A question for down the future...

[MNTNBKR]

OK, I'll probably get flamed for asking this, but it's a bit of a different scenario than is usually being asked about, so here goes:

I'm perfectly happy paying the $30 for the data plan for the 2 year term of my contract. After the term is up, I can see myself upgrading to a new phone and giving my Droid to my wife. While I understand that the Droid is a data-centric phone, my wife has absolutely NO USE for anything besides the phone functionality (she's a S.A.H.M.).

My question is; will I have to continue to pay for the data package at that point, and why? I assume that I will have to, per Verizon's terms, but I would think that if the phone is out of contract, then the data plan shouldn't be a requirement? Like I mentioned above, I realize that the Droid is data-centric, but data is not a necessity for simply making/receiving calls.

I'm only asking right now because the answer may help to determine which (if any) phone we get for her in the next month or so when her NE2 is up.

 

[liquidzoo]

Yes, you will. The Droid is classified by VZW as a Smart Phone and thus you will need to have the $29.99 data plan on your account.

 

[RinTinTigger]

Hey,

one thing i learned so far from buying a lot of phones is:
sit down and WRITE DOWN what you really actually do with the phone.
Then take that list to your provider and ask him for advise.

Well on your scenario, if your girls doesnt use ANY data connections, why pay it then.
Use the phone just for calls and SMS. But i see some problems there. the contacts
and the calendar. Both is synched via Dataconnection. So she would have to do that via WiFi,
and then this should work!

Tigger

 

[Sam]

yeah tigger is right, BUT so is liquidzoo.. it COULD work, but verizon WILL make you pay for the data plan anyway..

 

[MNTNBKR]

Yes, you will. The Droid is classified by VZW as a Smart Phone and thus you will need to have the $29.99 data plan on your account.

I understand the classification as a Smart Phone (I read the terms of my contract), however my question is regarding the "out of contract" requirements. Do you know for a fact that the "out of contract" requirements are the same as the "in contract" requirements?

Hey,

one thing i learned so far from buying a lot of phones is:
sit down and WRITE DOWN what you really actually do with the phone.
Then take that list to your provider and ask him for advise.

Well on your scenario, if your girls doesnt use ANY data connections, why pay it then.
Use the phone just for calls and SMS. But i see some problems there. the contacts
and the calendar. Both is synched via Dataconnection. So she would have to do that via WiFi,
and then this should work!

Tigger

That's my plan exactly, however if I have to pay for data just to activate the phone, it won't be worth it.

 

[RinTinTigger]

Hey,

one thing i learned so far from buying a lot of phones is:
sit down and WRITE DOWN what you really actually do with the phone.
Then take that list to your provider and ask him for advise.

Well on your scenario, if your girls doesnt use ANY data connections, why pay it then.
Use the phone just for calls and SMS. But i see some problems there. the contacts
and the calendar. Both is synched via Dataconnection. So she would have to do that via WiFi,
and then this should work!

Tigger

That's my plan exactly, however if I have to pay for data just to activate the phone, it won't be worth it.

I dont think you have to. a simple prepaid SIM would give you the test.
But, as SAM mentioned...maybe Verzon branded the OS to force it to use data plan. then just sell it and get another Phone!

 

[Speeding Wheels]

VZW changes its requirements at least twice a year... so we really have no clue what they'll demand 2 years from now.

That being said, I'm sure by the time we all upgrade our Droids a company like MetroPCS or one of the others out there will have some sort of "everything" plan and the wonderful hackers will have figured out a way to flash the Droid to that network.

Problem solved

 

[MNTNBKR]

VZW changes its requirements at least twice a year... so we really have no clue what they'll demand 2 years from now.

That being said, I'm sure by the time we all upgrade our Droids a company like MetroPCS or one of the others out there will have some sort of "everything" plan and the wonderful hackers will have figured out a way to flash the Droid to that network.

Problem solved

Good point...whether it is or isn't possible RIGHT NOW means virtually squat two years from now.

Ah well... I guess I'll just get her a cheap dumb phone for her NE2.

 

[checker555]

VZW changes its requirements at least twice a year... so we really have no clue what they'll demand 2 years from now.

That being said, I'm sure by the time we all upgrade our Droids a company like MetroPCS or one of the others out there will have some sort of "everything" plan and the wonderful hackers will have figured out a way to flash the Droid to that network.

Problem solved

Good point...whether it is or isn't possible RIGHT NOW means virtually squat two years from now.

Ah well... I guess I'll just get her a cheap dumb phone for her NE2.

Good choice. I am about to get my husband a new dumb phone for his upgrade. He would be horrified to pay $30 for a data plan because he simply doesn't need one. I think he'd love some features of the Droid, but it would truly be a waste. As long as he can make and receive calls, and play a little yahtzee once in awhile, he's happy.

