[APP] Free Bluetooth Tethering

[SpeJ3435]

I have been off contract for a over a year now with my unlimited plan and cling to for multiple reasons:

1. Look at data usage rates over the past 5 years and tell me that you feel comfortable with your 2 GB a month for your 2 year plan.

2. I use on average 8 GB a month if I'm not traveling a lot for work. The most I've used is 10.8 GB. As an example, I went on a 10 day trip with no wifi, used Waze, Email, watched 1 45 min episode, uploaded 483 songs (set up a friends Google Music), had photo backup on for dropbox (100 photos), did a little browsing, and used 3.38 GB. Having unlimited gave me the comfort of not worrying about going over my data. Throttling is not a big of an issue as people think.

3. Why get rid of an unlimited plan when a limited plan costs more? I pay $30 a month for that unlimited data (yes I pay for minutes, 2000 min block $55), I say again, unlimited, so I don't have to worry about being on wifi to update apps, stream XM or netflix, etc... as living in the country wifi is rarely available. The 2GB plan costs $60 a month with $15 per GB over the original 2GB. Why would I upgrade? I can buy a slightly used device off of Swappa for 2/3 the new cost.

4. Nothing worth while has been introduced in the cell phone world since NFC back when the Galaxy Nexus launched that would make me want to upgrade my phone for retail. All of the "new" things have been software based. Everything is still 4G, until just recently when they started releasing XLTE, which is only available in a very select few cities. A cell phone doesn't need anything over 720p display so anything above that is just "because we can." 1080p is nice, but is only really noticeable if you read a lot of text, but a 720p can be fixed with tweaking (adjusting dpi). I would rather have a 720p display that gets better battery life than a better screen with worse battery life. The new Turbo charging is something that is really cool and new, but if you have a Maxx style phone or a removable battery it is only semi helpful.

 

[SquireSCA]

Netflix, VuDu, YouTube, Amazon Prime.... I watch a lot of movies & binge watch TV series on my phone. (I also stream podcasts and Pandora at work)
Pandora & Slacker use at least half of that.
As a test, try streaming Pandora on your phone for just one week and then show us what your data usage is. You'll be surprised at how much just that app alone uses.

tap'n

I guess I don't use it as a television that much. I mean, if I am sitting at an airport or on the elliptical at the gym, I will watch X-Files on Netflix or whatever, but as for music streaming and movies, I just throw a bunch of stuff on the 64GB MicroSD card and use that... I am also on Wifi alot...

 

[SquireSCA]

I have been off contract for a over a year now with my unlimited plan and cling to for multiple reasons:

1. Look at data usage rates over the past 5 years and tell me that you feel comfortable with your 2 GB a month for your 2 year plan.

2. I use on average 8 GB a month if I'm not traveling a lot for work. The most I've used is 10.8 GB. As an example, I went on a 10 day trip with no wifi, used Waze, Email, watched 1 45 min episode, uploaded 483 songs (set up a friends Google Music), had photo backup on for dropbox (100 photos), did a little browsing, and used 3.38 GB. Having unlimited gave me the comfort of not worrying about going over my data. Throttling is not a big of an issue as people think.

3. Why get rid of an unlimited plan when a limited plan costs more? I pay $30 a month for that unlimited data (yes I pay for minutes, 2000 min block $55), I say again, unlimited, so I don't have to worry about being on wifi to update apps, stream XM or netflix, etc... as living in the country wifi is rarely available. The 2GB plan costs $60 a month with $15 per GB over the original 2GB. Why would I upgrade? I can buy a slightly used device off of Swappa for 2/3 the new cost.

4. Nothing worth while has been introduced in the cell phone world since NFC back when the Galaxy Nexus launched that would make me want to upgrade my phone for retail. All of the "new" things have been software based. Everything is still 4G, until just recently when they started releasing XLTE, which is only available in a very select few cities. A cell phone doesn't need anything over 720p display so anything above that is just "because we can." 1080p is nice, but is only really noticeable if you read a lot of text, but a 720p can be fixed with tweaking (adjusting dpi). I would rather have a 720p display that gets better battery life than a better screen with worse battery life. The new Turbo charging is something that is really cool and new, but if you have a Maxx style phone or a removable battery it is only semi helpful.

1) I am on a 10GB a month shared plan with my fiance and her daughter, and apart from tethering for a month because we built a new house and had to wait for AT&T to get out here to install internet, we never went over.

2) Your data usage makes sense for what you do, although I guess I would use a PC for stuff like uploading to Google Music or other things... So much faster on a PC...

3) I guess I figured that while you pay less for data, paying more for minutes and more for the phone, sorta negated that potential savings...

4) I dunno about that, the hardware is better, faster, nicer screens, etc... The phone I had 3 or 4 years ago, is not a phone that I would want to use for watching TV on or some of the other things that people use huge amounts of data for...

I guess it makes sense for some people... I just wonder how many people really use their unlimited plan... I think that they either use HUGE amounts, which is why VZW and others want them gone, or they don't use that much, this negating the benefit of even having it...

 

[cr6]

Understandable. We all use our phones differently. I certainly don't use my phone as my only tv, but I do for about an hour each night while laying in bed. Having the data to be able to be able stream music, watch NFL Mobile, or listen to various podcasts etc wherever I am, is nice when you're not worried about going over your data allotment. Not everyone abuses it, but what's the point in having it if you don't utilize it.
My wife only averages about 6 gig a month, but she keeps hers for the same reason most of us do...so she doesn't have to worry about going over.

tap'n

 

[SpeJ3435]

1. I live in the country, wifi is available through my Verizon hotspot, 5 GB a month, and it gets maxed out every month. Anything other than a hotspot gets really expensive for wifi.

2. I did set up Google Music on my PC, I just tethered through my phone as my data cap was hit on the hotspot.

3. The cost is negated IF I don't use more than 2 GB a month. Once I go over that it is a big cost savings. The LG G3 launched July 30ish for $600. It is $400 now and it is only 2 months old. So there isn't a need to buy a subsidized phone if you can afford it.

4. I still use my Galaxy Nexus with SlimKat 4.4.4 on it, and it is lag free, stable, and as I said before, on a phone anything better than 720p screen is not really noticable and EATS battery. I have used my friends' S4, S5, G2, G3 and just don't see any performance / screen advantages that would make me want to upgade. Almost all of the new hardware upgrades are made popular through "marketing" and not through actual performance. Unless you game on your phone, you don't need a Snapdragon 805 processor or similar. Rendering email, text, movies, etc. aren't any faster. The one upside to the newer phones is reception as my GNex sucks with reception.

This is a great conversation, lets keep it going.

 

[SpeJ3435]

I have been seriously considering the Droid Maxx Dev Edition. The new Droid Turbo rumors look promising if it has a Maxx battery.

http://www.droidforums.net/threads/...urbo-next-month-with-incredible-specs.274182/