I'm shopping for a new phone and plan right now. It's come to my attention that with Verizon (my current provider), the cheapest price for an iphone is $170 (contract renewal discount). The minimum plan you can have has a base price of $40 for voice, $30 for data. Texting would be more. That doesn't include all the taxes added on. Everyone I know that has an iphone pays over $100/month (most people don't have the minimum plan possible).



That's $1,370 the first year, just for a cell phone with data. Most of them don't need it for work, and they don't run a website or anything like that. As far as I can tell, it's just a boredom-killer, or convenience device. They can check facebook and look at youtube whenever they want, provided they're in the network area.



I shopped on t-mobile, sprint, alltel, and at&t, all the prices are comparable.



I'm making some generalizations here, but I'm pretty sure the same applies to most smartphone users (high monthly cost, not necessary). How is it we're in a recession when people don't mind spending over $1,000/year on their cell phone? Can they really bitch about money issues when they're blowing all this money away on something as trivial as a better way to kill time?



I had an ipod touch for awhile, it was awesome. Internet access in wifi areas, and all the apps that work any other time (I could play angry birds in the doctor waiting room without paying $100/month to do it). I carried a cheapy cell phone on a minimum plan. It was the best of both worlds. (my itouch got lost, I think a toddler put it in the trash, and I cancelled my cell phone in lieu of using my work-issued blackberry)





I think we're going to go with Virgin Mobile. $150 for an android phone (LG Optimus V), and $25/month for 250 talk minutes, unlimited text and data, and no contract. I'm still doing research, but so far this sounds awesome. It's cheaper than what we're paying now for 450 minutes and unlimited text, with a government employee discount, from Verizon. They use the Sprint network, which my blackberry is on, and I've been happy with it so far.

you're probably right, i still like my iphone, but its hooked to the crappiest POS network, and its not 30+40 a month, they add a bunch of BS fees

I have sprint 69.99 unlimited mobile to any network, unlimited web, unlimited text. And right now the EVO is one of the best phones out there. Only limit to the 69.99 unlimited plan is 1500 minutes a month to land lines which since i have gotten the plan the most i have used is like 250.

We dont have a home phone line, our satellite internet suxors and I cant check stuff from the work computers.



Easy decision



Now: look at the total cost for electronic convenience:



2 Blackberries and 1 normal phone: $200

Sateliite TV $100

Satellite internet: 70



We are shelling out 370/month for electronic service



YIKES

I run my business through it. Having email throughout the day is a necessity now, as lots of people just don't phone in work, they email the particulars of a job to me, or a work order generation service emails the jobs. Also since I now have the web with me in my pocket, I no longer carry around a couple of milk crates of tech manuals for different pieces of equipment. I don't even have to go down from a roof anymore to the service truck to retrieve a trouble code for a machine.

My Blackberry was 100 bucks as an upgrade from old samsung. I just can't seem to get enough minutes on a contract, I use about 3600 minutes a month taking work calls, only a 1000 is included, so I end up with 400.00 a month bills..Sure beats the **** of the old days of a pager, 50 bucks in quarters and an answering service that f'd every phone message.

I have a Blackberry Curve with Virgin, only 35$ a month. Absolutely love it..

most people dont NEED a iphone, they just want it to look cool and play angry birds or whatever the ****



I refuse to pay so much for a phone or its service

I'm right there with ya!



I'm currently with T-Mobile on a prepaid plan. It runs me around $150 a YEAR.

^^ Now that's badass.

i have a winmo 6.5 "smart" phone. for 500 minutes unlimited text, data, sprint to sprint, gps using bing, waze or google i pays $42.xx including taxes and insurance(scam)...sure the phone uses like 3 year old tech, but if needed i can run android on it.

right now looking for service for my parents, their bill is like 130 combined and together use less minutes/texts than me...

Is that a current plan available, or is that some older plan that you've held onto?

im holding on to it for dear life. i used to find them for sale on ebay. ive yet tried calling to see if i they could clone it.

their current version of the plan is just a 10 bucks off their 69.99 and a few extras.



http://www.sprintusers.com/forum/sho...d.php?t=173903

I use mine as an on te road computer. Pays for itself every month. For example I just bought some July calls, put a trailing stop on cotton all whilst eating a sandwich. In the past years I would had to stay home or drag a laptop with me and try to find wifi.



The simple answer to your question.... Convenience.

I dont know how many time my iphone saved me from getting lost. Weither in the car, driving in the city or quading in the woods, it has always helped me out. Like phins said convienence. My bill costs me a hundered a month and its worth every bit

What software you using? I am thinking about buying the tom-tom app next time it goes on sale.



Hell I've even got a terminal app I can login into my Linux servers from my iPhone!!!

i just use maps for the most part my phones jail broken i also use navagon its awsome

I've been reading reviews and it looks like navigon is the way to go. Too bad the garmin one turned out horrible, that was the only reason I was waiting.

i dont rrust garmin anymore, not since it directed me to a rope bridge in NC. **** i didnt even know they actually still existed but leave it to the gps to find the bastard..

I'm actually seriously considering the Tom Tom app it appears that their maps are far more up to date then Navigons.