For at least the past 2 years now, I’ve been trying to find a good cell phone that has WIFI capabilities, but does not require a data plan for a “reasonable” price. I really thought that this would not be difficult thing to accomplish. However, I still haven’t found this cell phone yet.
To give you some more insight as to why I’m searching for this device, here is some more information that I think would best explain why I’m looking for this functionality in particular: Many have asked me, “Why don’t you want the data plan?” Simple, data plans for cell phones are too expensive (in my opinion), and I’m too cheap to pay for it. A standard everything data plan costs approximately $30 / month for every major carrier that I have seen. That’s $360 per year. I spent less than that on the last desktop and laptop that I purchased (individually, not combined). $360 is probably my tech budget for entire year. As I said, I’m cheap…
Currently, I use Sprint and I have a $150 credit toward a new phone if I sign up to a new 2 year contract with them . So, I called them and asked them if they have a phone that has WIFI capabilities but does not require a data plan. This was my only requirement for a phone. They came back with only one phone, the Samsung Intrepid. The price tag after discounts and rebates, $150. I asked if they had one cheaper, and they said no. So, I called AT&T. According to the customer service rep, AT&T does not carry a phone with WIFI capabilities that does not require a data plan. I called Verizon and received the same answer. After some google searching to just make sure, I found that Verizon and AT&T both have an official stance on this, that they require a data plan for smartphone capable devices that they sell through the respective carriers. US Cellular also has the same policy.
My last hope was T-Mobile. They currently have 1 phone that has this capability, the Blackberry Pearl. One problem: According to the user forums, if you don’t hook up the data plan, the Blackberry functions can not be used. Apparently, they are not programmed to allow usage of these services with a WIFI connection. WTF… I understand why there is no push to fix this, because it’s more incentive to force users into paying for a data plan. But, let’s look at this logically.
Blackberry provides web services for anyone that purchases Blackberry phones right? By requiring that I pay for a data plan in order to access the service, you are basically imposing a monthly service fee on me. How come your competitors don’t do this? If I purchase an Apple iPhone or Apple iPod Touch, all the built-in applications (the app store, itunes, email apps, etc.) all work with a WIFI connection. They do not require an additional data plan in order to operate them. I get these services for free as a complement for purchasing the phone that works with these services. It’s just one more thing that I think will eventually be part of Blackberry’s demise.
To break into my theory about the future of Smartphones, here’s a review (as I see it) of the current companies in the marketplace. Palm once ruled the smartphone market. They were the 900 lb. gorilla in the room. Blackberry comes along with a slick services platform to complement their phone and swiftly start taking away the market share and became the king of the smartphone market. Then comes along Apple that has an even slicker services platform and starts cleaning up from a different angle: target consumers first and eventually work your way into the businesses. Now enters Google, with the slickest services platform to date. As I see it, Apple and Google Android will be the leaders in the marketplace, with Google Android eventually becoming king (unless Apple is smart enough to extend on their services offering to compete with Google). Palm is dead and Blackberry is quickly bleeding. Blackberry still has a chance to rebound, but they are making all the wrong decisions.
In addition to the WIFI with no data plan issue, if I want to develop for the Blackberry and have my application in the marketplace, I have to pay an upfront application fee of $250 which is good to publish 5 applications. Apple charges $99 per year, Android’s is $25, and Palm is free (if you open source the code, $99 otherwise). Not to mention that Apple and Google Android allow you to price applications for $0.99 (an impulse buy), where Blackberry requires a minimum app amount of $2.99.
Recently on an episode of Diggnation, Kevin Rose and Alex Albrecht talked about how Blackberry is the “battle tested tank” and that most business people prefer it to the Droid or iPhone. They’re right… However, this “tank” still releases new models each year that amount to a new coat of paint (buy our new “blue tank”, it’s pre-waxed!). All the while, the competition is releasing a tank that can fly. So, the competing tank doesn’t have as heavy armor, and the main turret isn’t as powerful, but it can fly! The issue is that Blackberry is releasing the same device in a new shell without any innovation (not on the phones or the services as far as I have seen). Apple and Google Android on the other hand are innovating, with their devices, OS, and services offering. This is why Blackberry needs to innovate… or they will die in this battle.
Back to my original issue, for now I’m confined to using 2 separate devices for this WIFI/Smartphone functions and cellular phone services. grr…. Interestingly enough, from doing research on this topic, it appears I’m not the only one looking for this functionality in a single device. Which goes into another theory of mine, eventually data plans will become obsolete because there will be WIFI hotspots everywhere.
