Smartphones

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Palum

Palum

what Suineg set it to
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You'd be a fool not to use the subsidy while it's still around if you are grandfathered. I mean in your own example it's more expensive... It's not like Edge isn't a de facto contract, you can't just cancel service and move to another provider without buying out your then worthless phone...
 
brekk

brekk

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That's what I figured, I'm just not overly happy with the GS6.

edit: Bit the bullet, ordered through bestbuy to do the sneaky method to keep my unlimited data.
 
Inque

Inque

FunEmployed
515
690
Palum_sl said:
That's only true if you think gigabytes really cost $10. They have to change to adapt to industry trends, they are basically removing $500 in subsidy over 2 years while giving away pennies in data use.
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You're speaking about the cost of service, I'm speaking about the cost of the device. The phone would still retail for $650 no matter what you did. If someone wants service, they'll pay $20 for the access to a phone and say $60 for 6GB of data if they own the device. If they buy it at the subsidized price, they pay $40 access, not $20. If they buy it on device payment, they pay the $650 over 2 years vs up front, and pay $20 access and $60 for the data. The plan is $80 regardless unless you want to pay more for the subsidy -- removing that is a GOOD thing.
 
Palum

Palum

what Suineg set it to
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You know I hadn't realized the current 'More Everything' plans had $40 access fees for smartphones if you got on a contract because mine had been up since those plans came out basically so it always showed $15/mo access fee. Glad I kept my unlimited after all... lol.
 
Inque

Inque

FunEmployed
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690
You're still paying $10 access for the line and the other $30 of that cost is the Unlimited Data. Still $40.
 
Palum

Palum

what Suineg set it to
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Inque_sl said:
You're still paying $10 access for the line and the other $30 of that cost is the Unlimited Data. Still $40.
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I don't have a device charge on my plan that I can see? It's $30 unlimited + $10 texts + whatever for voice (usually $59 when I need the minutes). + taxes = ~105-110.
 
Joeboo

Joeboo

Molten Core Raider
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Every time a new strategy/plan comes out from a provider I think that this is it, time to finally switch away from my grandfathered Sprint plan...and then when I do the cost breakdown I realize they all still suck and have ridiculous fees and line charges.

I still have 4 lines on a family plan, all 4G smartphones(Note 3, S5, G3, G3 currently), eligible for subsidized upgrades every 2 years, unlimited data, 1500 shared minutes(all cell to cell calls, any carrier, do not count as minutes so basically only cell to landline calls count, and only during weeday business ours, nights and weekends are free), $210 per month($52 per line)

I can't find anything that can touch that combination of price and benefits. I'd like to eventually switch from Sprint, their coverage kinda sucks when I travel and their 4G coverage is ass, but it's just too cheap to move. I guess I'll see how long I can push this plan before they force me to end it.
 
Inque

Inque

FunEmployed
515
690
Palum_sl said:
I don't have a device charge on my plan that I can see? It's $30 unlimited + $10 texts + whatever for voice (usually $59 when I need the minutes). + taxes = ~105-110.
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Yup, the part that you're paying for the voice ($59?) is where the line access charge is bundled. When you add additional lines, each line is $10.
 
H

Heian

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I left my grandfather plan. Canada changed their law about phone contract latelly. All provider were hungry and had very good deals. Unlimited text, unlimited call Canada/US, a second phone number linked to my account(If i wanted to use with old HTC one M7), 6 gig data, voice message box etc, and a free HTC one M9 as long as I signed for 2 years contract. It cost me about 67$+tx per month.(Waiting on first bill.)
 
fris

fris

Vyemm Raider
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heian_sl said:
I left my grandfather plan. Canada changed their law about phone contract latelly. All provider were hungry and had very good deals. Unlimited text, unlimited call Canada/US, a second phone number linked to my account(If i wanted to use with old HTC one M7), 6 gig data, voice message box etc, and a free HTC one M9 as long as I signed for 2 years contract. It cost me about 67$+tx per month.(Waiting on first bill.)
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holy crap!
 
A

Antarius

Lord Nagafen Raider
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Draegan_sl said:
I just got my Nexus 6 and Project Fi running. I'm driving upstate NY tomorrow. Should be interested to try it.
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Theoretically the network "should" be alright. Sprint has good outdoor saturation, T-Mobile has a good urban network. There are very few sections of the midwest that aren't covered by one OR the other OR a public wifi spot nearby, you have to go to pretty rural places for where verizon might be the only option.
 
jeydax

jeydax

Death and Taxes
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I finally traveled a bit upstate (Bemidji/Clearbrook area) of Minnesota. I lost coverage a few times on the drive up, and Clearbrook has absolute horseshit coverage for any provider no matter what their map says. Other than those couple instances, coverage was not bad.

Fi > Verizon all things considered in my mind still.
 
opiate82

opiate82

Bronze Squire
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I've never used Sprint. Have used T-Mobile and Verizon. I won't argue that Verizon has the best network, but the gap in coverage does not come close to matching the gap in costs imo.

