questions → is it possible to get a smart phone with only a…

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Is it possible to get a smart phone with only a data plan?

I don't talk on the phone. I rarely send or receive text messages. But I do spend a lot of time on email, Facebook, Woot! and various other parts of the internet. I have an iPod touch that is good, when I can find free wifi, but that's not as ubiquitous as many people assume it is.

Does anyone know if any companies offer smart phones with only data plans, no voice/text plans?

by gt0163c
asked 4 months ago

9 Answers answer

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vote-for8vote-against

I wish they had smart phones that don't require you to get a data plan

s21
4 months ago

vote-for5vote-against

Not entirely,yet you can use a prepaid service that offers little talk time with unlimited data. One of my children is the same, she uses Virgin mobile and pays about $45 monthly for unlimited data on an android phone.

meems212
4 months ago

vote-for8vote-against

Or you could get a small tablet with 3G and skip the phone part altogether. I love my iPad, but I know there are some good android solutions out there if you want a smaller screen and lower price point.

okham
4 months ago

vote-for11vote-against

Yep, I agree with @okham, sounds like you could use a 7-inch tablet to tote around with you with just a 3G plan.

meh3884
4 months ago

vote-for3vote-against

Hmmm..interesting idea. I hadn't thought about a small tablet. Will definitely have to look into that. Thanks!

gt0163c
4 months ago

vote-for3vote-against

How about the reverse question, is it possible to get a smartphone w/o a dataplan even if you're off contract? AT&T says NO WAY! I've been off contract for over a year and bought an unlocked smartphone w/ wifi so I could use it when I do not have my tablet. About 45 days later after switching out the SIM card, I saw a $47.50 charge on my bill for a 2GB data plan for the prior month and current even though I did not sign up for one.

I called AT&T and found out they do a sweep of the system to find smartphones that are not on a dataplan and will automatically assess a $25 charge for the 2gb plan - even if you're off contract and bought the phone outright. They would not turn it off until I switched the SIM card back and they could verify the old "dumb phone" was working again.

SUCKS!

kbsig106
4 months ago

vote-for4vote-against

Get a Playstation Vita.

cmarcospol
4 months ago

vote-for3vote-against

@kbsig106: Good luck with that. When AT&T absorbed my regional carrier a couple of years ago I too tried to get away without paying for a data plan. I had purchased the phone I wanted while still using the regional carrier's service (which was still compatible with AT&T's network), and so I had just expected to be able to swap out the SIM card from the new phone that AT&T insisted I had to take with the new contract. I later learned that when a phone registers with AT&T, they check the IMEI to see what kind of phone it is and they will AUTOMATICALLY activate a data plan if they see it as a smartphone.

I was able, after a 45 minute phone call to AT&T's customer service, convince the CSR to block data to my phone in exchange for them dropping the smartphone data charges. The only downside is that blocking the data also messed up the MMS service to my phone, but it was a sacrifice I was willing to make.

secretagentman02
4 months ago

vote-for2vote-against

@secretagentman02: AT&T said they would remove the $47.50 charge since I only used <1 mb of 2 gb's if I removed the SIM and put it back in the old phone, waited 24 hours and then called back to request the removal of the charge. Crazy stuff - out of contract for more than a year - you'd think you could do whatever you wanted since you're not getting a "new phone" w/ contract.

You're right about the AT&T sweep - they knew within 24 hours based on the date the charge was assessed.

kbsig106
4 months ago

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