Verizon 3G phones

[AACJ]

Alright, there is already a thread on cell phones, but I think that is for Smart phones. I can't make the investment of 20.00 more bucks a month for a little more interent access, so I am going with the 9.99 digital plan with Verizon. Gives 25MB of web access for that price, additional MB's are .20 cents/MG.

Now, I need a phone. What is everyones thoughts on 3G's on Verizon?

I am looking at the Samsung Rogue and/or Reality and the LG enV Touch and/or Chocolate Touch. I was leaning towards the LG enV Touch, but the cellular sales guy Costco said they don't carry it, although I could go to Verizon directly.

So I need opinions on them if you have one.

 

[funkyb]

I'm so *($# off at the major carriers for not allowing us to have WiFi enabled phones without forking over for the data plan...I'm around accessible WiFi constantly and have no need for their data service.

I spoke with someone at corporate HQ after raising hell over it (I was ready to buy an unlocked one for full retail if they'd service it) and learned it's a blanket policy used to justify their subsidization of the cost of these phones. If they charged full price, the newer models would cost several hundreds of dollars more.

*shakes fist*

 

[ALL HANDS WORKING]

I think Verizon wilol be getting the next generation I-Phone sometime this year. This is the ONLY Apple product which interests me.

 

[Aevum]

i usualy buy my cellphones simlock free on the side, and then get the plan that suites me best, im currently using a basic 9 cents a minute plan and have a seperate data plan where im billed 10 euros for 1Gb traffic, less if i dont use it all, allows me to have skype, msn messenger, fring and facebook on me at all times,

I´ve come to the conclusion that you usualy get the phone alot cheaper if you get it with a plan through the carrier, the problem is that the plans usualy had a cost which was double or triple what i usualy used, meaning i wasnt getting a free phone, i was paying the phone in monthly payments through unnecesary plan charges, so in the end, you end up paying the same or more for your terminal, and the carrier provided terminal is usualy crippled in several areas like wifi usability, the ability to use it as a bluetooth modem on the move, software instalation, the ability to pop in a local sim when you´re traveling insted of having to roam, for the power users, that make good use of the plans they get from telcos, its a free phone, for the rest of us, its a crippled phone we have to pay in monthly instalments,

BTW: be careful with the data plans, most bill with megabits insted of megabytes, 1 byte = 8 bit, meaning you´re actually getting 1/8 of the bandwidth you thought you were getting and that could lead to VERY expencive surcharges, so read carefully,

 

[funkyb]

Obligatory:

 

[Leche]

I'm so *($# off at the major carriers for not allowing us to have WiFi enabled phones without forking over for the data plan...I'm around accessible WiFi constantly and have no need for their data service.

I spoke with someone at corporate HQ after raising hell over it (I was ready to buy an unlocked one for full retail if they'd service it) and learned it's a blanket policy used to justify their subsidization of the cost of these phones. If they charged full price, the newer models would cost several hundreds of dollars more.

*shakes fist*

I've never had much desire for an internet phone because the plans are so expensive and the connection is frustratingly slow. WiFi would be a cool feature though. Friends that have the I Phone use the WiFi as much as possible.

 

[Leche]

Obligatory:

 

[40boy]

I like my Env3. Good reception and fairly sturdy.
I only use it for calls and texts. No internet.

Luckily, I got it a month before they made the "data plan required" switch for 3G phones.

 

[Hairy Callahan]

All right, here's the lowdown. If you're not a mother-in-law that basically just graduated from climbing a pole like Oliver on Green Acres, you really NEED a smartphone. Yes you. If you have enough knowledge to post on B&B you're not gonna be happy with a cell phone and 3 minutes of talk time with no texting and limited internet access. I went to an ATT kiosk two years ago and signed up for an Iphone knockoff. Now that I have a genuine Iphone, well, read on...

Get yourself a damn Iphone. Not a lookalike. Not Samsung's copy. Not some damn "touch" model. Get Steve Job's Iphone. Pay the man. He has a FREAKIN good product. But for two years I paid Iphone prices and got crap. Now I'm paying Iphone prices and HAVE AN IPHONE. And it is sweet!!

Get one. Don't play second fiddle. Get an Iphone. If a sales clerk tries to talk you in to something that "looks" like an Iphone, tell them (quick-like) that you aren't interested in pretending. Pretending costs money. Might as well pay the man that invented the real deal. I'm 100% happier with the real deal. If you're serious about limited service, yap, get a 10 dollar a month flip phone and pay 25 cents for every web page you download. If you want a freakin phone that will blow your mind. Get the Iphone. Basically the same monthy price when you get right down to it. Figure it up. Your choice. Cheers.

