# Smart phones?



## hammer (Dec 4, 2011)

Just wondering who has one...we are just replacing our phones and while  it would be nice to have a smart phone I just can't justify the cost of a  data plan yet.


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## Nick (Dec 4, 2011)

I could never go back, and although I also work on the web


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## Morwax (Dec 4, 2011)

I bought an unlocked LG Android phone and put an ATT go phone sim card in it. I dont have to have a data plan this way although I can turn data on if I really need it @ like 5 cents a megabyte or something. But wifi is so prevalent I hardly ever turn data on.


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## ALLSKIING (Dec 4, 2011)

A smartphone is the type of thing that after a month of having one you wonder why it took years to get one.


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## wa-loaf (Dec 4, 2011)

Is this thread from 2006?


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## speden (Dec 4, 2011)

I still use a flip phone from the age of the dinosaurs.  It's cheap and compact, but I'm thinking of getting the new Galaxy Nexus when it becomes available from Verizon.  The new phones keep coming out so fast it seems like something better is just around the corner, but I'm tired of waiting.

I'll go with the cheapest data plan since I don't plan to use much data on the road, but it will still be expensive.  I really like the idea of having internet access on the road for convenience and emergencies.

The smartphones are so bulky though I'm not sure how best to carry one.  My flip phone fits nicely on my belt, but the smarphones are huge, so it seems like people carry them in a pocket.  Not sure I like that since then the hip bone can't shield the internal organs from the phone radio waves.

I hoping the smartphone camera will be good enough that I'll never need to carry a separate camera anymore.


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## Nick (Dec 4, 2011)

wa-loaf said:


> is this thread from 2006?



lmao


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## o3jeff (Dec 4, 2011)

How come there is no option for pager?


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## deadheadskier (Dec 4, 2011)

ALLSKIING said:


> A smartphone is the type of thing that after a month of having one you wonder why it took years to get one.



I'm the opposite.

I had a Blackberry for work for four years.  At first I thought it was very convenient for a number of things, then I just got annoyed by being so "connected."  Granted, I used to receive 100+ emails a day around the clock for my job.

I need a phone for making phone calls and texting people, which I really do very little of both.   I don't need nor want computer capabilities on a mobile device. I have zero desire to own a smart phone again.


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## Morwax (Dec 4, 2011)

GPS, weather, radar, internet access, tons of music...yeah im done with the old clamshell joobie :beer:


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## Nick (Dec 4, 2011)

deadheadskier said:


> I'm the opposite.
> 
> I had a Blackberry for work for four years.  At first I thought it was very convenient for a number of things, then I just got annoyed by being so "connected."  Granted, I used to receive 100+ emails a day around the clock for my job.
> 
> I need a phone for making phone calls and texting people, which I really do very little of both.   I don't need nor want computer capabilities on a mobile device. I have zero desire to own a smart phone again.



I don't consider a blackberry a smartphone :flame:


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## ALLSKIING (Dec 4, 2011)

Nick said:


> I don't consider a blackberry a smartphone :flame:


Its not....You can't beat a blackberry for e-mails...hands down its the best for that....But as far as web, games, apps ect a smartphone is way better.


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## Edd (Dec 4, 2011)

I recently got my first smartphone.  I held out longer than nearly all of my friends on getting one.  I had an LG Lotus which was a unique and awesome texting phone so I was happy with that for 2.5 years plus I resent the monthly expense of a data plan.  Now that I've switched it would be tough to go back.


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## Geoff (Dec 5, 2011)

Nick said:


> I don't consider a blackberry a smartphone :flame:



Yeah.  It doesn't have a fart application.  What a POS.


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## ctenidae (Dec 5, 2011)

I have a blackberry, which is smart enough for me. Unless my saying "Stupid $^&#*$%& phone" several times a day eliminates it form contention.


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## Greg (Dec 5, 2011)

Just got the Motorola Atrix 2. For a hundred bucks it's a pretty sick phone.


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## andrec10 (Dec 5, 2011)

I have a blackberry for work. Its the new ATT 9900. Pretty close to a smartphone now. Also have a Iphone on Verizon. Now thats a smartphone! My Wife has one of those Samsung Galaxy S Fascinates. Thats a IDIOT phone. It has been replaced 3 times since last XMAS for lockups and so one. Iphones just work. I can hear the bashing starting already...


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## tekweezle (Dec 5, 2011)

The blackberry is a communication tool,  it sends and receives emails very well and consumes little data and battery.   For business use,  it's still got its place. 

iphone and android phones are Swiss army style media consumption devices.   They can do alot but aren't necessarily specialized at anything except maybe consuming data.   I use mine on the slopes with the gps and phresheez app along with watching a movie or streaming tv.   They are versatile. 

Btw if you want a prepaid plan with Verizon service at a good price,  check out pagepluscelluar.   Reuse any older Verizon phone including non 4g smartphones.   They have an unlimited talk text and 500 mb data per month for 55$. 

Sent from my Htc Incredible via tapatalk....


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## deadheadskier (Dec 5, 2011)

I think the biggest reason why I'm anti-smart phone is I don't want to end up a junky like so many smart phone users have become.

You see it all the time nowadays. People literally can't go five minutes without checking their phone for something.  At restaurants you see it all the time.  Two people sitting at a table, not even talking to each other.  Just sitting there fidgeting with their phones.

Too each their own, but I don't think I spend more than 10 minutes in a day looking at or talking on my phone.


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## hammer (Dec 5, 2011)

tekweezle said:


> Btw if you want a prepaid plan with Verizon service at a good price,  check out pagepluscelluar.   Reuse any older Verizon phone including non 4g smartphones.   They have an unlimited talk text and 500 mb data per month for 55$.


I'm on a family plan with 4 lines and 700 minutes/month and unlimited text...total cost with taxes is over $150/month.  Tacking on a $30/month data plan just wasn't something I wanted to do...and I would have had to add on a data plan to _each line_ that I upgraded to a smart phone.

I'm sure smart phones are nice to have but the plan costs are out of control...


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## Nick (Dec 5, 2011)

Greg said:


> Just got the Motorola Atrix 2. For a hundred bucks it's a pretty sick phone.



Good job sticking with android


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## deadheadskier (Dec 5, 2011)

hammer said:


> I'm on a family plan with 4 lines and 700 minutes/month and unlimited text...total cost with taxes is over $150/month.  Tacking on a $30/month data plan just wasn't something I wanted to do...and I would have had to add on a data plan to _each line_ that I upgraded to a smart phone.
> 
> I'm sure smart phones are nice to have but the plan costs are out of control...



wife has a smart phone / data plan.  Forget what it costs.  I know it only cost us $10/month to add an extra line.


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## hammer (Dec 5, 2011)

deadheadskier said:


> wife has a smart phone / data plan.  Forget what it costs.  I know it only cost us $10/month to add an extra line.


That's just the extra line costs...what gets me is that I pay that for 3 lines plus $30/month for unlimited text (have a teenage daughter so that's a no brainer), andthen I'd have to pay $30/month more for data _per smart phone_ if I had smart phones.

Between that and our full Fios service (TV/Internet/Phone) over $300/month goes to Verizon...and we don't even have any premium services.


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## tekweezle (Dec 5, 2011)

The plan through pagepluscelluar is 55$ flat per phone so that 220$ for 4 lines.   No extra taxes or fcc fees.   You can get discount codes of up to 5% if you know where to look. 

Your vzw plan would be 150$ plus 120 plus an additional 10-15% taxes and fees for 4 fully capable smartphones.    

Btw,  if you just need talk and text,  ppc has a 1200 min 3000 txt plan for 29.99 a month. 

I agree that data pricing is crazy and should go down..... I am on vzw but will switch when contract is up.    My gf is on ppc and it's been good. 

Sent from my Htc Incredible via tapatalk....


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## Geoff (Dec 5, 2011)

hammer said:


> I'm sure smart phones are nice to have but the plan costs are out of control...



If I had to pay for it myself, there's no way I would have a smart phone.   I'd drop back to a flip phone.   I might even use my old RAZR Vc3.   I did that when I was unemployed for 14 1/2 months.   A $33.00 Verizon bill was kind-a nice.   In these days of ubiquitous WiFi, an iPod Touch is more than adequate.


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## 4aprice (Dec 5, 2011)

Do people with smart phones do dumb things?:razz:  Love that ad.

Alex

Lake Hopatcong, NJ


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## tekweezle (Dec 5, 2011)

for most people it;s a luxury item but having a smartphone can be useful.  it;s handy to be able to do a quick internet search on the road even if to just check movie times or restaurant reviews or to double check an address or get an answer to a question.  the GPS app is a huge time saver as well as having access to my email.

not everyone needs it though and if there was more free wifi available it would lessen the need.  some internet providers have wifi hotspots you can connect to if you already have their cable service. 

i don;t like that the phone companies are trying to give you less data for the same amount of money(it should be the other way around!) but i used some apps to track my usage last month and even with some extraneous tv streaming, i only used about 1.5 gigs of data.  I used about 2 gigs of wifi as well.  if I cut out the streaming, I;d probably use the average amount which is about 500 meg to 1 gigs worth of usage.

some of the other tricks I use to save money-I don;t have texting plan(5$ extra per month?) but use an Android app called TextGold Plus to send text messages for free over wifi/3G.  it uses a different number than your phone though. I hear you can do the same if you used a google voice number.  internationally, I use Skype to make calls.

if you don;t talk much, Verizon has a family loyalty plan you can demand to be switched to for 550 minutes for 59$ for 2 lines.  each additional line is about 9 or 19$.  might save you a couple of bucks.  most people seem to text more than talk.


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## drjeff (Dec 5, 2011)

I liken smartphones to shaped skis -many are very skeptical and often initially resistant to the general concept on principle. Then one day you finally "give in" and try it, and you start wondering why you didn't convert to the "newer" concept sooner


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## hammer (Dec 5, 2011)

drjeff said:


> I liken smartphones to shaped skis -many are very skeptical and often initially resistant to the general concept on principle. Then one day you finally "give in" and try it, and you start wondering why you didn't convert to the "newer" concept sooner


Seems like a good analogy...but were shaped skis more expensive than straight skis at first?


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## HD333 (Dec 5, 2011)

We have 2 between the wife and me. She gets hers paid for through work I do not. She uses about 10% of the "phones" functionality.   I use mine for everything and couldn't go back to not having one.


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## tekweezle (Dec 5, 2011)

i think smartphones are like helmets.  you don;t need one if you ski carefully and not in dangerous places but having one gives you piece of mind should you need it.  it;s not like avalanche gear or powder skis for tooling around the east coast.  well whatever you decide, goodluck!

getting one is all about need and application.  here is a useful application of smartphones-i have a couple of ip based cameras pointed at the front yard driveway and back yard.  also some PTZ cameras in the office as well as jpgs from a security system posted to a website.  I can use my phone to access these cameras/views using an app i downloaded from the app market.  if you got rental property or need to keep an eye on the house, could be pretty useful to have.


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## Glenn (Dec 6, 2011)

My wife and I are still on Blackberry 9700's. We were going to get the 4S...but we're holding out for the 5. That being said, even a phone like a 9700 would be a huge upgrade from a regular phone. However, there are some better options out there right now. I love Blackberry, I just think they need some time to get things together. 

Whatever you get, see if you can play around in the store first. See what OS/Hardware you like and go from there.


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## SkiDork (Dec 6, 2011)

I just got a Droid Razr.  Amazing technology.  Only downside is the battery life.


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## drjeff (Dec 6, 2011)

SkiDork said:


> Only downside is the battery life.



Agree.  I have to keep telling myself that I'm actually trying to run the equivalent of a pretty powerful laptop on that small lithium ion battery thats in my phone, and that even my much bigger laptop battery needs to be charged every 5 to 8 hours!

