FATASH
  • FATASH
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Monday, May 23, 2011 10:08:06 AM
I am in the marked for a new cell phone and I was thinking about getting the IP 4g.

I was wondering how much it would cost a month for phone service, texting, and data.

Att is my cell phone provider. I am still a noob when it come's to new cell phone technology.

If anyone has one please let me know the pro's and con's of this device.

Thanks

Fat

DrafterX
Monday, May 23, 2011 10:12:30 AM
I don't have an IPhone but try calling Toll Free: 1-800-830-4590...

they should be able to help... 😟

edsbar60
Monday, May 23, 2011 11:36:13 AM

I am in the marked for a new cell phone and I was thinking about getting the IP 4g.

I was wondering how much it would cost a month for phone service, texting, and data.

Att is my cell phone provider. I am still a noob when it come's to new cell phone technology.

If anyone has one please let me know the pro's and con's of this device.

Thanks

Fat

FATASH wrote:

I have an iPhone 4 and I love it. But it's a love it or hate kinda thing. First, it's not a 4g, it's the iPhone 4 on the 3g network so don't think it will be faster than any other smartphone for Internet. But I have no complaints about the 3g speeds either. The hardware in the phone does not support 4G either. You might want to wait and see if the iPhone 5 supports 4G as I'm sure it will.

The biggest downfall is that ATT has a 2GB limit on their data plan($25/mo) vs. unlimited which is what most of the competitors have. But that's not a con of the device just of ATT.

The only con I have against Apple is the crappy iTunes program I have to use to sync my phone. It's old and slow and just plain horrible on a Windows PC. I don't know if it's any better on a Mac.

I think the best thing is that I never have any problems with it and there are literally over 100,000 apps to choose from.

mceod
Monday, May 23, 2011 11:45:45 AM
I also have the IP4 on AT&T's network. The 3G is plenty fast enough for me.

I thought the 2GB limit would be a downfall too, but it really isn't. I've tried to go over limit on internet usage and was only able to get about 1.5 GB used. That was streaming several videos off Netflix, video chatting on Skype, and constantly surfing the interwebs.

I'm a fan of iTunes myself. I also use a Mac though. I never had an iPhone while I was using a PC so I can't really elaborate on that asspect.

As far as price goes, the wife and I are on a family plan with 2 iPhones. We share 1400 min (with rollover, free calls to other AT&T customers, and a free calls to any 10 numbers we chose), unlimited messages, and 2GB of of data each, for about $160 a month. Not to shabby considering we were paying almost that for phones that did alot less before we switched.

The biggest pro for me is the device really is all-in-one. There are very few things my phone can not do. Sure there are phones with bigger screens and faster processers, but the Apple OS is argueably the easiest to operate.

Just my $.02, YMMV.

jessicas@cigarbid
Monday, May 23, 2011 11:51:31 AM
My husband has the iPhone 3Gs. We pay $15 a month for the 200 mb data plan and also $30 a month for the family messaging. That is in addition to our family plan fee which is like $79.99.

The only way both of us get away with the 200 mb plan is we run off the wifi at home or any place else we visit that has wifi access.

jackconrad
Monday, May 23, 2011 12:37:54 PM
I have had an IPhone for almost 3 years with ATT service. I also have a regular phone. There is almost always a way to get a discount on the monthly plan thru who you work for or orginizations you belong to but they won't bring it up unless you do.

First off it is a great device but not without faults, ie get to close to the sensor and it turns the screen black, plus its kinda big for a phone.Additionally 3G thru ATT seems slow as mud to me so when you can get WIFI as Jessie said do it !I have Unlimted Data and 1400 minutes a month and get an 18 % discount thru my Starwood Timeshare owners association. I had unlimited text messaging removed because i am not a text messaging fan. My bill is 109 a month for both of my phones + tax and additional charges like Phone no look up (2.00) and if i get over 10 free text messages additional ones are 10 cents. Verizon has a much stronger signal but will charge you more and they are Pricks..

I am looking a maybye just upgrading or buying a Clear Hot Spot and a tablet computer with a newer phone. Best feature on the IPHONE is you can charge it while USB ing to your computer and it downloads you Pics (Very Good Camera)..

I would say if you don't expect perfection it's the best smart phone out there..But Beware ATT will not service Apple Phones and APPLe is a Pain to deal with if you don't have time to make an appointment in their stores. I literally had to stand in the store and say Apple service sucks to the prospective customers until they would give me a number to call that would rectify the problem i had with my phone the 2nd day after i bought it..

It was a memorable event..

jessicas@cigarbid
Monday, May 23, 2011 12:46:54 PM
Yeah, I love being able to connect to the wifi. The lady at the store kept trying to sell me the higher data plan and it wasn't until I got a little nasty with her, that she agreed to the 200 mb for me. I check my data usage all the time and make my hubby check his. Never once have I gotten close to the 200 mb a month. Free wifi rocks!

