iPod How Would You Improve the iPod touch?

[Dylrob]

Originally Posted by HarryT

It's a lot more expensive here, too, since the phone isn't bring subsidised by the carrier. Before you start thinking that I'm getting things cheaply, I should point out that I had to pay almost $1000 for my SIM-free iPhone .

Okay, but how much do you pay for and what do you get with your service?

[HarryT]

I'm paying £10.50 (about $15) a month for 100 minutes of calls, unlimited texts, and 1GB of data. It's really only the data that I'm interested in - I probably use about 5 minutes of my call allowance each month. It's a rolling monthly contract - no tie-in.

[Dylrob]

Well the minimum single user plan on AT&T is $54.99 for 450 minutes (they won't let you have any less), no text, and just 200MB of data. And this is before tax.

Oh, and that 200MB data plan is itself $15 a month.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Dylrob

Well the minimum single user plan on AT&T is $54.99 for 450 minutes (they won't let you have any less), no text, and just 200MB of data. And this is before tax.

Oh, and that 200MB data plan is itself $15 a month.

But what's the total cost of ownership? Over two years I'll have paid $1000 for the phone, plus 24x$15 a month - that's a total of $1360. How much would a 32GB iPhone 4 cost for a 2-year contract on AT&T?

[Dylrob]

With the basic plan I mentioned, about $1620+tax. Not counting the activation fee (which is often waved).

[HarryT]

That is considerably more expensive, I agree. I see now the issue. I believe it's a legal requirement within the EU that phones be made available SIM-free; carrier tie-in is illegal - it's seen as a restraint of a consumer's right to choose which carrier they wish to use.

[ilovejedd]

Assuming you don't need a data plan on the iPhone, though, prepaid is now an option. AT&T (surprisingly) doesn't require a data package for smartphones if you go prepaid. They just put a data block on your phone. I think the same is true for T-Mobile Pay As You Go (no required data on smartphone). Depending on your usage, service can cost as little as $100 for the whole year on AT&T. On T-Mobile it's as little as $10 after the first year (with Gold Rewards). Caveat, prepaid is more expensive if you tend to use voice a lot. Not sure if you get Visual Voicemail on prepaid, though.

Gonna have to pay a pretty penny for the unlocked phone, though. The iPhone 4 16GB and 32GB costs $649 and $749 respectively when bought unlocked, without contract from Apple and that's before any taxes. The nicer Android phones (e.g. Nexus S, Galaxy S II) are also in the region of $500+. Interestingly enough, you can get nice, unlocked WP7 phones for as little as $200. I bought my LG Quantum for $219 a month ago from Amazon Marketplace and it's now $199 from the same seller.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by ilovejedd

Assuming you don't need a data plan on the iPhone, though, prepaid is now an option.

I can't personally imagine any point in buying an iPhone without a data plan. It is first and foremost a mobile internet device. The fact that you can make phone calls with it is almost an afterthought.

[ilovejedd]

Originally Posted by HarryT

I can't personally imagine any point in buying an iPhone without a data plan. It is first and foremost a mobile internet device. The fact that you can make phone calls with it is almost an afterthought.

If you've got ready access to wi-fi, then some folks are fine not having a data plan on their phones. The nice thing about AT&T and T-Mobile Pay As You Go is the data plan is optional. It's there if you want to use it but you don't have to pay for access if not.

I currently have the AT&T PAYGO $0.10/min plan on my LG Thrive. With AT&T PAYGO, you have the option of adding the following 30-day data feature packages:

• 500MB/$25
• 100MB/$15
• 10MB/$5

The packages expire after 30 days but the package balance rolls over if you renew before expiration. For example, if you sign up for the 500MB/$25 on Oct 1 and then sign up for the 10MB/$5 package on Oct 30, whatever unused MB's you have will roll over for the next 30 days.

Theoretically, you can have an iPhone 4 16GB for as low as $759+taxes (T-Mobile PAYGO) over the course of 2 years ($649 unlocked device + $100 1st yr refill + $10 2nd yr refill).

[stonetools]

Originally Posted by ilovejedd

If you've got ready access to wi-fi, then some folks are fine not having a data plan on their phones. The nice thing about AT&T and T-Mobile Pay As You Go is the data plan is optional. It's there if you want to use it but you don't have to pay for access if not.

I currently have the AT&T PAYGO $0.10/min plan on my LG Thrive. With AT&T PAYGO, you have the option of adding the following 30-day data feature packages:

• 500MB/$25
• 100MB/$15
• 10MB/$5

The packages expire after 30 days but the package balance rolls over if you renew before expiration. For example, if you sign up for the 500MB/$25 on Oct 1 and then sign up for the 10MB/$5 package on Oct 30, whatever unused MB's you have will roll over for the next 30 days.

Theoretically, you can have an iPhone 4 16GB for as low as $759+taxes (T-Mobile PAYGO) over the course of 2 years ($649 unlocked device + $100 1st yr refill + $10 2nd yr refill).

So in your opinion, is it worth it to buy a paygo plan for your tablet? I'm on sprint and I am thinking of going with a pay-as-you go plan for my ipad.

[ilovejedd]

Originally Posted by stonetools

So in your opinion, is it worth it to buy a paygo plan for your tablet? I'm on sprint and I am thinking of going with a pay-as-you go plan for my ipad.

I don't think they have PAYGO plans for tablets. On AT&T's GoPhone service agreement, you're not allowed to use the SIM card on internet only devices (e.g. mobile hotspots like the MiFi, 3G USB adapters and tablets). How they're going to figure out what device you're using exactly, I have no idea.

I don't think the iPad is available with Sprint 3G/4G, either. However, I do believe the AT&T and Verizon plans for the iPad are month-to-month and are fairly inexpensive. If you want to use Sprint, you could just opt for the wi-fi only iPad and get a MiFi 2200 from Virgin Mobile (Sprint's prepaid arm). The $20/500MB Broadband2Go plan, in particular, looks really nice compared to the cheapest plans AT&T and Verizon have on offer. If you're a heavy user, the $50/unlimited (throttled when you reach 2.5GB) is also another option. Caveat, battery life on the MiFi is only around 4~5 hours so you could have plenty of juice on the iPad but no internet since your MiFi has died.

If you need voice as well, some people use Android smartphones with Virgin Mobile's BeyondTalk service (minimum $35/mo for 300 mins, unlimited text & data) and just use tethering. Be warned, tethering is against Virgin Mobile's terms of service. Not sure if Sprint has started to crack down on "tetherers" with BeyondTalk.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by HarryT

It's a lot more expensive here, too, since the phone isn't bring subsidised by the carrier. Before you start thinking that I'm getting things cheaply, I should point out that I had to pay almost $1000 for my SIM-free iPhone .

That's just it; I'm not willing to pay $649 or $749 for an unlocked iPhone.

[Fledchen]

You can get a data-only plan for the iPhone in the U.S. if you provide medical documentation proving that you are deaf or have a speech disability.

http://www.wireless.att.com/learn/ar...for-iphone.jsp

iUnderwhelmed with iPod touch update. It looks like Apple is losing its perspective on things.

[ilovejedd]

Originally Posted by jswinden

iUnderwhelmed with iPod touch update. It looks like Apple is losing its perspective on things.

No they're not. They've still got their eye on the money and the contract sign-ups for their subsidized iPhones is where the big bucks are.