[Discuss] Verizon wireless "mandatory" dataplan

[gaf at blu.org (Jerry Feldman)]

We don't have a preference here, but many lists have rules that require
bottom posting. The Fedora list, for example if you top post, you'll get
about a dozen emails about it.

On 07/09/2012 10:59 AM, joe at polcari.com wrote:
>
> You bottom posters are driving me crazy.
>
>
> *----- Original Message -----*
> *From:* "Jerry Feldman" <gaf at blu.org>
> *Sent:* Sun, July 8, 2012 16:25
> *Subject:* Re: [Discuss] Verizon wireless "mandatory" dataplan
>
> On 07/08/2012 03:53 PM, Tom Metro wrote:
> > Jerry Natowitz wrote:
> >> My daughter wants a new phone... She doesn't want the smart phone
> >> features, she wants the higher quality keyboard.
> >> She found a place selling the Palm Pre...
> > Is this something you expect to last a few years, or is it a "throw
> > away" solution that only needs to last 12 months or less?
> >
> > If the former, then chances are good during that time your daughter will
> > see her friends using phones that can run apps and she will want a phone
> > that can do likewise. Once you've experienced a platform where you can
> > get an app for just about any imagined need, its hard to go back to a
> > more limited ecosystem.
> >
> > Given this, I'd be looking at Android phones, many of which come with
> > keyboards. Unless the Pre is extraordinarily discounted, the Android
> > option won't cost any more, as there are so many competing phones to
> > choose from at just about any price point.
> >
> > If you are concerned about the data requirements for apps, you'll find
> > that there are many apps that are still useful without data connections,
> > but more importantly, WiFi is often available in the places where people
> > spend most of their time.
> >
> > If a physical keyboard is a top concern, I'd limit your choices to
> > models you can find at local stores so you can check them out. The
> > slide-out keyboards make phones heavier, bulkier, and more prone to
> > breakage. (You'll often see broken models on display in stores.)
> >
> > Thanks to our silly carrier lock-in model, you'll need to settle the
> > carrier selection first, then see what phone you can get. (You'll pay
> > for the phone once, but the carrier costs go on forever, so its the more
> > significant choice.)
> >
> > Once you have a phone picked out, I would look at used options, such as
> > eBay. You can definitely save a lot by getting a phone off contract,
> > though if the subsidy is already built-in to your monthly plan, that may
> > be a pointless endeavor unless you change to a different service, or are
> > adding a line to an existing plan.
> >
> >
> >> Some people say that smart phones will use the network stack rather
> >> than MMS service for emails and photo/sound/video.
> > Usually this isn't something that is happening beyond your control. The
> > communication channel is typically dictated by the app you choose to
> > use. Start your phone's texting app and it'll use SMS. Start the email
> > client and it'll use TCP/IP. Some phones will try and confuse these, but
> > if you go with a large ecosystem, like Android, there will always be
> > alternate apps you can install that provide better control.
> >
> > In any case, this seems irrelevant. If you don't have data service, the
> > phone can't use it. Are you afraid the phone's attempt to use data
> > service will trigger a plan upgrade? Worse case scenario would be a
> > situation where you have a limited data plan, where exceeding your data
> > threshold costs more. But Android lets you turn off your cell data
> > usage, typically used when roaming where data rates are high. Also many
> > apps that download data in the background have options to only download
> > when connected via WiFi.
> >
> >
> >> She did some research and found that the data plan requirement only
> >> applies to phones purchased from Verizon or an associated dealership.
> > Bill Bogstad wrote:
> >> I would suggest that you speak to Verizon directly about this.
> > That seems like the best advice.
> >
> > I can see how Verizon would do this as a bundling approach. "If you want
> > the iPhone from us, then you need to sign a contract for a plan that
> > includes data." But I don't see how they'd justify it if you brought
> > your own phone to join to an existing plan.
> >
> >
> > Jerry Feldman wrote:
> >> ...you may be better off with T-Mobile of MetroPCS.
> > Scott Ehrlich wrote:
> >> Take a look at Page Plus Cellular (pagepluscelluar.com)...a prepaid
> >> service...a Verizon MVNO.
> > It may be hard to beat the cost of adding a line to an existing family
> > plan, but worth running the numbers. You can save a lot with pre-paid
> > (or non-contract monthly) if you are bringing your own phone and don't
> > want data.
> >
> > Another reseller to look at is Ting (https://ting.com/), a Sprint MVNO
> > started by the guys behind Tucows. They let you build your own plan
> > where you set the baseline quantity of voice, data, and text, and you
> > only pay for what you actually use. They also allow you to put
> > additional devices on the plan at $6/month per add-on device, and they
> > all draw on the same pool of voice/data/text.
> >
> > I use T-Mobile as I like the idea of having a phone that works on two
> > competing US carriers, as well as internationally. Of course now data
> > networking (4G) is becoming more relevant than the voice bands, making
> > the world standard GSM less relevant.
> >
> > (Anyone ever look at 4G interoperability? I see multiple previously
> > incompatible carriers are now using or deploying LTE. I presume at
> > minimum they'll be using different bands, which could in theory be
> > supported by a multi-band phone.
> >
> > ...imagine what it would be like if you could go to BestBuy, pick any
> > phone you want, pay for it in full without the real price being hidden,
> > and use it on any carrier, because either 1. the towers are ran by a
> > pseudo-government organization and the carriers only handle the back-end
> > service, or 2. all carriers use a common set of national standards and
> > share spectrum bands. #1 is never popular in the US, but cell equipment
> > manufacturers have apparently figured out how to do #2. There's just no
> > motivation for the carrier to adopt it.)
> One possible thing to be careful of is the very low-end Androids like
> Huwei.
>


-- 
Jerry Feldman <gaf at blu.org>
Boston Linux and Unix
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