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ManifunkDestiny posted:Hey all - Are either of you working anywhere right now? Cell phone companies offer discounts based on where you work. At the least you can likely get at least 10% off for being a student.
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Apr 5, 2012 04:53
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Duckman2008 posted:Are either of you working anywhere right now? Cell phone companies offer discounts based on where you work. At the least you can likely get at least 10% off for being a student. If my wife gets this job she's interviewing for, she gets a phone stipend, dunno the details of what exactly that entails yet
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Apr 5, 2012 05:04
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I'm currently on T-Mobile on a no-contract, month-to-month plan (for a couple of years now...that plan is no longer available, but I'd like to stay on it - it's 500 minutes, unlimited data for ~$60). An imported Galaxy Nexus sounds like a no-brainer, as I've been using a Nexus One for the past 2 years, but I'm not sure a) which model to get, b) where to buy it, or c) how I'd feel about no warranty service. I'm super easy on my phones, since I have a desk job and it just sits all day - my Nexus One looks basically brand new. Any advice? Thanks in advance.
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Apr 5, 2012 05:49
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I'm finally going to ditch my old cellphone because the battery can't keep a charge anymore. I live in the US and I'm on Verizon. I'm looking to get a smartphone with a budget of around $200.
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Apr 5, 2012 15:55
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ManifunkDestiny posted:I'm not necessarily looking for a bottom of the barrel price with stupid low data limits, and can probably go up to no more than $75 a phone ($150 total). Verizon: $70 voice + $30 texts + 2 x $30 data = $160/mo before any discount. AT&T: $70 voice + $30 texts + 2 x $30 data = $160/mo before any discount. Sprint EPRP: $110 voice/text/data + 2 x $10 smartphone fee = $130/mo no additional discounts. So depending on what discounts you might be applicable for on Verizon and AT&T, Sprint EPRP is going to be the cheapest. As for differences, keep in mind that Verizon is 2 GB/mo data, AT&T is 3 GB/mo, and Sprint is unlimited. That said, Sprint's 3G network is inferior to both Verizon's and AT&T's in term of both coverage and data speed. Sprint does have free nationwide roaming so voice and texting usually works fine. So basically it depends if their data service is good enough. It's usually good enough for Twitter, streaming poo poo, maybe less so. Between Verizon and AT&T, usually AT&T is the better provider for iPhones as you get more data to begin with, and because their 3G network is faster (except perhaps in markets where it's terrible, but that shouldn't really be the case anymore). However neither is affordable with your current budget. With Verizon and AT&T you can save $30/mo respectively by dumping unlimited texts and using Google Voice for texting. It's a bit complicated, and the short of it is that you may end up with two phone numbers, one to text and one to call, and MMS might not work. And texts only come through where you have data service. In short, some folks think this is a fantastic option to save $30/mo, while others think the downsides to dealing with it aren't worth the trouble. Also, you can save up to $20/mo by only getting a 300 MB data plan ($10/mo cheaper per-line) on one or more lines. While that's a somewhat small amount, to be honest, if you have WiFi at home and never stream video/audio away from home, it's probably sufficient. I only break 300 MB/mo on months when I travel, and for that you can always temporarily bump up to the 3 GB plan for months when you need it (but you have to do that ahead of time!). Personally, I might see if you qualify for an AT&T discount and try to go for the $70+$30+$20+$20 with two 300 MB/mo data plan options and bump as needed. If you really don't want to put up with the headache/worry of hitting your data quota then I'd go with Sprint, caveat to make sure their coverage is good enough within your return window. ExcessBLarg! fucked around with this message at 17:51 on Apr 5, 2012 |
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Apr 5, 2012 17:45
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Toffile posted:I live in the US and I'm on Verizon. I'm looking to get a smartphone with a budget of around $200. If you're not sure which to get, go for the iPhone.
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Apr 5, 2012 17:50
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Need to upgrade from Droid 2 Global. Piece of crap has been has been freezing and I think its touch sensor is going bad. Looking into the Razr Maxx and the Nexus. Razr Maxx: Good solid design, sweet battery life. Has a real car dock available. Nexus: ICS, sweet screen. No car dock available (yet) Am I missing anything major? The internal specs both seem comparable. I just want an android device that works without any hiccups.
