AT&T updating their data plan prices and allotment

[cronos]

Too bad Google Voice's interface is absolute rubbish. Even on Android. Seriously, the app is just bad. And wtf at no Empty Trash option still?

Until that sort of thing is no longer an issue SMS will continue to be necessary for most of us.

I use GrooveIP for the front-end to my GV. It's really good. I actually had the GrooveIP app replace the 'Phone' app on my home screen.

 

[Dulanic]

I use GrooveIP for the front-end to my GV. It's really good. I actually had the GrooveIP app replace the 'Phone' app on my home screen.

I use GroveIP for a lot of my calls. Over wifi it works great.

 

[DaWhim]

I picked up a used nokia n8 for $150
bought a truconnet mifi for $80

voice & text = tmobile prepaid (gold status). i have $20ish in it. voice/text = $.1/min or text
data = $5 a month + the usage. $0.4 per mb. so 100mb would cost me $4. my data usage is as low as possible, i get away using about $0.1-0.25 per day.

since 3g is fast enough to run voip, i use that pretty often instead of tmobile. oh, nokia has built-in support for SIP. i have sipgate and have my phone setup to it.

tethering? i am not sure what it is, but my mifi support up to 5 wifi enabled devices.

the only down side is i have 1 extra gadget to carry on me.

 

[cronos]

I picked up a used nokia n8 for $150
bought a truconnet mifi for $80

voice & text = tmobile prepaid (gold status). i have $20ish in it. voice/text = $.1/min or text
data = $5 a month + the usage. $0.4 per mb. so 100mb would cost me $4. my data usage is as low as possible, i get away using about $0.1-0.25 per day.

since 3g is fast enough to run voip, i use that pretty often instead of tmobile. oh, nokia has built-in support for SIP. i have sipgate and have my phone setup to it.

tethering? i am not sure what it is, but my mifi support up to 5 wifi enabled devices.

the only down side is i have 1 extra gadget to carry on me.

:thumbsup: This is how smart people roll

 

[ponyo]

:thumbsup: This is how smart people roll

You don't even need something like sipgate anymore. Android phone with $5 GrooveIP app gives you free voice calls over 3G or Wifi.

 

[shortylickens]

I mifi is a device that only tethers and nothing else. It can actually be a good deal if you are clever.

 

[lothar]

It sucks but I will bend over and take it when I switch to AT&T later this year. They have the best GSM network and I prefer GSM over CDMA.

Now, why would you possibly want to do that?
You have the International Galaxy Nexus GSM version, right?

Extra! Extra! Read all about it!
Get on the $15 Medianet plan.

 

[ponyo]

Now, why would you possibly want to do that?
You have the International Galaxy Nexus GSM version, right?

Extra! Extra! Read all about it!
Get on the $15 Medianet plan.

I don't think that will save me anything since I need a family plan with 3 lines. It pretty much works out the same if I get the iPhone and sell it.

 

[soccerballtux]

I read it as included tethering too. I'm on Verizon and I'd gladly give up my unlimited data plan for $30 to trade it in for 3 gig & free tethering.

just set the TTL for packets leaving your computer to 1 higher than the default and they won't know.

 

[soccerballtux]

Fixed that for you. I'm unaware of any other country in the world that gets raped as hard as we do when it comes to cellular everything.

Canada, definitely gets its worse.

 

[soccerballtux]

You don't even need something like sipgate anymore. Android phone with $5 GrooveIP app gives you free voice calls over 3G or Wifi.

most of the time it's very bad over 3G

 

[alent1234]

just set the TTL for packets leaving your computer to 1 higher than the default and they won't know.

Yes they will

 

[OrByte]

data price plans are a rip off,

I'm giving up my At&t "smart phone" plans and all of this BS.

thats 3 iphones At&t, I ain't paying for that sh!t anymore.

 

[lothar]

data price plans are a rip off,

I'm giving up my At&t "smart phone" plans and all of this BS.

thats 3 iphones At&t, I ain't paying for that sh!t anymore.

Where are you going to?

 

[Charlie98]

I'm on the unlimited plan on AT&T now. I'd like tethering but the thought of going to $45/mo for 4GB just didn't settle with me.
.

