Data usage

cynh

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Up until recently I have had unlimited data. Now that I no longer have it I have a question. When I am not near wifi and I am for example reading on the kindle app in the car, am I using data? Or is data just used when you are downloading something? I am leaving for a mini vacation in a few days and do not want to suck up data. Thanks!!
 

leeshor

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It is possible to download a Kindle book on WiFi and read it off line but there are many other things that will use data including active widgets. I would be more concerned with mail syncing than with reading a book.
 

mountainbikermark

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When you open a book on your kindle app it only reads ones previously downloaded, doesn't stream their content as you read.
Like Lee suggested, download before leaving WiFi but most books are way under a MB so if you do download one in the data network it won't kill your monthly allotment. Apps and widgets, again as Lee pointed out, can be data pirates if left to sync I their own at any given time.
Since you're going on a mini vacation remember picture messages do NOT use your data allotment even though the data network needs to be enabled and it looks like it's using data by the arrows at the top of the phone flickering. Sending them in emails and social networks does use data from your allotment, mms (picture messages via text app) do not. You can get around that by sending mms to email addresses or social media text code numbers.
Hope that helps

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leeshor

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There is, as they say, an exception to every rule. Mark's statement, while true under normal circumstances may not hold up if you are syncing with Picassa or some other on-line storage for the photos. You should NOT leave those photos you take on vacation to chance as I have read many posts where people lost the photos or somehow damaged the phone or it was stolen.

My suggestion! Get DropBox. In DropBox is a selection that will allow it to auto upload your photos only when you are on a WiFi connection. There you have the best of both worlds, your photos are protected and it didn't cost you any data.
 

mountainbikermark

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There is, as they say, an exception to every rule. Mark's statement, while true under normal circumstances may not hold up if you are syncing with Picassa or some other on-line storage for the photos. You should NOT leave those photos you take on vacation to chance as I have read many posts where people lost the photos or somehow damaged the phone or it was stolen.

My suggestion! Get DropBox. In DropBox is a selection that will allow it to auto upload your photos only when you are on a WiFi connection. There you have the best of both worlds, your photos are protected and it didn't cost you any data.

I consider picasa social media ;)
I hadn't considered the possible loss of media. Along with Dropbox Copy and Box are excellent and give more up front free storage .
If you happen to subscribe to Comcast for your internet get a free app called Xfinity WiFi finder and see if where you're vacationing has any of the over half million free hotspots throughout the U.S. There's 4 of them in my little hick town so chances are there's some where you're going. I wouldn't suggest using it for things that use passwords and such but for uploading photos to a cloud storage you should be fine.

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leeshor

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AT&T has a pretty decent AT&T, (free for AT&T customers), WiFi finder as well. It seems that no matter where you go any more you can find free WiFi.
 

mountainbikermark

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AT&T has a pretty decent AT&T, (free for AT&T customers), WiFi finder as well. It seems that no matter where you go any more you can find free WiFi.

True that. If there's a Mcburgers they'll have free WiFi of some sort. Around here it's a selling point to try to get customers. Burger joints, pizza joints, coffee houses, steak houses, bars,even my local Martins grocery store. Where Comcast excels in my hick town is theirs are located on outside poles in residential areas like street lights or something.
 
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