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Smartphone without data plan... is this possible?

PhoneQuestion

Dec 3, 2008, 5:53 PM
I tried answering this on the Phone Finder, but couldn't figure it out.

I need a new cell phone and so far, no one’s been able to “sell me” on the right one. The sales rep at T-Mobile gave me this website.

Here’s my situation:

I have a Palm PDA I use to manage all of my work appointments and contacts. I synch it to Outlook via USB each morning to update it. I am not important enough to need it synched in real-time. I also have a Razr cell phone and I don’t want to have 2 devices.

I have a $29.99 plan through Sprint which expires on 12/17. I’m completely open to changing service providers. I don’t text, I never go over the 200 minutes in my plan, and I don’t need 24-7 connection to ...
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IrishCarBomb

Dec 3, 2008, 8:25 PM
You can usually get one of those smartphones at the no-contract price without data, or another smaller discounted price with a certain voice plan @ XX per month, usually greater than the 29.99 you are currently paying.

Your best bet would be checking eBay for a used smartphone that works with your carrier... Sprint would need to be a Sprint branded phone, Verizon a Verizon branded phone, AT&T and T-Mobile you would want an unlocked Quad Band phone.
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ajlineman

Dec 3, 2008, 9:12 PM
I don't know what all the carrier's are currently offering, but I thought I'd through AT&T's two cents in.
The lowest plan they're currently offering is 39.99 a month, it had 450 minutes that rollover, unlimited mobile-to-mobile and 5000 nights and weekends minutes (starting at 9 pm). There are alot of phones currently offered (Palms included) that you can get majorly discounted (if not free) with a two year contract. On smart phones (that could sync) you aren't required to have a full $30 data plan, but its very possible that you will have to block the internet entirely in its place. The iPhone does require a minimum of a $30 data plan at all times, and to activate a BlackBerry one would be required, however it can be deleted in the futur...
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brooke815

Dec 12, 2008, 11:45 AM
on the blackberry the data package is not required to activate. on the pearl you can get the pay per use internet on it so you can still send and recieve multi media messages and be able to use the internet when needed. i am not sure about the curve i have heard that it is possible and my managers does like that but it does pick and choose which ones it works with.
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jwonchalk

Dec 12, 2008, 1:03 PM
Yea its possible but really really really really expensive I used the navigator on my curve like ten times and the data charge on my bill was 90 bucks! Get the plan and eat the 30 bucks
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brooke815

Dec 12, 2008, 1:14 PM
I totally agree...I have a curve and have unlimited yxy and internet 450 anytime and 5000night and weekends and I pay right at 100 a month and if u buy ringtones u can cut down ur expences by using myxer.com or funformobile.com from ur phone. I prefer myxer.
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Menno

Jan 15, 2009, 10:16 AM
with the curve can't you just use mp3's as ringtones? you can do it on the verizon version of the phone I don't see why it would be different.
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TmobileEmp

Aug 4, 2009, 10:53 AM
or download Techlogg Ringtone Maker. Its free and you use songs off of your computer. You can also make them in AAC format for the iPhone! I use them for my iPhones, blackberrys, and any other phone. Just convert them into mp3 for BB and other phones of that matter. Its an awesome program
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meeshxsmith

Sep 22, 2009, 5:18 PM
Yeah, you can use MP3s. My hubby has a curve and that's what he has as his ringtone.
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mrpmpfan

Sep 24, 2009, 5:08 AM
As of sept 6th:

Effective Sept. 6, 2009, new Smartphone customers will be required to purchase a qualified data plan; in most cases, the qualified plan will be $30 or higher. This policy applies to all customers activating or upgrading to a Smartphone. Existing customers will be grandfathered and no data plan will be required.

Enforcement of this policy will ensure a more consistent customer experience and reduce instances of bill shock created by pay per use (PPU) data usage on Smartphone devices. Currently, Smartphone data plans are already required in ABS, COR, and local dealer to get the best device price via a rebate.

------------------------
That is the exact article we recieved back on Sept 6th. With AT&T if you buy any new...
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ac4321

Dec 3, 2008, 9:50 PM
You should look at getting a Treo or HTC Windows Mobile OS phone. You don't have to get a data plan with them, although that kills half the benefit of having a smart phone/PDA.

Mail-in rebates require a data pack, but you can cancel the data plan after that or just not worry about it.

If you want a Sprint device with wifi, you may want to look at the HTC 6800 Mogul or HTC 6850 Touch Pro.

You could also look on ebay for a lightly used Treo 700/755 for a Palm OS or several late model pocket pcs.
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karenr

Dec 24, 2008, 11:38 PM
My 2-year contract with Verizon is up. I would like at PDA without the internet. According to Verizon you must now pay $30 a month for the internet with all PDA's. Can anyone tell me which Verizon phones/PDA's work without the internet.

I called Verizon, the only help they gave me was to search ebay. However, I still need to know what specific phone to look for.
Thanks in advance for your help.
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llama

Dec 25, 2008, 2:18 AM
Centro
XV6900
Q9m
Treo700wx

All available without data services.
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crazyeaglefan236

Dec 26, 2008, 12:11 AM
SMT 5800 and XV6800 too
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dalily21

Dec 26, 2008, 1:40 AM
Pretty much any pda/smartphone RELEASED after 11/14/08 or poss 11/16/08 require a data plan. For example: Samsung Omnia, Samsung Saga, HTC Touch Pro (if i'm not mistaken) and any other pda/smartphone released in the future. ALL pda/smartphones released prior to these do not require a data plan. You do not have to have the data plan to get any Mail In Rebates that are offered with the phone.

