I'm not sure why T-Mobile is so hated on. I've never had problems with them, and haven't had any dropped calls I can think of. AT&T is total garbage, especially with iPhone users supersaturating the network. The "Even More Plus" plans basically translate to contract-free. I pay $59 a month for unlimited data/text, unlimited nights and weekends, unlimited t-mo to t-mo, and get 500 minutes. I don't talk a ton, so it's perfect. My equivalent iPhone plan was $99 a month, for lesser service.
T-Mobile is also significantly less evil than other carriers in that they're the only ones who are willing to unlock phones for their customers. Of course in a perfect world they wouldn't have the gall to sell you a locked phone in the first place, but if you explain that you're travelling internationally, they're usually quite obliging.
