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Need Help Choosing A Super Cool Magic Phone + A Network
Didgeridoo
Flighty DameRegistered User regular
Flighty DameRegistered User regular
All right, so I'm finally going to be upgrading to a phone that can actually do things, as opposed to my current one that can't connect to the internet or do anything neat! I will most likely be signing up for a 2-year contract.
I'm having some trouble deciding between networks though. The network also sort of dictates the phone I get. I've so far been thinking that AT&T and T-Mobile are the top contenders for me in terms of affordability and phones on offer, but I may have overlooked a good deal for another network.
A bit about how the phone will be used: I do not do a lot of talking, so 450-500 minutes will be more than enough for me... as such, the unlimited plans some of the networks have wouldn't be much help. Texting, I probably send about 500-800 a month. Data, I honestly have no idea how much I will end up using, as I've never had an internet-capable phone before!
For the phones themselves, I've been eyeing the HTC Inspire or the HTC Sensation, depending on the network. Open to suggestions as to phones that have worked for you guys, though!
So H/A forum, what plans/networks do you have? Do you like them in terms of affordability and reliability? Data plans seem to break down into either 200 MB or 2 GB per month. How much do you really end up using? Any advice will be much appreciated
I'm having some trouble deciding between networks though. The network also sort of dictates the phone I get. I've so far been thinking that AT&T and T-Mobile are the top contenders for me in terms of affordability and phones on offer, but I may have overlooked a good deal for another network.
A bit about how the phone will be used: I do not do a lot of talking, so 450-500 minutes will be more than enough for me... as such, the unlimited plans some of the networks have wouldn't be much help. Texting, I probably send about 500-800 a month. Data, I honestly have no idea how much I will end up using, as I've never had an internet-capable phone before!
For the phones themselves, I've been eyeing the HTC Inspire or the HTC Sensation, depending on the network. Open to suggestions as to phones that have worked for you guys, though!
So H/A forum, what plans/networks do you have? Do you like them in terms of affordability and reliability? Data plans seem to break down into either 200 MB or 2 GB per month. How much do you really end up using? Any advice will be much appreciated
Didgeridoo on
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As it is now, I have a plan with them for $65/month that gets me unlimited text/data and 500 minutes (or 400, I forget).
Super fast and slick, great camera and features. As with most new smartphones battery life isn't the best, around a day when playing with it all the time but it does everything for me so I don't really mind.
If you want to netflix from you phone, maybe check the netflix list of phones that work, mine doesn't. That being said, they're trying to expand the coverage to more phones. Whatever you choose, good luck!
*when I signed up for a 2-year contract.
Then pick a phone.
One suggestion is virgin mobile prepaid. For like $35/month they have unlimited data and texts, and a small bundle of minutes and Android phones. But again, only if they offer decent coverage where you live.
Keep this in mind if you opt to look into Virgin Mobile, because they do not offer roaming. As in, if you are outside of their coverage area you will not be able to make or receive calls/texts/data. They advertise this as "no roaming fees" which seems ridiculous to me.
I'm actually also looking for a new phone/contract right now. I've been primarily looking at Tmobile, because all of their data plans are technically "unlimited" but only the first X amount (200mb, 2gb, 5gb) are at full speed. After that they throttle your speed. I know a lot of people get pissed about throttling, but honestly I'd rather have that than any overage charges for using too much data. And since I don't use a lot of data in a month, I'm planning on just getting the 200mb plan, so it works out cheaper than other providers' plans.
+1 Verizon, I've been completely satisfied.
fuck ATT's customer support. if you have any problems at all, good luck getting pointed towards someone who can actually help with your problem... and if they can, it won't actually get fixed for a week.
Lucky for you ATT is buying T-Mobile.
I current have a HTC "Droid" Incredible on Verizon and I love it. If I was getting something newer, Id go with a 4.3" screen, as opposed to the more standard 3.7". In my area Verizon's coverage has been excellent and currently has 4G coverage throughout my city.
If youre going to go wtih Verizon, the rumor is theyre killing the unlimited data package on July 7th, but people who have unlimited data plans before then will be grandfathered in. If you dont get an unlimited plan, youre going to be paying out the ass for data. Their new data rates are outrageous (I think its $30 for 2GB/month which is insane).
It is only $25 a month for 300 minutes, unlimited data and unlimited texts. It rocks. Coverage is great where I live, it is definitely worth looking into the coverage where you are.
Using Android, most apps are 1MB+, with updates coming in a few times a month, so that adds up. You can (if your phone allows) switch to Wi-Fi, so that helps - I'm on unlimited, so don't really care. Also widgets will be constantly polling for data - email, weather, location - and it adds up too. The browsing itself it pretty minimal, it's all that extra stuff.
The Evo is a fantastic phone that does everything the OP wants with ease. The only thing I have to ask is how important is a camera to you? HTC cameras are good but not anything amazing, they utilize and older lens type that works well with pictures at a distance but have trouble taking good pictures of anything close like documents.
Right now the Evo is $99.99 with a new contract through sprint(thanks in part to the release of the Evo 3D) and with an Everything Data Plan and a smart phone premium data charge you would get unlimited text messaging, unlimited data and 450 minutes for about 79.99 a month.