I do get a little jealous over some of the apps Eric can get on his iPhone that I can't, but I hate that everything is touchscreen on it. I gotta have the ability to use a regular keyboard.

gimbel
Monday, May 23, 2011 3:49:52 PM
Been on Verizon for over 11yrs. I've only played with the iPhone a bit, but it was easy enough to unlock and jailbreak. Have 3 phones, 2 smart phones including a Droid, and one old flip phone that is only on to avoid the cancellation fee. I pay about $165/mo for 1400 shared mins, unlimited text/pix messages and unlimited data on the smart phones. I also use my Droid as a tethered modem for my netbook when I'm away from home. Normally the tethered data is an extra expense with Verizon, but free when you use the PDAnet app.
FATASH
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Monday, May 23, 2011 7:22:36 PM

My husband has the iPhone 3Gs. We pay $15 a month for the 200 mb data plan and also $30 a month for the family messaging. That is in addition to our family plan fee which is like $79.99.

The only way both of us get away with the 200 mb plan is we run off the wifi at home or any place else we visit that has wifi access.

jessicas@cigarbid wrote:

So you can get wireless access from you home network, Interesting. I bet that saves a lot for data usage.

FATASH
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Monday, May 23, 2011 7:31:02 PM

Yeah, I love being able to connect to the wifi. The lady at the store kept trying to sell me the higher data plan and it wasn't until I got a little nasty with her, that she agreed to the 200 mb for me. I check my data usage all the time and make my hubby check his. Never once have I gotten close to the 200 mb a month. Free wifi rocks!

I do get a little jealous over some of the apps Eric can get on his iPhone that I can't, but I hate that everything is touchscreen on it. I gotta have the ability to use a regular keyboard.

jessicas@cigarbid wrote:

I take that 200 mb with wifi is the way to go. Can you go to a Star bu c ks and use their free wifi.

I guess if their is a free wifi hot spot and you have the code you can connect without using data mb.

That rocks.

FATASH
  • FATASH
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Monday, May 23, 2011 7:37:57 PM

I have had an IPhone for almost 3 years with ATT service. I also have a regular phone. There is almost always a way to get a discount on the monthly plan thru who you work for or orginizations you belong to but they won't bring it up unless you do.

First off it is a great device but not without faults, ie get to close to the sensor and it turns the screen black, plus its kinda big for a phone.Additionally 3G thru ATT seems slow as mud to me so when you can get WIFI as Jessie said do it !I have Unlimted Data and 1400 minutes a month and get an 18 % discount thru my Starwood Timeshare owners association. I had unlimited text messaging removed because i am not a text messaging fan. My bill is 109 a month for both of my phones + tax and additional charges like Phone no look up (2.00) and if i get over 10 free text messages additional ones are 10 cents. Verizon has a much stronger signal but will charge you more and they are Pricks..

I am looking a maybye just upgrading or buying a Clear Hot Spot and a tablet computer with a newer phone. Best feature on the IPHONE is you can charge it while USB ing to your computer and it downloads you Pics (Very Good Camera)..

I would say if you don't expect perfection it's the best smart phone out there..But Beware ATT will not service Apple Phones and APPLe is a Pain to deal with if you don't have time to make an appointment in their stores. I literally had to stand in the store and say Apple service sucks to the prospective customers until they would give me a number to call that would rectify the problem i had with my phone the 2nd day after i bought it..

It was a memorable event..

jackconrad wrote:

Charging the phone through the usb sound good almost like an ipod.

With the phone being fully charged how many hours can you use your device?

Do they have car chargers?

FATASH
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Monday, May 23, 2011 7:40:50 PM

I also have the IP4 on AT&T's network. The 3G is plenty fast enough for me.

I thought the 2GB limit would be a downfall too, but it really isn't. I've tried to go over limit on internet usage and was only able to get about 1.5 GB used. That was streaming several videos off Netflix, video chatting on Skype, and constantly surfing the interwebs.

I'm a fan of iTunes myself. I also use a Mac though. I never had an iPhone while I was using a PC so I can't really elaborate on that asspect.

As far as price goes, the wife and I are on a family plan with 2 iPhones. We share 1400 min (with rollover, free calls to other AT&T customers, and a free calls to any 10 numbers we chose), unlimited messages, and 2GB of of data each, for about $160 a month. Not to shabby considering we were paying almost that for phones that did alot less before we switched.

The biggest pro for me is the device really is all-in-one. There are very few things my phone can not do. Sure there are phones with bigger screens and faster processers, but the Apple OS is argueably the easiest to operate.