That being said, I now do plug my phone into a charger more times when I used to, such as the moment I get into my car, when I put in on my desk at work, very soon after I get home, etc.  I'm also way more cogniscent of turning off battery draining things, such as bluetooth, wifi, and gps connections when I don't need them, as well as certain apps that tend to be big battery drains.  If i'm being battery conscious on a usual volume day,  24-36hrs of battery life isn't a problem.  If i'm using my phone a lot and a bunch of apps, then 5 or 6 hours of battery life can be the case


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## SkiDork (Dec 6, 2011)

I actually purchased this for it:


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## tekweezle (Dec 6, 2011)

The free batteries that come with the phone are usually underpowered.   Can't be help as like memory,  they expect you to buy a third party one so the can save costs.   Search for extended batteries in the 3500 mah range on ebay.  If you've got a popular supported phone,  they will be available.   The first name brand battery I bought cost me 69$.    Got 2 generic ones for about 7$ each 8months later. 

Sent from my Htc Incredible via tapatalk....


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## SkiDork (Dec 6, 2011)

tekweezle said:


> The free batteries that come with the phone are usually underpowered.   Can't be help as like memory,  they expect you to buy a third party one so the can save costs.   Search for extended batteries in the 3500 mah range on ebay.  If you've got a popular supported phone,  they will be available.   The first name brand battery I bought cost me 69$.    Got 2 generic ones for about 7$ each 8months later.
> 
> Sent from my Htc Incredible via tapatalk....



except Droid Razr has a sealed battery


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## andrec10 (Dec 6, 2011)

And the Iphone a sealed battery as well!


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## Greg (Dec 6, 2011)

SkiDork said:


> I just got a Droid Razr.  Amazing technology.  Only downside is the battery life.



The Atrix 2 has amazing battery life given the size of the screen. One of the biggest improvements over the crappy Backflip I had. I can go all day on a charge, GPS on, Pandora rocking away on the commutes.

Angry Birds Yo!


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## Nick (Dec 6, 2011)

Actually I need to pick up an extended battery for my phone for this year. When I'm on the slopes, it's just not cutting it, I make it until MAYBE 1pm if I get an 8AM start and I'm trying to record my tracks. 

I'm really eying that Galaxy Nexus on Verizon.....


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## SkiDork (Dec 6, 2011)

Greg said:


> The Atrix 2 has amazing battery life given the size of the screen. One of the biggest improvements over the crappy Backflip I had. I can go all day on a charge, GPS on, Pandora rocking away on the commutes.
> 
> Angry Birds Yo!



Atrix 2 is a nice phone, but no Verizon


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## tekweezle (Dec 6, 2011)

For those with sealed battery like iphone,  an external charger pack like the imp1000 might be useful.   Friend with an iphone says he can recharge 4 times on one charge. 

I'm not a fan of the non replaceable battery setup.... 

Sent from my Htc Incredible via tapatalk....


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## Nick (Dec 6, 2011)

Yeah I'm looking at this Duracell thing here: 

http://www.amazon.com/Duracell-Instant-Charger-Lithium-universal/dp/B002FU6KF2


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## drjeff (Dec 6, 2011)

Nick said:


> Yeah I'm looking at this Duracell thing here:
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/Duracell-Instant-Charger-Lithium-universal/dp/B002FU6KF2



I've got the previous version of that which I used on my old Blackberry Storm as it's battery was heading for the crapper.  Works well.  The only issue I've had with it, is the charger connector isn't the snuggest of fits with the "receptical" in my phone (both my old BB and my current Droid as well as my wife's Samsung Galaxy) so sometimes you may have it plugged in and you think recharging, but the connection isn't snug enough and no charging is occurring.  Works pretty well while stationary on a flat surface, but I've had times where in my coat pocket I thought it was charging and it never did


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## gmcunni (Dec 27, 2011)

this has come up recently in our house. i have a BB from work, while not as slick as an iphone or andriod it gets me my email and occasional web access.  wife and kids are on ATT family plan with voice and text but son going off to college next year is making the pitch for "needing" a smartphone with data plan.  i'm not totally opposed but the data plan pricing is a huge turn off.  adding $45/m to ATT for 4 gig plan seems like robbery. 

for those with smartphones, how do you manage your bandwidth consumption?


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## Edd (Dec 27, 2011)

gmcunni said:


> for those with smartphones, how do you manage your bandwidth consumption?



I'm with Sprint who does unlimited data (unlike the other big 3 companies) so...I don't need to manage it.  It you're thinking about a data plan for a college kid though, I'd look at one of the pre-paid companies.  Much better value for data plans.  How much data does a college kid "need"?


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## gmcunni (Dec 27, 2011)

Edd said:


> Much better value for data plans.  How much data does a college kid "need"?



i don't see the need at all but am trying to keep an open mind. i really don't want to find out after a month that something went wrong and 10 gigs later we're staring at a huge bill.  

i have sprint for my BB and would consider a move for the family to that carrier if we do a data plan for my son.


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## gmcunni (Dec 27, 2011)

ATT has a calculator.

the music and video streaming usage (which i can easily see kids being attracted to) scare the crap out of me

http://www.att.com/standalone/data-...1-004VP2-0-1&WT.svl=calltoaction&showNav=true


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## jack97 (Dec 27, 2011)

drjeff said:


> I liken smartphones to shaped skis -many are very skeptical and often initially resistant to the general concept on principle. Then one day you finally "give in" and try it, and you start wondering why you didn't convert to the "newer" concept sooner



IMO, the (excessively) shaped skis has dumb us down in certain areas and perhaps elighten us in other areas. Still not sure which is best in the case of skis as well as smart phones.

I had a blackberry for work, that further tied me more torward work. Many years ago, I had a company supplied cell phone..... same thing, could never get a weekend with that thing going off with someone asking for help. :roll:


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## jack97 (Dec 27, 2011)

gmcunni said:


> i don't see the need at all but am trying to keep an open mind. i really don't want to find out after a month that something went wrong and 10 gigs later we're staring at a huge bill.
> 
> i have sprint for my BB and would consider a move for the family to that carrier if we do a data plan for my son.



yep..... my kid she can use her phone as a credit card for certain gaming apps. :-?


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## deadheadskier (Dec 27, 2011)

gmcunni said:


> ATT has a calculator.



well, your college bound son could certainly argue the need for that feature on his phone


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## o3jeff (Dec 27, 2011)

Edd said:


> I'm with Sprint who does unlimited data (unlike the other big 3 companies) so...I don't need to manage it.



This is what I have too.


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## tekweezle (Dec 27, 2011)

Use wifi as much as possible.   If I didn't stream video,  I'd probably use less than 500 mb per month. 

I also have a couple of widgets and traffic counters to count my 3g usage,  calls,  wifi and text just for my info. 

Sent from my Htc Incredible via tapatalk....


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## andyzee (Dec 27, 2011)

o3jeff said:


> This is what I have too.



Same here, unlimited internet, beteween me and my wife we have 1500 min of voice. But thanks to unlimited any mobile to any mobile we use perhaps 300 min. 

Anyway, did Geoff respond to this? He's wicked smart you know.


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## MR. evil (Dec 28, 2011)

Randi and I are both with AT&T and are grandfathered into the unlimited data plan. So it looks like we will be with ATT for a very long time.


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## Glenn (Dec 28, 2011)

gmcunni said:


> this has come up recently in our house. i have a BB from work, while not as slick as an iphone or andriod it gets me my email and occasional web access.  wife and kids are on ATT family plan with voice and text but son going off to college next year is making the pitch for "needing" a smartphone with data plan.  i'm not totally opposed but the data plan pricing is a huge turn off.  adding $45/m to ATT for 4 gig plan seems like robbery.
> 
> for those with smartphones, how do you manage your bandwidth consumption?



Since we pay the bill, my wife and I watch our consumption. I have my podcast app set to DL over wifi only. If I watch vids, I try to do it on wifi. 

That being said, if he's on campus, chances are he'll be on the campus wifi network. The only data/minutes in that situation would be text messages and phone calls. 

I guess one option would be to pay for you to pay for the plan...and he pays for any overages.


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## wa-loaf (Dec 28, 2011)

MR. evil said:


> Randi and I are both with AT&T and are grandfathered into the unlimited data plan. So it looks like we will be with ATT for a very long time.



Me too.


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## aaronbru (Dec 28, 2011)

I rock the cheap cellphone/IPod Touch combo.  I get the best of both worlds (minus internet when I'm in my car but... what do I need that for?).

I use my IPods wifi everywhere I go.  Most businesses have wifi connections. and my phone is unlimited text/talk/data for $55/month (including tax).  My data is all text-based internet stuff.  no loading flash, java, streaming... anything good.


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## drjeff (Dec 28, 2011)

MR. evil said:


> Randi and I are both with AT&T and are grandfathered into the unlimited data plan. So it looks like we will be with ATT for a very long time.



I'm basically double grandfathered into Verizon - I have their unlimited voice/data plan (grandfathering #1) and then Verizon still also thinks that I work for the hospital that my residency program was based in so I get that rate (I pay the bill myself) even though I haven't been an employee of that hospital since June of 1999!(grandfathering #2)


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## Nick (Dec 28, 2011)

I have Verizon unlimited plan. Does it go away when I renew though? (I think so)


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## Geoff (Dec 28, 2011)

Nick said:


> I have Verizon unlimited plan. Does it go away when I renew though? (I think so)



Nope.  VZ 3G unlimited data stays on your account if you change or renew your contract.  

I imagine if you buy a 4G phone, you lose unlimited since all the 4G plans have been metered service.   My use doesn't put me in their 4G/LTE footprint very often so I never looked into it.


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## bvibert (Jan 3, 2012)

Geoff said:


> Nope.  VZ 3G unlimited data stays on your account if you change or renew your contract.
> 
> I imagine if you buy a 4G phone, you lose unlimited since all the 4G plans have been metered service.   My use doesn't put me in their 4G/LTE footprint very often so I never looked into it.



Hmmm, if that's true maybe I'll stick with a 3G phone the next time I renew...


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## o3jeff (Jan 3, 2012)

bvibert said:


> Hmmm, if that's true maybe I'll stick with a 3G phone the next time I renew...



And you might get a better employer discount now, should look into it!


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## bvibert (Jan 3, 2012)

o3jeff said:


> And you might get a better employer discount now, should look into it!



I already get a pretty hefty employer discount, but I'll check when it's time.  We still have a few more months.


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## tekweezle (Jan 3, 2012)

When republic wireless gets out of beta it might be a good option.   19$ a month gets you roaming on Sprint unlimited provided you use wifi most of the time for calls and data.    You have to use their phone though,  currently a custom lg Optimus. 

Sent from my Htc Incredible via tapatalk....


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## Abubob (Jan 3, 2012)

I might be forced into using a smart phone eventually. The printed map industry doesn't seem to exist any longer thanks to smart phones with GPS. I tried finding a local map for Naugatuck CT - no one had any - at all.

Right now I still have a stupid track phone. I can make phone calls and don't even bother with texting.


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## bigbog (Jan 4, 2012)

No, no need (Yet:roll.


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## ctenidae (Jan 4, 2012)

Does a BlackBerry count as a smart phone?

I mean, you can do dumb things with it.


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## BackLoafRiver (Jan 5, 2012)

Geoff said:


> I imagine if you buy a 4G phone, you lose unlimited since all the 4G plans have been metered service.   My use doesn't put me in their 4G/LTE footprint very often so I never looked into it.



I just upgraded to the Galaxy Nexus (4g) on VZ. Went from a 3g original droid and they kept the unlimited data. Pretty sure they will do away with the policy by the time my next 2 years is up.


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## hammer (Jan 5, 2012)

ctenidae said:


> Does a BlackBerry count as a smart phone?
> 
> I mean, you can do dumb things with it.


Jokes aside, I usually define a smart phone as being any phone that requires a data plan.


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## mondeo (Jan 5, 2012)

gmcunni said:


> this has come up recently in our house. i have a BB from work, while not as slick as an iphone or andriod it gets me my email and occasional web access. wife and kids are on ATT family plan with voice and text but son going off to college next year is making the pitch for "needing" a smartphone with data plan. i'm not totally opposed but the data plan pricing is a huge turn off. adding $45/m to ATT for 4 gig plan seems like robbery.
> 
> for those with smartphones, how do you manage your bandwidth consumption?