UPDATE 04/01/2010
I moved the article links and my rants/predictions about the future of the smartphone market to this page: Cell phones with WIFI, no data plan required on Page Plus – and more. On that page, I’ve also added some links on phones that will work on Page Plus if you decide to go with them for cellular service.
UPDATE 03/31/2010
I decided to go with Page Plus. Page Plus is a prepaid cell phone card service that runs on the Verizon Wireless network. The customer service isn’t the best, but the cell service paired with a VERY competitive price makes it a deal that you can’t pass up. You can get 1,200 Talk minutes +1,200 Texts for $29.95 per month. If you decide to go with them, I have to recommend Festoons. Tony at Festoons is very prompt and will port your phone number from your existing carrier for $0.99. You can also buy prepaid cards through him at a discount. He was even able to activate a phone for me that Page Plus customer service told me wouldn’t work. I now have a GPS-enabled, WIFI smartphone and the monthly cell service payment is under $30 /month. If you need an unlimited plan, they have an unlimited Talk and Text plan for $39.95 / month.
The data plan requirement is purely a “rip off”, wifi phones, like my Samsung Saga, don’t need the $30 data plan. Which was part of the reason I purchased the phone. It’s like buying a nice car and then having the manufacturer required to use “hi octane” in order to use it.
I have been searching for a cell company that does not have a data plan requirement with no luck. It appears that this industry trend is becoming an industry standard. Fortunately at this point I don’t have any required apps to buy.
Good article.
John
The saga doesnt requite a data plan?
According to the Verizon rep that I spoke to when I called their customer service department, Verizon requires their customers to purchase a data plan with activation of a smartphone on the Verizon network. If you already have a smartphone with no data plan using Verizon as a carrier, that rule may not apply to you. As far as I know, the rule applies to new customers.
I’m a verizon customer and my cell phone is just barely working. I’m not due for an upgrade yet, so verizon was going to charge me retail price if i bought a phone through them. I’m a full time student and spending $125 for a badly made flip phone (which was apparently the cheapest they could offer me) is a waste of my hard earned money.
I feel exactly as you do regarding the $30 data plan phone companies are forcing customers to pay. i did find a PDA/cell phone with WiFi capabilities that was released before Verizon made this new rule. It’s the Samsung i760. I called VZ up last night and their rep told me they no longer had the phone in stock, but it does NOT require a data plan. I’m thinking of getting it from e-bay. It’s about $120 for a new one. It’s not a slick as the new smartphones (I really wanted the HTC Droid Eris), but it has all the applications I need without the added data plan charges.
Thank you for this article. . . . I’m glad to know I am not the only one frustrated by the data plan requirement. I just want the phone for wifi calling and for a good calendar. But it seem impossible at this point so I am stuck with a barely functioning phone that does call with wifi connection but is cheap, cheap every other way. Grrrrr.
Chris,
Excellent article, and documents well my situation. I am an existing Sprint customer looking for just Wifi – and I too considered the Samsung Intrepid. I do want to make you aware that the price of the Intrepid is actually $250 dollars. Sprint tells you that the price is $499 – $250 (instant rebate) – $100 (mail in rebate). If you look at the details of the mail in rebate, you only get the $100 back if you sign up for a data plan. I am starting to look at just buying this phone outright somewhere else, like ebay, if I can.
Rip Off
There is no reason to have a Wi-Fi plan ($30 per phone per month). How often is it used? I just need an occassional peak at e-mail. I cannot surf when I drive. I cannot read e-mail when I drive. If I stop I get free wi-fi access practically everywhere. It is getting time to revolt. There are smaller phone companies but they offer cheap phones!
Ok, I’ve found a solution. I did some research and have found a company called pageplus. It uses the verizon network and verizon phones can be activated. That goes for most smartphones too, except treos, htc’s, and blackberrries. There are a ton of advantages to this, especially the $40 unlimited talk and text with no contract. As for Internet, I have wifi on my samsung saga and it works perfectly. I hope this helps some.
PS: if u’ve got a phone u wanna activate with them, let me know and I’ll tell you how I did it.
Thanks for the replies everyone. Page plus was one I was looking at. Cricket wireless was another one. Those two carriers seem to have the cheapest unlimited talk and text plans that I’ve seen thus far.
I was thinking about simply purchasing a phone direct without the carrier subsidy thinking that would allow me to enable WiFi with a simple and cheap talk plan on one device but they’re on to that. I’ve heard that you can do it with the Google Nexus One so we may see more of this happening in the Android space.
