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View Full Version : Which prepaid cellular plans and smart phone?



Michael Weber
09-26-2012, 1:09 AM
Seems to be lots of them. T-mobile/Verison/Boost/Net 10/Straight Talk/AT&T/Cricket etc. For unlimited talk/text/data, prices seem to be around 50 dollars a month or so and a few bucks more if you choose an iphone plan. A couple with limited minutes and data are less. Decent phones (according to online reviews with 4 stars or better) start at about 130 dollars for an Android model or 400 for a 8 gig iPhone 4. It's also possible to spend iPhone bucks for a top of the line Android. I also note that there are a lot of "Unlocked" models (Android and iPhone) for sale on eBay. Also GSM models vs some other kind I can't recall the initials for. The choices are frankly overwhelming:confused: I have no experience with smart phones to help with the choice between an iPhone/Android locked/unlocked, GSM/???? model. Anyone recommend a particular prepaid provider? The provider must have no roaming charges when out of service area (note that a couple say they have no roaming charges when actually they simply do not allow roaming:rolleyes:.) And which phone? iPhone or Android and locked(provider supplied) or unlocked (independently purchased?) I will need Bluetooth connectivity for hearing aids. Other than that I'm not sure what else I should get. I suppose a larger screen/faster processor is always good but don't know if there is a real world difference between a 3.2 inch vs a 4 inch screen. Don't want a keyboard, slider or otherwise. Thanks for any input. Mike

Myk Rian
09-26-2012, 6:28 AM
There's a real world difference between a 4" and a 4.8" screen.

I have the new Samsung GS3 with Verizon. It's an Android phone.
It is a larger phone, but you can actually read the screen. It will slide into a shirt pocket, but I use a holster.
I've never owned anything Apple, so have no experience with the iPhone. But I am tired of
i-this, i-that on products that have nothing to do with phones or electronics.
I don't know if you are locked into purchasing apps from Apple.
play.google has hundreds of thousands of Android apps, from free, to pay.

I'm having a real blast with my smartphone.
Costco has them for about $205 with a Verizon plan.

Jim Matthews
09-26-2012, 7:01 AM
I bought my Motorola Bravo through Consumer Cellular (http://www.consumercellular.com/Info/Phones).

It's small enough to fit into the side pocket on my Carhartts.
The numbers are large enough that I can read them, without my bifocals.

The network is 3G, so it's slower. The plans can be adjusted by the user, at any time.
Check for coverage, first as YMMV.

John McClanahan
09-26-2012, 8:06 AM
I don't own a smart phone, but I do have some Apple products. I don't want to sound like an Apple fanboy but, from what I have read, Android has far more problems with malware than IOS (Apple).

John

Curt Harms
09-26-2012, 8:08 AM
I'm using these guys right now:

http://www.airvoicewireless.com/

I'm not using a smart phone, just a Samsung flip phone that's unlocked. Any GSM phone, either AT&T or unlocked will work, I think. I bought my current one off Ebay, paid around $40. They use AT&Ts Go Phone network and have a coverage map in their support section. Gonna have to get a different phone eventually; AT&T is going to shut down the 2G network in the next few years. This is costing me $40/year and is fine for occasional use voice service. They do offer data plans as well but I haven't had the need so far.

Larry Browning
09-26-2012, 8:18 AM
Also, do not forget about the windows phones. I believe they are about to explode on the market. I have read several articles predicting them to dethrone Apple as top dog in the smartphone market. With their new OS and Apple making some miscues with their new OS (their maps app), the timing is right for a new king on the hill.

Michael Weber
09-26-2012, 10:00 AM
Just to make certain that I understand, if I purchase a smart phone and a plan that includes data usage , that is only web useage through the cellular network and does not include any browsing I would use over a WIFI connection. Correct? Thanks, everyone for your experience and links to more providers and options.

Larry Browning
09-26-2012, 1:48 PM
Just to make certain that I understand, if I purchase a smart phone and a plan that includes data usage , that is only web useage through the cellular network and does not include any browsing I would use over a WIFI connection. Correct? Thanks, everyone for your experience and links to more providers and options.
I believe the way it works is that when your phone is connected to a wifi network, all data is transmitted over the wifi and the cellular network is bypassed. All that activity is not included in the data usage you are charged for. I believe that does not includes text messages.(I could be wrong about that). Phone calls still use the cell network though. There are apps available that let you make phone calls and text messages via the wifi connection, so it is possible to bypass the cell network all together when connected to wifi.

Matt Meiser
09-26-2012, 4:05 PM
Just to make certain that I understand, if I purchase a smart phone and a plan that includes data usage , that is only web useage through the cellular network and does not include any browsing I would use over a WIFI connection. Correct? Thanks, everyone for your experience and links to more providers and options.

That is correct with all the major providers. Wouldn't be surprised to learn that one of the sleazier carriers has a charge for this buried in the fine print.

Peter Kelly
09-26-2012, 4:50 PM
Also, do not forget about the windows phones. I believe they are about to explode on the market. I have read several articles predicting them to dethrone Apple as top dog in the smartphone market. With their new OS and Apple making some miscues with their new OS (their maps app), the timing is right for a new king on the hill.
They said the same thing about Android. iPhone 5 notched two million pre-orders within the first 24 hours.

Curt Harms
09-27-2012, 7:23 AM
They said the same thing about Android. iPhone 5 notched two million pre-orders within the first 24 hours.

In the U.S. iPhone might be king of hill, not sure. World wide though, Android has something like 70% of the market.