I'm on a 200MB/month plan. ATT gives me warnings at 65% and 90% usage, and there's an app that tells you how much you've used.

In general, no video or music and I'm good. Every once in a while I look at a few too many pictures when not on WiFi and go over. I exceed 200MB less than 50% of the time, so it keeps it in the win column relative to the 2GB plan.


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## BackLoafRiver (Jan 5, 2012)

mondeo said:


> I'm on a 200MB/month plan. ATT gives me warnings at 65% and 90% usage, and there's an app that tells you how much you've used.
> 
> In general, no video or music and I'm good. Every once in a while I look at a few too many pictures when not on WiFi and go over. I exceed 200MB less than 50% of the time, so it keeps it in the win column relative to the 2GB plan.



VZ does the same thing, you can get an app to manage data as well as receive alerts. Before I got the new phone, as long as I wasn't trying to stream netflix or music, I was fine.  I never went above 1 gig and that is with using google navigation.

If he can stay connected to wifi, he should be ok.


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## SkiFanE (Jan 5, 2012)

Luddite here.  Can upgrade in a month or so, but beside feeling like a dinosaur when I pull out my $10 flip phone, I don't have any desire.  I can see an occasional need for it, but not as much as people seem to use it.  Like someone above mentioned, I think social skills are going to be lost from everyone ignoring each other and looking at a device.  Was at a pub last week listening to music and 3 young guys (20s) were all at a table staring at their devices...not talking, not looking at chicks or grooving to music.  WTF?  What is more interesting on the 'net to stare at then hanging out with buddies?

My teen now has an iPhone, my work gives me a 24% AT&T discount.  She's got the 2gb data plan, and in a month she hasn't even hit 500mb, and she's on it all the time.


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## mondeo (Jan 5, 2012)

BackLoafRiver said:


> VZ does the same thing, you can get an app to manage data as well as receive alerts. Before I got the new phone, as long as I wasn't trying to stream netflix or music, I was fine. I never went above 1 gig and that is with using google navigation.
> 
> If he can stay connected to wifi, he should be ok.


I can't wait to get the Nokia maps on my phone. Maps get downloaded to your phone, so you don't use the data plan and don't have to worry about having a signal.


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## bvibert (Jan 5, 2012)

BackLoafRiver said:


> I just upgraded to the Galaxy Nexus (4g) on VZ. Went from a 3g original droid and they kept the unlimited data. Pretty sure they will do away with the policy by the time my next 2 years is up.



Good to know, thanks!


----------



## gmcunni (Jan 5, 2012)

for those with personally owned smartphones, does your office allow you to use it to get work email? and if so, do they force any restrictions on your/your phone?


----------



## tekweezle (Jan 5, 2012)

mondeo said:


> I can't wait to get the Nokia maps on my phone. Maps get downloaded to your phone, so you don't use the data plan and don't have to worry about having a signal.



While I use the built in google navigation app,  there is a paid android app called copilot which is a gps app with maps saved to your sd card so you can use it without an active data  connection.

   Cost something like 7.99 to 15.99 I think.    Far cry from. 99$ to get updated maps for my standalone garmin gps. 

Sent from my Htc Incredible via tapatalk....


----------



## mlctvt (Jan 5, 2012)

gmcunni said:


> for those with personally owned smartphones, does your office allow you to use it to get work email? and if so, do they force any restrictions on your/your phone?



I have a personal Smartphone, DroidX on Verizon. Since I set the office IT policy I do get my office email on the phone along with several personal accounts. That's probably one of the nicest features of a smartphone, having all accounts on one device and easy to get to wherever you are. No more missed emails.


----------



## SkiFanE (Jan 5, 2012)

gmcunni said:


> for those with personally owned smartphones, does your office allow you to use it to get work email? and if so, do they force any restrictions on your/your phone?




When/if I get one, you can only access work network if your device is encrypted.  So my work laptop is, my family laptop is not, so I never use it for work.  My smartphone would have to be encrypted to use it for work email, which I would never do to my own personal device.  If they expect me to check work email on my own device, they have to pay for it.


----------



## bvibert (Jan 5, 2012)

gmcunni said:


> for those with personally owned smartphones, does your office allow you to use it to get work email? and if so, do they force any restrictions on your/your phone?



I've been meaning to ask our IT department.  I thought the answer was no, that one could only have their emailed pushed to a company issued BB (which I don't have), but I've since met a co-worker from another office who has their personal android phone setup to get his work emails.

Right now if I want to access my work email from my phone I have to log in using the web interface.  It works, but is kind of a PITA.


----------



## BackLoafRiver (Jan 5, 2012)

gmcunni said:


> for those with personally owned smartphones, does your office allow you to use it to get work email? and if so, do they force any restrictions on your/your phone?



We have an exchange server and the IT people were cool with me setting up my phone for work email.  No restrictions, however, they WON'T allow the device to connect to the buildings wifi.


----------



## Riverskier (Jan 5, 2012)

I bought my first ever cell phone last Summer- a Tracphone. At this rate, I will probably upgrade to a smart phone in about a decade.


----------



## bvibert (Jan 5, 2012)

BackLoafRiver said:


> We have an exchange server and the IT people were cool with me setting up my phone for work email.  No restrictions, however, they WON'T allow the device to connect to the buildings wifi.



I doubt that I'm supposed to be able to, but I figured out how to connect to the WiFi at work pretty easily.  I never do though, my cell signal is very good in the building, and I have unlimited data.  I regularly stream Pandora, which I'm not supposed to do on the company network anyway.


----------



## o3jeff (Jan 12, 2012)

Have you decided yet? I can let you know how to gets you $10 off a month on Sprints plans


----------



## hammer (Jan 12, 2012)

o3jeff said:


> Have you decided yet? I can let you know how to gets you $10 off a month on Sprints plans


Who are you asking?  We just decided to get basic phones for this cycle...will most likely get smart phones next time but I do think we'll be shopping around for the best plans.


----------



## WWF-VT (Jan 12, 2012)

I have a Samsung Focus Flash with Windows Phone.  I really like the interface and it is light years ahead of my (now retired) Blackberry in terms of funtionality


----------



## o3jeff (Mar 2, 2012)

Not sure if this affects people grandfathered in with unlimited data plans or not.

http://www.newser.com/story/140901/have-an-att-unlimited-plan-not-anymore.html


----------



## wa-loaf (Mar 2, 2012)

o3jeff said:


> Not sure if this affects people grandfathered in with unlimited data plans or not.
> 
> http://www.newser.com/story/140901/have-an-att-unlimited-plan-not-anymore.html



Basically the Unlimited plan costs the same as the 3gig plan. If you go over the 3 gigs they throttle your speed pretty severely. So no, there really isn't an unlimited plan anymore. Not sure they handle the 3 gig plan, but I assume there is a cost if you go over. That's the only benefit I see for staying on unlimited. I should probably check  my usage as I'm usually on wifi so It might make sense to me to step down to the 2 gig plan.


----------



## o3jeff (Mar 2, 2012)

wa-loaf said:


> Basically the Unlimited plan costs the same as the 3gig plan. If you go over the 3 gigs they throttle your speed pretty severely. So no, there really isn't an unlimited plan anymore. Not sure they handle the 3 gig plan, but I assume there is a cost if you go over. That's the only benefit I see for staying on unlimited. I should probably check  my usage as I'm usually on wifi so It might make sense to me to step down to the 2 gig plan.



Exactly what I was thinking!

3 Gigs is a lot to use in a month.


----------



## bvibert (Mar 2, 2012)

I expect a similar move from Verizon shortly... :-?

Getting a new phone next week.  I need to decide if I'm going for another phone with a physical keyboard or not...


----------



## o3jeff (Mar 2, 2012)

bvibert said:


> I expect a similar move from Verizon shortly... :-?
> 
> Getting a new phone next week.  I need to decide if I'm going for another phone with a physical keyboard or not...



You getting an iPhone?:flame:


----------



## bvibert (Mar 2, 2012)

o3jeff said:


> Exactly what I was thinking!
> 
> 3 Gigs is a lot to use in a month.



Very true, I don't think I've went over 3GB in a month yet...


----------



## bvibert (Mar 2, 2012)

o3jeff said:


> You getting an iPhone?:flame:



:roll:


----------



## o3jeff (Mar 2, 2012)

bvibert said:


> Very true, I don't think I've went over 3GB in a month yet...



I don't think I go over that in 2 months!


----------



## o3jeff (Mar 2, 2012)

bvibert said:


> :roll:



Sev due for a new one too?


----------



## bvibert (Mar 2, 2012)

o3jeff said:


> Sev due for a new one too?



Yes, her phone is on it's last legs.  I don't really _need_ to get another phone, mine is still working fine after I bought a new battery for $4.  Maybe I won't.


----------



## o3jeff (Mar 2, 2012)

bvibert said:


> Yes, her phone is on it's last legs.  I don't really _need_ to get another phone, mine is still working fine after I bought a new battery for $4.  Maybe I won't.



Which ones are you considering? I just upgraded mine last month.


----------



## bvibert (Mar 2, 2012)

o3jeff said:


> Which ones are you considering? I just upgraded mine last month.



I had my eye on the Droid 4, but they had been offering a $100 discount when I was look a few days ago, not anymore.  I don't want to spend $200 on a phone.  I'll probably just go to the store and see what they have in the $100 range, maybe the Droid Bionic? or just stick with what I have.


----------



## jrmagic (Mar 2, 2012)

bvibert said:


> I expect a similar move from Verizon shortly... :-?
> 
> Getting a new phone next week.  I need to decide if I'm going for another phone with a physical keyboard or not...



If you go touch screen be prepared for a lot of frustration. I've had a Droid Razer for the last 2 weeks and I'm still fat fingering everything:angry:  Or course it probably doesn't help that I really do have fat fingers


----------



## bvibert (Mar 2, 2012)

jrmagic said:


> If you go touch screen be prepared for a lot of frustration. I've had a Droid Razer for the last 2 weeks and I'm still fat fingering everything:angry:  Or course it probably doesn't help that I really do have fat fingers



That's what I'm worried about.  Though, I've been using the touchscreen keyboard on my current phone on occasion without much issue, and my current phone has a much smaller screen.  I do really like having a physical keyboard though...


----------



## jrmagic (Mar 2, 2012)

bvibert said:


> That's what I'm worried about.  Though, I've been using the touchscreen keyboard on my current phone on occasion without much issue, and my current phone has a much smaller screen.  I do really like having a physical keyboard though...



I liked having the keyboard as well. I sitll ahve a blackberry for work so I do most emails there. I am getting better at it but its very slooowwww progress.


----------



## wa-loaf (Mar 2, 2012)

I've been using the speech to text more often lately. Especially in the car. Works pretty good on the iPhone anyway.


----------



## o3jeff (Mar 2, 2012)

It really depends on the phone and how you type. I originally had a BB Curve and used my thumbs to type on the keyboard. Went to a HTC Evo with a 4+" touch screen and found when I typed with my thumbs no words would come out right and went to typing with my pointing finger. Switched to a iPhone with a smaller screen than the Evo and am back typing with my thumbs. Really depends on the manufacturer I guess.


----------



## o3jeff (Mar 2, 2012)

wa-loaf said:


> I've been using the speech to text more often lately. Especially in the car. Works pretty good on the iPhone anyway.



This ^. I like to ask siri random stuff to pass the time on my commute.


----------



## bvibert (Mar 2, 2012)

wa-loaf said:


> I've been using the speech to text more often lately. Especially in the car. Works pretty good on the iPhone anyway.



Wouldn't work so well when I'm sitting in a meeting while posting to the "what are you doing right now" thread.


----------



## wa-loaf (Mar 2, 2012)

o3jeff said:


> This ^. I like to ask siri random stuff to pass the time on my commute.



Not Siri, just the speech to text function.