My biggest gripe with TMO is that the building penetration is horrid. Just the other day I was in Costco trying to find some reviews of a soundbar I was thinking of buying and despite the fact my phone said it have full bars of HSPA+ I couldn't get a webpage to load. I have the same issue at the grocery store often, trying to look up a recipe or ingredient substitution or something, nothing. Usually only a problem for me in bigger box buildings, could also be a combo of network and phone (Nexus 4), I don't know for sure.
 
K

Kedwyn

Silver Squire
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Yeah the low frequency signal has been horded by Verizon and AT&T which has excellent penetration. Tmobile is stuck with very high spectrum in many areas and sprint is even higher which affects how well their signal can penetrate. Side note to that though is those high frequency signals propagate well so they need fewer towers to blanket an area, they just can't penetrate worth a shit. Fewer towers also can mean short on bandwidth if enough people are in an area which is a big sprint problem in populated areas. In theory, switching from Tmobile to Sprint should help alleviate that assuming it works properly.

Odd thing about sprint was sitting on tons of 900 mhz spectrum from Nextel and have done nothing with it. I think they sold some of it actually. Sprint has to be one of the worse run companies in the US cellular industry.


My problem with Fi is its not that much cheaper than what I'm paying AT&T. Even if we only use 1gb of data we have 2 smart phones and a dumb phone for her mom we pay for. 30+30+20 =80 plus tax. So around $90. AT&T with all the corporate discounts is 10gb for 115 with tax. SO $25 and I can use any phone I want and I know my service is awesome plus i have 10gb of data.
 
A

Antarius

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Kedwyn_sl said:
Yeah the low frequency signal has been horded by Verizon and AT&T which has excellent penetration. Tmobile is stuck with very high spectrum in many areas and sprint is even higher which affects how well their signal can penetrate. Side note to that though is those high frequency signals propagate well so they need fewer towers to blanket an area, they just can't penetrate worth a shit. Fewer towers also can mean short on bandwidth if enough people are in an area which is a big sprint problem in populated areas. In theory, switching from Tmobile to Sprint should help alleviate that assuming it works properly.

Odd thing about sprint was sitting on tons of 900 mhz spectrum from Nextel and have done nothing with it. I think they sold some of it actually. Sprint has to be one of the worse run companies in the US cellular industry.


My problem with Fi is its not that much cheaper than what I'm paying AT&T. Even if we only use 1gb of data we have 2 smart phones and a dumb phone for her mom we pay for. 30+30+20 =80 plus tax. So around $90. AT&T with all the corporate discounts is 10gb for 115 with tax. SO $25 and I can use any phone I want and I know my service is awesome plus i have 10gb of data.
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I don't regret switching to sprint for their unlimited iphone 6 plan, but yea... I was also assuming they'd pull their heads of of their asses and actually start implementing their spectrum changes... but changes have been SLLOOOOW. I still have no service in large areas of one of the biggest suburbs of cleveland where my girlfriend lives. Pretty much I want to kill myself whenever I fall into a 3g area of sprint... I would rather have 1x... the 3g is invariably worse.

Columbus, 8640. The Age of 10 MHz FDD Discovery. - S4GRU Sprint 4G Rollout UpdatesI mean jesus, Some of these changes to their spectrum are LITERALLY 18 years in the making.
 
Big Phoenix

Big Phoenix

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Kedwyn_sl said:
Yeah the low frequency signal has been horded by Verizon and AT&T which has excellent penetration. Tmobile is stuck with very high spectrum in many areas and sprint is even higher which affects how well their signal can penetrate. Side note to that though is those high frequency signals propagate well so they need fewer towers to blanket an area, they just can't penetrate worth a shit. Fewer towers also can mean short on bandwidth if enough people are in an area which is a big sprint problem in populated areas. In theory, switching from Tmobile to Sprint should help alleviate that assuming it works properly.

Odd thing about sprint was sitting on tons of 900 mhz spectrum from Nextel and have done nothing with it. I think they sold some of it actually. Sprint has to be one of the worse run companies in the US cellular industry.


My problem with Fi is its not that much cheaper than what I'm paying AT&T. Even if we only use 1gb of data we have 2 smart phones and a dumb phone for her mom we pay for. 30+30+20 =80 plus tax. So around $90. AT&T with all the corporate discounts is 10gb for 115 with tax. SO $25 and I can use any phone I want and I know my service is awesome plus i have 10gb of data.
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Very little incentive to upgrade service and compete when youre part of a quasi-cartel.
 
Siliconemelons

Siliconemelons

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Antarius_sl said:
Theoretically the network "should" be alright. Sprint has good outdoor saturation, T-Mobile has a good urban network. There are very few sections of the midwest that aren't covered by one OR the other OR a public wifi spot nearby, you have to go to pretty rural places for where verizon might be the only option.
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But isn't it only using the LTE of Spring and TMO? Its not CDMA and GSM is it? all voice is VoLTE etc...so when looking at "coverage" don't look at Sprint or TMOs main map but only their LTE maps.
 
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