 

[AACJ]

I can't go to iPhone. First, my company has a proprietary system for our email that only works on Verizon. I get some money per month from them for a phone so that I don't have a company phone, hence, I get to choose MY phone, as long as it is a Verizon phone.

Second, I don't need or want all that stuff that the iPhone has. I mainly need a phone to read/send emails, check an occasional web site and come there to B&B to play.

Third, as an additional bonus to using the software that is only compatible with Verizon, they offer me a 20% discount off any and all of their plans and phones.

Just wondering though, what is the monthly charge for iPhone service...ie, phone and data plan.. Do they give you free phone too or do you have to pay for that as well?

All right, here's the lowdown. If you're not a mother-in-law that basically just graduated from climbing a pole like Oliver on Green Acres, you really NEED a smartphone. Yes you. If you have enough knowledge to post on B&B you're not gonna be happy with a cell phone and 3 minutes of talk time with no texting and limited internet access. I went to an ATT kiosk two years ago and signed up for an Iphone knockoff. Now that I have a genuine Iphone, well, read on...

Get yourself a damn Iphone. Not a lookalike. Not Samsung's copy. Not some damn "touch" model. Get Steve Job's Iphone. Pay the man. He has a FREAKIN good product. But for two years I paid Iphone prices and got crap. Now I'm paying Iphone prices and HAVE AN IPHONE. And it is sweet!!

Get one. Don't play second fiddle. Get an Iphone. If a sales clerk tries to talk you in to something that "looks" like an Iphone, tell them (quick-like) that you aren't interested in pretending. Pretending costs money. Might as well pay the man that invented the real deal. I'm 100% happier with the real deal. If you're serious about limited service, yap, get a 10 dollar a month flip phone and pay 25 cents for every web page you download. If you want a freakin phone that will blow your mind. Get the Iphone. Basically the same monthy price when you get right down to it. Figure it up. Your choice. Cheers.

 

[Hairy Callahan]

You can get "in" to an Iphone for 100 bucks. But that's for the base model. Pay the 199 for the 3GS. Once you pay the 199, that's it. Refuse, and I stress this, REFUSE to pay the activation fee. They'll waive it. Just say you'll walk away and they'll waive it. That saves 25 bucks. Your monthly data fee is 30 bucks. That's unlimited internet access. Basically, that's what people call the Iphone charge. Then you have to carry a phone plan. The cheapest one is like 39 dollars. Not much talk time, but you HAVE to carry a talk plan. So you're looking at 40 plus 30. That's 70 bucks with a two year commitment. Not bad, especially when you ACTUALLY HAVE an iPhone. FOr the past two years I was paying this and had A DAMN LOOKALIKE (which was my own fault). Just over 2 bucks a day. If you're a baseball fan you can check your fantasy baseball team while standing in line at the grocery store. Trade players, bench batters that are in slumps. Name it. The Major League baseball app (which gives you the audio feed for EVERY game this season) is 15 bucks. What a bargain! I was paying that PER MONTH for XM and the only reason I had XM was for listening to baseball. Now I have the choice between home and away announcers and gameday (pitch by pitch real-time stats). Your mileage may vary, but I'm happy with the Iphone. My company would pay for a phone, but they won't pay for an Iphone. So I'm sort of in the same situation. Instead of slumming around with crap, I just paid the difference and went on with life. The only bad thing about the iphone is, of course ATT. The service sucks. You could be standing at the base of a tower and drop a call. It's getting better, but ATT still is the very worst carrier in the western world. What made Apple partner with them is a mystery. Steve Jobs hit his head on the way to work that day and must have been dazed when he signed that contract.

 

[funkyb]

Not Samsung's copy.

That's Blasphemy! I love everything Samsung, they are so ninja in ways Steve Jobs only dreams of. My TV is samsung, my phone is samsung, my fridge is samsung, my wife is samsung...oh wait...

IMHO, apple products are extremely overpriced for what they are. It's all exclusivity-hype and a propriatary OS people are paying for (and OSX isn't any better than other *NIX flavors out there). You can build PCs that have twice the power of any given Mac for a little over half their price - and can even throw OSX on them if you really want.

 

[Hairy Callahan]

Can't say I disagree with that. Apple products ARE high priced. But they are good. And really, that's what matters. You can have a Samsung knockoff like I did for two years. Paid 99 plus all kinds of activation fees and all that crap. When my contract matured and I was eligable for renewal, I wanted an Iphone. I didn't want activation fees. I didn't want aftermarket junk. I wanted an Iphone. Got one. When my first bill came in the mail I was braced for the worst. It was 5 dollars less than before. That (unfortunately) is because the iphone is not eligable for insurance, so the bill went down because I no longer have to pay an insurance premium. Oh well. I got a clamshell protective case and I treat it with kid gloves.