----------



## wa-loaf (Mar 2, 2012)

bvibert said:


> Wouldn't work so well when I'm sitting in a meeting while posting to the "what are you doing right now" thread.



Oh, you need the mind reading app ...


----------



## bvibert (Mar 2, 2012)

wa-loaf said:


> Oh, you need the mind reading app ...



That would be pretty cool!


----------



## ctenidae (Mar 2, 2012)

bvibert said:


> That would be pretty cool!



I don't need a phone that's always stuck on bacon, bourbon and porn.


----------



## bvibert (Mar 2, 2012)

ctenidae said:


> I don't need a phone that's always stuck on bacon, bourbon and porn.



This is true...


----------



## wa-loaf (Mar 2, 2012)

ctenidae said:


> I don't need a phone that's always stuck on bacon, bourbon and porn.



And skiing .... jeeze what forum do you think you are posting in?


----------



## bvibert (Mar 2, 2012)

wa-loaf said:


> And skiing .... jeeze what forum do you think you are posting in?



You realize that he doesn't even actually ski, right?  He just comes here to discuss gas prices and weird news tid-bits...


----------



## ctenidae (Mar 2, 2012)

bvibert said:


> You realize that he doesn't even actually ski, right?  He just comes here to discuss gas prices and weird news tid-bits...



I skied once this year. Which is better, actually, than I expected.


----------



## wa-loaf (Mar 2, 2012)

ctenidae said:


> I skied once this year. Which is better, actually, than I expected.



You need to ditch that 1% job of yours.


----------



## ctenidae (Mar 2, 2012)

wa-loaf said:


> You need to ditch that 1% job of yours.



Naw, I just need it to be closer to decent skiing.


----------



## Cannonball (Mar 2, 2012)

I was a long time hold out.  Finally got one.  Love it.  Most importantly.....I was able to get my best ski day of the season today because I had email in my pocket.


----------



## Nick (Mar 2, 2012)

Cannonball said:


> I was a long time hold out.  Finally got one.  Love it.  Most importantly.....I was able to get my best ski day of the season today because I had email in my pocket.



Awesome


----------



## gmcunni (Mar 3, 2012)

ctenidae said:


> Naw, I just need it to be closer to decent skiing.



or lower your standards.


----------



## Warp Daddy (Mar 3, 2012)

Nope --don't need it -- being a full time funseeker now , i have neither the need nor the desire to be " "Connected "  or " peopled-out"-------------so 4 me its a flip phone -- color me either a luddite in that regard or a liberated anti- phone freak


----------



## ScottySkis (Mar 4, 2012)

I love my phone, because I can look for a job while not using the my bosses computer too do it, during boring nothing too times. I could not that with out my smart phone.


----------



## speden (Mar 4, 2012)

I was wishing I had a smartphone on Saturday morning while waiting out some wind holds.  While I sat bored and twiddling my thumbs, it seemed like everyone else was entertaining themselves with their phones.  But all I've got is my old flip phone.  I did have a book I could have read in my car, but I was too lazy to hike out to get it.


----------



## o3jeff (Mar 6, 2012)

bvibert said:


> I expect a similar move from Verizon shortly... :-?
> 
> Getting a new phone next week.  I need to decide if I'm going for another phone with a physical keyboard or not...



Update? What did you get?


----------



## bvibert (Mar 6, 2012)

o3jeff said:


> Update? What did you get?



We might go this weekend.


----------



## o3jeff (Mar 6, 2012)

bvibert said:


> We might go this weekend.



Ok, I'll follow up after the weekend.


----------



## gmcunni (Mar 6, 2012)

o3jeff said:


> Ok, I'll follow up after the weekend.



did you post a TR for Magic sunday?


----------



## o3jeff (Mar 6, 2012)

gmcunni said:


> did you post a TR for Magic sunday?



No, I'm not doing TR's this year. It was kinda firm since the sun really didn't come out. But where they ran the groomers was good.


----------



## severine (Mar 6, 2012)

o3jeff said:


> Ok, I'll follow up after the weekend.



Boy are you nosy! 

We're deadlocked right now on the phones. But my Palm Pre Plus (#3 in 20 months) is dying fast. Won't make it to July.


----------



## o3jeff (Mar 6, 2012)

severine said:


> Boy are you nosy!
> 
> We're deadlocked right now on the phones. But my Palm Pre Plus (#3 in 20 months) is dying fast. Won't make it to July.



Are you getting an iPhone to spite bvibert?


----------



## severine (Mar 6, 2012)

o3jeff said:


> Are you getting an iPhone to spite bvibert?



I'm leaning that way. Though not to spite b. He has decided talking to me about it is like that extranormal cartoon.


----------



## bvibert (Mar 6, 2012)

severine said:


> He has decided talking to me about it is like that extranormal cartoon.



Pretty much


----------



## SkiFanE (Mar 7, 2012)

Just entered smartphone world with an iPhone 4S.  It's beautiful.  Now what, lol?


----------



## o3jeff (Mar 7, 2012)

bvibert said:


> Pretty much



You might want to take Motorola and Samsung off your list of potential phones since they might have to give Apple money for each handset!

http://articles.businessinsider.com/2012-03-06/tech/31126334_1_android-smartphone-software-motorola


----------



## Geoff (Mar 7, 2012)

o3jeff said:


> You might want to take Motorola and Samsung off your list of potential phones since they might have to give Apple money for each handset!
> 
> http://articles.businessinsider.com/2012-03-06/tech/31126334_1_android-smartphone-software-motorola



After you've bought the thing, who cares?

Besides, Motorola (now owned by Google) has a huge patent portfolio.   They will have no problem finding offsetting patent infringements.   Samsung doesn't have that kind of intellectual property portfolio.   They'll likely be paying Apple royalties.   Ditto HTC and the other Chinese suppliers.


----------



## bvibert (Mar 7, 2012)

o3jeff said:


> You might want to take Motorola and Samsung off your list of potential phones since they might have to give Apple money for each handset!
> 
> http://articles.businessinsider.com/2012-03-06/tech/31126334_1_android-smartphone-software-motorola



Eh, nothing new.  Apple's been playing that game for a while now.

I guess when you have an inferior product you have to resort to trying to cripple your competition with legalities instead of innovations... :lol:


----------



## wa-loaf (Mar 7, 2012)

bvibert said:


> Eh, nothing new.  Apple's been playing that game for a while now.
> 
> I guess when you have an inferior product you have to resort to trying to cripple your competition with legalities instead of innovations... :lol:



They are all playing that patent game.


----------



## gmcunni (Mar 7, 2012)

saw  commercial for virgin mobile, unlimited data $35/month. anybody use?


----------



## wa-loaf (Mar 7, 2012)

gmcunni said:


> saw  commercial for virgin mobile, unlimited data $35/month. anybody use?



I think that's fine as long as you stay near cities.


----------



## bvibert (Mar 7, 2012)

wa-loaf said:


> They are all playing that patent game.


----------



## o3jeff (Mar 9, 2012)

bvibert said:


> We might go this weekend.





severine said:


> Boy are you nosy!
> 
> We're deadlocked right now on the phones. But my Palm Pre Plus (#3 in 20 months) is dying fast. Won't make it to July.



Whats on the short list for phones, surprised you haven't made a thread yet to get our opinions on you potential selections!


----------



## bvibert (Mar 9, 2012)

o3jeff said:


> Whats on the short list for phones, surprised you haven't made a thread yet to get our opinions on you potential selections!



I don't really care what your opinions are... 

My wife's short list is really short, she wants an iphone.  Mostly for the camera, and partially so she can use the few apps she's bought for her ipod touch on it...

What I'd like is one of the newest Android phones, but I'm not spending that kind of money on a phone, especially when we're looking at buying a house.  I'm going to wait and see what they have in the store, and if there's any deals, then I'll get the best phone I can afford based on the selection.  I'd prefer to get a 4G phone, but I'd settle for one that's not.


----------



## o3jeff (Mar 9, 2012)

Check and see if they have a buy back program for your old phone. Sprint gave me a $90 credit for my old phone. I probably could of got more for it on ebay or CL, but wasn't worth the hassle for me.


----------



## Edd (Mar 9, 2012)

bvibert said:


> What I'd like is one of the newest Android phones, but I'm not spending that kind of money on a phone, especially when we're looking at buying a house.  I'm going to wait and see what they have in the store, and if there's any deals, then I'll get the best phone I can afford based on the selection.  I'd prefer to get a 4G phone, but I'd settle for one that's not.



Seems to me once you've decided to spring for a smartphone plan every month then $200 is chump change if it gets you the phone you want. 

I love having a smartphone but the whole thing is way too expensive. Unfortunately I'm addicted.


----------



## Nick (Mar 9, 2012)

o3jeff said:


> Check and see if they have a buy back program for your old phone. Sprint gave me a $90 credit for my old phone. I probably could of got more for it on ebay or CL, but wasn't worth the hassle for me.



I just picked up a galaxy and sold my old phone for 250. Trade in programs are a rip off .


----------



## severine (Mar 9, 2012)

My old phone is on its last leg. It isn't worth $2. But I should get a loyalty discount on my anniversary date tomorrow. I don't think it can be applied to the iPhone, but I can put it toward Brian's, whatever it ends up being. Used to be $100, but I think it's only $50 now.


----------



## ctenidae (Mar 9, 2012)

I've given in at work and am switching to a Windows phone, HTC I think. The giving in is that it's an AT&T phone, and I have a longstanding grudge against them. I switched from Verizon to TMobile for BBerry for the wifi calling ability, but it's not as good as it used to be and seems to be useless now.


----------



## Edd (Mar 9, 2012)

ctenidae said:


> I've given in at work and am switching to a Windows phone, HTC I think. The giving in is that it's an AT&T phone, and I have a longstanding grudge against them. I switched from Verizon to TMobile for BBerry for the wifi calling ability, but it's not as good as it used to be and seems to be useless now.



AT&T has the nicest line-up of WP7 phones.  I wanted to go with WP7 badly but Sprint has sold it's soul to Apple and I've sold my soul to Sprint.


----------



## bvibert (Mar 10, 2012)

Edd said:


> Seems to me once you've decided to spring for a smartphone plan every month then $200 is chump change if it gets you the phone you want.
> 
> I love having a smartphone but the whole thing is way too expensive. Unfortunately I'm addicted.



I don't really _need_ a smartphone, but I've become way too dependent on it.  It would be very hard to give up now!

I hear what you're saying about the cost, but the extra $100 is still $100 that I need for other things right now.  It's bad enough that I'm wasting all that money on the data plan, need to keep it reasonable where I can.


----------



## o3jeff (Mar 10, 2012)

bvibert said:


> I don't really _need_ a smartphone, but I've become way too dependent on it.  It would be very hard to give up now!
> 
> I hear what you're saying about the cost, but the extra $100 is still $100 that I need for other things right now.  It's bad enough that I'm wasting all that money on the data plan, need to keep it reasonable where I can.



Have you gone yet?


----------



## bvibert (Mar 10, 2012)

o3jeff said:


> Have you gone yet?



Nope, working today.


----------



## bvibert (Mar 12, 2012)

Ended up with a Droid Razr, last minute change.


----------



## wa-loaf (Mar 12, 2012)

bvibert said:


> Ended up with a Droid Razr, last minute change.



Does Jeff approve of this?


----------



## bvibert (Mar 12, 2012)

wa-loaf said:


> Does Jeff approve of this?



Doubtful


----------



## o3jeff (Mar 12, 2012)

bvibert said:


> Ended up with a Droid Razr, last minute change.



How do you like it? You going to do a review during your lunch break?



wa-loaf said:


> Does Jeff approve of this?



Nope!



bvibert said:


> Doubtful



Correct


----------



## gmcunni (Mar 12, 2012)

which phones ARE on the o3jeff approved list? i'll be signing new contract in the spring so i want to make sure i'm shopping for the right ones.


----------



## SkiDork (Mar 12, 2012)

bvibert said:


> Ended up with a Droid Razr, last minute change.



great selection.  I have the original Razr and love it.  Battery life is the only downside.  I'm assuming you got the Razr MAXX?