Just my $.02, YMMV.

mceod wrote:

Nice to know that you can watch netflix and streaming video.

FATASH
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Monday, May 23, 2011 7:44:49 PM
With access to just about everything with the iphone, do you need any anti virus software?

Or is the Mac OS more stable then the window os.

edsbar60
Monday, May 23, 2011 11:16:32 PM

With access to just about everything with the iphone, do you need any anti virus software?

Or is the Mac OS more stable then the window os.

FATASH wrote:

I've had iPhones for 3 years now and have never had to worry about viruses. That's not to say it won't happen but I think the chances are slim with an iphone.

If you have an iphone compatible car stereo then it can charge the phone while you listen to music or even use a GPS app(which is about an 8 on the cool factor if you use GPS). And yes they also have car chargers too.

Some other features and apps that I like:

Tape measure using sonar up to 10 ft.

Dish Network - set DVR from anywhere

Apple TV app - use iphone as a remote

MPR remote - use iphone as a remote for watching videos on PC

Netflix app - Yes, you can watch movies on your phone. Although I hardly ever do.

Pandora Radio - that's just a cool app for any smartphone

VLC - control your pc by remote

iTreadmill - If you walk a lot at work, like I do, then you can measure how much you walk per day

Banking - Chase bank app lets you take pics of any checks and deposit it from your phone.

I also jailbroke my phone and use the TetherMe app to make my phone a hotspot for the Internet for my laptop anywhere that doesn't have Wifi. Just watch your data limit. Hit *3282# for ATT and it will text you how much data you've used for the month so far.

And as for it being to big, compared to some of the Android phones out there it really isn't that big. I don't find it a hindrance in my front pocket. Just don't put it in the same pocket as your keys so it doesn't get scratched up.

edsbar60
Monday, May 23, 2011 11:21:29 PM
As far as how long you can use it on a single charge depends on how much you use it and how you use it. If you use the Internet or Pandora excessively then it will drain in about 3 hours. If you only use it for talking and listening to music from your ipod library then it can last a whole day or longer. 3G consumes a lot of battery power, so any app that uses data or Internet access will drain it faster.

I use it work frequently for Internet access since we just moved and haven't gotten Internet or network access yet and I constantly have to recharge around 2pm. But I'd say I'm on the extreme side of Internet usage.

FATASH
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Tuesday, May 24, 2011 12:33:58 AM
Thanks for all the good info. I think this device will work for me. I surf the net, check email, watch netflix, I can use wifi hot spots as well as my own home wireless network.

Thanks to all that posted on this thread. I found all this info very helpful..

teedubbya
Tuesday, May 24, 2011 12:47:37 AM

As far as how long you can use it on a single charge depends on how much you use it and how you use it. If you use the Internet or Pandora excessively then it will drain in about 3 hours. If you only use it for talking and listening to music from your ipod library then it can last a whole day or longer. 3G consumes a lot of battery power, so any app that uses data or Internet access will drain it faster.

I use it work frequently for Internet access since we just moved and haven't gotten Internet or network access yet and I constantly have to recharge around 2pm. But I'd say I'm on the extreme side of Internet usage.

edsbar60 wrote:

3 hours? I've been using wifi all day and have about 13% left. Seriously you may want to have them look at that, or you have something else draining power. GPS is the only thing that does that to mine.

jessicas@cigarbid
Tuesday, May 24, 2011 7:19:29 AM

I take that 200 mb with wifi is the way to go. Can you go to a Star bu c ks and use their free wifi.

I guess if their is a free wifi hot spot and you have the code you can connect without using data mb.

That rocks.

FATASH wrote:

Yes, the only way we can both get away with the 200 mb plan is to use the wifi at home from our wireless modem. Most places do not require you to enter any sort of password, I just do a wifi search (if they advertise free wifi), then connect to their service. It's nice, especially when I was at the hospital for over 2 hours this past Friday. They have free wireless throughout their buildings, so while I waited to get tests done, I could at least entertain myself!

A lot of places are offering free wifi now, which is great.

edsbar60
Tuesday, May 24, 2011 10:31:06 AM

3 hours? I've been using wifi all day and have about 13% left. Seriously you may want to have them look at that, or you have something else draining power. GPS is the only thing that does that to mine.

teedubbya wrote:

Wifi will not drain the battery as fast as 3g. Try surfing on 3g only for a day consistently and see how long your battery lasts. It will be about the same as GPS.

jessicas@cigarbid
Tuesday, May 24, 2011 11:34:02 AM

Wifi will not drain the battery as fast as 3g. Try surfing on 3g only for a day consistently and see how long your battery lasts. It will be about the same as GPS.

edsbar60 wrote:

I agree!