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  1. #1
    944134165
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    if you buy a smartphone with AT&T do you have to buy the interent plan

    in order to get the phone? a store employee told my dad that you can only buy a smartphone like a blackberry only if you get the internet plan.

  2. #2
    Junior Member minortj's Avatar
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    Sometimes the phones cost slightly more if you don't get a data/internet plan. I believe Blackberry requires one in order to get their rebate....but NO you don't have to get the internet plan.

  3. #3
    Junior Member ladyrosznthorns's Avatar
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    Unless you pay the full retail price for the phone (usually 400.00 to 500.00 or more), when you buy a PDA like a Blackberry, Tilt, etc. you do need to buy a data plan with it. Most of these type phones come with rebates to mail in to get 50.00 to 100.00 or more back off the price that you pay with a 2 yr contract, and the rebates are not valid without the data package (read the small print on them.)

    There are a couple of reasons for the data package requirement. With Blackberry phones, unless you have the blackberry connect, it limits the capabilities of the phone a great deal. With other PDA type phones (Tilt, Blackjack 2 for example) - if you do not have a data package, it can cause problems with your phone as well.

    PDAs are data intensive devices, meaning they transfer large amounts of data to use many of the features. Different servers are used to carry different types of data on the network, and different connection types are used to give you the best possible speeds and accesses for your device.

    If your device is not set up the way it is designed to be used, it can create problems, and eventually damage your equipment .Think of it like this- your SUV breaks down, and you need a tow- a friend with a Focus might be able to hook up a chain and pull you, but if he has to go very far, it might strain his motor, but a tow truck can get you to wherever you need to be with no problem.

    The cost of data transfer is another reason for this requirement. Most people do not realize that if you download a streaming video clip or watch MobiTV for less than an hour, if you are on pay per use, your bill could be anywhere from 60.00 to about 700.00 just for that. (I work for a major carrier, and I have seen an 18,000.00 bill on a single phone because the woman insisted she did not want a data package because she "only used a little bit of internet." They advised her over and over of the possible costs, and offered to block the internet if she did not want the pkg, but she refused. The next month, when she got her bill, equal to the price of a car, she thought they billed her wrong. They didn't-the bill was correct based on how she insisted they set it up.)

    Without the internet connection, you can't email, send or receive pictures, download anything, etc.- if you are only going to talk and send plain text messages (no pics or videos)- does it really make sense to buy a phone that is that expensive when plenty of others will do what you want?

    PDA's are nice, but there are definitely other options that are less expensive if you're not even going to use those features anyway.

  4. #4
    jade
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    its blackberry plan.. a blackberry is pointless without it you might as well get the free one with you upgrade

  5. #5
    Senior Member #1MustangFan's Avatar
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    That is not totally correct. You can get the phone without the internet plans but that is all it will be good for is a phone and text messaging. In particular, the Blackberry devices require the Blackberry data plans to provision the Blackberry server which they access for data purposes. Other PDA type device only require the data plans or Media Plans if you intend to use the internet or to do picture messaging, which requires internet usage to send/receive.


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