have chosen an iPhone, you have three choices for service: AT&T, Verizon and now Sprint. If you aren't buying an iPhone, you're best choice for smartphone service is likely still one of those, so I'll confine my comments to these three.

The three networks generally provide good nationwide coverage, but reception can be iffy on the local level because of terrain and tower locations. In addition, some carriers have better data pipelines than voice pipelines.

If you listen to my national radio show, you've probably heard me refer to AT&T as having "no bars in more places." There are still areas in my hometown of Phoenix where my calls get dropped. That's annoying, and just shouldn't happen this late in the smartphone game. Fortunately, it is getting better.

In Phoenix, Verizon has better call coverage than AT&T. AT&T, on the other hand, offers better data speeds. It may be just the opposite where you live. Ask friends and family about their cellular reception experience in your area. You could check the coverage maps, but nothing beats the honest opinion of a trusted friend.

Your first priority when choosing a carrier is to make sure you get good coverage at home and in the parts of town where you spend the most time. After that, I'd pick a plan and carrier based on how you will use the smartphone.

Sprint

Sprint is your best choice if you're going to be a data hog. For $100 a month, Sprint has the Simply Everything plan. This gives you unlimited voice minutes, text messages and data.

If you don't need unlimited voice minutes, there are less expensive plans. However, these all have unlimited text messaging, and unlimited data can be added for $10.

You can also add Mobile Hotspot capability to any plan for an extra $30. This lets you share your Internet with mobile gadgets around you.

AT&T

AT&T is your only choice among the Big 3 if you're going to need to talk and surf the Internet at the same time. This is because it uses GSM network technology. This means, for example, you can look up directions to a location while confirming plans with someone on the phone.

AT&T has taken a beating in the past for its network quality. However, it has worked to improve its network and claims it currently offers the fastest 3G speeds for iPhone users.

I'd also recommend AT&T if you're a very light data user. It's the only carrier to offer a 200MB data plan for $15 per month. If you want more data, the 2GB plan costs a competitive $25 and the 4GB plan $45. All plans 4GB and above include the Mobile Hotspot feature.

Voice calling plan prices are $39.99 for 450 minutes, $59.99 for 900 minutes and $69.99 for unlimited. AT&T does have an unlimited texting plan for $20. However, the other plans are pay-as-you go: 20 cents per text or 30 cents per picture/video text. That's a good choice if you only text occasionally.

Verizon

Verizon usually comes out on top when customers are surveyed nationally about quality of network coverage and reliability. If you're an average user, it's probably your best overall choice.

Especially if you travel frequently with business or often take calls in elevators, there's a good chance Verizon will irritate you the least.

The carrier's lowest tier for data, 2GB, costs $30 per month for new customers, which is $5 more than AT&T. You'll pay $50 per month for the 4GB plan, which is again $5 more than AT&T.

Over 5GB, all the plans are less than the AT&T equivalent. In fact, the 10GB and 12GB plans are $25 less. That's substantial savings over AT&T if you need that much data.

Verizon also offers the Mobile Hotspot feature. However, it's only included on the 4GB, 7GB and 12GB plans.

Voice call plans are identical to AT&T, but Verizon has an edge if you're a midrange text user. Like AT&T, Verizon has a $20 unlimited texting plan. But you can also pay $5 per month for 250 texts or $10 for 500. With AT&T's pay-as-you-go texting, 250 texts would be around $50.

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Kim Komando hosts the nation's largest talk radio show about consumer electronics, computers and the Internet. To get the podcast, watch the show or find the station nearest you, visit www.komando.com. E-mail her at techcomments@usatoday.com.