----------



## o3jeff (Mar 12, 2012)

gmcunni said:


> which phones ARE on the o3jeff approved list? i'll be signing new contract in the spring so i want to make sure i'm shopping for the right ones.



So far the iPhone 4s has my approval. Will have to read Bviberts review of his razr to determine if it meets it or not.


----------



## o3jeff (Mar 12, 2012)

SkiDork said:


> great selection.  I have the original Razr and love it.  Battery life is the only downside.  I'm assuming you got the Razr MAXX?



This?


----------



## bvibert (Mar 12, 2012)

SkiDork said:


> great selection.  I have the original Razr and love it.  Battery life is the only downside.  I'm assuming you got the Razr MAXX?



Nope, not the MAXX, just the regular Razr, which was already more than I wanted to spend...


----------



## bvibert (Mar 12, 2012)

o3jeff said:


> How do you like it? You going to do a review during your lunch break?



The phone is awesome. Love it! Still getting used to not having a keyboard,  but I'm getting there.

That's as much as a review as you're going to get today, I'm leaving to go skiing on my lunch break...

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk


----------



## o3jeff (Mar 12, 2012)

bvibert said:


> Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk



You got tapatalk too?


----------



## bvibert (Mar 12, 2012)

o3jeff said:


> You got tapatalk too?



Got it a while ago. I just don't post to AZ from my phone that often, plus I had the signature turned off on my old phone, so one wouldn't know if I was using it or not...


----------



## wa-loaf (Mar 12, 2012)

A new way to tether your iPhone without paying ATT or going through the app store. Cost $30 a year, but that beats the $30 a month ATT wants for it ...

http://tether.com/tether-relaunches-iphone


----------



## SkiFanE (Mar 12, 2012)

My new iPhone 4s does not vibrate.  In one week have missed lots of calls and texts and it finally dawned on me the thing has not vibrated once.  Errr....not a happy camper, have to return to the store and get this fixed, with all of my free time it's not a problem, not at all.  This weekend I dropped it in snow, dusted it off...but then it thought I had headphones plugged in and I could only talk on speaker phone until it must have melted or something.  Returning to my $10 flipphone is looking better and better...damn this delicate crap.


----------



## jrmagic (Mar 12, 2012)

SkiDork said:


> great selection.  I have the original Razr and love it.  Battery life is the only downside.  I'm assuming you got the Razr MAXX?



The MAXX is an extra $100 I believe. I picked up the RAZR a few weeks back and was concerned about battery life but so far, I've been aorund enoughpower supplys that it isn;t an issue between home, the office and the car.


----------



## wa-loaf (Mar 12, 2012)

SkiFanE said:


> My new iPhone 4s does not vibrate.  In one week have missed lots of calls and texts and it finally dawned on me the thing has not vibrated once.  Errr....not a happy camper, have to return to the store and get this fixed, with all of my free time it's not a problem, not at all.  This weekend I dropped it in snow, dusted it off...but then it thought I had headphones plugged in and I could only talk on speaker phone until it must have melted or something.  Returning to my $10 flipphone is looking better and better...damn this delicate crap.



I'm assuming you tried turning it on in settings?


----------



## SkiFanE (Mar 12, 2012)

wa-loaf said:


> I'm assuming you tried turning it on in settings?



Yeah..lol...over and over..reboot, etc.  Resident apple expert (my teen) can't figure it out either.  Google search makes it seem like the actual vibration hardware may be jammed...but I'm not banging and fussing with it, just gonna go back to store.


----------



## severine (Mar 12, 2012)

wa-loaf said:


> Does Jeff approve of this?





o3jeff said:


> Nope!





o3jeff said:


> So far the iPhone 4s has my approval. Will have to read Bviberts review of his razr to determine if it meets it or not.


Yay! I made o3jeff's cut!  The sales guy seemed to want to talk me out of it, but even after looking at the other models, I still wanted the iPhone 4S. Then I surprised the guy by whipping out my own case for it when he tried to talk me into buying a bundle. :lol: (Otterbox Commuter) I like the familiarity--I had an iTouch before and the Palm Pre Plus worked pretty similarly--and the size. Who the heck wants to carry one of those honking big beasts around??? The camera is great so far (out-performed Brian's RAZR in our side-by-side test shot), which was a biggie in my book.



jrmagic said:


> The MAXX is an extra $100 I believe. I picked up the RAZR a few weeks back and was concerned about battery life but so far, I've been aorund enoughpower supplys that it isn;t an issue between home, the office and the car.



Yup. Regular RAZR is $200 and the MAXX is $300. Considering he didn't want to pay more than $100, the RAZR was already well beyond that.

The best news of all? Even though we got new equipment, we were able keep our grandfathered-in unlimited data plans.


----------



## o3jeff (Mar 12, 2012)

severine said:


> Yay! I made o3jeff's cut!  The sales guy seemed to want to talk me out of it, but even after looking at the other models, I still wanted the iPhone 4S. Then I surprised the guy by whipping out my own case for it when he tried to talk me into buying a bundle. :lol: (*Otterbox Commuter)* I like the familiarity--I had an iTouch before and the Palm Pre Plus worked pretty similarly--and the size. Who the heck wants to carry one of those honking big beasts around??? The camera is great so far (*out-performed Brian's RAZR in our side-by-side test shot*), which was a biggie in my book.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I approve of that case also(I got it in black!)

And I'm sure Bvibert will never admit that about the camera!


----------



## wa-loaf (Mar 12, 2012)

severine said:


> Yay! I made o3jeff's cut!  The sales guy seemed to want to talk me out of it, but even after looking at the other models, I still wanted the iPhone 4S. Then I surprised the guy by whipping out my own case for it when he tried to talk me into buying a bundle. :lol: (Otterbox Commuter) I like the familiarity--I had an iTouch before and the Palm Pre Plus worked pretty similarly--and the size. Who the heck wants to carry one of those honking big beasts around??? The camera is great so far (out-performed Brian's RAZR in our side-by-side test shot), which was a biggie in my book.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Could have bought some new skis ...


----------



## severine (Mar 12, 2012)

wa-loaf said:


> Could have bought some new skis ...



He can have mine. I'm not using them anyway.


----------



## bvibert (Mar 12, 2012)

o3jeff said:


> I approve of that case also(I got it in black!)
> 
> And I'm sure Bvibert will never admit that about the camera!



I can admit when something is better.  The iPhone 4s has a great camera, definitely beats my Droid's.  My only requirement for the camera is that it takes decent enough pictures to tell what it is that I took a picture of.  The quality may not be as good, but so far I've been very pleased with the speed at which it takes the picture.


----------



## o3jeff (Mar 12, 2012)

bvibert said:


> I can admit when something is better.  The iPhone 4s has a great camera, definitely beats my Droid's.  My only requirement for the camera is that it takes decent enough pictures to tell what it is that I took a picture of.  The quality may not be as good, but so far I've been very pleased with the speed at which it takes the picture.



I think my HTC took a sharper pic.


----------



## SkiDork (Mar 12, 2012)

The RAZR is an amazing machine.  I think Brian will agree...  

If I need to stay outside all day, I cannot use much data or the battery will die.


----------



## Nick (Mar 12, 2012)

SkiDork said:


> The RAZR is an amazing machine.  I think Brian will agree...
> 
> If I need to stay outside all day, I cannot use much data or the battery will die.



That's one really nice thing about the maxx


----------



## SkiDork (Mar 13, 2012)

Nick said:


> That's one really nice thing about the maxx



Nick do you have the MAXX?


----------



## Nick (Mar 13, 2012)

SkiDork said:


> Nick do you have the MAXX?



No I've got a galaxy nexus


----------



## OysterRiver Colin (Mar 13, 2012)

I have a Droid Bionic (4g) and I'm happy with it so far


----------



## SkiDork (Mar 13, 2012)

OysterRiver Colin said:


> I have a Droid Bionic (4g) and I'm happy with it so far



I was going to get the Bionic (waited many months for it) and then when the Razr came out decided on that instead.


----------



## OysterRiver Colin (Mar 13, 2012)

Yes, I actually bought the Bionic on the same day the Razr came out (11-11-11) The sales guy was surprised I bought a Bionic that day instead of the RAZR...not that the Bionic is a bad phone but just that the RAZR was so thin and all.
I actually liked the feel of the larger Bionic in my hand


----------



## SkiDork (Mar 13, 2012)

OysterRiver Colin said:


> Yes, I actually bought the Bionic on the same day the Razr came out (11-11-11) The sales guy was surprised I bought a Bionic that day instead of the RAZR...not that the Bionic is a bad phone but just that the RAZR was so thin and all.
> I actually liked the feel of the larger Bionic in my hand



I like the kevlar case and gorilla glass on the razr


----------



## bvibert (Mar 13, 2012)

I almost got the Bionic too.  I couldn't put my finger on it, but there was something I just liked better about the Razr when trying them out in the store.  I came really close to getting the Droid 4, for the keyboard, but the Razr wooed me at the last minute.  While the salesman was in the back getting the phones I was playing with the Razr, when he came back out I told him I changed my mind.  It was kind of impulsive, as I hadn't really done any research on the Razr.


----------



## SkiDork (Mar 13, 2012)

the thin-ness of the Razr wasn't a selling point for me.  I have it in a case I got from the Verizon store which makes it thicker and makes it easier to find the power and volume buttons on the side.  The case has a fold out kick-stand in the back which is kinda cool.


----------



## bvibert (Mar 13, 2012)

OysterRiver Colin said:


> Yes, I actually bought the Bionic on the same day the Razr came out (11-11-11) The sales guy was surprised I bought a Bionic that day instead of the RAZR...not that the Bionic is a bad phone but just that the RAZR was so thin and all.
> I actually liked the feel of the larger Bionic in my hand



The thinness of the Razr is taking some time to get used to.  It's hard to get a feeling for that with the devices they have in the store, since they're attached to the brackets and tethered to the counter.


----------



## bvibert (Mar 13, 2012)

SkiDork said:


> the thin-ness of the Razr wasn't a selling point for me.  I have it in a case I got from the Verizon store which makes it thicker and makes it easier to find the power and volume buttons on the side.  The case has a fold out kick-stand in the back which is kinda cool.



I was talked into the same case.


----------



## SkiDork (Mar 13, 2012)

bvibert said:


> I was talked into the same case.



I'm happy with that case.  Removing it is a bit difficult but there is a trick.  I'll show you on Saturday.

I also got the windshield mount which I'm very happy with as well.


----------



## bvibert (Mar 13, 2012)

SkiDork said:


> I'm happy with that case.  Removing it is a bit difficult but there is a trick.  I'll show you on Saturday.



I'm not normally a case kinda guy, my phones are normally in my pocket.  However, with the size of this one I thought I may not want it in my pocket.  The salesman had a Razr Maxx with the same case, he showed me the kickstand on his, which sealed the deal.  It's kinda silly, but it worked.  I get 25% off of accessories with my work discount, which helped sway me as well.



SkiDork said:


> I also got the windshield mount which I'm very happy with as well.



That looks pretty slick, I may have to look into one.


----------



## SkiDork (Mar 13, 2012)

bvibert said:


> I'm not normally a case kinda guy, my phones are normally in my pocket.  However, with the size of this one I thought I may not want it in my pocket.  The salesman had a Razr Maxx with the same case, he showed me the kickstand on his, which sealed the deal.  It's kinda silly, but it worked.  I get 25% off of accessories with my work discount, which helped sway me as well.
> 
> 
> 
> That looks pretty slick, I may have to look into one.



Get it from the verizon store its cheaper there.

I also get the discount through work.

I also got the car charger, it has an additional USB port so you can charge 2 devices at once.  It plugs into the back of the car mount.


