I need some suggestions
Okay, for a few reasons I'm stuck with AT&T, so please don't suggest another network as a solution.
For the last upteen years I've carried both a cellphone and a Palm PDA. My PDA is nearly dead and I've discovered that replacing it is not an option.
So I figured I'd combine the two, only to run into AT&T's $30 a month smartphone data charge.
Now I've been told conflicting information on whether AT&T will charge me if I purchase a smartphone through Ebay and just move my sim card, so I'm not anxious to try it without feeling more confident.
(I tried an AT&T smartphone - loved it - had a customer service person switch the IMEI number to a different phone to avoid the charge, only to have the $30 a month charge show back up.)
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For the last upteen years I've carried both a cellphone and a Palm PDA. My PDA is nearly dead and I've discovered that replacing it is not an option.
So I figured I'd combine the two, only to run into AT&T's $30 a month smartphone data charge.
Now I've been told conflicting information on whether AT&T will charge me if I purchase a smartphone through Ebay and just move my sim card, so I'm not anxious to try it without feeling more confident.
(I tried an AT&T smartphone - loved it - had a customer service person switch the IMEI number to a different phone to avoid the charge, only to have the $30 a month charge show back up.)
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Oh, sorry.
I also want to be able to use it to make phone calls. I don't believe the Ipod touch is a phone.
I also want to be able to use it to make phone calls. I don't believe the Ipod touch is a phone.
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Normally no... but a jailbroken iTouch + Wifi can accomplish this.
Maybe not an optimal solution, but possible.
Maybe not an optimal solution, but possible.
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http://www.skype.com/intl/en/download/skype/iphone/ »
Says it works for iPhone AND iTouch. Don't thnk Skype would lie.
Plus I'm sure I remember the iTouch having a voice note function.
Kriis
Says it works for iPhone AND iTouch. Don't thnk Skype would lie.
Plus I'm sure I remember the iTouch having a voice note function.
Kriis
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If at&t sells/has sold the phone then you will most likely be required to add on the $30 data no matter what.
You are better off looking for a device that has never been sold by at&t that way at&t's systems wouldn't recognize it. My advice would be to buy the new nokia e72. It supports all your requirements.
You are better off looking for a device that has never been sold by at&t that way at&t's systems wouldn't recognize it. My advice would be to buy the new nokia e72. It supports all your requirements.
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Had a customer that bought an unlocked E72 online and was hit with the data plan. They are scanning the IMEIs to make sure you have the right plan. Even using a fake IMEI isn't going to work. Try getting a FAN discount so you can offset the $30 data charge.
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A couple of things.
1. ATT from time to time will run IMEI scans on all of their customer's phones to keep track of who has what. So if you buy an unlocked or ATT phone on Ebay or where ever, they will discover what you are using and if a data plan is required, it will be placed on your account.
2. I still cannot see the serious objection to the data plan on data phones. $1.00 per day does not seem to be so terrible to have unlimited email and internet on your phone. If you want to do all of the things that a data phone can do, such as synch your contacts and calendar, got you email sent to your phone, have a full HTML browser, etc., you just have to pay for it. It's like you were car shopping and comparing a Ford Fusion and a BMW 3 s...
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1. ATT from time to time will run IMEI scans on all of their customer's phones to keep track of who has what. So if you buy an unlocked or ATT phone on Ebay or where ever, they will discover what you are using and if a data plan is required, it will be placed on your account.
2. I still cannot see the serious objection to the data plan on data phones. $1.00 per day does not seem to be so terrible to have unlimited email and internet on your phone. If you want to do all of the things that a data phone can do, such as synch your contacts and calendar, got you email sent to your phone, have a full HTML browser, etc., you just have to pay for it. It's like you were car shopping and comparing a Ford Fusion and a BMW 3 s...
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ah, but I am fine synching with a USB cable and I don't want/need my email sent to my phone or a HTML browser etc.
Want I want is my PDA and phone combined into one device that makes calls and can send texts...
And has a usable calendar/address book (not just a phone list), a notetaking section, and can read Docs and pdfs.
And a QWERTY keyboard.
And I wouldn't be hunting for it, except I can't replace my dead Palm Tungsten with a new PDA - No one is making PDAs anymore.
And so since we already pay AT&T about $130 a month, I don't want to bump it up another $30 for things I don't use.