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Apr 5, 2012 20:24
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ExcessBLarg! posted:Fantastic. Thank you so much for this. My wife is gonna be driving around Indiana inspecting chicken farms, so we need good coverage everywhere and it looks like AT&T is a lot better for that than Sprint/Verizon, so I think we will be going for exactly that plan outlined. Thanks again!
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Apr 6, 2012 15:53
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Thanks to whomever recommended I get the Galaxy Nexus earlier, jumping from a Motorola Milestone to this is something akin to getting my first smartphone all over again 
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Apr 6, 2012 16:44
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^ Related to the above post, do you guys still recommend the Galaxy Nexus, despite the recent update error that's being talked about a lot lately? I'd link to it, but I'm on my glitching phone I plan to replace...
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Apr 6, 2012 23:03
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MisterBibs posted:^ Related to the above post, do you guys still recommend the Galaxy Nexus, despite the recent update error that's being talked about a lot lately? I'd link to it, but I'm on my glitching phone I plan to replace... Yep.
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Apr 7, 2012 00:32
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MisterBibs posted:^ Related to the above post, do you guys still recommend the Galaxy Nexus, despite the recent update error that's being talked about a lot lately? I'd link to it, but I'm on my glitching phone I plan to replace... There's only a certain percentage of GSM phones affected by the signal issue, and that can be remedied rather easily if you're rooted. The CDMA version is unaffected. I'd still happily recommend it.
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Apr 7, 2012 00:59
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anakha posted:There's only a certain percentage of GSM phones affected by the signal issue, and that can be remedied rather easily if you're rooted. The CDMA version is unaffected. What's CDMA stand for? I'm not on something that let's me research very well (previously mentioned glitchy phone)
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Apr 7, 2012 01:15
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MisterBibs posted:What's CDMA stand for? I'm not on something that let's me research very well (previously mentioned glitchy phone) Basically, the Verizon Galaxy Nexus is unaffected by the signal issue - only those devices requiring a GSM SIM are affected.
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Apr 7, 2012 01:23
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MisterBibs posted:What's CDMA stand for? I'm not on something that let's me research very well (previously mentioned glitchy phone) CDMA and GSM are different network transmission standards. Yes I know about the different transmission standards and can't keep up with smartphones. I am a horrible engineer. ExcessBLarg! posted:16 GB iPhone 4S or a Galaxy Nexus ($229 for upgrade on AmazonWireless). Thanks. Is there any particularly great advantage one has over the other? I was trying out the different models out earlier and I was forced to eliminate ease of use as a criteria. OJ MIST 2 THE DICK fucked around with this message at 03:48 on Apr 7, 2012 |
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Apr 7, 2012 02:42
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Toffile posted:Is there any particularly great advantage one has over the other? The short version is that the iPhone "just works" whereas Android offers more options for customization. Other folks (e.g., Kalibar) claim that "iPhone is a phone" and "Android is a hobby", which for better or worse, is basically true. The Galaxy Nexus, being a Google-supported device, is the least hobbyish of Android devices in the sense that you don't have to customize it, but it's had some growing pains as well. The iPhone is also a better respected gaming platform and has top-notch iTunes integration, whereas the Galaxy Nexus (and Android in general) has less software censorship and better integration with Google services. The latter also ships with a pretty-darn-decent GPS navigation program out of the box, whereas I haven't seen something quite as comparable for free on iOS. The iPhone probably wins on the "ease of use" front too, if you hadn't found that out.
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Apr 7, 2012 03:28
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MisterBibs posted:What's CDMA stand for? I'm not on something that let's me research very well (previously mentioned glitchy phone) I just want to add that officially CDMA stands for Code Division Multiple Access. Everyone else seems to have given you all the advice you need, I just finally saw a chance to give that useless answer.
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Apr 7, 2012 03:32
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The Samsung Galaxy Nexus for Verizon is currently only $79.99 on Amazon and seems to come with a free car charger.