----------



## Cannonball (Mar 13, 2012)

SkiDork said:


> I like the kevlar case and gorilla glass on the razr



That almost sold it for me too.  But even with that it didn't sound like it would hold up to the abuse I'm prone to dishing out.  I ended up going with a Casio Commando.  It gives up a lot in terms of capabilities and performance compared to the razr.  But waterproof (1 meter), freeze proof, dust proof, etc makes made it work for me.  The performance of the razr won't do me any good if I drown it.


----------



## o3jeff (Mar 13, 2012)

I never knew Casio made phones.


----------



## SkiFanE (Mar 13, 2012)

Cannonball said:


> That almost sold it for me too.  But even with that it didn't sound like it would hold up to the abuse I'm prone to dishing out.  I ended up going with a Casio Commando.  It gives up a lot in terms of capabilities and performance compared to the razr.  But waterproof (1 meter), freeze proof, dust proof, etc makes made it work for me.  The performance of the razr won't do me any good if I drown it.



I got the $99 AppleCare plan...came with a free $35 Speck case.  Good for 2 years...water, disaster, all covered.  Nothing will diminish my clutziness, so had to suck it up and buy the plan.


----------



## Cannonball (Mar 13, 2012)

o3jeff said:


> I never knew Casio made phones.



I've been using their G'zone rugged series for about 6 years.  I've dropped them in the ocean, sent them through the laundry, buried them in mud, etc.  I've never killed one.  On the other hand, their sound quality kinda sounds like they've been dropped in the ocean even when they are brand new. So it's a trade off.  The one I have now is their first smartphone.  So gar so good.


----------



## o3jeff (Mar 13, 2012)

SkiFanE said:


> I got the $99 AppleCare plan...came with a free $35 Speck case.  Good for 2 years...water, disaster, all covered.  Nothing will diminish my clutziness, so had to suck it up and buy the plan.



I got the Applecare too(not the case though). Can't beat it for about $4.00 a month. I had insurance on my old phone thru a third party for about $10 a month. If there was a un-repairable problem(drop, water damage, etc) they would mail(2-3 days) you a new phone and charge you $50 for the replacement. I like that you can go to the Apple store and either walk out with the phone fixed or a new phone and they have this for all of their products.


----------



## hammer (Mar 13, 2012)

o3jeff said:


> I got the Applecare too(not the case though). Can't beat it for about $4.00 a month. I had insurance on my old phone thru a third party for about $10 a month. If there was a un-repairable problem(drop, water damage, etc) they would mail(2-3 days) you a new phone and charge you $50 for the replacement. I like that you can go to the Apple store and either walk out with the phone fixed or a new phone and they have this for all of their products.


Those plans make some sense for the pricey smartphones but not so much for the basic phones.  We paid the insurance for my daughter and when she dropped her last phone in the toilet we paid $50 for a refurbished phone (same model) that was a piece of junk.

On the advice of the salesperson where we purchased our basic phones, we kept our old phones as backup and went without the coverage.


----------



## SkiFanE (Mar 13, 2012)

hammer said:


> Those plans make some sense for the pricey smartphones but not so much for the basic phones.  We paid the insurance for my daughter and when she dropped her last phone in the toilet we paid $50 for a refurbished phone (same model) that was a piece of junk.
> 
> On the advice of the salesperson where we purchased our basic phones, we kept our old phones as backup and went without the coverage.



I never usually buy the service plans.  But I probably replaced one $10-15 flip phone every year or two (last was dropped in lake) and didn't think I'd act much different with an iPhone.  But replacement for a new iPhone is $600+.  And since I was planning to buy the $35 case anyway..the plan really only cost me $64 since I got the case I wanted with the plan.  I got the $10/mo insurance with AT&T for my teen last fall for her iPhone, but for just through this winter - she cracked the screen of an iTouch falling while skiing, so will stop it after ski season...oddly they didn't mention the AppleCare program to us back then, or we would have bought that one, better deal and benefits IMO.

Edited:  this phone was a complete and unnecessary treat for me lol...bought it to completely spoil myself, no other reason lol..if I was practical and smart I'd have been happy with a flipphone.


----------



## wa-loaf (Mar 13, 2012)

SkiFanE said:


> I never usually buy the service plans.  But I probably replaced one $10-15 flip phone every year or two (last was dropped in lake) and didn't think I'd act much different with an iPhone.  But replacement for a new iPhone is $600+.  And since I was planning to buy the $35 case anyway..the plan really only cost me $64 since I got the case I wanted with the plan.  I got the $10/mo insurance with AT&T for my teen last fall for her iPhone, but for just through this winter - she cracked the screen of an iTouch falling while skiing, so will stop it after ski season...oddly they didn't mention the AppleCare program to us back then, or we would have bought that one, better deal and benefits IMO.



AppleCare didn't cover lost or broken phones until the 4s came out.


----------



## SkiFanE (Mar 13, 2012)

wa-loaf said:


> AppleCare didn't cover lost or broken phones until the 4s came out.



Ahh...but my kid got the 4s.  No big deal, she can get a cheapo phone if she breaks hers after insurance is gone haha...or she's in debt for 50 hours of babysitting.


----------



## wa-loaf (Mar 13, 2012)

SkiFanE said:


> Ahh...but my kid got the 4s.  No big deal, she can get a cheapo phone if she breaks hers after insurance is gone haha...or she's in debt for 50 hours of babysitting.



Ah, then she got hosed by the ATT salesman.


----------



## SkiFanE (Mar 13, 2012)

wa-loaf said:


> Ah, then she got hosed by the ATT salesman.



Yeah...seems like it lol...can't win them all.


----------



## mondeo (Mar 13, 2012)

ctenidae said:


> I've given in at work and am switching to a Windows phone, HTC I think. The giving in is that it's an AT&T phone, and I have a longstanding grudge against them. I switched from Verizon to TMobile for BBerry for the wifi calling ability, but it's not as good as it used to be and seems to be useless now.


Titan? Looks like a beast. Gotta be super fast, given how quick mine is with the 1GHz processor.


----------



## severine (Mar 13, 2012)

SkiDork said:


> Get it from the verizon store its cheaper there.
> 
> I also get the discount through work.
> 
> I also got the car charger, it has an additional USB port so you can charge 2 devices at once.  It plugs into the back of the car mount.


He did buy it at the Verizon Store. Some package deal with the same thing you're talking about.



o3jeff said:


> I got the Applecare too(not the case though). Can't beat it for about $4.00 a month. I had insurance on my old phone thru a third party for about $10 a month. If there was a un-repairable problem(drop, water damage, etc) they would mail(2-3 days) you a new phone and charge you $50 for the replacement. I like that you can go to the Apple store and either walk out with the phone fixed or a new phone and they have this for all of their products.


What is this Applecare of which you speak...? I'm not fond of insurance plans for phones--especially since the deductible for the iPhone 4S is $150--but I wouldn't want to pay full price for a replacement, either. $10/mo seemed ok, especially since my old phone can't be saved as a back-up; it's a broken POS.


----------



## wa-loaf (Mar 13, 2012)

severine said:


> What is this Applecare of which you speak...?



http://store.apple.com/us/product/S4575LL/A


----------



## severine (Mar 13, 2012)

wa-loaf said:


> http://store.apple.com/us/product/S4575LL/A



Aw, man!


----------



## wa-loaf (Mar 13, 2012)

severine said:


> Aw, man!



You're in the 30 day window. You can still get it.


----------



## severine (Mar 13, 2012)

wa-loaf said:


> You're in the 30 day window. You can still get it.



ETA: Duh. Need to read closer.


----------



## o3jeff (Mar 13, 2012)

severine said:


> ETA: Duh. Need to read closer.


I approve of AppleCare


----------



## o3jeff (Mar 14, 2012)

severine said:


> ETA: Duh. Need to read closer.



You going to get it?


----------



## SkiFanE (Mar 14, 2012)

THIS close to ditching my new phone and data plan.  AT&T won't help me with broken phone.  Effing snooty Apple Store wouldn't see me without an appointment, even though they have 15 geeks in blue shirts standing doing nothing.  So I effing broke down and made an appt for apple store...else it's $600 hold on credit card and sending old one back for a new one (and $29 shipping fee)...or sending it back with no hold and waiting a week for new one.  At least I can get a new one on the spot...if not...AT&T store is in same mall and I'm just dropping my plan and going back to flip phone.  Oh well..my venture into high tech is a bomb...knew it was a bad idea, I don't have time for this shit lol.


----------



## Edd (Mar 14, 2012)

SkiFanE said:


> THIS close to ditching my new phone and data plan.  AT&T won't help me with broken phone.  Effing snooty Apple Store wouldn't see me without an appointment, even though they have 15 geeks in blue shirts standing doing nothing.  So I effing broke down and made an appt for apple store...else it's $600 hold on credit card and sending old one back for a new one (and $29 shipping fee)...or sending it back with no hold and waiting a week for new one.  At least I can get a new one on the spot...if not...AT&T store is in same mall and I'm just dropping my plan and going back to flip phone.  Oh well..my venture into high tech is a bomb...knew it was a bad idea, I don't have time for this shit lol.



What's the issue with the phone?


----------



## SkiFanE (Mar 14, 2012)

Edd said:


> What's the issue with the phone?



It doesn't vibrate.


----------



## severine (Mar 14, 2012)

o3jeff said:


> You going to get it?


When I can find the time to get out to West Hartford. Not exactly convenient stop for me. 



SkiFanE said:


> It doesn't vibrate.


That's a shame. When it vibrates, it vibrates well.  I hope you can get this resolved soon!


----------



## ctenidae (Mar 15, 2012)

mondeo said:


> Titan? Looks like a beast. Gotta be super fast, given how quick mine is with the 1GHz processor.



Samsung something or other. Seems incredibly slow, and Google Maps app doesn't work on it. Now get off of my lawn!

Edit: it's a Focus S, for whatever that's worth.


----------



## SkiFanE (Mar 16, 2012)

I've got vibrations.  Apple swapped out my phone on the spot, got me backed up...just a pain in the ass setting it all back up again.  Apple store is 2 miles from home, so good to know for 2 years I can just walk in there and get service.  They're geeky but smart and nice lol.


----------



## mondeo (Mar 16, 2012)

ctenidae said:


> Samsung something or other. Seems incredibly slow, and Google Maps app doesn't work on it. Now get off of my lawn!
> 
> Edit: it's a Focus S, for whatever that's worth.


Huh, mine's just the old school Focus and it's plenty fast for me, with a 33% slower processor. Odd.


----------



## Nick (Mar 16, 2012)

I've never thought added warranties on phones make sense. At least in the Android world. 

Example: I just bought a new Galaxy Nexus on -contract for $250 or $299 or something. It comes with a 1 yr warranty. 

Right now, about four months after release, they are selling used on Craigslist around $400 - $450. New in store is $650 / $700. 

I think with Verizon it's like $8 or $10 a month + $100 deductible. Let's say you trash your phone at the 1 year marker. The used price for the phone is now going to be lower - probably around $225 - $250. 

If you had the warranty, you would have paid almost $100 in premium + $100 to get the phone. A savings of a whopping $25 - $50, although the replacement is new vs. used. But that savings is only realized if you do in fact trash your phone. 

After a year and a half? Forget it! The phone will be $150 - $200 because of so many newer models out and I would have spent $300 on a warranty, when that $300 could be used to buy a better newer used phone. 

The only way the warranty makes sense is if you know you are going to take it for a swim within a few months of purchase.


----------



## SkiFanE (Mar 16, 2012)

Nick said:


> I've never thought added warranties on phones make sense. At least in the Android world.
> 
> Example: I just bought a new Galaxy Nexus on -contract for $250 or $299 or something. It comes with a 1 yr warranty.
> 
> ...



For my kid's iPhone, it's $10/month, and you can stop anytime.  She got it right at beginning of ski season, and since she already cracked an iTouch screen skiing, figured it was a good idea to get it for this winter.  We'll drop it in a month or so.  Won't bother next year, because like you said, by then we can get a decent deal on something used.  My plan was essentially $65 for 2 years of coverage, two $49 replacements allowed.  Seems like a great deal, wish we got that for my kid.


