Dear Ed, It's 2 gigs of data with unlimited texting and calls. If a blind end user accesses WIFI regularly, he would likely not need more than this amount of data. I use a company called TPO Mobile. it is an MVNO on the T-Mobile network.
Kelly On 5/26/17, Mr. Ed <[email protected]> wrote: > Hi Kelly, > Where are you getting your phone service for $31.00 a month including taxes > for unlimited texting and data? > Mr. Ed > > -----Original Message----- > From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf > Of Sieghard Weitzel > Sent: Thursday, May 25, 2017 3:41 AM > To: [email protected] > Subject: RE: the cost of staying connected > > I totally agree that many want the latest and upgrading every year or every > two years is somewhat expensive. Some may argue that they have this great > plan from their provider which lets them upgrade every year, but of course > if you really look at it you will find out that no provider does this out of > the goodness of their hearts and in the end you pay through the nose for > such a privilege. Then there are those who have multiple smartphones like an > Android and an iPhone in order to "stay current with technology" or to "have > the best of both worlds". Also some have multiple iDevices and to me that is > also a waste of money. At one point I decided to keep my old 5S around and > use it at home on WiFi but I quickly realized that I rarely did and always > used my new 6S Plus anyways and while I can see how the large screen of an > iPad is attractive for sighted people, it doesn't do much for me. I have > read messages on here from people who have a very limited income yet they > have an iPhone and an iPad, an Apple TV and multiple music and TV streaming > services and I sort of wonder if they don't realize that all of this adds up > to be a pretty significant cost, at the same time some of the same people > complain about some of the expensive apps like KNFB Reader or about paying > $5 a month for having a Jaws SMA (it's $120 every two years so it does work > out to be just $5 a month which is half of what most of us pay for Apple > Music or Spotify). > I think Deidre does have a point, but unless you are mostly at home where a > landline does the trick and maybe a pay as you go flipphone is enough for > the odd time you go somewhere, I think the additional cost for a smartphone > plan is justifiable considering what a smartphone offers (GPS, OCR anywhere > you go, accessible texting etc.). For anybody who is working or running a > business it is more or less essential nowadays, I need access to my email, > often apps are easier to use than websites when it comes to making a quick > online banking transaction, posting something on Facebook, tracking a > package or even maintaining your profiles for Google My Business and so on. > At times I can actually be away from my business to do something personal or > recreational simply because I am still connected and able to do something if > I have to. In a way it's not so different for a sighted person with cars. > How many couples have a car each, it costs a lot to buy the thing in the > first place and thousands and thousands each year for insurance, gas, > parking and repairs/maintenance. Especially if you live in the city you > could probably get by using public transportation and take a cab or an Uber > when you have to, most of us who don't have sighted partners who drive do it > all the time. But being able to jump into a car any time you want for a > quick trip somewhere is just so convenient. I live in a rather small town of > about 6,000 people, our one local cab company doesn't even use a meter, they > charge $8 for a trip in town no matter if it's half a mile from the grocery > store back to my house or 2 miles from one side of town to the other. If you > do a return trip inside I think an hour or hour and a half then it's $11 for > both. My wife is sighted but has epilepsy so can't drive either and we spend > maybe $1,000 a year on cab rides for times when the weather is bad, we have > more than we can or want to carry etc. If we owned a car I'd spend that > alone on insurance let alone buying gas, new tires or dividing the initial > purchase price by the lifespan of the vehicle. > Interestingly enough people often buy used cars, sometimes cheap old beaters > but few of us buy a used iPhone that is 2 years old even though in many > cases it would do the trick as well and it would save you a fair bit since > it is much cheaper to buy and you could get any post-paid or pre-paid plan > you want since no carrier can ask you to sign up for a 2-year contract on > some expensive plan. > > Regards, > Sieghard > > -----Original Message----- > From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf > Of Kelly Pierce > Sent: Wednesday, May 24, 2017 8:19 PM > To: [email protected] > Subject: Re: the cost of staying connected > > My observation is that people upgrade too early. If folks kept their iPhone > for four years instead of two, the annual cost of an iPhone would be > substantially reduced. I did this when I bought my iPhone 5 in 2012 and > then upgraded to an iPhone 7 in 2016, selling my iPhone 5 on Craigslist for > $120. Further, when I first started out, I did not use the phone much and > had a prepaid service for $16 a month where I had 100 minutes, 100 texts and > 500 MB of data a month. Now I use my phone a lot more and pay $31 including > taxes for 2 GB of