 

[takeshi]

I understand the classification as a Smart Phone (I read the terms of my contract), however my question is regarding the "out of contract" requirements. Do you know for a fact that the "out of contract" requirements are the same as the "in contract" requirements?

Doesn't really matter if you're in or out of contract. Every carrier has terms of service that you have to agree to whether you're in or out of contract. Contracts generally exist as a method for carriers to recoup subsidies.

 

[Sam]

Hey,

one thing i learned so far from buying a lot of phones is:
sit down and WRITE DOWN what you really actually do with the phone.
Then take that list to your provider and ask him for advise.

Well on your scenario, if your girls doesnt use ANY data connections, why pay it then.
Use the phone just for calls and SMS. But i see some problems there. the contacts
and the calendar. Both is synched via Dataconnection. So she would have to do that via WiFi,
and then this should work!

Tigger

That's my plan exactly, however if I have to pay for data just to activate the phone, it won't be worth it.

I dont think you have to. a simple prepaid SIM would give you the test.
But, as SAM mentioned...maybe Verzon branded the OS to force it to use data plan. then just sell it and get another Phone!

Droids don't have SIM cards.

 

[andjarnic]

No, you will not have to pay for the data plan. Even tho it's a smart phone, you pay the data plan as part of the contract. This works the same on ATT. I have a smart phone on ATT, was a temporary phone between my old iPhone and waiting for the moto droid. I did not pay for the data plan, so did not get any internet capabilities on the phone. I am pretty sure you can do the same thing with any service.. the carrier can't force you to use the data plan if you are out of contract and don't want to. They do that as part of the subsidized pricing for phones..so they recoup their money (and a lot more) over 2 years for giving you a discount on the phone up front. That is why their ETF is so high as well.. they cover their rear ends for the cost of the phone.

 

[MNTNBKR]

I understand the classification as a Smart Phone (I read the terms of my contract), however my question is regarding the "out of contract" requirements. Do you know for a fact that the "out of contract" requirements are the same as the "in contract" requirements?

Doesn't really matter if you're in or out of contract. Every carrier has terms of service that you have to agree to whether you're in or out of contract. Contracts generally exist as a method for carriers to recoup subsidies.

I understand your point, but Verizon (or any carrier for that matter) doesn't provide subsidies for non-contract customers. After 2 years of providing service to me under contract, the subsidies provided to me for that contract term should be completely recouped. At that point, I can't believe it would be more beneficial to Verizon for me to simply discard my Droid as opposed to reactivating it as a simple "dumb" phone for another user.

But hey, if that's what they want, I'll retire the Droid permanently when the time comes, and take advantage of some discounted phone pricing on Verizons dime. I'll still pay the same monthly fee without a data package, but they'll have to subsidize the cost of another "dumb" phone.

 

[MNTNBKR]

No, you will not have to pay for the data plan. Even tho it's a smart phone, you pay the data plan as part of the contract. This works the same on ATT. I have a smart phone on ATT, was a temporary phone between my old iPhone and waiting for the moto droid. I did not pay for the data plan, so did not get any internet capabilities on the phone. I am pretty sure you can do the same thing with any service.. the carrier can't force you to use the data plan if you are out of contract and don't want to. They do that as part of the subsidized pricing for phones..so they recoup their money (and a lot more) over 2 years for giving you a discount on the phone up front. That is why their ETF is so high as well.. they cover their rear ends for the cost of the phone.

This is exactly what I was thinking, and if logic prevails that's how it'll work out. I was just wondering if someone has first hand knowledge, or has actually done it. I'm guessing not at this point though.

 

[andjarnic]

Keep in mind.. in two years.. I would be willing to bet the majority of phones will be Android based. We'll most likely have cheap ones. You can buy an Eris for $80 and get one free.. thats $40 per Android phone, already. It won't be long until you see free Android phones. In two years time, the free ones will probably be as good if not better than the Moto Droid is right now.

The next iPhone is going to be a dual-core beast, with more memory, faster cpus, faster graphics, etc. Android device makers aren't going to sit around. By end of this year I would bet there will be dual-core android devices.

I am very curious how Apple is going to compete with running multiple apps at once. That is a HUGE benefit. My wife, who hates computers, has even indicated how much it annoys her on her iPhone to have to restart many applications and lose her place in them. Of course, iPhone developers can circumvent this somewhat right now, but its a bit more work to "save your place" on iPhone to restore it when the user starts the app up again. If Apple does add multiple apps running at once, it's a different development mindset than one app at a time. Without getting too technical, it is going to be very difficult for apple to add multiple apps at once to their platform. One thing google did right which I didn't understand at first, was to make it so that while you can start/run many apps at once, only one app is consuming the cpu.. all the other apps are put in a pause mode, and Android has the option of shutting them down at any point to allow the one running app more memory (like a game) if need be.