----------



## Nick (Mar 16, 2012)

Yeah and I was thinking of Android. Appelcare only has $50 deductible which makes a difference.


----------



## wa-loaf (Mar 16, 2012)

Nick said:


> I've never thought added warranties on phones make sense. At least in the Android world.
> 
> Example: I just bought a new Galaxy Nexus on -contract for $250 or $299 or something. It comes with a 1 yr warranty.
> 
> ...



AppleCare is a better deal. The phone company plans are generally a rip-off, plus Apple products maintain their value longer so the cost of replacement, even buying something used, is high.


----------



## ctenidae (Mar 16, 2012)

mondeo said:


> Huh, mine's just the old school Focus and it's plenty fast for me, with a 33% slower processor. Odd.



Browser adn data downloads seem really slow. Wasn't streaming fast enough for decent video quality on Netflix, even on my home wireless with business speed cable. Location services are really spotty, and takes 30-45 seconds to load up. I mean, it's not terrible or unusable, but seems slower than BBerry, maybe because I'm used to BBerry slowness adn expected more from WP7.


----------



## o3jeff (May 17, 2012)

Looks like Verizon is eliminating the unlimited plan on you next upgrade.
http://money.cnn.com/2012/05/16/technology/verizon-unlimited-data-plan/index.htm?iid=SF_T_River


----------



## SkiDork (May 17, 2012)

plus the new $30 upgrade fee I recently had to pay... grrr.....


----------



## o3jeff (May 17, 2012)

gmcunni said:


> which phones ARE on the o3jeff approved list? i'll be signing new contract in the spring so i want to make sure i'm shopping for the right ones.



What did you get?


----------



## Nick (May 17, 2012)

o3jeff said:


> Looks like Verizon is eliminating the unlimited plan on you next upgrade.
> http://money.cnn.com/2012/05/16/technology/verizon-unlimited-data-plan/index.htm?iid=SF_T_River



Aww damnit. I just posted that in it's ownt thread but you beat me to it.


----------



## bvibert (May 17, 2012)

o3jeff said:


> Looks like Verizon is eliminating the unlimited plan on you next upgrade.
> http://money.cnn.com/2012/05/16/technology/verizon-unlimited-data-plan/index.htm?iid=SF_T_River



Saw that on the news last night.  Just means I'll be more likely to shop around next time my contract is up.


----------



## severine (May 17, 2012)

bvibert said:


> Saw that on the news last night.  Just means I'll be more likely to shop around next time my contract is up.



No real surprise there. In fact, I'm sure any others that are grandfathered in with other providers will also be phased out by the time our contract is up. That's usually the way it goes. Better get in my daily Pandora streaming from my phone while I still can.


----------



## HD333 (May 17, 2012)

Looks like I am locked in. Just upgraded the phone the an iphone and re-upep for 2 more years on Verizon.


----------



## o3jeff (May 31, 2012)

Just wanted to give a thumbs up to Otter Box customer service. I had a problem with the fit of the Commuter case they make that I bought off Amazon. They ended up sending me a brand new one(seems like they have had problems with it and have updated it some) no questions asked. This might me a common problem with their cases since they have a form on their web site that asks all the right questions so they can just send you a new one without having to contact you.


----------



## HD333 (May 31, 2012)

Got my Otter Box replaced at a Verizon kiosk where I did not buy it with no grief. Gotta be a known issue , the flap that covers the charging input wouldn't stay closed on mine.


----------



## gmcunni (Jun 7, 2012)

traded blackberry for iphone @ work today.  playing with it and looking for fun apps.


----------



## zakyr (Jun 8, 2012)

gmcunni said:


> traded blackberry for iphone @ work today.  playing with it and looking for fun apps.



Games:
Ski Safari
Fruit Ninja
Words with Friends
Mad Skills MX

Navigation:
GPS Drive
Cyclemeter


Photography:
Snapseed
ColorSplash



Music:
Rhapsody


Forums:
Tapatalk


Oh, and download a flashlight app....you will use it more then you think!


----------



## gmcunni (Jun 8, 2012)

zakyr said:


> Oh, and download a flashlight app....you will use it more then you think!



LOL, have that on my itouch, use it all the time!!

thanks for the others, will check them out


----------



## SkiFanE (Jun 8, 2012)

zakyr said:


> Games:
> Ski Safari
> Fruit Ninja
> Words with Friends
> ...



Kids have downloaded more than me, don't have much.

Interested in the photography apps..what do they do?


----------



## twinplanx (Jun 18, 2012)

WWF-VT said:


> I have a Samsung Focus Flash with Windows Phone.  I really like the interface and it is light years ahead of my (now retired) Blackberry in terms of funtionality



Sweet! I was scanning this thread to find any mention of a windows phone...turns out we even have the same phone  I had some issues upgrading & use last.fm in place of Pandora. The biggest drawback has to be the unpopular Operating System, IMHO...


----------



## ctenidae (Jun 18, 2012)

twinplanx said:


> Sweet! I was scanning this thread to find any mention of a windows phone...turns out we even have the same phone  I had some issues upgrading & use last.fm in place of Pandora. The biggest drawback has to be the unpopular Operating System, IMHO...



I've got the Nokia Lumia 900 now. I like it, generally, especially the ability to use Office products. Typing is a bit of a bear, though I'm getting used to it (3 months later), and I have to say the case is too slippery. Not being able to turn offthe haptic feedback on the face buttons is annoying. Other than that, I like it well enough.


----------



## twinplanx (Jun 18, 2012)

ctenidae said:


> Typing is a bit of a bear, though I'm getting used to it (3 months later), and I have to say the case is too slippery. Not being able to turn offthe haptic feedback on the face buttons is annoying. Other than that, I like it well enough.



the focus flash is a slippery lil' sucker as well and I also agree with the typing statment (must have upgraded around the same time ) I haven't had any issues with the feedback though...


----------



## Edd (Jun 19, 2012)

Putting on a decent case can help the grip issue although the extra bulk is a downside.  I've had a case with rubberized sides on my iPhone for awhile. I tried to switch cases recently with one that's super lean but it was slippery and made me nervous so I put the grippier case back on.


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## twinplanx (Jun 19, 2012)

I've got this little gripper thing that adheres to the back of the phone, that will keep the phone on the dashboard in moderate driving situations. This probably also helps grab the lil' sucker, but I wouldn't know the difference since its been there since day one. I must be more cautious, as when using the keyboard I'm usually seated. No texting on the run, but I guess that's why the speach function is there...


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## gmcunni (Jun 19, 2012)

got an Otter case for my iphone for Father's day.  bulky but VERY durable. even has a screen protector that doesn't interfere with the touch screen functions.


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## o3jeff (Jun 19, 2012)

gmcunni said:


> got an Otter case for my iphone for Father's day.  bulky but VERY durable. even has a screen protector that doesn't interfere with the touch screen functions.



Which Otters box did you get, I have the Commuter which isn't too bulky at all.


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## gmcunni (Jun 19, 2012)

o3jeff said:


> Which Otters box did you get, I have the Commuter which isn't too bulky at all.



Defender. came with a belt clip which is good for days when i go to a real office.


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## ScottySkis (Jul 13, 2012)

http://www.credomobile.com/lp/jul12...&cmp=jul12NDM&day=24&id=43220-4285744-S6C05Ax it works with Sprint service I might do this one.


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## ScottySkis (Aug 1, 2012)

Decided to upgrade with Verizon plan is to stay in 2 mg of internet used per month, price is the same if I manage my web browsing smart. Love the phone it is a HTC Droid4 G LTE, and they did not charge me for upgrade.


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## riverc0il (Aug 1, 2012)

I just bit the bullet and got my first Smartphone after being a flip phone guy forever. IMO, "smartphones" are finally starting to fulfill their promise of being a truly useful multi-function mobile computer that also can make telephone calls. I went the smartphone route more for the apps than anything else and decidedly not the web browsing and email because I almost never have need to check that on the go (I do enough email and internet at home). I find it really useful around the house on wifi to be able to quickly bring with me anywhere in the house. A lot easier than disconnecting the cords on my lap top and lugging that around. I can ever read a book on the can on my phone, nice.


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## Nick (Aug 1, 2012)

What kind of phone did you get? Being a computer guy anyway I would be lost without my smartphone now, I don't know how I did it before. Also yeah the games on the can are great  If you like turn based strategy I've been playing "Great Big War Game" but your bathroom sessions will probably stretch to at least 20 - 30 minutes if you do that haha.


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## bvibert (Aug 1, 2012)

riverc0il said:


> I just bit the bullet and got my first Smartphone after being a flip phone guy forever. IMO, "smartphones" are finally starting to fulfill their promise of being a truly useful multi-function mobile computer that also can make telephone calls. I went the smartphone route more for the apps than anything else and decidedly not the web browsing and email because I almost never have need to check that on the go (I do enough email and internet at home). I find it really useful around the house on wifi to be able to quickly bring with me anywhere in the house. A lot easier than disconnecting the cords on my lap top and lugging that around. I can ever read a book on the can on my phone, nice.



I hardly ever use a computer at home anymore.  If I have the need to surf or check my email I pull my phone out.  In the last month I think I used my laptop a total of 3 times.  One of those times was mostly to get the internet setup at my new house, and another was on my work laptop for a late meeting with Thailand, so that hardly counts.


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## Edd (Aug 2, 2012)

A seven inch tablet seems optimum for book reading but the Kindle and Nook apps on my iPhone are surprisingly tolerable to use.  I've read several books on the phone I probably wouldn't have read otherwise because the thing is always in my pocket.


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## ctenidae (Aug 2, 2012)

Edd said:


> A seven inch tablet seems optimum for book reading but the Kindle and Nook apps on my iPhone are surprisingly tolerable to use.  I've read several books on the phone I probably wouldn't have read otherwise because the thing is always in my pocket.



I used to think the ebook thing was stupid and that I'd never convert, then I read a couple of books on the iPad, and liked it enough (and disliked teh iPad generally enough) to get a Kindle Fire. Coupled with the phone app, it's prety darn ocnvenient. 

Unfortunately, at the moment I'm reading a series of books that I have the complete paper set of (Patrick O'Brian's Aubry-Maturin series), and don't want to buy them electronically. It's 20 novels, probably something like 9,000 pages. Not sure how long I can resist the temptation of cenvenience.


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## gmcunni (Aug 16, 2012)

anyone want to recommend a good (and preferably free) app (apple) for managing/conserving battery life?


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## o3jeff (Aug 17, 2012)

You're having battery issues?


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## dmc (Aug 17, 2012)

gmcunni said:


> anyone want to recommend a good (and preferably free) app (apple) for managing/conserving battery life?



i use Battery Doctor for iPhone...    It just runs through a couple different charging scenarios.. 
I think it works..


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## gmcunni (Aug 17, 2012)

o3jeff said:


> You're having battery issues?



i find day to day i get different battery performance, i am assuming i'm doing something (loading diff apps) that is causing it so i figure somebody must have an app for that.



dmc said:


> i use Battery Doctor for iPhone...    It just runs through a couple different charging scenarios..
> I think it works..


will check it out, thanks.


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## o3jeff (Nov 9, 2012)

Anyone getting the new windows phone?
http://money.cnn.com/2012/11/09/technology/mobile/windows-phone-8/index.html?iid=Lead


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## ctenidae (Nov 15, 2012)

o3jeff said:


> Anyone getting the new windows phone?
> http://money.cnn.com/2012/11/09/technology/mobile/windows-phone-8/index.html?iid=Lead



Just got it yesterday afternoon (I love our IT department- Them "Hey, you want to try the new Window's phone out?" Me- "Sure!" THem "Here you go- enjoy!").

So far, I like the Lumia 920 better than the 900. A few better apps (Nokia City Lens is pretty groovy). They rounded the edges so the sharp edge at the top doesn't try to slice your ear open when you stopp to using it as a phone. 

They dumped Zune, but Nokia Music seems to work fine, and all my music synced easily.

