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  1. #1
    Junior Member euna's Avatar
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    What is the point of having wifi on a smartphone if you still have to pay the...

    ...expensive mandatory data plan ? Seriously... Wifi serves to let us get free internet doesn't it ? And if a phone has that, it means you can use internet for free, just not in places without wifi.
    I personally wouldn't mind that I can't always get wifi connection everywhere. It's just nice that I can get FREE INTERNET in places with wifi... I don't need internet everywhere I go.

    Is there any phone service out there that lets a customer have some freedom and purchase a very nice smartphone without forcing us to pay the ridiculous amount every month ? In a year, that's like what ? $300-$400 ! !
    If you buy an unlocked smartphone on like say ebay, and it has wifi, does At&t for example still force you to pay ?
    What about Verizon Wireless ?
    I love smartphones because they offer so much more and have nicer quality (ex: camera, apps) compared to the standard phones.

    I really wish these major phone companies would just allow customers the freedom of choice :T

    Thanks !

  2. #2
    Senior Member AVDADDY's Avatar
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    Calm down. Nobody's forcing you to buy anything. Is $25.00-$33.33/ month really such an outrageous price? Calm down

  3. #3
    Senior Member joeeattaboy's Avatar
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    "Wifi serves to let us get free internet doesn't it ? And if a phone has that, it means you can use internet for free, just not in places without wifi."

    Huh? This makes no sense. Cell phone wi-fi is just like computer wi-fi in its operation. There has to be an existing wireless router or access point for you to connect to in order to use it. Wi-fi doesn't "serve you to get free internet." The capability is there as a convenience so you can get Internet service where there *is* WLAN but no carrier data signal. You can't use wireless if it's not there.

    The point of a data plan is that the phone's advanced capabilities rely on the ability to connect to the Internet. Since the carrier data networks reach nearly everywhere now, you can have data wherever you go. You can't have that assurance with wi-fi. Smartphones have a lot of functionality that rely on data. Frankly, I can't imagine using my Nexus One without a data plan.

    As far as I'm concerned, a smart phone without a continuous data connection is a very expensive brick that makes phone calls. I will never understand the desire to have one just to use it with wi-fi.

    As for the carriers, they all do it differently. T-Mobile has a set of no contract plans (Even More Plus) that don't require that you buy a phone from them or that you take any specific service. If you bring a phone with you, it has to be a GSM device, and if you do decide to get data, the device must support their 3G/HSPA frequencies, or else you'll be stuck with EDGE only.


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