That's where I'm at. I gave up my separate wireless laptop card last year (something like $60/mo for that alone!) and wanted to tether, but found out I had to bump up plans. I'll just wait until I need it and turn it on... My wife's work gives us a discount (20% I think...) so ATT is it for right now, even given the issues we have...

I'm frustrated with ATT, even though I've been an ATT customer for over 10 years.... but I can't sit in my office and make a phone call. I have to go upstairs, lean over the bannister, hold my tongue just right on the first full moon on Tuesday...

 

[DaWhim]

You don't even need something like sipgate anymore. Android phone with $5 GrooveIP app gives you free voice calls over 3G or Wifi.

i think i do. why would i fork out an extra 5 bucks for grooveip app that would not work on my nokia symbian os?

VOIP is just 1 more step, i go to the gv website to dial from there, then my phone will ring. nokia has NATIVE support for voip so i set it up with sipgate, no need to get an app for that.

 

[ponyo]

i think i do. why would i fork out an extra 5 bucks for grooveip app that would not work on my nokia symbian os?

VOIP is just 1 more step, i go to the gv website to dial from there, then my phone will ring. nokia has NATIVE support for voip so i set it up with sipgate, no need to get an app for that.

I wasn't commenting on your Nokia phone. I was commenting for the Android owners which make up bulk of the smartphone market. My Galaxy Nexus has NATIVE support for VOIP too. I can easily set it up sipgate and I don't need app for that either. But it's nice to have app like GrooveIP too. Options are good.

 

[DaWhim]

I wasn't commenting on your Nokia phone. I was commenting for the Android owners which make up bulk of the smartphone market. My Galaxy Nexus has NATIVE support for VOIP too. I can easily set it up sipgate and I don't need app for that either. But it's nice to have app like GrooveIP too. Options are good.

what's wrong with the gvoice app? doesn't google provide one?

 

[ponyo]

what's wrong with the gvoice app? doesn't google provide one?

For reasons I don't know, gvoice can't do it on its own. Apps and devices like GrooveIP and Obihai use Google Voice for free calls. But using Google Voice on its own on Android uses cell minutes. All international calls on my cellphone is through Google Voice since that's the cheapest but using free Google Voice on domestic calls will still use my cell minutes.

Obihai 100 and a labtop will allow you to make free voice calls back to US anywhere in the world where there's internet.

 

[snikt]

After reading about the change in data plans I had to make a move before the existing plans were eliminated. Originally on the 200MB/month plan, but rarely exceeding it. I don't think I need a 3GB/month plan but at the same time I didn't want to pay an extra 5 bux for a measly 100MB more so I bit the bullet and jumped on the 2GB/month plan. So, I guess, I saved myself $60 a year by going with the 2GB/month/$25 vs. 3GB/month/$30?

Meh.

 

[abaez]

T-mobile $30 unlimited data(5gb then throttled)/text and 100 minutes 4 ever. GrooveIP on wifi at home. Works amazing.

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

i think the fact that $5 buys you tethering is a huge plus.

not that I give a shit. wireless tether for root ftw.

 

[Hogan773]

I tried Google Voice before - it just never worked fairly well for me. There was often a delay between when a message happened and when I got it. There's other free options - I do WhatsApp with some people, Google Talk with some, MSN Messenger with some...but nothing as universal as regular SMS, so for now, I'm stuck with a ridiculous SMS plan.

Too bad Google Voice's interface is absolute rubbish. Even on Android. Seriously, the app is just bad. And wtf at no Empty Trash option still?

Until that sort of thing is no longer an issue SMS will continue to be necessary for most of us.

Meh - I'm not a super-texting guy but Google Voice works fine for me. I get texts quickly and the price can't be beaten. Yes my wife's iPhone has a nicer texting screen to show the "conversations" but I'm not gonna pay $20 per month so I can send 30-50 texts a month. And I'm also not gonna pay 20 cents per so I need to think "really hard" every time I want to text someone.

Google Voice also gives you a second number which can be useful in certain situations if you don't want people to have your real cell number, and it can be set so people can only see that GV number on caller ID etc.