data with unlimited talk and texts. This level of service > should be plenty for virtually all blind users who can jump on WIFI every so > often for app updates and downloads along with downloading podcasts and > audio books. > For most people, paying more for cell phone service is unnecessary. > > Kelly > > > > > On 5/24/17, MamaPeach <[email protected]> wrote: >> That is what I did, I gave up my iPhone, and am now using a simple >> flip phone that does have speech and it only costs me $25 every 30 >> days through Walmart's Total Wireless unlimited talk and text plan. We >> cut cable and now >> >> only use NetFlix and Hulu for watching TV shows and movies. We pay >> $64.99 for our internet each month, which allows me to do what I want >> and I do have >> >> an iPod that allows me to connect to our wifi to do anything else I >> want to >> >> do using that device. >> >> -----Original Message----- >> From: Richard Turner >> Sent: Wednesday, May 24, 2017 3:18 PM >> To: [email protected] >> Subject: Re: the cost of staying connected >> >> >> You cannot listen to your books outside with the computer unless you >> got some kind of wireless speaker system. >> But, you could do everything but the phone calls and internet stuff on >> an iPod Touch. >> If you have wifi at home anyway, then no extra monthly fee. >> Ditch the iPhone and get a simple, inexpensive phone for times when >> you are >> >> away from home. >> Or, keep the iPhone and decide all that convenience is worth the money. >> Just my two cents worth. >> Richard >> >> >>> On May 24, 2017, at 8:50 AM, deidre muccio <[email protected]> wrote: >>> >>> >>> In the last day, I have had cause to think of the cost of staying >>> connected via an i phone. >>> First off we all pay a monthly service charge perhaps starting >>> around $50. Put another $7 or more on for insurance if you buy it. >>> Then there is the cost of the phone which can be dirt cheap if it is >>> your first phone provided by a carrier you have been with for a long >>> time. Once that phone needs replacing however, let's say, 2 years and >>> a few months, you are in for purchasing a new phone or a used one, or >>> might pay a $200 deductible on one that your insurance coverage will >>> replace due to hardware damage. >>> Add >>> this all up, and it's thousands of dollars over a mere 2 year period. >>> I have to ask what the true value is in all this? >>> On the practical, not philosophical front, I am paying for the >>> convenience and portability of a phone that I can make calls on and >>> text with, and I can do all the information sharing and web >>> searching, social networking, watch movies, listen to podcasts, read >>> books, etc all on the run or away from home. Other than phone service >>> and texting, all of this I can do on my desktop computer for the >>> price of my internet service. >>> What would I be missing if I gave this all up? Yesterday, I >>> seriously thought of buying a monthly phone service for $25 and >>> giving the rest up. Has anyone tried doing that lately? I'd like to >>> hear about it! >>> Are >>> you planning more hikes or tandem bike rides? >>> How I love my phone! I love lying in bed or cleaning house and >>> moving my phone from room to room while I listen to a podcast, a >>> replay of a news show, or a book. Again, I could do all this on a >>> desktop computer provided the volume on my speakers reached the far >>> rooms. I doubt I'd miss not getting calls or texts while away from >>> home unless I was traveling out of State. Admittedly, the cheapest >>> cell phone service I was able to purchase was $39 per month so the >>> additional cost to text and have a phone with voice over menus is >>> definitely superior to that. >>> I wonder if I've already nearly fully answered my question cause >>> I'm sitting here smiling broadly as I write this. Still, I conclude >>> that I'm crazy for putting out the money to entertain myself around >>> the clock, not unlike an avid TV watcher, when I could be out >>> gardening or I could spend more time at the gym, or finishing a novel >>> and/or the few short stories in the works! I could even get some kind >>> of volunteer job. I will say that when I do work for pay, my work >>> being as a masseuse, I do not use my phone at all. >>> One good thing, I guess, is that if I go silent, friends might >>> inquire as to whether or not I am still alive, so for safety's sake, >>> I guess that detail gets racked up in the plus column. >>> I did not write or dictate this using my phone. I am typing away >>> on a full keyboard, which is far more comfortable and affords much >>> more time for thinking. If I could word process using a full keyboard >>> or a dictation program that would allow you to dictate unlimited >>> text, I'd trash the desktop pronto. Oh, no no no, having a iphone on >>> the blink for the past day was bad enough, we'll always need back up, >>> now won't we? >>> >>> Deidre >>> Deidre >>> >>> -- >>> The following information is important for all members of the V >>> iPhone list. >>> >>> If you have any questions or concerns about the running of this list, >>> or if you feel that a member's post is inappropriate, please contact >>> the owners or moderators directly rather than posting on the list >>> itself. >>> >>> Your V iPhone list moderator is Mark Taylor. Mark can be reached at: >>> [email protected]. Your list owner is Cara Quinn - you can reach Cara >>> at [email protected] >>> >>> The