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Data dumb question

pwfb

Sep 6, 2010, 10:16 AM
As much as I love Verizon Wireless, and I do, I am inching ever so closer to switching to AT&T strictly for the iPhone. This scares me on many fronts, not least of which is that 50% of the time I am in NYC, but, that's another story.

My concern today is data. With AT&T not offering unlimited data plans anymore, my dumb question is should I be concerned about a plan with a 2GB limitation?

My son and I are always on the web with our Blackberry's and constantly in Email, Twitter, etc. My wife, not so much, so I see no issue there.

So please forgive my ignorance in this area, but, how many emails and how much web browsing can do I before I run the clock out on 2GB per month?
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Sigma1570

Sep 6, 2010, 12:16 PM
I think you will be fine. The main culpret is streaming music/video.
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Anxiovert

Sep 6, 2010, 1:48 PM
you'll be ok... I do about 1 hr of Pandora streaming per day, and I follow a one hour TV show daily on Mobile Video (formally known as Cellular Video) and I have never gone over 2GB
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pwfb

Sep 6, 2010, 2:58 PM
Thanks very much @anxiovert and @sigma1570 for the feedback and help!
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Anxiovert

Sep 6, 2010, 1:52 PM
Oh, and I forgot to mention that NYC has many hotspots, so you're going to be on WiFi most of the time (as long as you turn it on....)

I cannot believe how many plp out there still doesn't take advantage of WiFi...
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pwfb

Sep 6, 2010, 3:00 PM
As far as WiFi and AT&T in NYC @ Anxiovert, yet another dumb question from me 🙂

Is the WiFi "open" for AT&T subscribers? In other words when I am in the city I see tons of WiFi options on my iPod Touch, but, its all locked down.

Thanks,
Scott
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WolfCR13

Sep 6, 2010, 4:20 PM
WiFi hotspots are open to AT&T customers... Maybe there are some lock codes in some areas, like cafes, hotels and so on, but you can request for that code so you can use it
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pwfb

Sep 6, 2010, 5:12 PM
Thanks very much!
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WolfCR13

Sep 6, 2010, 7:37 PM
That's why we're here!!! 😎
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DSFB407

Sep 6, 2010, 10:21 PM
PWFB, Do not switch to AT&T for the Iphone only. The service with a Iphone here in Brooklyn is horrible. I advise you to wait until AT&T improves their service here in NYC before you get one. I switched from Verizon a few months ago and I definitely regret it. I have never had so many dropped calls over the past 2 months. The Iphone is a amazing phone but as for the coverage it is not worth it. You might as well stick with Verizon and get a Ipod Touch or Ipad if your worried about a device for data, and then again the data is slow as well. I'm talking no more then .80mbps even during the early morning on 3G. I hope this helps.
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Att_user04

Sep 7, 2010, 3:04 AM
Go away TROLL 😡
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KriisCDW

Sep 8, 2010, 9:50 AM
I love how there is no defense. Just calling an AT&T user a Troll.

Classy.

I have no issues as an AT&T user where I'm at... but I'm not in New York/SF/etc, so I can't confirm or deny those issues.
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pwfb

Sep 7, 2010, 1:46 PM
Though thus far the majority seems to disagree with you @dsfb407, I truly appreciate you taking the time to share your experience and offer your feedback.
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DSFB407

Sep 7, 2010, 8:20 PM
@ATT USER Listen I am letting this guy know based upon real world experience in the NYC/NJ Metro area. How the heck would you know about issues here, which services are the best here when you do not live in this particular area? Cut out your childish antics.
Now back to the moral of the story. Ay listen I am just letting you know based upon experience PWFB. You do not have to listen to me. It may be different in Queens and Bronx but I work exclusively in Manhattan, Staten Island, Brooklyn, and Northeastern NJ. Go ahead and try it for yourself and you will see the truth. How many of the other people live and work in the NJ/NY Metro area that you are getting feedback from? Once AT&T released the update, and put out the IPhone 4 the ...
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pwfb

Sep 8, 2010, 9:14 AM
@DSFB407, to your point, in addition to this forum, I have literally engaged everyone with an iPhone on the streets of NYC that would talk to me over the last few days.

Unscientific of course, but what I found is about what you might suspect; 50% are happy and 50% are not. The big qualifier here though is how people use their devices. In other words many of the people I spoke with rarely use their device for voice calls but mostly data (SMS, email, social media, etc.) usage and here too, results were mixed.

I should mention that I own a market research company, so its easy for me to know what questions to ask and how to collect the data 🙂

So where does this leave me? Based on all the feedback I received here and elsewhere I believe...
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wombough

Sep 8, 2010, 10:21 PM
how about check your usage with verizon now with the blackberry you have now and see how much you have used in the past. And I am sure you will use a little more with the iphone but it will get you some idea. If you are close now then you might have an issue if you are not close to 2gb then you should be good.
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PhonemanJ

Sep 10, 2010, 3:31 PM
That would give some kind of idea as far as usage, but the Blackberry encrypts its data so much that you use only about 1/3 of the data on a Blackberry that you would use on an Iphone.

The best thing to do is give it a try. You have 30 days to try out the phone and if it does not work well for you, take it back to the store. If you want to port your number back to Verizon, do that first, but you can cancel the service within 30 days and all you would pay for is the $36 activation fee, a pro-rated amount of the month's service, and a 10% restocking fee that ATT charges on Apple products.

The number that ATT has given us is that 98% of data customers use less than 2GB. If you do happen to go over, the service does not stop, but you will...
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newral

Sep 11, 2010, 7:58 PM
This is the best answer so far! make sense.. people ask me this a lot since i use Att ( dont work for them)... so it help ME! thank you 😁
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Tomb1312

Sep 12, 2010, 4:12 PM
Go to this link! ATT Data Calc. And your best research is going to be your old bills. check you past data usage. i was shocked at how little I did and I'm on pandora all day long. but don't switch for the iPhone. get the captivate. It's the best phone right now. The iPhone is pretty weak and if you have any sence you'll stear clear.
So switch to ATT because you might only need the $15 data plan.


http://www.att.com/standalone/data-calculator/index. ... »
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