As always, all Blackberries require a data plan.
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karenr

Dec 26, 2008, 10:01 PM
First - thanks for the information!!
Second, Do you know which phones were RELEASED before 11/14/08 or poss 11/16/08 that do not require a verizon data plan?
Since you can't buy them from Verizon anymore, any suggestions where they could be purchased?
Thanks!
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mellowlen62

Dec 26, 2008, 10:21 PM
There are several phones that you can still buy from Verizon that were released before 11/14.
They didn't just stop selling them when the newer ones came out.
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karenr

Dec 26, 2008, 11:41 PM
I went to the verizon store to renew my contract and they told they no longer have phones/pda's that you can buy without the internet. Maybe I have to buy them elsewhere. Thanks.
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mellowlen62

Dec 28, 2008, 11:45 AM
Wow. Is this something new, Verizon employees?? They still had them at the Verizon store I was at last week and they were still on line at the VZ website. And I had a lengthy discussion with a sales rep about this because my son was looking at the Storm but I won't pay for his data plan.... and the salesperson was showing us other PDA phones he could buy without data plans...?????
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bigturboweenie

Jan 11, 2009, 2:38 AM
he's right. being that i work for VZW, any phones that were released before november of 08' can still be activated without a data package. so the palm 700, 755, centro...

xv6800, xv6900...

samsing 760 as well. if a sales rep tells you otherwise, he is either not in the loop or full of it.

just last week i had to return a samsung omnia for an older samsung 760 for this very reason (cust refused to pay the 30 dollar data package)
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FarmerCharlie

Jul 29, 2009, 7:16 PM
bigturboweenie said:
he's right. being that i work for VZW, any phones that were released before november of 08' can still be activated without a data package. so the palm 700,...

I happened on this thread from a Google search for using a Treo 700P with no data plan. The Verizon rep told me I would have to have the data plan. When I showed him this thread he called and spoke with someone who tried to help, but it still is adding the charge back after he deletes it.

He also told me that even if we get it working, the phone will keep trying to ping the network, and may waste lots of minutes doing that. It is the same actual phone I used with Verizon for several years with no data plan, and I don't recal...
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Menno

Jul 30, 2009, 8:26 AM
He needs to remove the data package and add the Per Usage charges. It is difficult in the new system, but it's not impossible. You might want to go through billing to get it done. How did you get the data plan added in the first place?
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FarmerCharlie

Jul 30, 2009, 4:25 PM
I may not have been clear. I had this phone several years (until a few months ago) and never had the data plan. I gave it to my friend, and we went together to the Verizon store to try to get it activated on his account without the data plan.

Thanks for the info. We'll take that to them and try again. But does anyone know what the store rep might have meant when he said the phone would try to connect to the Internet, and would use up lots of minutes trying to do so? I never experienced anything like that when I had it.

Thanks,

Charles
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Menno

Jan 15, 2009, 9:53 AM
A lot of retailers will no longer have those older phones, or if they do they will require a data plan if you activate them in the store since they are very expensive. If you do get it without a data plan, you might have to pay more for the phone.
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karenr

Dec 28, 2008, 6:21 PM
Thank you all for your help!!
Twice I went to the Stamford CT store and was given incorrect information!!! The third time I went to a different person aimed with all your information. Per Verizon - I was given INCORRECT info at the store - !!
I now have a Centro - and no data plan
Thanks!!!
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Menno

Jan 15, 2009, 9:47 AM
Check the post Llama did, he posted most of the current ones.

Here they are:
Centro
XV6900
Q9m
Treo700wx
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karenr

Dec 28, 2008, 6:26 PM
I just bought a Centro Palm. My original phone was a Razor - The Verizon store could not transfer over my phone numbers ... Any suggestions on how to transfer phone numbers from a Razor to a Palm Centro??
Thanks.
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ac4321

Dec 28, 2008, 9:30 PM
A corporate Sprint store can do it. Since you're not a customer, they might charge for it though. If it's worth $15, that's the easy way.
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llama

Dec 29, 2008, 4:12 PM
any place that has a cellebrite should be able to do it...or sync it to your outlook...
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Turbo187

Dec 29, 2008, 9:25 PM
I would do it via bluetooth, make the motorola discoverable, then do a search for available devices with the palm. This might work. Then you can "send namecard".
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Menno

Jan 15, 2009, 9:45 AM
We have a cellbrite here and we've transferred from a razr to a palm before so it is possible. The only thing that might prevent it is if your old phone is damaged.
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NEPats726420

Aug 4, 2009, 6:21 PM
pointless to have a data device and not have a data plan
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kapwww

Aug 22, 2009, 3:32 PM
Yeah. Don't be cheap.
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mrpmpfan

Sep 24, 2009, 5:03 AM
All carriers that I know of have started to require all new smartphones purchased through them are required to have a data plan, most of the data plans are $30 a month. Sprint has an everything plan now for $70. The only real way around this is to purchase a phone outright and then you are not forced to have a contract or a data plan. However buying a smartphone outright is going to cost you a pretty penny.
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