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Apr 9, 2012 03:25
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Tired of AT&T and their stupid data plans, plus the wife and I want coverage at her parents house in the mountains of New Mexico, so Verizon here we come. Requirements: smart phone for me (probably a Galaxy Nexus), basic phone for her. We don't use many minutes between us (like 300/month), but I text alot and use a lot of data. She texts occasionally, but never uses data. We've been doing family plans, but I think our interests are divergent enough to look at individual plans unless a family plan would save us money. Plus I get a corporate discount through work, like 20%, that'd be nice to hook us both up with if I can. I await the greater goon wisdom.
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Apr 9, 2012 18:18
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Nostratic posted:so Verizon here we come. Texting options are: no plan (20¢ per message to send or receive), $10/mo per-line for 1000 messages, or $30/mo for unlimited messages on both lines. Also keep in mind that some folks have success avoiding texting fees by using Google Voice on iOs/Android for texts. It's not perfect though, you might need to use two phone numbers (one for texts, one for calls) depending how much you care about mobile-mobile calling, and it doesn't do MMS (or doesn't yet?). Still, some folks think it's a wonderful way to save $30/mo, while others find it to be too much trouble. Data plans are per-line, and the $30/mo for 2 GB data is sufficient for most everyone unless you really need/want to do a lot of streaming. Do keep in mind the AmazonWireless deal for the Galaxy Nexus. $80 from AmazonWireless vs $300 from Verizon, it's a steal. The easiest way to do that is to set the entire thing up on AmazonWireless. You can apply your corporate discount after-the-fact if need be. Doing so may not make the activation fees eligible for the discount, but again, $80 vs $300. Personally I wouldn't port your numbers right away. You can list your numbers on Amazon to port if you really want, but I'd probably test the phones out on new numbers first, make sure the service is adequate and meets your needs, and when you're comfortable you can port your AT&T numbers over (which cancels the AT&T account(s)) at any time by calling customer service or going to a store. As for dumbphones, I have to be honest, I'm done with Verizon dumbphones. See, my folks have had the same Verizon dumbphones since 2005 until they decided to upgrade last fall. They got an LG Revere and LG Cosmos 2. And as far as I can tell, nothing has changed about dumbphones since 2005 either, they're just as lovely as they ever were and frustrating to use. However, newish LG phones (including the Cosmos 2) include this "feature", Daily Scoop that, unsolicited, randomly spams you with pop-up ads, until you figure out how to turn them off. I knew nothing about this until my mother called complaining and, honestly, I found the situation so infuriating that I don't think I can recommend a dumbphone again. I understand that, in reality, some folks can't justify spending an extra $30/mo on a smartphone they don't need. But seriously, the user experience of an iPhone vs a Verizon dumbphone is really, honestly, worth it. If your wife is remotely interested in an iPhone, I'd definitely consider it.
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Apr 9, 2012 19:10
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Nostratic posted:Tired of AT&T and their stupid data plans, plus the wife and I want coverage at her parents house in the mountains of New Mexico, so Verizon here we come. If you get a really good smartphone the significant other tends to develop jealousy and desire for said smartphone over a period of time. ExcessBlarg is right, its way easier to get her an iPhone now, get her a better value on what features she gets, and avoid the very aggravating situation of "Ok, I changed my mind and now I want an iPhone. Oh poo poo, I'm only 3 months into a contract with a dumbphone." If you must buy her a dumbphone, buy one off ebay and keep her off contract. Signing a contract for a dumbphone is just not a good value.
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Apr 10, 2012 01:27
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Duckman2008 posted:If you get a really good smartphone the significant other tends to develop jealousy and desire for said smartphone over a period of time. ExcessBlarg is right, its way easier to get her an iPhone now, get her a better value on what features she gets, and avoid the very aggravating situation of "Ok, I changed my mind and now I want an iPhone. Oh poo poo, I'm only 3 months into a contract with a dumbphone." Well, I've had smartphones for a few years now and she's never show any interest. I've tried everything possible to convert her to the cult of smartphones, but she's just not into it at all. She has her laptop and her 2+ year old Nokia flip phone and that's all she needs. So how exactly would I keep her off contract with a dumbphone? Sign up for an individual account on Amazon, then take an unlocked phone to a local store and upgrade to a family plan with the old phone as a second line? I don't know that we have any CDMA phones around, the only ones we've kept are the one's we got through AT&T.
