Do you think you could downgrade from a smartphone?

[Knavish]

If I wasn't on an unlimited data / txt + more minutes than I can use plan from Sprint for ~$50/month, I would not have a smart phone. (I'm grandfathered into an old family plan.)

I'm in an office in front of a computer all day, and never use a cellphone for internet access at home. The smart phone is nice if I have to wait for my S.O. in the mall, or when I'm stuck in an airport, but I do not need it like a traveling salesman or real estate agent. I'm also not the type of person who is always wearing earbuds for music or checking / updating facebook. This being said, I'll probably upgrade to a Evo LTE in a few weeks... LOL.

Any chance you can ebay your current smartphone and get $$$ to spend on a phone compatible with one of the discount networks?

 

[ImDonly1]

1. Can't you flash the Epic 4G to boost mobile or another sprint prepaid provider?

2. Sell the phone to get money to buy a new used phone on t-mobile/att/verizon.
You can sign up for t-mobile's $30 plan (any t-mobile phone)
Page Plus has a $55 with 1gb of data (you can bring verizon smartphones)
ATT prepaid providers... straight talk, air voice, jolt, red pocket are all 45-55/mo (bring any att phone you want)

Getting a used phone is cheap. You can get a galaxy s (like your epic 4g) for less than $100 on any of the providers. Or a slightly better phone for $200. $200 isn't that much for all the savings you will get.

You might even be able to plan the epic to plan plus, but I have no idea how to do it. Not sure if data would work.

To answer your Q, no I barely pay $45/mo for an iPhone on straight talk. Last few months I bought refills for like $35/mo on a promotion. Going to a dumbphone would not be much of a savings. The only thing I might consider is going to t-mobile's $30 plan, but I would have to sell my iphone and t-mobile's bands don't have as good building penetration. ATTs network (or st service) data is pretty unreliable for me at times. Network time outs, etc.

 

[AstroManLuca]

If I wasn't on an unlimited data / txt + more minutes than I can use plan from Sprint for ~$50/month, I would not have a smart phone. (I'm grandfathered into an old family plan.)

I'm in an office in front of a computer all day, and never use a cellphone for internet access at home. The smart phone is nice if I have to wait for my S.O. in the mall, or when I'm stuck in an airport, but I do not need it like a traveling salesman or real estate agent. I'm also not the type of person who is always wearing earbuds for music or checking / updating facebook. This being said, I'll probably upgrade to a Evo LTE in a few weeks... LOL.

Any chance you can ebay your current smartphone and get $$$ to spend on a phone compatible with one of the discount networks?

I could use it to defray some of the cost. Mine is worth maybe a touch over $100, and were I to go to T-Mobile I'd probably be looking at the HTC Sensation which is selling for around $250. If I don't do anything until the fall, of course my own phone will be worth a lot less but the prices of other phones will drop as well and maybe I can get an SGS2 inside my budget.

Like I said in one of my other posts, T-Mobile's value plans are so cheap that I wouldn't even save that much by going to a dumbphone plan. So I will likely just move to one of those and get whichever compatible phone represents a good value at the time.

 

[AstroManLuca]

1. Can't you flash the Epic 4G to boost mobile or another sprint prepaid provider?

It's possible but I don't really want to. I've read the instructions and they're daunting, and I've rooted and installed custom roms on three different phones and two tablets.

2. Sell the phone to get money to buy a new used phone on t-mobile/att/verizon.
You can sign up for t-mobile's $30 plan (any t-mobile phone)
Page Plus has a $55 with 1gb of data (you can bring verizon smartphones)
ATT prepaid providers... straight talk, air voice, jolt, red pocket are all 45-55/mo (bring any att phone you want)

Getting a used phone is cheap. You can get a galaxy s (like your epic 4g) for less than $100 on any of the providers. Or a slightly better phone for $200. $200 isn't that much for all the savings you will get.

Yeah that's my thought. I'm in kind of a weird complicated situation now that depends on what multiple other people want to do... my sister in law is on my Sprint family plan but my wife tells me she wants out. On the other hand if she leaves it'll cause both her AND our bill to shoot way up. I'm the only one out of contract but if I leave, our monthly bill will only go down a small amount, such that we'd still be spending the same amount every month even if I was on T-Mo's $30 plan.

Like I said, it's a little weird and I'm just not sure what I want to do yet. Sorry for turning AT into my personal blog lol.

 

[etrigan420]

I could go back to a dumb phone easily.

The wife and kids are another story...:hmm:

Sprint is still the cheapest for what we need. $170/mo. for 4 lines w/ 1500 minutes, unlimited messaging and data.

