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AT&T to Officially Mandate Data Plans for All Smartphones

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People are just ignorant sometimes...

InstantClassic

Aug 21, 2009, 3:37 PM
Look... if you went with verizon or sprint and got a pda/smartphone, you will automatically get the data. it is required!! There is no way around it. This is mainly with the CDMA carriers. I think AT&T is following the CDMA carriers as of doing this. Even U.S. cellular, if you got a pda you have to get data. I get really annoyed about people complaining and threatend to switch carriers and all that BS. " I'm going with verizon" go head! they are going to make you get the data also!! AT&T wont start this till the 6th, so upgrade now, or get a new phone and dont get data.

But why would you get a data phone with no data. it's pointless. It's like buying a porshe, but your not going to push it to 6th gear, or get an XBOX 360... but have no ha...
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Azeron

Aug 22, 2009, 1:14 AM
If one has an older PDA (TREO, CENTRO, 6800, 6700, excepting blackberries) a data plan is not required. All advanced devices which have been released since November 08 require data plans.
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cannibalslug

Aug 22, 2009, 10:15 AM
Sprint doesn't require it but for two smartphones, the pre and the instinct as of now, everyone else has a choice to add, or remove, pending on the features you'd like from the data plan. Blackberries will just be crippled to the max while other smartphones will just go pay per use (up to $75 in data charges).
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asLeepLessman

Aug 22, 2009, 10:46 AM
I must be Ignorant. Seriously. I mean... Let me explain a little. I am a T-Mobile Dealer. AT&T is not the only company doing this, T-Mobile is also now. That however is besides the point. AT&T went as far as announcing it.

Forget all that, I am Ignorant. Ok, so heres the situation... You tell me what you would do ok? Okay!

You own a Electronic store. You sell unlocked cellphones, TV's, Radio's, Movies and Games. A Customer walks in, lets say ME (because I want it to be a Ignorant person), and tells your employee (your off that day, at the beach, with your family) that he (i) wants 5 XBOX 360's. Now, I want to make this seem as real as possible ok... So, Before I asked for 5 of them I asked your Employee if you had any USED XBOX 360's. ...
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Pocket_Girl

Aug 22, 2009, 10:49 AM
beautifully put my friend 😁
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ExploderBlade

Aug 27, 2009, 5:53 PM
You know what POcket_Girl I found out by clicking on your profile that you work for a cpamy named Pocket Smart Wireles.... NO WONDER you have no idea how a REAL celluar company works. The company you represent sells 2G, underpowered, almost featureless devices....you company is right on par with Cricket. It doesn't even leave a 50 mile covereage radius...at least Cricket is market to market. You have no room to speak of a PDA nor smartphone device cause chances are, unless you FLASHED ONE over to your no name network, then you must not even have one. It all makes sense now.

Your ignorance in this forum comes from the company you work for, since you don't sell a product of NEAR the same caliber ATT or any of the big names sell.

Congrats...
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phonesales83

Aug 22, 2009, 11:38 AM
If you want that porshe you going to have to have insurance on it. Otherwise you cant drive it. You could buy the phone and never use it. Wouldnt that really be the same? In the end there are other choices in carriers such as boost which let you do more of what you want. It kills me how dumb people are, if you dont want the product and services that are offered then do not buy it. You have the choice to switch to many different competitors. People seem to forget that your choice is in whether or not to use a company, not fight with them on how they choice to run it. The government puts laws in place to make sure the consumer has options. In the end the companies exist to make money, your mom that wants that phone she can get the data plan o...
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JeffroPuff

Aug 22, 2009, 2:55 PM
While it does irritate me that carriers REQUIRE data packages, I totally agree with you phonesales83.
I think it is retarded that my wife just got a BlackBerry Pearl for her Verizon service because she wanted a pink BlackBerry because it was cute and she needed a phone with calendar and PDA functions that she could sync with her PC. The Pearl is perfect for her in that capacity. She NEVER goes on the web and has no desire to have her email on the device. Yet we pay $30 a month for that. Why? She bought the phone on eBay, for Pete's sake.
Now I, on the other hand, have had Blackberries right along - 7280, 7100, 7130, 8700, 8100, 8300, 8310, 9000 (and in iPhone in there too). I get them like they're made of crack! Obviously I USE the data,...
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Pocket_Girl

Aug 22, 2009, 3:18 PM
hmm well sorry some people stick up for what the believe in. they have the CHOICE to. just because you chose to accept this doesnt mean other people have to
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ExploderBlade

Aug 25, 2009, 6:10 PM
Get this pocket, if you don't accept it, guess you'll either be getting a new phone or switching companies.
How do you like them apples?
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Pocket_Girl

Aug 25, 2009, 7:43 PM
thats my point. i DONT like that. they are making me make a choice i dont like. i dont want a data plan cause i dont need or want it. oh i have to switch phones.... why. i like my phone and i dont want to. thats the point. either choice the customer obviously doesnt want to make. so those apples SUCK.

by the way i am not with AT&T (THANK GOOOOOD!)
so i dont have to worry about it cause my service is with a company that is all about customer service. we do not shove data plans or stupid ultimatums. we let our customes pick what they WANT and NEED. not what steals money out of their POCKETs.

