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Why don't more people use Prepaid Wireless in America?

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Just to be clear, if he activates the phone before the 27th he'll keep the old rate, but that's impossible because the phone isn't being sold until the 31st? So it is indeed impossible to keep the grandfathered rate?

just to be clear, it should be impossible to keep the old rate with a new phone after the 26th.

who knows, maybe there will be bugs on the website like when they first introduced the new rates... some people managed to get the old rates that way...
 
Virgin Mobile Optimus Slider Radio Shack for 124.99 Web only, free shipping Vaild till 5/19
Radio Shack has the Optimus Slider for Virgin Mobile for 144.99. This is for Web Only orders.

http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=12241431

Apply Coupon Code SAVE20, or RMN20 for $20 off. And you get free shipping for orders over $50

I finally decided to upgrade my Virgin Mobile phone and lock in my $25 plan before the change over, this phone qualifies for the grandfathered price.
http://slickdeals.net/f/4382644-Vir...124-99-Web-only-free-shipping-Vaild-till-5-19
 
MAKE YOUR VIRGIN MOBILE LG OPTIMUS ELITE YOUR WALLET AND GET $25

From 5/18/12 through 7/18/12, you can get $25 credited to your Google Wallet™ account by first purchasing and activating an LG Optimus Elite™.

Then activate your Google Wallet and Google Wallet prepaid card within 7 days of activating the device on a Virgin Mobile USA Beyond Talk monthly plan.

With Near Field Communication (NFC) capabilities and built-in services like Google Wallet, you can now use your LG Optimus Elite like never before - as a wallet – making it one of the fastest, easiest and flat-out coolest ways to make a purchase at participating retailers.
they're really pushing this phone eh...


the fine print...

$25 Google Wallet offer Terms and Conditions: Offer requires: (1) purchase of a new LG Optimus Elite from Virgin Mobile and activation on a Virgin Mobile Beyond Talk account; and (2) activation and set up of Google Wallet prepaid card within seven (7) days of Virgin Mobile account activation, during the Promotion Period. Upon successful activation, Google™ will: (i) add a $10 credit to the Google Wallet prepaid card within 48 hours of activation; and (ii) add an additional $15.00 credit to the Google Wallet prepaid card within three weeks of successful activation and set up. No personal credit card information is required for offer to apply. To see where Google Wallet is accepted, please go to http://www.google.com/wallet/where-it-works.html. NOTE: Credits applied toward Google Wallet accounts are performed by Google or its designees. For more questions or inquiries about this offer, or about the status of your credit, please call Google Wallet: 855-492-5538. Other restrictions apply.
 

tino

Banned
Weird, TMobile turn on the "You must pay for your tethering" filter tonight? I was in the middle of reading GAF on my laptop and I got the "pay for tethering" redirect page.

It doesn't work all the time though, I was able to install user agent for both of my browsers. Interesting you can't use iPad's user agent but Android or iPhones are fine.
 
So GAF, I'm ready to make the jump to owning a Smart Phone. Going with Virgin Mobile's 35$ plan. I'd just like something i can use to browse GAF and RSS feeds at work a few days of the week.

It seems like the two best phones seem to be either the new LG Optimus Elite or the Triumph. I wanna go with the Triumph, but I've read about people having weird issues with it, but otherwise seems to be the better phone.

Please help me decide GAF! I can't make up my mind!
 

Jafku

Member
So GAF, I'm ready to make the jump to owning a Smart Phone. Going with Virgin Mobile's 35$ plan. I'd just like something i can use to browse GAF and RSS feeds at work a few days of the week.

It seems like the two best phones seem to be either the new LG Optimus Elite or the Triumph. I wanna go with the Triumph, but I've read about people having weird issues with it, but otherwise seems to be the better phone.

Please help me decide GAF! I can't make up my mind!
How much do you plan to spend?
 

Fox Mulder

Member
So GAF, I'm ready to make the jump to owning a Smart Phone. Going with Virgin Mobile's 35$ plan. I'd just like something i can use to browse GAF and RSS feeds at work a few days of the week.

It seems like the two best phones seem to be either the new LG Optimus Elite or the Triumph. I wanna go with the Triumph, but I've read about people having weird issues with it, but otherwise seems to be the better phone.

Please help me decide GAF! I can't make up my mind!

I'm waiting for the HTC evo v 4g in a few weeks. I'm leaving Verizon and get a cheap bill with a good ice cream sandwich phone.
 

Lizard with a ladder

learnin' with the blacks!
So GAF, I'm ready to make the jump to owning a Smart Phone. Going with Virgin Mobile's 35$ plan. I'd just like something i can use to browse GAF and RSS feeds at work a few days of the week.

It seems like the two best phones seem to be either the new LG Optimus Elite or the Triumph. I wanna go with the Triumph, but I've read about people having weird issues with it, but otherwise seems to be the better phone.

Please help me decide GAF! I can't make up my mind!

I own the Triumph and love it. I'm on the $35 plan also. It's ok for browsing stuff like GAF. Although a bit slow. As far as issues go, I might be one of those lucky ones. I haven't had any problems with this phone yet. I've owned it now for about 6 months.
 
How much do you plan to spend?

While I'm leaning toward the LG Optimus for the price, I'm all for shelling out the 300 or so for the Evo (which I found out about after my last post) if it's really worth it. Again, since I'm a completely noob to smart phones, I'm not sure if the HTC is regarded as a reliable brand or not. Plus, I don't see myself using it for much more than the occasional call, texting, and web browsing (also something wi-fi capable would be nice when I'm out of the country)
 

tino

Banned
EVO (not EVO 3D) spec is pretty close to Triumph. Maybe it has more rom option thats about it, and slightly larger screen.

