TexasCHLforum.com

Your a bit late....by about two Months!
He already has his phone!

jmra wrote: I was under the impression that none of the iPhones were 4g. If I remember correctly apple said that 4g would have been a complete redesign that was too expensive at the time they released the Verizon model. They suggested a future model might be 4g.
http://articles.cnn.com/2011-01-11/tech ... _s=PM:TECH

I believe you are correct.
"4G" is a marketing acronym they like to throw around pretty loosely. It is a valid signal change, but it is only available in select large Urban areas. I assume it is available in DFW, but as you say, the iPhone4 does not have this capability.

If your contract says unlimited (in writing - check it) then I would guess they should honor it and the removal of the unlimited sometime this summer would affect only new customers after that time.

But the problem with Cell Phone Providers is they can do just about anything they want to you at anytime.

I put it akin to Organized Crime (Mafia) and Insurance Companies!

carlson1 wrote:I have Verizon and just called customer service and they say that my plan is unlimited.

So I retract my earlier statement. You folks had me sweating a little.

Might want to get that in writing Carl!

From CNET - Mar 2011:
"Verizon's "darling" status with iPhone users may quickly be coming to an end as a new report from Bloomberg cites Verizon's Chief Financial Officer Fran Shammo saying unlimited data plans will no longer be available from the new iPhone carrier.

Current switchers can grab the $30 per month unlimited data plan for their iPhone 4, but that could all change shortly. The offering, which Shammo said was "not a long-term solution," was likely just a marketing tool to entice the first wave of iPhone users to jump from AT&T, which currently does not offer an unlimited data plan.

Some users may see this as a "bait and switch" by Verizon, though considering the smartphone landscape, offering an unlimited data plan does not seem to maximize profits. Verizon will be switching to a tiered structure, much like the one that AT&T offers (currently $15 for 250Mb or $30 for 2Gb).

"We see the potential of our customer base spending in that $30 to $50 range," Shammo said. "As smartphone prices come down, more people will be able to afford them. We have to get those customers a sufficient entry point. We're still wrestling with what that entry point is."

Translation: the money is in the data.

Reuters and the Wall Street Journal have follow-up reports stating that Verizon's new pricing will take place in the middle of the summer, likely corresponding with Apple's release of the iPhone 5.

"We will probably do that in the mid-summer time frame," said Shammo, adding that initially Verizon, "didn't want to put up a barrier" for new customers hoping to find a better network."

If you are on AT&T, you have the 200mb (VERY LITTLE) data plan.
I do not know what the minimum data plan is for Verizon.

Data is anything that you do via the internet on the iPhone, ANYTHING!

It is a VERY DANGEROUS plan!
200mb is practically no more than using LIMITED email with no attachments.
The iPhone actually uses some data on it's own without your knowledge! It uses some data every night for some unknown reason that AT&T will not explain.

Anything over 200mb at the end of your Monthly Billing Cycle you will be charged additional money, and it's not cheap!

I kinda think you are on Verizon because you said you had the 16gb model phone with 4G. You should get their account usage application and keep up with your data used DAILY! DO NOT go over your plan limit or you will pay thru the nose!

If I were you, limited in knowledge about internet, data consumption, etc., I would be running back to turn in the phone and drop the contract. You are exactly they type of person they like to get their hooks into.

Sorry to have to be the one to tell you this Carl.

Which brings up a point......
What did you end up getting Carl?
16 or 32?

And, have you figured it all out yet?
Do you see it as a "necessity" over a regular Cell phone?
And, how do you like the price of use?

All the large cell carriers offer usb modems for you to use the cell service with your home computer or laptop. You can get a data card (usb modem) that you can run from a single computer or instead of putting it into a single computer and using the provider's connection software, you just put it into a wireless router (like a cradlepoint) and no connection software is needed.

Then multiple computers in your household can share the one data card thru the router (including wireless printers).

The problem usually is that when you are as rural as I am, you may not have cell coverage. If you do have cell coverage, it may be only EDGE (2G).

EDGE is still better than dial-up, but a bit slower than satellite. My closest tower is 1.4mi from me and it was EDGE when I went to cellular. I complained to AT&T Management (Corp) for over a year to get them to upgrade the tower to 3G. I am in a area near lake Texoma and a lot of people are in this area and AT&T customers. I used that as leverage to get AT&T to upgrade this tower.

I said I was talking to Management and I was. I researched the Tower thru FCC and found the responsible person in AT&T for the licensing of that tower. I contacted her and she put me onto the tower manager responsible for upgrades. He strung me along for about 8 months and eventually he left the position. I contacted the new tower manager and he got onto it (as it was scheduled but no equip available). He got the equipment ordered and installed and now I have 3G since last Jan.

RottenApple wrote: Just curious, but do you not have a better option for internet in your area?

No better option other than Satellite, which I had before for 5 years! Got tired of the lags and the FAP (Fair Access Policy) and dumped Hughesnet.

Now........

Carl, has this thread helped you decide on the 16gb or the 32gb model and are you going to take the plunge?

MY Private Wi-Fi (data card in wireless router) is used to connect to AT&T 3G which connects my computer to iTunes which has my iPhone connected to sync and update.

Data thru my data card in my wireless router is being charged for the update of my iPhone. And also for updates to my iTunes software as well.

For me, who lives in a rural area, I have the iPhone for convenience. I also have a data card from AT&T in a wireless router for my wireless network for computer, printer, etc......

Using my "Wi-fi" to update my iPhone is a waste of my money as far as I am concerned.

Stopping at McDonald's to update to the Cloud over their Wi-Fi is not acceptable to me.

I've enjoyed the iPhone. It is a really neat phone. But, when my contract ends I will be going back to a regular Cell phone (voice only).

That cloud update/sync would be a good thing,.....Maybe!
With iPhone OS updates every other month, you may go over your data plan just to update your phone. Then you can pay overages!

I have the 2gb plan and have only once got close to reaching it. My point being I pay for that data and when not used it is not rolled over.

Also, the cost of purchase and use!
Does anyone have the 200mg plan? I doubt it. That would be pretty useless.

Why do we have an overpriced voice contract that allows rollover unused minutes but with the add on of the data plan the price goes up and unused data (that you pay for) is not rolled over?

Get all the bells and whistles and the price you are paying is close to the monthly payment of a economy car!

My point is that wireless service (Voice & Data) on a neat super phone like the iPhone 4 is way overpriced!

I have one. The 16gb version is plenty for you if you are not going to download and save a lot of movies & such. That's what the gb's are for, storage, not memory like a computer.

I can tell you that you are not going to be doing that anyway because of the data cap of a max of 2gb per month with "AT&Thief".

I can also tell you it is not worth the money to buy for your stated purposes and the contract service costs is too expensive for the limited amount of data (use that you will get out of it per month). The newness wears off after a couple of months and you have learned everything you can do.

Wireless phone companies are out of control with their service prices and plans. It really makes me mad that we put up with this! Worse than the Govt!

iTunes is a LOAD! And you cannot have an iPhone without using iTunes to load/update it.

My advice to you is to keep your blackberry.