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Apr 11, 2012 04:47
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Nostratic posted:Well, I've had smartphones for a few years now and she's never show any interest. I've tried everything possible to convert her to the cult of smartphones, but she's just not into it at all. She has her laptop and her 2+ year old Nokia flip phone and that's all she needs. You're pretty close. Buy an individual plan via Amazon for you, buy a used/refurbished flip phone for her and have a Verizon store activate it. I occasionally have old VZ phones run through my store if you want me to keep an eye out, I can usually dig up a texting phone within 2-3 weeks.
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Apr 11, 2012 18:36
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Nostratic posted:Well, I've had smartphones for a few years now and she's never show any interest. I've tried everything possible to convert her to the cult of smartphones, but she's just not into it at all. She has her laptop and her 2+ year old Nokia flip phone and that's all she needs. Looking for a dumbphone plan for my spouse I have decided to give H2O Wireless a chance. 2000 minutes for 1 year on AT&T's network at $100 makes this approximately half the price of T-Mobile (assuming it works out and I don't have to contact customer support). Buying a SIM and/or phone from Amazon instead of H2O's website is marginally cheaper by the way.
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Apr 11, 2012 20:03
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Myself and a few friends are putting up for a phone for someone who doesn't currently have one. Basically we just need a number that can text and respond to texts, for as cheap as possible. Country/Provider: USA, Iowa City Current Contract Status: I have an old ATT Blackberry(2009-ish?) and an ATT Samsung flip phone from 2006 that are not in use if those are usable for this. Budget: As low as possible. Very low expected voice usage, maybe 15 minutes/mo at most. I'd estimate 50 or 100 SMS texts per month. Desired features: long battery life? just the ability to send and recieve texts and phone calls, really. I'm hoping the startup cost and first 2 months usage can be done for $60 or less. I've seen several pay-per-minute/text deals, with seemingly no fixed monthly cost, but they seem to require buying a new phone first. Is the $60 budget for startup cost and first 2 months even doable?
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Apr 12, 2012 06:24
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MarsellusWallace posted:Is the $60 budget for startup cost and first 2 months even doable? If text usage goes up to 150 send or received, T-Mobile's Monthly 4G plan for $15/mo might be the better option. It includes unlimited texts, and voice minutes are 10¢/min. As for phones, any unlocked GSM phone works with T-Mobile's service. You might want to also check out prepaid rates for MVNOs and other smaller operators. See the Prepaid thread.
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Apr 12, 2012 20:19
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Keep in mind that with T-Mobile prepaid there is no way to get detailed billing information. At some point they will tell you that $100 have been used up and that's that. Apparently we used 1000 minutes in 7 months on a phone that's pretty much for emergency use only- no way to verify T-Mobile's records. That's why I was looking for a different provider.
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Apr 12, 2012 20:40
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So my Blackberry 8900 finally clonked out after a long life of abuse. ATT will give me an HTC Inspire for 1 cent (along with a contract extension). Given that that price is right for my extremely limited budget and I wasn't planning on switching carriers any time soon, is there any reason that I shouldn't just go ahead and grab it?
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Apr 13, 2012 23:05
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marxismftw posted:So my Blackberry 8900 finally clonked out after a long life of abuse. ATT will give me an HTC Inspire for 1 cent (along with a contract extension). Given that that price is right for my extremely limited budget and I wasn't planning on switching carriers any time soon, is there any reason that I shouldn't just go ahead and grab it? Its an old phone that won't last long over 2 years, and you are signing a 2 year contract for said phone? Don't buy that phone. At least check amazon.com and see if you can get a better $0 phone. Overall though, it is always always worth ponying up an extra $100-200 one time to get a better phone, especially considering you will be paying over $100 a month for the next two years.
