Smart Phone Help

I think that might have changed. People who have unlimited are grandfathered in... If it hasn't changed yet, I read that it WILL change. :(

I have the iPhone 4 with Verizon, on the 2GB plan. I don't stream a lot when I'm not connected to my wifi, and I've only even gone over 1GB twice in 6 months.

I had an iPhone for about 3 years and I just switched to android. Apple rapes u with the apps and u can only do so much to ur phone that u want not to mention music is free on android.. I love it and I wouldn't go back to iPhone

I had an iPhone for about 3 years and I just switched to android. Apple rapes u with the apps and u can only do so much to ur phone that u want not to mention music is free on android.. I love it and I wouldn't go back to iPhone

Tried to tell my wife but she would not listen.

she said put the look of iPhone is so much nicer. So I download a few apps to make my Bionic look like a 4s, she was like "smartass".

Tried to tell my wife but she would not listen.

she said put the look of iPhone is so much nicer. So I download a few apps to make my Bionic look like a 4s, she was like "smartass".

Yeah man I just finally got tired of apple telling me what my phone will look like.
I jailbroke mine but doing that can screw up ur phone

I had an iPhone for about 3 years and I just switched to android. Apple rapes u with the apps and u can only do so much to ur phone that u want not to mention music is free on android.. I love it and I wouldn't go back to iPhone

I'm with you, I had an iPhone, switched to Android and never looked back. Apple products have their place. If you want something that just works and requires (but also doesn't support) much in the way of tweaking/modification, the iPhone is great. Good battery, nice display (although fragile), no bloatware by default, if you already use iTunes -- a good choice.

To me, the biggest thing is Google Maps vs. iPhones maps (a big reason the Woz uses an Android!). I gave my Garmin away because I just use my phone when I need to get somewhere. Has great turn by turn, always up to date, lots of options. Better than my Garmin. I love the flexibility after rooting my phone, but it also adds elements of instability. I do spend a lot of time tweaking, so it's a tradeoff I make.

JR -- in your case. You probably won't hit a datacap. As you said, the phone will connect to wifi when you're in range and spare your plan. I have a 4G phone. it absolutely flies. However, I keep 4G off a majority of the time. 4G is great and fast, but kills the battery at a much quicker rate. Batteries are getting a bit more robust, but still need some work. I'd guess 4 gigs is plenty, depending on how much streaming (music/video) you plan on doing. Rarely I hotspot my phone, which works well, but mostly unnecessary.

One of my big issues with android phones is that they're packaged with the bloatware from Verizon/ATT/etc. I would suggest rooting the phone and installing a 3rd party ROM such as CyanogenMod or BAMF, but I understand if that's a daunting task if you're not looking to be cutting edge.

Thanks for the advice. After looking, I think I have it down to three choices:

Motorolla X2 -> 3G, $50 or $90 with case and phone charger.
Motorolla Bionic -> 4G, $100 but need basic accessories.
LG Lucid -> 4G, $80 but works with current chargers (also 4" screen as opposed to 4.3").

Probably go with the X2, Data plan seems like a good deal ($30 for 4 GB).

Some follow-ups:
1) A couple of you have used the term "hotspot" - what does that mean?
2) Just so I am clear - If I am on my wifi, the "G" is really inapplicable and I can stream on on my front porch at a rate comparable to the ancient tower PC downstairs?

Thanks for the advice. After looking, I think I have it down to three choices:

Motorolla X2 -> 3G, $50 or $90 with case and phone charger.
Motorolla Bionic -> 4G, $100 but need basic accessories.
LG Lucid -> 4G, $80 but works with current chargers (also 4" screen as opposed to 4.3").

Probably go with the X2, Data plan seems like a good deal ($30 for 4 GB).

Some follow-ups:
1) A couple of you have used the term "hotspot" - what does that mean?
2) Just so I am clear - If I am on my wifi, the "G" is really inapplicable and I can stream on on my front porch at a rate comparable to the ancient tower PC downstairs?

A hotspot is a just place with free WiFi, like an internet cafe, coffee shop, etc.

A hotspot is a just place with free WiFi, like an internet cafe, coffee shop, etc.

Your phone can act like a hot spot as well but it is generally not free to do this unless it is rooted.

Yeah, turning your phone into a hotspot means it turns basically into a wireless router. Most phones offer it for free for 30 days then ask you to pay some ridiculously high fee to use it regularly. Once rooted it becomes very free.

If you're using your home wireless, you should see similar speeds as you see on a home wireless computer.

Before you buy the charger and case at Verizon, hit up the local Five Below or look online. I got my case and extra iPhone charger at Five Below. The case I have is from https://www.speckproducts.com/ and it's great.

The one thing I ran into when we upgraded our devices was my 6 year old router couldn't handle all the traffic. At any one time, I have 4 computers, 2 iPhones, an iPad and a Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 going at the same time. I grabbed a wireless-n router from Newegg for $30 and it's been great. Not saying you'll have to do the same (I've got an overkill setup), but something to keep in mind.