Want I want is my PDA and phone combined into one device that makes calls and can send texts...
And has a usable calendar/address book (not just a phone list), a notetaking section, and can read Docs and pdfs.
And a QWERTY keyboard.
And I wouldn't be hunting for it, except I can't replace my dead Palm Tungsten with a new PDA - No one is making PDAs anymore.
And so since we already pay AT&T about $130 a month, I don't want to bump it up another $30 for things I don't use.
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oh crap.
okay, is the LG Cookie considered a smartphone?
http://www.cellphoneanswers.info/lg-cookie-review/ »
It can't edit documents and doesn't have WiFi, but seems to do just about everything else I want.
okay, is the LG Cookie considered a smartphone?
http://www.cellphoneanswers.info/lg-cookie-review/ »
It can't edit documents and doesn't have WiFi, but seems to do just about everything else I want.
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Oooh IMEI scanning, that's evil! Good thing I've got a Nokia N95, that's not even in their stupid system.
ATTs data isn't even worth
$30/mo! Maybe if the $30 inluded tethering. I just wish ATT would up the damn speeds already!
ATTs data isn't even worth
$30/mo! Maybe if the $30 inluded tethering. I just wish ATT would up the damn speeds already!
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I called AT&T, and spoke with a rep there. They said it doesn't matter whether your IMEI is in their system or not, you will get a $30/month data plan on any smartphone you stick your SIM card into, which totally stinks because I love smartphones but don't want a data plan.
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is that true that having a fan accont will offset the thirty dollar data charge?
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It could help it all depends on the % that you have. It might not cover all of it but at least some of it.
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Oh the way it was posted it seemed that you didnt have to have it...but you are saying that the discount itself takes some of the hit on the data charge of thirty bucks...thx
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Actoully I believe that discount only applies to the voice plan part of the pricing.
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The only options I can think of at the top of my head... is
iTouch + Phone (2 devices... but no requirement for $30 a month)
or
http://www.google.com/products?q=750p+GSM&hl=en&cat= ... »
get an out of production phone that doesn't require data. Palm Treo 750 for example. PDA + Phone + no data requirement.
Anything new, with anything close to respectable options is going to require data. Phones are assumed to have it, so some phones won't turn on without data. Android for example won't work without being able to connect to google.
iTouch + Phone (2 devices... but no requirement for $30 a month)
or
http://www.google.com/products?q=750p+GSM&hl=en&cat= ... »
get an out of production phone that doesn't require data. Palm Treo 750 for example. PDA + Phone + no data requirement.
Anything new, with anything close to respectable options is going to require data. Phones are assumed to have it, so some phones won't turn on without data. Android for example won't work without being able to connect to google.
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I thought AT&T's data requirements on smartphones was on any smartphone activated by a new customer after a certain date.
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http://www.businessweek.com/the_thread/techbeat/arch ... »
I thought so. I think you have AT&T's data requirement confused with Verizon's (for smartphones). With Verizon it was smartphones they began selling after November 14, 2008.
http://www.phonearena.com/htmls/Verizon-to-require-3 ... »
I'd hate for this poster to go out and buy a phone off Ebay and become angry when he learned that he cannot activate the phone without a data plan.
I thought so. I think you have AT&T's data requirement confused with Verizon's (for smartphones). With Verizon it was smartphones they began selling after November 14, 2008.
http://www.phonearena.com/htmls/Verizon-to-require-3 ... »
I'd hate for this poster to go out and buy a phone off Ebay and become angry when he learned that he cannot activate the phone without a data plan.
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Good call... I know I had the 750 without a data plan, but that was awhile ago.
I was sure that AT&T was selling Centro's without a data plan requirement, and the Centro is somewhere in the same ballpark as the 750.
I was sure that AT&T was selling Centro's without a data plan requirement, and the Centro is somewhere in the same ballpark as the 750.
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Also... I just realized...
that these phones were made before data was assumed. So if you active an AT&T plan, the just plop the SIM in there - AT&T should never know the difference.
You *CAN* use the internet, I've done it before on my 650/750. BUT it's not something the phone normally uses.
Verizon could force the fee becuase ou have to activate via IMEI. Oh... that IMEI is a smart phone BAM data fee.
AT&T? SIM card activate on a $10 phone... sim put in $500 phone... AT&T never knows the difference.