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Apr 13, 2012 23:34
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I'm not necessarily looking for a phone, but rather an MP3 player with wifi that can browse the internet, like the iPod Touch. I hope this is an appropriate thread for this. Can anyone recommend a good MP3 player with wifi that isn't the Touch? I would preferably like something like my friend's Android phone which can do SSH, and perhaps run R(statistical software) in a command line. I wonder if it might be possible for me to just buy an Android phone and not use the phone portion. In this case, what's a good, under $250 Android I could get which would be fairly portable and have a nice keyboard? I would, I guess, be open to the idea of using the Android as my regular phone but not buy a data plan, but I am pretty attached to my LG VX8300 because it's incredibly rugged, small, and does everything I need it to. I have Verizon.
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Apr 14, 2012 01:30
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Hey guys I'm going on holiday to America in July this year, spending 3 weeks travelling from LA->Seattle. What I would like to do is get an American network Sim on a pay as you go deal, load it up with some credit and use to make the occasional call, but mainly have it so I can use my phone to get on the internet and upload photos from the trip. Would someone be able to point me in the direction of a plan that would suit me?
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Apr 14, 2012 07:28
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Isamil posted:I would, I guess, be open to the idea of using the Android as my regular phone but not buy a data plan, but I am pretty attached to my LG VX8300 because it's incredibly rugged, small, and does everything I need it to. I have Verizon. Regarding your previous question, jump on craigslist and rustle up an HTC G2 (also sold as "T-Mobile G2"). Very hackable Android device with a keyboard and a headphone jack. Unfortunately it's not the best audio player if you really care about audio quality -- HTC uses lower-quality DACs in their phones. If you're just listening with cheapo $20 headphones or something, this isn't a big deal -- but if you've got decent Sennheisers, Shure/Etymotic IEMs, etc. -- you're in for a letdown relative to iPod quality. You can use the device without any kind of service attached to it. Works great with Wi-Fi. Incidentally, T-Mobile's got a lot of really cost-effective prepaid options available that don't require a contract and will work great on the G2 if you end up deciding you want to slap some data or a phone plan on it down the road. SSH seems to be one of the precious few use cases where a phone with a keyboard actually offers an advantage. By and large, most people who think they "need" a hardware keyboard end up discovering after using the device for awhile that today's software keyboards are more than adequate. kbar fucked around with this message at 11:25 on Apr 14, 2012 |
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Apr 14, 2012 11:22
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My wife and I need to upgrade to smart phones from stupid phones. I'm on T-Mobile, she's on Verizon. Country/Provider: T-Mobile and Verizon, Columbia, South Carolina Current contract status: We're both currently clear. My last two-year contract expired a little more than a year ago. My wife is still a second name on her mother's Verizon plan and it's been more than two years since she got her most recent phone. Budget (phone/plan): Good question. Cheaper is better? I'd prefer for us both to get smartphones, so a buy-one-get-one-free deal might be ideal. I've been on a t-mobile plan that's been around $50 per month. Features I know I want: The motivating factor for this purchase is that I need a phone with a GPS -- I have to have a GPS for work because I constantly travel to all sorts of random rural locations all over the state, and the GPS I've been using has died, and it makes more sense to buy a smartphone than to buy a new GPS. We text each other four-five times a day but apart from that don't actually use the phone much. I'm used to using a slide-out keyboard and generally like it, but I'm told that in the world of smartphones touchscreens are the ideal, no matter how grimy they get, so what do I know. Despite my smartphone aversion up till now, I can get techy at times -- I carry my kindle around constantly, etc. So I imagine that once I have the opportunity I'll get into the Glorious World of Apps, etc., but we'll see. Anyway, any advice appreciated.
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Apr 14, 2012 14:38
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kalibar posted:SSH seems to be one of the precious few use cases where a phone with a keyboard actually offers an advantage. By and large, most people who think they "need" a hardware keyboard end up discovering after using the device for awhile that today's software keyboards are more than adequate. There are decent alternatives for that, not as good as hardware keyboard but not bad options. The Hacker's Keyboard is one option.
