Need to choose new cell phone(s) quick, not sure what to get

Tybee

Tybee

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Hey guys,

My wife and I are on AT&T and have been using Motorola v400s for about 5 years now. They've slowly been dying over the last year or so, with the earpiece in mine not working 60% of the time (forcing me to use the speaker mode to communicate) and hers not taking a charge consistently. Tonight, hers officially bit the dust. We do not have a home phone, so it's really crucial that we get new phones no later than this weekend.

We are both smitten with the iPhone, but it is my understanding that the minimum monthly plan is $60, and even that is pretty limited. $120 a month is a pretty major monthly expense (and highway robbery, if you ask me). I'm a Mac guy (Use a Mac Book Pro at home and a Mac Pro at work), so I feel like I would get a good amount of use out of it, but it's really hard to justify paying that much a month (right now we're paying ~$30 apiece under a family plan we share with my folks). Really, the upfront expense is not a major concern for us so much as the monthly rate.

I'm really not educated as to what else is out there. Just looking briefly, I like the look of the MOTORAZR2 V9. My wife wants something sturdy, as she's in the bad habit of dropping her phone every so often (though a good case should help mitigate that regardless of what we get). For this reason, she also leans toward flip phones.

Any suggestions or help would be much appreciated!!!
 
[quote name='ph33r m3']Sprint SERO is your friend...[/quote]

I should mention that we'd like to stay with AT&T if possible.
 
I believe the cheapest iPhone plan, if you want data, is actually $70, and that doesn't include any text messages. $40 for 300 minutes and $30 for data. You then have to add on more charges if you'd like texts.
 
[quote name='Rocko']I believe the cheapest iPhone plan, if you want data, is actually $70, and that doesn't include any text messages. $40 for 300 minutes and $30 for data. You then have to add on more charges if you'd like texts.[/quote]

Jesus. I love Apple, and like I said, I've been very happy with our AT&T service, but that is just anal rape.
 
If you and your wife are on a family plan, you can add the second line for the regular $10 and not have to pay for any more minutes, just the data and texts if you desire.
 
I'm just putting this out there but the iPhone literally will change the way you look at a phone. Once you go i you never go back.
 
[quote name='Renegade_Zero']If you and your wife are on a family plan, you can add the second line for the regular $10 and not have to pay for any more minutes, just the data and texts if you desire.[/quote]

Wait, so one of us would pay $40, then $10 for the second line, and $30 for data on each? Hmmm...That's $110....A little better, I guess.
 
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[quote name='Tybee']Wait, so one of us would pay $40, then $10 for the second line, and $30 for data on each? Hmmm...That's $110....A little better, I guess.[/quote]

That would be a regular family plan, and those start at like sixty or seventy dollars, and I guess you would add data to it. The iphone is fine if you need a smartphone, make sure you have 3G in your area or else it's not worth it. Phones nowadays are pretty durable, at least LGs, the past three or four phones I have had are LGs and I drop them a lot, once even in water and they all still worked great.

I need a new phone too, looking at the Razr2, but everybody I know who has own a Razr hates the damn thing. I'm thinking about maybe the w580i unless a newer SE walkman phone comes out with ATT. Might just buy an unlocked phone so I don't have to have a two year contract, I hate that you still need to have a contract even if you don't get one of their phones.
 
I'm not sure what phone to get (I'm boring, I actually just take whatever the free phone is they'll give me, unless the $10 phone seems better).

That being said, if your unsure of the IPhone, I'd consider waiting. These are popular, I've got to think that, at some point, they are going to get affordable (or they'll be a rip off phone that is much cheaper and almost as good). I'd get new phones now, wait maybe 2 years, and see where they are at. They won't be more expensive.
 
[quote name='Rocko']I believe the cheapest iPhone plan, if you want data, is actually $70, and that doesn't include any text messages. $40 for 300 minutes and $30 for data. You then have to add on more charges if you'd like texts.[/QUOTE]
IIRC its an extra $20 for text, so you fully get use out of the iPhone it comes out to $90 a month. That before taxes too.
 
The cheapest Iphone plan is $70 a month.

