I'm ready to ditch my Blackberry Curve for something with a better screen. If I stick with Verizon, I am eligible for an early upgrade in August without paying any extra upgrade fees. I soooo badly want an iPhone. I have seen first hand how it can be used as a basic news tool, as its cameras for stills and video as well as available apps like iMovie, etc, make it a nice, portable news gathering tool for some situations where super professional quality is required. I've even been able to use a still from an iPhone 4 as a cover photo for a newsprint magazine and was happy with the results.
My problem: AT&T is not an option, they don't offer, nor would they sell me an iPhone since they do not provide service in my area of Kansas. An iPhone on Verizon, with a 2nd from the bottom entry level number of voice minutes ($450 for $40/mo.), plus a very generous amount of texting, unlimited data plan and the tethering/wifi hotspot option, puts me at $110 per month, not including taxes and insurance. My other option I am considering is going with a regional provider called Nex-Tech. Obviously they do not have the extensive network that Verizon or AT&T, but they should have good service in the areas that I'd live and work and fair service with roaming agreements outside of those areas. For the same unlimited texting, similar level of voice minutes, unlimited data plan and tethering/wifi hotspot I am at $70. The main advantage with this is obviously price. The disadvantages I see is I wouldn't have access to the iOS ecosystem (apps, seamless integration with my Macs and iPad especially with iCloud and Lion just around the corner). My choices of phones to do the wifi hotspot with Nex-Tech is HTC Desire, Motorola Milestone X and the Samsung i500. I could carry an iPad our iPod Touch when its convenient, like in my car, etc, so wouldn't be completely without mobile Apple gear. I guess I'll have to decide if an iPhone is worth an extra $40 a month at a time with the crappy economy/personal financial situation, I could use an extra $40 a month. Joe _______________________________________________ iPhone-talk mailing list [email protected] http://www.omnigroup.com/mailman/listinfo/iphone-talk