Kriis
that these phones were made before data was assumed. So if you active an AT&T plan, the just plop the SIM in there - AT&T should never know the difference.
You *CAN* use the internet, I've done it before on my 650/750. BUT it's not something the phone normally uses.
Verizon could force the fee becuase ou have to activate via IMEI. Oh... that IMEI is a smart phone BAM data fee.
AT&T? SIM card activate on a $10 phone... sim put in $500 phone... AT&T never knows the difference.
Kriis
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ATT does know the difference. I had a Blackberry 8310 on my account and started using an Iphone. Whenever I called into customer care the system asked if I wanted to talk to the Apple support team. I never updated the IMEI to the Iphone.
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lol and again...
after reading alot of these posts and then reading the VZ post above: it seems that smartphones released PRIOR to 11/14/2008 are able to be activated without data plan.
Found nothing firm about AT&T, but I assume they are in a similar situation. Phones released before their 'Smart phones required data' should be safe to activate.
But all of these questions do beg me to say tread softly.
after reading alot of these posts and then reading the VZ post above: it seems that smartphones released PRIOR to 11/14/2008 are able to be activated without data plan.
Found nothing firm about AT&T, but I assume they are in a similar situation. Phones released before their 'Smart phones required data' should be safe to activate.
But all of these questions do beg me to say tread softly.
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No. AT&T's policy is NOT as VZW's. Did you not read the article? New subscribers on AT&T after Sep 6, 2008 are required to subscribe to a data plan whereas on Verizon they locked the data requirement (for smartphones) to phones released after November 4, 2008.
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The Nokia E75 has a slide-out qwerty keycoard, note taking application, wifi, +plus+ it isn't carried by AT&T, so you shouldn't have to worry about them checking your IMEI and forcing something on to your account that you don't
want/need.
http://www.amazon.com/Nokia-Unlocked-MicroSD-Card-U- ... »
want/need.
http://www.amazon.com/Nokia-Unlocked-MicroSD-Card-U- ... »
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I don't know much about Symbian OS phones...
are they friendly to operation without Data?
Are they similar to Palm/MS in that certain versionas are friendly to no data, while newer versions assume data? If so, what other Symbian phones might work?
I'd still go with a PalmOS or WinMO device becuase I've always thought they were more popular, thus they would have had more software avail to get (even if harder to find now that they are out of style). I know I could find good application resources for Treo/Centro's... can the same be said for symbian phone? I really don't know.
are they friendly to operation without Data?
Are they similar to Palm/MS in that certain versionas are friendly to no data, while newer versions assume data? If so, what other Symbian phones might work?
I'd still go with a PalmOS or WinMO device becuase I've always thought they were more popular, thus they would have had more software avail to get (even if harder to find now that they are out of style). I know I could find good application resources for Treo/Centro's... can the same be said for symbian phone? I really don't know.
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World wide Symbian is the most popular software, hands down. There is supposed to be and app store soon too I believe.
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Yes, there is the Nokia OVI store, but that requires a data connection because they push software directly to your phone, as far as I know. I signed up for an OVI store account, and then discovered I couldn't do anything with it because they don't let you download apps to your computer first. Unless they make some changes at the OVI store, they will be useless to anyone who doesn't have a data plan. It is better, in that situation, to just do a Google search for other software sources that let you download to the computer first, then use the Application manager in PC Suite to complete the installation on your phone.
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Symbian S60 does not require data in order for the phone to operate. I have owned two Symbian smartphones so far, one with S80 v2 and the latest with S60 v3, and neither requires a data connection to operate.
The Nokia E75 has a good rating on here, but very low volume of reviews. Not many people have owned this device apparently, but I have looked at it and it appears to be fairly decent. Read the reviews before trying to buy one, just to make sure that people didn't report anything that would kill the deal for you. But, if I had the money, I think I would buy one. I happen to be a fan of Symbian, so I'm a little biased.
You can find software for S60 all over the internet, all you have to do is a Google search.
The Nokia E75 has a good rating on here, but very low volume of reviews. Not many people have owned this device apparently, but I have looked at it and it appears to be fairly decent. Read the reviews before trying to buy one, just to make sure that people didn't report anything that would kill the deal for you. But, if I had the money, I think I would buy one. I happen to be a fan of Symbian, so I'm a little biased.
You can find software for S60 all over the internet, all you have to do is a Google search.
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