😁 😁 😁
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ExploderBlade

Aug 26, 2009, 11:21 AM
Out of stark curiousity, what company do you have? If it's one of the Big Four (Sprint, Verizon, ATT, or TMobile) then guess what, all of those companies have a device(s) that they FORCE data plans on. Here are some examples-

Samsung Instinct or Palm Pre -Sprint
G1 or MyTouch - T-Mobile
Any Blackberry - Verizon
Any iPhone - ATT

So now that we have established that companies have been doing this with their devices for YEARS now, why is this change in ATT such a surprise for you? You want an iPhone, get a data plan. Don't like it, don't get an iPhone. You want a Palm Pre, get an Everything plan. Don't like it? Don't get a Pre. Same with ATT's smartphones now. You want a smartphone AFTER September 6, 2009 (try to remeber that older pla...
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mrpmpfan

Sep 4, 2009, 8:28 AM
I will start off with saying that your response is the longest thing I have ever read that conveys nothing of importance.

However you Mom might like the look of the G1 but instead of running out and getting her a G1 did you have her look and test out a Sidekick LX? Its quite possible she would have liked it the same, you don't know because you didn't even have her look at it.

Every provider sells several phones, AT&T sells over 70, so if 10-15 of our phones are off limits due to the data plan requirement there is still 55-60 phones you can look at.

As for your Xbox argument, used systems if sold in a bundle with the hard drive are not allowed to be sold without them. Gamestop won't cut the packaging open, and adjust the price just...
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asLeepLessman

Sep 4, 2009, 2:05 PM
I don't really feel like responding to this but I am bored so, here it goes.

Seeing as I work for T-Mobile, one would imagine that I would show my mother different options. My younger sister who lives with my mother has a SideKick and my mother feels the same way I feel about it, its a kids phone. The phone she had before was a Nokia 7510. Finally, I will close this by saying, I am clearly different then you. See, the thing is, what my wife and mother want, I give them. Simple as as that really. I live my life to give them everything and anything they want. I personally don't want anything. I have a great life with 0 needs or wants. So, when they want something, I get it for them. She wanted a G1, and guess what, she got one. On top of th...
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mrpmpfan

Sep 5, 2009, 6:55 AM
I am glad you buy anything for your Mom and Wife, you sound like a great guy. But there is not reason you Mom had to absolutely own a G1 there are plenty of phones to pick from. And the new Sidekick LX is an updated model from the original Sidekick.

Enjoy your wonderful life of spoiling your wife and mother, lets just hope your wife never cheats on you.
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asLeepLessman

Sep 5, 2009, 10:06 AM
I was speaking about the LX 09. Personally I think its a great "Sidekick". but, I also place Sidekick in its own category. I'll put the Comeback and Gravities in that category to if asked.

She liked the way the Text Messages and Voicmails can be viewed (with the slide down drop tab). She likes the fact her Home Screen actually stretches 3 Screen long (left and right). She likes the slide out Keyboard (my mom, lol, she is starting to text alot, 🙂. Finally what I think might be the Cherry On Top, she loves the way you can customize the Home Screen with Widgets/Icons with HER favorite things (like for example, she has 2 Icons of me, 1 to call me directly (no need to scroll through phone book) and 1 to text me (🙂 she getting better lol).

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looch_himself

Aug 22, 2009, 3:45 PM
InstantClassic said:
It's like buying a porshe, but your not going to push it to 6th gear, or get an XBOX 360... but have no hard drive.


Your examples are flawed; If I get a Porsche, I don't have to pay an extra monthly fee to be able to take it to 6th gear. And lots of people I know, myself included, have a "stock" Xbox 360, where we just use the hard drive included with the console, where again, you don't have to pay an extra monthly fee to use.

