Quote:
Originally Posted by gprsh924
I think the decision is slightly more complex than that. It really depends on how one uses their phone. I have the 2gb AT&T plan and have yet to go over 1.3gb in any month. I process about 50-60 emails a day through the phone, spend probably 1-2 hours a day surfing the web/ using web based apps, and watch a handful of YouTube videos. There is now wifi at work so I am using data all day. At home I am on wifi.
If I wanted to stream pandora all day at work, unlimited data would be required.
To sum up the above, I would venture that a majority of smartphone users do not consume enough bandwidth each month to make an unlimited plan necessary.
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Good summary. I just jumped into the personal smartphone use this past week. (Have a Blackberry for work for the past 5+ years) I drank the kool-aid and got an iPhone4, primarily to use facetime with my bro-in-law and his expecting wife who just moved to AZ, as well as to skype with my parents in Florida.
I must say, I am pleased so far. I have an ATT plan, (2Gig / month) and am conscious of how much I'm using the data plan when on 3G. But it has only been less than a week...
The good part is the iPhone will always try to connect to wifi, and if it can't find wifi, it will tell you that. So if you're surfing along @ 3G and consuming the data bandwidth, you do it knowingly.
My cable company (optimum) has wifi hotspots all over my area -- and if I am in such a spot, I can setup my iphone to automatically connect, and use that instead of dipping into my dataplan. (Plus there are tons of free wifi hotspots all over the place these days.)
For me the bottom line is this:
1. I am not the kinda person that must be connected to everyone all the time, so I am not too concerned about sucking up all the bandwidth that ATT allows per month.
2. All the apps are new to me, but I will limit my 'playtime' for now when I'm on wifi primarily. (Work's wifi is only for laptops, understandably so. Besides, I work all day, and SHOULD be focused on work, not playing with an iPhone. And I can stream Pandora, check the news...etc. on my laptop at work.
3. If I am out at a restaurant with my wife or friends, I'd rather engage in a conversation with them vs. texting someone or posting up on Pelican.
4. There are a lot of apps out there -- the trick is finding the useful ones. If you are getting an iphone (or other smartphone) just to text and play angry birds, then you are wasting technology and $$.
-Z