archives for this list can be searched at: >>> http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ >>> --- >>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google >>> Groups >>> >>> "VIPhone" group. >>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, >>> send an >>> >>> email to [email protected]. >>> To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. >>> Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/viphone. >>> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. >> >> -- >> The following information is important for all members of the V iPhone >> list. >> >> If you have any questions or concerns about the running of this list, >> or if >> >> you feel that a member's post is inappropriate, please contact the >> owners or >> >> moderators directly rather than posting on the list itself. >> >> Your V iPhone list moderator is Mark Taylor. Mark can be reached at: >> [email protected]. Your list owner is Cara Quinn - you can reach Cara at >> [email protected] >> >> The archives for this list can be searched at: >> http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ >> --- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google >> Groups "VIPhone" group. >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send >> an email to [email protected]. >> To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. >> Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/viphone. >> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. >> >> -- >> The following information is important for all members of the V iPhone >> list. >> >> If you have any questions or concerns about the running of this list, >> or if you feel that a member's post is inappropriate, please contact >> the owners or moderators directly rather than posting on the list itself. >> >> Your V iPhone list moderator is Mark Taylor. Mark can be reached at: >> [email protected]. Your list owner is Cara Quinn - you can reach Cara at >> [email protected] >> >> The archives for this list can be searched at: >> http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ >> --- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google >> Groups "VIPhone" group. >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send >> an email to [email protected]. >> To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. >> Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/viphone. >> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. >> > > -- > The following information is important for all members of the V iPhone > list. > > If you have any questions or concerns about the running of this list, or if > you feel that a member's post is inappropriate, please contact the owners or > moderators directly rather than posting on the list itself. > > Your V iPhone list moderator is Mark Taylor. Mark can be reached at: > [email protected]. Your list owner is Cara Quinn - you can reach Cara at > [email protected] > > The archives for this list can be searched at: > http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ > --- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "VIPhone" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/viphone. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. > > -- > The following information is important for all members of the V iPhone > list. > > If you have any questions or concerns about the running of this list, or if > you feel that a member's post is inappropriate, please contact the owners or > moderators directly rather than posting on the list itself. > > Your V iPhone list moderator is Mark Taylor. Mark can be reached at: > [email protected]. Your list owner is Cara Quinn - you can reach Cara at > [email protected] > > The archives for this list can be searched at: > http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ > --- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "VIPhone" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/viphone. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. > > -- > The following information is important for all members of the V iPhone > list. > > If you have any questions or concerns about the running of this list, or if > you feel that a member's post is inappropriate, please contact the owners or > moderators directly rather than posting on the list itself. > > Your V iPhone list moderator is Mark Taylor. Mark can be reached at: > [email protected]. Your list owner is Cara Quinn - you can reach Cara at > [email protected] > > The archives for this list can be searched at: > http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ > --- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "VIPhone" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/viphone. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. > -- The following information is important for all members of the V iPhone list. If you have any questions or concerns about the running of this list, or if you feel that a member's post is inappropriate, please contact the owners or moderators directly rather than posting on the list itself. Your V iPhone list moderator is Mark Taylor. Mark can be reached at: [email protected]. Your list owner is Cara Quinn - you can reach Cara at [email protected] The archives for this list can be searched at: http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "VIPhone" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/viphone. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