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Apr 14, 2012 16:59
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Country/Provider: USA, Atlanta/Verizon Current contract status: Expired, I'm finally free Budget/phone plan: Under $200 ideally Features: I'm looking for a decent smartphone that's easy to use, because I've never had one before.  I'd also really like to a) keep my current phone number and b) avoid going under contract again. A friend gave me his Samsung Admire for metroPCS when he got a Galaxy Note, so I thought I'd try them out (free phone, no contract!), but they can't port my number because it's not a local area code. Then I thought I'd look at Verizon's month-to-month plan because now they have unlimited talk/text/web for $50/month, but it comes with domestic roaming charges of 20 cents per minute. Is that normal? It seems like a huge ripoff.Am I just gonna have to suck it up and get a new phone number, now that I've moved to a different state? e: Having a decent GPS would be awesome, if that matters Blue Scream fucked around with this message at 17:22 on Apr 14, 2012 |
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Apr 14, 2012 17:09
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Blue Scream posted:Country/Provider: USA, Atlanta/Verizon No, becaue Metro PCS sucks and you shouldn't get that. Most of its network is 2G and its LTE network doesn't get great speeds anyway. Look at TMobile, only question is how many minutes you use. TMobile prepaid starts at $30 for 100 minutes, unlimited text and 2GB of data. Great plan if you don't need a lot of minutes (they have other prepaid plans but I'm not familiar with them). Only caveat is you have to buy your own phone, but you can find a used HTC G2 for under $200, and if you bargain hunt you could possibly find a TMobile capable Nexus S for $200ish used (make sure its good for TMobile 3G).
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Apr 14, 2012 20:25
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I have an upgrade coming up at the end of the month. I've been using an HTC Eris that I (foolishly) bought the day that the HTC Incredible was released. Because of when I got my data plan, I'm grandfathered into Verizon's unlimited data; so I was thinking that getting a slightly more heavy duty Android phone/iPhone would be a good move for this upgrade. I've been considering an iPhone because my mom has one, and more than anything I really like the size of her phone. It's similar in size to the Eris (just a bit bigger). Every time I go to the Verizon store to look at phones, all the android phones just seem to be getting bigger and bigger. I don't want a gigantic phone - I'm a girl and girl pockets are loving tiny as it is. Does anyone have any recommendations of a small-ish android phones comparable to the iPhone?
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Apr 14, 2012 20:27
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Nereid posted:I have an upgrade coming up at the end of the month. I've been using an HTC Eris that I (foolishly) bought the day that the HTC Incredible was released. Because of when I got my data plan, I'm grandfathered into Verizon's unlimited data; so I was thinking that getting a slightly more heavy duty Android phone/iPhone would be a good move for this upgrade. If you want a small phone get the iPhone, especially since you are already considering it. The smallest Android phone even worth looking at is the Razr Maxx, and I would recommend the iPhone over it on most features (only exception being LTE). So yeah, get the iPhone 4S. Then smash the Eris with a baseball bat.
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Apr 14, 2012 20:29
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Duckman2008 posted:If you want a small phone get the iPhone, especially since you are already considering it. The smallest Android phone even worth looking at is the Razr Maxx, and I would recommend the iPhone over it on most features (only exception being LTE). I fully intend to, the thing is a mad piece of poo poo.
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Apr 14, 2012 20:41
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My Sprint obligation comes up this month and I'm looking to upgrade my HTC EVO. Its pretty beat up, but I love having a fast, useful phone. I know that quite a few of the manufacturers are going to be coming out with new products (EVO LTE for example) but I'm not really sure where to go with them. I don't mind waiting a month or two if there is a clear good choice on the horizon. [*]Country/Provider: USA/Preferably Sprint (best in my area), but others can be considered [*]Current contract status: No obligation [*]Budget (phone/plan): $200 I've also used the iPhones quite a bit and while I think they're awesome, I really like the Android community a lot more.
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Apr 15, 2012 16:21
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