It includes:

Unlimited Data
450 anytime minutes w/ rollover
5000 nights and weekend minutes


The available text packages are:

200 texts for $5/month
1500 texts for $15/month
Unlimited texts for $20/month
 
the iphone family plan with 700 minutes and data is $120/month for 2 phones.
its actually cheaper than a family plan with the req data plans on 2 blackberrys ($134)

im heading down to the att store this afternoon. if they actually have iphones im buying them.
i currently pay less than half that a month, but both my wife and i want smart phones/blackberrys and with the data plans its not pssible to pay less than that. i do get a 18% discount as a service memeber so that helps. its still really expensive.
 
[quote name='Rocko']Damn, they even limit night and weekend minutes?[/quote]


On the cheapest plan? Yes


That equals ~83 hours of N&W




FYI paz:

Any Corporate discounts only apply to the VOICE portion of a bill on the Iphone, NOT data
 
[quote name='Tybee']Wait, so one of us would pay $40, then $10 for the second line, and $30 for data on each? Hmmm...That's $110....A little better, I guess.[/quote]

I pay 95 for a regular phone just to have the 900 minutes i need... I'd take two iPhones at 110 a month any day of the week
 
hmm well thats gonna piss me off. if thats the case the blacvkberries are a done deal.
ill see what happens and report back.

[quote name='manthing']On the cheapest plan? Yes


That equals ~83 hours of N&W




FYI paz:

Any Corporate discounts only apply to the VOICE portion of a bill on the Iphone, NOT data[/QUOTE]
 
[quote name='CouRageouS']IIRC its an extra $20 for text, so you fully get use out of the iPhone it comes out to $90 a month. That before taxes too.[/quote]

It's quite possible we would use texting more with the iPhone, but considering my wife and I have sent maybe 25 text messages combined in the entire time we've been using cell phones, it's not exactly a priority for us.
 
If you are still thinking of the V9 I use one. The battery life can be pretty crappy, but the build quality of the handset is awesome. I charge it every day or so for around 30 minutes.
 
well i bought an iphone and my wife bought a blackberry. she got hers mine will be delivered in a few days. the $30 data portion of the iphone cannot be discounted. im alright with that. im very impressed with the blackberry though. nice display solid keyboard. ergos are nice. build is very nice camera is even solid and has a flash. my iphone better blow me away or it might get returned for another blackberry.
 
After a weekend of looking around and thinking about it, my wife and I decided we really wanted iPhones and the rate premium was worth it to us. We've been using the same phones for over 5 years and ran them til they died, so we've earned something nice.

On Sunday, we went to one of the local Apple stores (that's something I learned in this process: The last time I checked, there was only one Apple store in Atlanta....Now there are four) and got in the iPhone line. That video someone posted earlier was eerily accurate: Even though there was a diverse mix of people in our line -- hipsters, couples with kids, nerds, fashion plates, women, men, black, white, asian, hispanic, young old -- we were all subject to abusive or dismissive comments from people walking by the line. WTF? It was especially galling when it came from some brainless bitch loaded down with Saks and Abercrombie bags: Who the fuck are you to be casting aspersions?

Anyway, as it turned out, we were eligible for the upgrade pricing, but the plan we are on with my folks made it impossible for us to upgrade our phone there (we were in line for about an hour before we figured this out). They suggested we go to the AT&T store nearby, which we did. Not a total waste of time, because it helped us decide what color each of us want (white in both cases) and we ran into an old friend right after we got out of line heading in to have his MacBook repaired.

Waited another 30 mins or so at the AT&T store, but when we finally got called by the rep, he was really nice and helpful. They informed us the minute we walked in the store that they had no iPhones in-house and we'd be waiting 7-10 days for direct delivery, but we knew that. But that was followed by great news, as we learned that my mom's small business discounted/family plan means our phone service is only $10 for each of us (unlimited night and weekend, and more anytime minutes than we'll ever use since most of the people we talk to are on AT&T), plus the $30 each for data and whatever text plan we decide on. So a lot less than we were thinking.

So a bit of hassle, but good news all in all. Can't wait til our phones come! The rep said the white 16 gig (both the 16 gigs, actually) are in much less demand than the 8 gig, so our phones should be here sooner rather than later. In the meantime we're going to swing by Walmart or Target to pick up a super cheap temp phone to put my wife's sim card in so she has something to use.

Now I just hope we don't have to fly to Indiana for my cancer treatment before our phones come. That would suck.
 
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