We're switching over to Windows 8 across teh board, so the phone is a required upgrade for everyone, eventually. I'm still obbying to field test the Surface tablets- the guys say they're powerful enough to replace our laptops entirely. Which would be sweet.


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## dmc (Nov 15, 2012)

I want to check it out...  
From what i read it's "money" for business...


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## skiNEwhere (Nov 15, 2012)

I don't have a smart phone, nor even a cell phone to boot, which I think is pretty ironic considering I'm a VoIP Engineer  . I do have 4 phones sitting in front of me at work right now though


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## Nick (Nov 15, 2012)

I just got a Nexus 7 tablet. I love it so far. Was debating on the 10" tablet, but ended up sticking with the smaller one .


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## bvibert (Nov 15, 2012)

This what my "smart" phone looked like after a trip last friday:






Apparently it wasn't "smart" enough to get out of the way of the moving airplane seat... :roll:

I was returning from a trip to Thailand, and all my pictures from the trip were on it... :smash:


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## bvibert (Nov 15, 2012)

Nick said:


> I just got a Nexus 7 tablet. I love it so far. Was debating on the 10" tablet, but ended up sticking with the smaller one .



I love my Nexus 7.  When I smashed my phone I was very relieved to find the Nexus 7 (which was right next to the phone) was unscathed!


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## ctenidae (Nov 15, 2012)

Article in the recent Wired edition about Gorilla Glass. Pretty cool stuff, interesting how it can take a beating once, but a feather can break it next.


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## bvibert (Nov 15, 2012)

ctenidae said:


> Article in the recent Wired edition about Gorilla Glass. Pretty cool stuff, interesting how it can take a beating once, but a feather can break it next.



Well, in my case the phone got caught between a movable part of the seat and the side of the cubby in the armrest while I was trying to move it into sleep position. By the time I realized what was happening I reached down and found the phone had a very noticeable bow to it.  I don't think very many phones would survive that kind of abuse...


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## ctenidae (Nov 16, 2012)

bvibert said:


> Well, in my case the phone got caught between a movable part of the seat and the side of the cubby in the armrest while I was trying to move it into sleep position. By the time I realized what was happening I reached down and found the phone had a very noticeable bow to it.  I don't think very many phones would survive that kind of abuse...



Yeah, I'm guessing thats not part of the design specs. THough, maybe their flexible glass can help...

http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2012/09/ff-corning-gorilla-glass/all/


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## o3jeff (Nov 16, 2012)

bvibert said:


> This what my "smart" phone looked like after a trip last friday:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Did you get a new phone? Did you file a complaint with the airline asking for reimbursement and telling them thank god your had wasn't there or it would of got crushed by the merciless seat?


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## bvibert (Nov 16, 2012)

o3jeff said:


> Did you get a new phone? Did you file a complaint with the airline asking for reimbursement and telling them thank god your had wasn't there or it would of got crushed by the merciless seat?



I thought about complaining, but I really just wanted to get off the plane and go home at that point.


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## bvibert (Nov 16, 2012)

ctenidae said:


> Yeah, I'm guessing thats not part of the design specs. THough, maybe their flexible glass can help...
> 
> http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2012/09/ff-corning-gorilla-glass/all/



That might have helped!  They need to come up with a flexible circuit board next...


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## o3jeff (Apr 17, 2013)

Wonder if this will really happen?
http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/16/tech/mobile/verizon-petition-contracts/index.html


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## ctenidae (Apr 17, 2013)

o3jeff said:


> Wonder if this will really happen?
> http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/16/tech/mobile/verizon-petition-contracts/index.html



Are T-Mobile's rates lower if you pay up front? Seems like they should be, since subsidizing the phone woudl really just be a form of paying it off over time, with the termination fee covering (theoretically) the unpaid balance of the phone purchase.

What am I thinking? Of course they aren't! Rates are just as high, PLUS you pay for the phone! Amiright?


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## wa-loaf (Apr 17, 2013)

ctenidae said:


> Are T-Mobile's rates lower if you pay up front? Seems like they should be, since subsidizing the phone woudl really just be a form of paying it off over time, with the termination fee covering (theoretically) the unpaid balance of the phone purchase.
> 
> What am I thinking? Of course they aren't! Rates are just as high, PLUS you pay for the phone! Amiright?



They are if you pay full price for the phone. If you buy a subsidized phone the rate goes down after the 2 year contract ... ATT and Verizon you keep paying the subsidized rate ...


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## ctenidae (Apr 17, 2013)

wa-loaf said:


> They are if you pay full price for the phone. If you buy a subsidized phone the rate goes down after the 2 year contract ... ATT and Verizon you keep paying the subsidized rate ...



If T-Mobile's business sense were paired with ATT or Verizon's coverage, it'd be great...


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## bvibert (Apr 18, 2013)

wa-loaf said:


> They are if you pay full price for the phone. If you buy a subsidized phone the rate goes down after the 2 year contract ... ATT and Verizon you keep paying the subsidized rate ...



Yes, but 1.5 years into my 2 year contract I go and get a new phone, so I'm never paying subsidizing rates for an old phone that's already paid for.

The current contract model works fine for me.


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## marcski (Apr 18, 2013)

bvibert said:


> Yes, but 1.5 years into my 2 year contract I go and get a new phone, so I'm never paying subsidizing rates for an old phone that's already paid for.
> 
> The current contract model works fine for me.



It's kind of like the Lease vs. Buy debate for cars. It is nice to own a car without having payments.  And you do have to shell out the 2 bills or so for a new phone, if you're buying new state of the art phones eevery 2 years.


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## Nick (Apr 18, 2013)

wa-loaf said:


> They are if you pay full price for the phone. If you buy a subsidized phone the rate goes down after the 2 year contract ... ATT and Verizon you keep paying the subsidized rate ...



Yup. with Verizon you are throwing money away if you DON"T upgrade.


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## Nick (Apr 18, 2013)

bvibert said:


> Yes, but 1.5 years into my 2 year contract I go and get a new phone, so I'm never paying subsidizing rates for an old phone that's already paid for.
> 
> The current contract model works fine for me.



Me too but now they got rid of that also. Now you have to wait the full 24 months


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## Geoff (Apr 18, 2013)

Nick said:


> Me too but now they got rid of that also. Now you have to wait the full 24 months



VZ is still 18 months into a 24 month contract.   The problem being that if you take the offer, you lose the grandfathered unlimited data feature.   My phone uses WiFi 99% of the time so my network data use tends to be very low.   I don't think my world would end to be capped at 2 Gig when I almost never cross 1 Gig.

The thing I can't live without is unlimited voice.   In the winter, I don't have a land line.   I can easily do 2000 minutes/month on conference calls.

I expense my bill.   What matters to me is that I don't get finance pissed at me by submitting a huge bill.   They happily pay my very expensive monthly Verizon bill with unlimited data/voice/text, 100 meg of international data, and insurance on the phone.


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## ScottySkis (Apr 18, 2013)

Geoff said:


> VZ is still 18 months into a 24 month contract.   The problem being that if you take the offer, you lose the grandfathered unlimited data feature.   My phone uses WiFi 99% of the time so my network data use tends to be very low.   I don't think my world would end to be capped at 2 Gig when I almost never cross 1 Gig.
> 
> The thing I can't live without is unlimited voice.   In the winter, I don't have a land line.   I can easily do 2000 minutes/month on conference calls.
> 
> I expense my bill.   What matters to me is that I don't get finance pissed at me by submitting a huge bill.   They happily pay my very expensive monthly Verizon bill with unlimited data/voice/text, 100 meg of international data, and insurance on the phone.



+1 I use my phone all the time commuting on bus 3 hours each day not with free WFII and 2 g plan works great for me.


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## mlctvt (Apr 18, 2013)

o3jeff said:


> Wonder if this will really happen?
> http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/16/tech/mobile/verizon-petition-contracts/index.html



I think the no contract low price phone plans are putting pressure on Verizon and ATT. My wife and I used to have Verizon but we switched in December to  Republic wireless plan at just $19.99 month unlimited Data, Voice and Texts. It's working well for us. We cut our phone bill by about $100 a month! You have to buy the phone up front and currently there's just one phone offered. It's a 3G phone runningthe older Gingerbread software. This summer they will be introducing new phones running Ice cream sandwich 4G. It will be interesting to see what happens then.


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## tekweezle (Apr 22, 2013)

Just wanted to add that after 13 plus years, I finally switched off VZW and am on Page Plus cellular using my same 3g smart phone. Still have Verizon service, fraction of the price.

I also bought a Freedompop mifi running on Sprint network for mobile Internet use. Haven't used in ski country yet but 500 mb for free should be useful. 

Sent from a Samsung Fascinate running CM 10.1


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## Nick (Apr 26, 2013)

Just preordered two galaxy s4 for my wife and I


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## marcski (Apr 26, 2013)

Nick said:


> Just preordered two galaxy s4 for my wife and I



You will love them. My GS3 rocks!


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## bvibert (Apr 26, 2013)

Nick said:


> Just preordered two galaxy s4 for my wife and I



They're getting good press.  Let us know how you like them!


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## Edd (Apr 26, 2013)

The HTC One keeps getting great press. I'm going to take a hard look when I'm up for renewal in October but I'm pretty tempted to just stick with the iPhone for another cycle. I've had the 4s for a year and a half and it has been completely rock solid reliable. Seriously the most glitch free device I've owned. It's the only Apple product I've ever purchased and I use the thing constantly.


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## gmcunni (May 5, 2013)




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## Edd (May 6, 2013)

gmcunni said:


>



Now that's a device that could lure me away.


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## xwhaler (May 6, 2013)

My wife and I both have smartphones but we are certainly not techies or power users. We don't even reach 1gb data/month between the both of us so the unlimited data being taken away by VZW doesn't bother me. We use ours for email/text/pictures/web surfing and maybe a dozen free apps.
Upgraded my wife's old Droid 2 Global on Saturday with a LG Lucid 2....this is one of VZW's free offerings (though they tack on a $30 upgrade charge of course) and I have to say I'm impressed. Even the phones they 'give away' now are pretty impressive for most users needs.


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## The Future (May 7, 2013)

I have an iPhone 4 but my upgrade is available this month so I'm looking to switch to some sort of droid. The iPhone has been good but its time for a change.


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## ScottySkis (May 7, 2013)

The Future said:


> I have an iPhone 4 but my upgrade is available this month so I'm looking to switch to some sort of droid. The iPhone has been good but its time for a change.



The Droid is great got mind last year and I almost never have to go on my computer or lab top anymore.


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## Cannonball (May 7, 2013)

Scotty said:


> The Droid is great got mind last year and I almost never have to go on my computer or lab top anymore.



With all due respect, your endorsement of droid could kill their sales for good 

I'm typing this on a droid too. The spell check and autocorrect are pretty impressive... But you still have to proof read your text!


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## bvibert (May 7, 2013)

To those with Android phones; consider trying one of the alternative on-screen keyboards, like Swype.  It takes just a little bit to get used to, but once you do it makes typing so much easier and quicker, IMHO.


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## ScottySkis (May 7, 2013)

bvibert said:


> To those with Android phones; consider trying one of the alternative on-screen keyboards, like Swype.  It takes just a little bit to get used to, but once you do it makes typing so much easier and quicker, IMHO.



Thanks for the suggestion, I will try that.


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## Nick (May 7, 2013)

I'm anxious for my Galaxy s4 to arrive. Stupid verizon takes so much longer than other carriers. 

I'm really excited to see if Air View / Air Touch (hovering over the screen) will work with ski gloves. That would be a huge boon ... taking pictures / etc. without having to take off your gloves.


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## o3jeff (May 8, 2013)

bvibert said:


> To those with Android phones; consider trying one of the alternative on-screen keyboards, like Swype.  It takes just a little bit to get used to, but once you do it makes typing so much easier and quicker, IMHO.



How many words per minute can you type with the Swype keyboard vs the one the Droid came with?


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## bvibert (May 8, 2013)

o3jeff said:


> How many words per minute can you type with the Swype keyboard vs the one the Droid came with?



No clue


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