Imagine you went to buy your Porsche, but the dealer refused to sell you the car without you subscribing to Sirius Sattelite radio, would you be happy? It's arbitrary; the car doesn't need Sirius to drive, a PDA/Blackberry doesn't need data to make and recei...
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ExploderBlade

Aug 26, 2009, 12:13 PM
Ummm...how about you just go to another dealer? Just like you can go to another carrier and get another phone that probably the same? How about that?

You don't like ATT's business, then don't do buisness with ATT. You have a choice. Don't like the dealer forcing Siruis "down your throat", go to a different dealer. The only reason data is mandated on those devices is because, get this, that's what they are designed for. If you aren't going to use the phone for data, consider getting a different device. A lot of devices ATT offeres (Eternioty, impression, etc) have large displays, larger than on most smartphones, and don't require data.

SOme of you out there are acting like ATT is ending the world. Reality is, you all just want to compl...
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looch_himself

Aug 26, 2009, 12:26 PM
AT&T aren't the only carriers that are doing this, they're just the only ones who announce it to the world. A phone has one (1) purpose; making and receiving calls. After that, everything else is extra. Once I buy the phone, I should be able to do or put anything I want on it. If I want a Blackberry, but I don't want a $30 data feature, I should be able to get one. Guess what, AT&T has already been dropping prices on Smartphones for people who activate a data feature on the device. If you don't, you pay more for the device. AT&T has data blocks for devices that don't wan't to use data. This would be alot easier if AT&T mandated the blocking feature for every customer that didn't want a data feature, and made it so the only way to rem...
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ExploderBlade

Aug 26, 2009, 12:41 PM
And check this out, that's ATT's decision. Don't like it, go to another company. Even though Verizon has been doing this for years, and so has every other major carrier. You have the choice to switch carriers if you don't like their service.
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looch_himself

Sep 1, 2009, 8:43 PM
What good is going to another company if all the other companies are doing it? It also doesn't help that AT&T charges an arm and a leg for it's data features. With AT&T, unlimited data/messaging is $50. With T-Mobile, it's $35. I have T-Mobile, I own a Curve 8900, and I CHOSE to get the unlimited feature.
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ExploderBlade

Sep 2, 2009, 10:05 AM
and once again, it's really not a bad idea for a company to force data on smartphone devices. you could buy a different device if you don't want that companies data on your smartphone. you can also get a smartphone outright, use it's wifi, and be glad to have a nice pda device. but for that nationwide accesibility, gotta pay.
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Phoner

Aug 25, 2009, 6:31 PM
InstantClassic said:
I think AT&T is following the CDMA carriers as of doing this.

Yup. While irritating for smartphone owners who don't want the data plan, it's AT&T's right.

But why would you get a data phone with no data. it's pointless.

"Pointless" is paying for something I'd never, or hardly ever, use. From my point of view, a Smartphone is a tiny computer. I want it to run the applications that I need, and nothing else. I don't want picture messaging, I don't check email or browse the internet on my phone - I have a laptop for that. I need a Smartphone to run Windows Mobile software. Some of it I buy, some of it is open source / shareware, some of it I write myself....
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asLeepLessman

Aug 25, 2009, 7:15 PM
Yup, its is AT&T's Right. And once Everyone else Creates the same Policy, it will no longer be a "Right" It will be a standard. At which point, what will you do then? Give up and get a Non-Smartphone or pay the $30?

So you write your own software for your Windows Mobile Smartphone? That is so cool. So, you current own a Wing By T-Mobile and wanted to Upgrade to a Dash 3G Hu? Whats that you say? You created a app that allows you to Automatically send a Text Message to your daughter at 3pm letting her know to take her meds? WOW! That is so cool. Unfortunately, Unless you get Data you can NOT upgrade to that Dash 3G. I understand you dont use the Data and I understand you need a Windows Mobile device for your app to work but ... no.

So wh...
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Phoner

Aug 25, 2009, 10:51 PM
asLeepLessman said:
Yup, its is AT&T's Right. And once Everyone else Creates the same Policy, it will no longer be a "Right" It will be a standard. At which point, what will you do then? Give up and get a Non-Smartphone or pay the $30?

If all gas stations in town are selling gas for $6.00 a gallon, what do you do? Pay the money. Or walk. Or buy an electric car.
So you write your own software for your Windows Mobile Smartphone?

Actually, the thing that I program at work, runs Windows CE 6.0-based OS. That's what WinMo smartphones might start using next year, if Microsoft finally gets their act together.
The only stuff that I wrote for my own phone so far was a simple "Hel...
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ExploderBlade

Aug 26, 2009, 12:44 PM
They sell X-Box 360's that are intended for use with no hard drive... it's called the Arcade. OWNED!!!!!11(one)@#$
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