Larry Browning
09-27-2012, 8:24 AM
We can only hope. I have to carry an iphone for work, and absolutely HATE it! I can't get it to do anything I want. My grandson helps me with it. But, to be fair, I would probably hate any smart phone. I am smartphone challenged!
BTW: I think they need to come up with a new name for these things. The phone part is such a minor feature these days. How about calling them a communicator or maybe ball and chain!

Larry Browning
09-27-2012, 8:29 AM
They said the same thing about Android. iPhone 5 notched two million pre-orders within the first 24 hours.
I just don't get it. Camping out in line to get the latest version of a personal tracking device. I guess the world is just passing me by.

Michael Weber
09-27-2012, 11:20 AM
We are becoming the Borg:eek:

Peter Kelly
09-27-2012, 1:26 PM
In the U.S. iPhone might be king of hill, not sure. World wide though, Android has something like 70% of the market.

True, however Apple sold 70m+ iPhone 4S' worldwide in 2011. Samsung, the number one Android handset maker trailed at 16m with their flagship Galaxy S2.

Larry Browning
09-27-2012, 2:01 PM
True, however Apple sold 70m+ iPhone 4S' worldwide in 2011. Samsung, the number one Android handset maker trailed at 16m with their flagship Galaxy S2.



All that means is that Apple is a better marketer. It doesn't mean their product is better.
I can pretty much guarantee, when I retire in 3 years, I will no longer have any form of a smart phone. At the most I will have a phone only cell phone, one with great big buttons. I can't wait!

Peter Kelly
09-27-2012, 4:06 PM
The other 69,999,999 iPhone users probably disagree with you.

Jim Matthews
09-27-2012, 4:47 PM
I just don't get it. Camping out in line to get the latest version of a personal tracking device. I guess the world is just passing me by.

I don't mind that, if they leave a little change in my cup, on their way.
It won't be long before we have to buy an app to speak over the telephone.

http://money.cnn.com/2012/07/18/technology/att-mobile-share-plan/index.htm

Larry Browning
09-27-2012, 5:19 PM
The other 69,999,999 iPhone users probably disagree with you.

Like I said before, the world is passing me by.
Think I'll just go out to the shop, turn off the phone and turn on the table saw. Life is good!

Oh, and BTW I know a whole bunch of iphone haters, most of who either currently or used to have one.
I think every one of them is over 50 though! So, Apple doesn't care about us or what we think.

Mike Null
10-05-2012, 8:09 AM
I'm using old smart phone technology with Blackberry but it is so easy to use for email and contacts,etc., etc. that I really don't want to change to the new technology of Apple and Samsung. I'm grandfathered into an old unlimited plan for about $60 per month and can't find anything better.

David Weaver
10-05-2012, 9:01 AM
Oh, and BTW I know a whole bunch of iphone haters, most of who either currently or used to have one.
I think every one of them is over 50 though! So, Apple doesn't care about us or what we think.

Maybe people over 50 don't buy into the apple BS, they've been around long enough to be immune from it. I'm not over 50, and it still looks like 70 million easy marks to me.

It is proof of one thing, you can sell brand over substance.... easily.

$100 a month to have a phone where nothing is unlimited.....makes no sense to me, and I could afford it. I see a lot of people who really can't afford it spending the money anyway.

Larry Browning
10-05-2012, 9:19 AM
It is proof of one thing, you can sell brand over substance.... easily.

$100 a month to have a phone where nothing is unlimited.....makes no sense to me, and I could afford it. I see a lot of people who really can't afford it spending the money anyway.

Yeah, just because it is un-cool to not have one. The only thing Apple is best at is marketing. They have such a loyal customer base. These are the ones that say "Oh, apple will fix this bug or that bug, nobody's perfect" and then the 1st time there is even a rumor about a windows bug, they say "Windows is crap, full of bugs and unusable."

PS: I just love hating Apple!

David Weaver
10-05-2012, 9:40 AM
I just love buying inexpensive PC stuff. And using the phone I get at work, regardless of whether or not I "love" the phone. I "love" having an extra hundred dollars a month in my pocket and a computer cost of no more than $700 every 5 years. Someone I know well had his $2300 mac desktop poop out after 3 years, and instead of cursing it, he bought an even more epensive mac desktop to follow it up. And as I was celebrating a laptop computer with a quad core processor and 8 gigs of ram for $650 (the last $600 PC is still working, it is our guest room computer now, due to space issues it knocked out the 11 year-old PC that was also still working), he mentioned that when he sees someone using a non-mac product, he usually consciously feels that's a knock against their intelligence.

All of that money saved is something that can be converted to goods that have residual value if I feel like the money is burning a hole in my pocket.

I can count on zero fingers the number of problems I've had with viruses and other mac bugaboo fear marketing issues in the last 12 years. My stone age windows phone has had the same # of issues in the last 3. It's not pretty, but it's cheap. I'm not fanboy of microsoft, but if they're on the cheapest stuff, I'll be a user.

Larry Browning
10-05-2012, 10:18 AM
[QUOTE=David Weaver;1988349he mentioned that when he sees someone using a non-mac product, he usually consciously feels that's a knock against their intelligence. [/QUOTE]

Wow! Just another good example of blind arrogance created by Apple marketing.

Curt Harms
10-06-2012, 8:14 AM
Like I said before, the world is passing me by.
Think I'll just go out to the shop, turn off the phone and turn on the table saw. Life is good!

Oh, and BTW I know a whole bunch of iphone haters, most of who either currently or used to have one.
I think every one of them is over 50 though! So, Apple doesn't care about us or what we think.

Typical over 50 behavior doesn't work with Apple's marketing. If you were to look at the people standing in line for hours to be the first in their circle to have the latest shiny bling, how many of them were over 40? Yeah, not a core Apple customer (or apple core customer ;)).