 

[vbuggy]

I use a Nokia E5-00 - which, as a Series 60 phone, is technically a feature-plus phone but in either case, is derided as not smart by so-called tech luminaries - as my backup. More used than my 4S, which is my fourth-string phone. Why? Enough smarts to be useful, allied to battery life you just don't see on any smartphone - as well as call quality (or should I say the ability not to drop or not get reception) that's better than on any piece of crap Apple makes for starters. If I had to use just the E5? Honestly I don't think I'd be that inconvenienced in daily use, although of course I'd have app envy from time to time.

My 1/2 phones are the Lumia 800 and the E5. Then it's the Omnia 7 (another Windows Phone) and the 4S if I'm travelling with my full complement of phones. If I'm travelling light I'll go with just the Lumia and sub the E5 with the C5-00, which is a more genuine featurephone with the regular keypad... but still does Exchange sync, Spotify and Skype, as well as e.g. having a better GPS experience than the iPhone despite the tiny screen. But the C5-00 itself I'd find hard to live with purely due to the keyboard.

 

[wirednuts]

if it would be a lot cheaper to use a dumbphone, i would. but it isnt. especially since i buy and use smartphones that are a couple years old. and being able to use my phone to get my portable devices online is just too convenient...

 

[AstroManLuca]

I use a Nokia E5-00 - which, as a Series 60 phone, is technically a feature-plus phone but in either case, is derided as not smart by so-called tech luminaries - as my backup. More used than my 4S, which is my fourth-string phone. Why? Enough smarts to be useful, allied to battery life you just don't see on any smartphone - as well as call quality (or should I say the ability not to drop or not get reception) that's better than on any piece of crap Apple makes for starters. If I had to use just the E5? Honestly I don't think I'd be that inconvenienced in daily use, although of course I'd have app envy from time to time.

My 1/2 phones are the Lumia 800 and the E5. Then it's the Omnia 7 (another Windows Phone) and the 4S if I'm travelling with my full complement of phones. If I'm travelling light I'll go with just the Lumia and sub the E5 with the C5-00, which is a more genuine featurephone with the regular keypad... but still does Exchange sync, Spotify and Skype, as well as e.g. having a better GPS experience than the iPhone despite the tiny screen. But the C5-00 itself I'd find hard to live with purely due to the keyboard.

Wow. How do you keep your phone numbers straight? Are some of them not activated? Do you have some sort of Google voice setup?

 

[shortylickens]

To a lesser smartphone, yes.
I tried a Nokia with Meego a short while ago. It sucks but I could get by, so long as I had basic email and maps.

EDIT:
But no, could never go back to a basic phone. Nor could I use a smartphone as just a PDA without service. I'd need easy access to data, even if its slow. (My area has spotty Tmobile coverage so I frequently end up on 2G).

 

[Puddle Jumper]

I couldn't give up having a Android smartphone.

 

[T_Yamamoto]

I couldn't give up having a Android smartphone.

Me either.
Edit: unless I got a tablet that's Android powered

 

[vbuggy]

Wow. How do you keep your phone numbers straight? Are some of them not activated? Do you have some sort of Google voice setup?

No, just as is. The 1/2 phones always have the same SIM card and are my primary and private numbers. Third and fourth are usually used for local calls / data use and usually have their SIM cards swapped according to which country / continent I'm in. The iPhone 4S is a particular pain in the ass in this respect especially if I buy a new SIM on the go and haven't bought the SIM cutter with me, but I frequently have app envy with any other platform so I still always have *an* iPhone in my stash.

 

[PingviN]

Now... do you pay full MSRP for phones, or do your carriers offer subsidized prices?

100% subsidized on a two year contract. So I basically end up paying a total of $960 over two year. And the phone alone would've cost me about $750. Subtract the $750 from the total $960 and I have $210 over two year for unlimited everything. Or about 9 bucks a month.

Free of rape.

 

[notposting]

If we had to do it financially, of course. Voluntarily, no way.

 

[kaerflog]

NO.
Not worth it for me to save $10-$20 a month.
I can save $10-$20 on other things.

 

[Zaap]

I've been thinking about this a lot. Do I really need a smartphone?

Then I keep coming back to the answer- yes, I absolutely do.

Even my aging DroidX has become my #1 communications tool. It's my lifeline to work, to family, to friends, just about everything. I remember the dumb phones I had and how even texting someone was a much bigger deal- now it's second nature and even my work expects me to be available via text at a moment's notice.

Then I think about giving up GPS, voice commands (I use all the time in the car), all the apps I've gotten used to, instant media, a fairly decent camera, etc. etc.

I just can't do it. I'll continue to put up with Verizon and their crap, and this summer I'll upgrade to something bigger/better/bolder/even more of a money drain. The more frugal part of me says that maybe I'd be better off in the long run saving the extra $ and making do with a lesser phone. The practical side of me says, no f'ing way.