Personally, I see the iPad really being the device which kills data plans. With a two device oriented habits, a phone for talk, an iPad for ebooks, newspaper and email via free Wifi we’ll all be dumping data plans. Most of us who go to an office everyday are under Wifi coverage most of the time at home and at work.
I went down the same road Aleks did. I bought a Samsung Omnia and ported my number away from Sprint to Page Plus. So far, I have no complaints. I’m paying less than I did with Sprint, the coverage is about the same, and I can use a smartphone without a data plan. Just an FYI, there’s a guy on EBay (festoons) that will port your phone number for you for $0.99 and you get $6 worth a free minutes on Page Plus too. You can buy cards from him at a discounted rate as well. He was really fast , if you go with Page Plus, I have to recommend you go through him.
Also, when I first called Page Plus, they told me they couldn’t port numbers to Samsung Omnia’s, but Tony at festoons was able to do it in about an hour.
I am not going to be original this time, so all I am going to say that your blog rocks, sad that I don’t have suck a writing skills
This (your) article is awesome. I too am a Sprint customer for the past 9 years. With smartphones and required data plans, all companies are making a killing off of these things. Boo on them. And so here I am in search of a Smartphone with wifi and hopes of finding a plan without the required data.
And you, my friend, solved that problem on different levels
1. Samsung Intrepid (via Sprint) has wifi but at $250 and not $150 unless you sign up for their data plan. Sneaky. (and I verified that after reading a previous post — see Mike on Mar 2)
2. Pageplus seems SUPER promising. Give me a few months before I actually commit to Pageplus, but if I do, it will be to your credit. Thanks for posting. It was truly enlightening.
Guys!
I’ve been searching and searching for a phone just like this to no avail, also. I’m glad to know there are others like me out there!
What I have found is the Samsung Corby PRO: http://www.knowyourmobile.com/samsung/Samsungcorbypro/samsungcorbyproreviews/325984/samsung_corby_pro_preview.html
Supposedly it has all of the smartphone “features,” INCLUDING WiFi without the data plan. The first of its kind. It’s around 200-250, and I plan on purchasing one.
Hope this helps others.
I have an lg incite and my plan has the $2.00 1mb data pay per use, its a windows mobile 6.1 phone referb. from at&t and I had it for 2 years and never payed for data when using wifi but u have to disable the proxy manager and set the connection setting to My isp instead of media net
I am trying to find the exact thing you are looking for. I also looked at samsung intrepid for $250…which is a high price. I dont want to leave Sprint because I get a discount, but I do want a smartphone w/ wifi and NO DATA PLAN requirement. If I go prepaid route, the family would actually pay more, so at this point I dont know what to do. But now I read that even if you buy the phone off ebay and activate, ATT, Verizon will add the data plan automatically and you cant take it off. I dont know how true this is. I dont know what Tmobile and Sprint stance is on this issue yet. Thanks for this article. I tried finding info on this exact issue and there is not much info out there. People are getting too complacent with carrier control.
magazine–true that if you switch to a smartphone Verizon will automatically add a data package price to your bill?? I wanted a phone with wifi but don’t want to pay for a data pkg. But if Verizon automatically adds the charge, I will go to another carrier, as mentioned above. I don’t have a contract anymore.
I have had a Sumsung i760 phone with Verizon for 2.5 years now. It took many hours of phone calls, but I finally got what I wanted. They won’t tell you this but this is how it worked for me (and my husband, who has the exact same phone).
Purchase a phone with WiFi and they automatically add the data plan.
Call back once you have your phone and ask them to remove the data plan and put a “Data Block” on your phone number. They will tell you that you can’t use the WiFi but it isn’t true!! I’ve been using it for 2.5 years and don’t pay for a data plan. The only other thing that the Data Block prevents is receiving Picture Messages (which I don’t care about anyway). You can still receive text messages (which they tried to tell me I wouldn’t be able to!)
Hope that helps!
I have basic data plan which is attached to my plan as long as I’m a sprint customer and I don’t pay for that. Will samsung intrepid work on basic data plan? Currently the phone is $99 after all the rebated and intsant saving if you upgrade after 2 years.
Will it work?
It’s my understanding that the Samsung Intrepid is the only smart phone with WIFI capability that Sprint offers which does not require the customer to purchase a data plan to activate the phone on Sprint. If you have a basic data plan with Sprint, I don’t see any reason why the phone wouldn’t work for you. However, call Sprint to confirm. I moved away from Sprint about a year ago, so they may have more to offer now.