Compare this to T-Mobile which has an unlimited* data(up to 2GB high speed), unlimited text and 500 minutes a month for 69.99 a month.
*Unlimited Data for T-Mobile actually means that depending on the plan you choose(200MB, 2GB, 5GB or 10GB) you will get that amount of data at high speed and then after you use up your allotment of "high-speed data" they throttle your speeds down and reserve the right to slow, suspend, terminate or restrict data usage for the remainder of the month.
With AT&T to get a comparable plan to the two I previously listed you would pick 450 anytime minutes($39.99), unlimited messaging($20) and a 2GB* data plan($25), you would end up with a close facsimile of the unlimited data plans offered above for a cost of about $85 a month.
*AT&T automatically charges you $10 for every 1GB of data you go over your data plan. Unfortunately there aren't any true unlimited data options via AT&T at this time.
Basically if you plan to use data a fair amount(and to be honest if you are a first time user getting a nice smart phone, you will.), I would suggest sprint, they offer the best data plan and right now you can get one of the best phones currently available for less than $100.
Steam, PSN, XBL, Xfire and everything else JamesDM
Think about all the places you go in a day and spend a lot of time. Work? Home? Family?
Do those places have open Wifi networks?
This is going to GREATLY influence your data usage. I basically spend most of my time at home, on campus, or in the library. These are the places I use my phone. They all have open wifi so I use it. I use MAYBE 200mb a month of data and I'm always using the internet, streaming Netflix/Youtube, playing online connected games, yada yada. The only time I really use 3g is with GPS and checking reviews/recipes/hours of operation and such when I'm in the car or in a store.
I have Verizon and I was hoping that they would have a 500MB plan for like 10$ a month because I would have jumped ALL over that shit in a heartbeat and never looked back.
I'm currently looking at Virgin Mobile myself because they're rock solid in Denver/Fort Collins/Colorado Springs and right now, that's all I need. Virgin Mobile is getting a rock solid Android phone around the middle of July, the Motorola Triumph. It isn't even clogged up with that Moto Blur crap that Motorola feels the need to make people suffer with.
So yeah, just something to consider when looking at a data plan where ever you end up.
PSN Hypacia
Xbox HypaciaMinnow
Discord Hypacia#0391
It's true. I hate my phone so much. The random reboots might not be so bad if I didn't have to wait five minutes for the thing to get its shit together.
Root your phone and get Gingerbread!
I feel that it should be pointed out that the Sprint unlimited plan with the 450 anytime minutes includes unlimited calling to mobile phones on any carrier. The only person I know that still has a landline is my father, so in practice, I get unlimited calling with this plan.
Side note since the OP doesn't seem to be responding to this thread: I work for a retailer that sells T-Mobile, Sprint and AT&T post-paid services and many other pre-paid services and people often ask ridiculous things of me when buying phones.
Yesterday I had a man come in with a phone from New Zealand asking if we could make it work in America, long story short we can't and I got him looking at new phones. His only stipulations: It must be pre-paid, he must not enter any kind of personal information, he must be able to buy minutes in cash anywhere in the country and the phone absolutely can not be made in China. I suspect he was a drug dealer, especially after that last bit about China...
Steam, PSN, XBL, Xfire and everything else JamesDM
actually I find HTC Sense to be a fairly rad UI/OS, but if you wanna root gingerbread is the way to go. Also where do you live and what type of phone specifically are you looking for? If you go smartphone ATT is 15$ month for 200mb, 25$ month 2gb, verizon has a lock on smartphones and has to be $30 unlimited plan. Sprint is cheapest for around the same plan by ~15 bucks, but they suck out here so it's not worth it. Let me know what city you are in and I can tell you pretty much exactly what to go with (used to sell phones)
The only reason my phone isnt rooted is because I really dig HTC SenseUI.
And just a reminder about the Verizon unlimited plan, its rumored to only be available until July 7th. If you get a contract locked in before then, youll have unlimited data for the duration of your contract, but theres been no word as to whether youll be able to keep the unlimited data if you upgrade phones at the end of the contract.
On features that change between contract periods: you can grandfather in old features as long as they were on there before. Whether this will apply to Internet remains to be seen, but it does with ATT, and where one company goeth the other is sure to follow
and yeah love me some sense, hate motoblur with a passion
Typically you can do this with Verizon as well, but seeing as theyre making a huge push for tiered data plans, I wouldnt be surprised if these data plans are tied to the phone itself, so every time you get a new phone your unlimited data plan is a "new" unlimited data plan.
He of course means the HTC Evo 4G. The * original* Evo was a terrible phone with terrible battery life and would shut down randomly...and was only 3G. Just make sure that you aren't fooled by this.
I've never even heard of an Evo that isn't 4G and have been unable to even google the phone you're typing about. Anyway, I went ahead and upgraded to an Evo 3d the other day and its been pretty great so far. It boots up crazy fast and we've put it next to my buddy's Evo 4G and it the 3d loads pretty much any app between 2 and 3 times as fast. Also, when I was at the Bestbuy, I noticed the Evo 4G was going free with a 2 year contract, so maybe that's something to consider.