But yeah. Apple products are twice what they should be, pricewise. Until someone can successfully clone their products, we're stuck paying the price. And (cough cough) Samsung is a LONG WAYS from successfully copying their product. Miles and miles away. Cheers.

 

[joel]

I'm so *($# off at the major carriers for not allowing us to have WiFi enabled phones without forking over for the data plan...I'm around accessible WiFi constantly and have no need for their data service.

I spoke with someone at corporate HQ after raising hell over it (I was ready to buy an unlocked one for full retail if they'd service it) and learned it's a blanket policy used to justify their subsidization of the cost of these phones. If they charged full price, the newer models would cost several hundreds of dollars more.

*shakes fist*

Best Buy (at least in my area) will sell smart phones with wifi - and no data contracts. I bought one for my wife like that - and ended up turning the data on anyways after the fact (month or so later).

Jiist is, I'd check out Best Buy.

 

[Antique Hoosier]

I love my iPhone more than my last girlfriend. I'm on it more and it only costs me $173.00 a month.

 

[joel]

Can't say I disagree with that. Apple products ARE high priced. But they are good. And really, that's what matters. You can have a Samsung knockoff like I did for two years. Paid 99 plus all kinds of activation fees and all that crap. When my contract matured and I was eligable for renewal, I wanted an Iphone. I didn't want activation fees. I didn't want aftermarket junk. I wanted an Iphone. Got one. When my first bill came in the mail I was braced for the worst. It was 5 dollars less than before. That (unfortunately) is because the iphone is not eligable for insurance, so the bill went down because I no longer have to pay an insurance premium. Oh well. I got a clamshell protective case and I treat it with kid gloves.

But yeah. Apple products are twice what they should be, pricewise. Until someone can successfully clone their products, we're stuck paying the price. And (cough cough) Samsung is a LONG WAYS from successfully copying their product. Miles and miles away. Cheers.

I'm an apple fan. Have and have enjoyed their products for more than 15 years from MacBook Pro's to ipods. I also have had 2 generations of iPhone. While the iPhone was "great" at first, the longer I had/have it - the more I dislike it. I'm also convinced Apple intentionally bogs down previous generation products when new ones come out. Anytime they launch a new product - they also typically launch a new software/OS at the same time, which runs GREAT on the new product, but makes the previous version 50% slower. IMMEDIATELY after installing the new iPhone OS on my 3G right after the 3GS came out my phone began to run like a morbidly obese tortoise. Not only that, but I'm quite put off by their open lambasting of Adobe Flash and their refusal to support flash.

Is the iPhone "cool"? Without question. Is it well designed? Absolutely. Do I like/trust Apple now? HELL NO.

My next phone when my wife and I's contract runs out in August will be an Android, and on the Verizon network (Cingular has always been awful - but with the iPhone craze, their data network is now almost unusable).

If I didn't suspect Apple tampering with older-gen products to push folks into upgrading and their products supported flash - i'd promptly buy a new iPhone for the wife and I - as well as matching iPads.

 

[ajkimmins]

I would love to have an IPhone. BUT, there is no phone that would get me to use AT&T!

 

[perry]

Not only that, but I'm quite put off by their open lambasting of Adobe Flash and their refusal to support flash.

What mobile phones currently support Flash?

I got my first iPhone last year and really love it. The thread has ventured quite a bit off the original topic, which I guess shows just how strong of a force the iPhone is in the marketplace. However, I don't believe the phone is for everyone. Not everyone has the same needs & wants as me.

 

[VR6ofpain]

I'm so *($# off at the major carriers for not allowing us to have WiFi enabled phones without forking over for the data plan.

Dude, that is only Verizon. AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile do not follow that practice.

 

[joel]

What mobile phones currently support Flash?

I got my first iPhone last year and really love it. The thread has ventured quite a bit off the original topic, which I guess shows just how strong of a force the iPhone is in the marketplace. However, I don't believe the phone is for everyone. Not everyone has the same needs & wants as me.

Go to adobe's web site they have a big list of all of the phones that support flash. Adobe is also partnering with Google to make all andriod units fully compatible, and they're expected to have a software update within a few months. Apple has made it crystal clear (and have made public statements) they have no plans, or interest in supporting flash - and Adobe has in turn vowed to return the favor.