I wouldn't consider the LG Optimus.

VVV Oh ok then.
 
if you're considering the Triumph, just wait for the EVO V 4G

or else get the Optimus


EVO (not EVO 3D) spec is pretty close to Triumph. Maybe it has more rom option thats about it, and slightly larger screen.

I wouldn't consider the LG Optimus.

but the EVO V is the EVO 3D, not the original EVO!
 

DarkFlow

Banned
While I'm leaning toward the LG Optimus for the price, I'm all for shelling out the 300 or so for the Evo (which I found out about after my last post) if it's really worth it. Again, since I'm a completely noob to smart phones, I'm not sure if the HTC is regarded as a reliable brand or not. Plus, I don't see myself using it for much more than the occasional call, texting, and web browsing (also something wi-fi capable would be nice when I'm out of the country)
Get a galaxy nexus from the Google play store. Its about $440 after taxes and shipping. it's GSM unlocked so you can use it on att or t mobile with no contract. I'm on t mobile for $30 a month with 100 mins, unlimited text and 5gb of 4g data. I don't talk much so this works for me. If you need more mins straight talk for $45 has unlimited everything.
 

DocX

Member
I don't know if anyone's mentioned earlier than the last couple pages of this thread, but Cricket Wireless is great!

Look at the Huawei Mercury specs, which was released back in December. 2GB internal storage, SD slot, 512MB RAM, 1.4GHz proc, 480 x 854 pixels, 4.0-inch screen. And this PC Mag article.

And Cricket is always open to allowing flashed phones that they don't sell on their network. Nationwide coverage. Where Cricket doesn't cover, Sprint coverage counts. I get 3G coverage on Sprint networks. I get the Android plan for $55/month.

And let me add a bit to this post. If you don't want to actually go to a store when you need to get something done about your phone, you'll need to have the patience of Job and know Spanish to call in...and still end up probably going to the store. So, just go to the store. There's not a lot of corporate-owned stores. Corporate-owned stores can do more, but they're going to be allowing authorized stores to do more and more. And the authorized stores can always get things done by calling in.
 
I kinda want to get the Evo V 4G, but I'm waiting to see how the 4G network speed comes out on the VM end, since it's the first 4G phone. I know it's on Sprint's network, but we'll see.

If I do get it, someone from Gaf buy my Triumph. :p
 

quaere

Member
Here are the current problems with the Triumph:

- Low end radio. You will get a weaker signal than almost any other phone on Sprint. If you're in a good signal area, who cares. If at home or work you have marginal signal, don't get this phone.
- Battery life is on the lower end for similar phones.
- Automatic brightness takes a second or two to adjust.
- Camera is garbage. You don't want to take any real pictures with this.

And other problem you may read about can be fixed through a ROM.
And Cricket is always open to allowing flashed phones that they don't sell on their network. Nationwide coverage. Where Cricket doesn't cover, Sprint coverage counts. I get 3G coverage on Sprint networks. I get the Android plan for $55/month.
The main problem with using Cricket as a bring your own phone CDMA carrier is that it's not truly nationwide - Cricket runs an AWS network in many of its cities. A flashed phone is only going to be dual band. So if you've got your flashed phone in a Cricket city that has AWS, it won't roam on Sprint's network because it's a Cricket area, and you can't connect to Cricket either because you don't have the right radio. I believe you can mess with the PRL to make it roam on Sprint anyway, but that's getting over my head.

If you could get it to work it would be great for phone costs - you can get an excellent condition Samsung Fascinate with a bad ESN on eBay for $75 shipped that is a much, much better phone than the Triumph.
 
Get a galaxy nexus from the Google play store. Its about $440 after taxes and shipping. it's GSM unlocked so you can use it on att or t mobile with no contract. I'm on t mobile for $30 a month with 100 mins, unlimited text and 5gb of 4g data. I don't talk much so this works for me. If you need more mins straight talk for $45 has unlimited everything.

While I have the money, I just don't think I want to spend that much on my first smart phone. I think I'll wait for the EVO. I imagine they'll have a good "Newcomer" deal for it.

Thanks guys.
 

Lkr

Member
Get a galaxy nexus from the Google play store. Its about $440 after taxes and shipping. it's GSM unlocked so you can use it on att or t mobile with no contract. I'm on t mobile for $30 a month with 100 mins, unlimited text and 5gb of 4g data. I don't talk much so this works for me. If you need more mins straight talk for $45 has unlimited everything.

is there a cheaper plan with less data? my sprint plan is ending and i'm looking to go prepaid. only thing i dislike is paying so much up front, but it would be worth it for $20/mo service. if going t-mobile, i'd probably get the lumia or exhibit since it is quite a bit cheaper
 

border

Member
is there a cheaper plan with less data? my sprint plan is ending and i'm looking to go prepaid. only thing i dislike is paying so much up front, but it would be worth it for $20/mo service. if going t-mobile, i'd probably get the lumia or exhibit since it is quite a bit cheaper

$20/month is not going to buy you a plan with any data at all. $30/month is pretty much the minimum for any smartphone plan. Under AT&T's old plans you could have perhaps averaged under $20/month if your minutes/SMS/data usage was insanely low, but that ship has sailed.
 

Lkr

Member
$20/month is not going to buy you a plan with any data at all. $30/month is pretty much the minimum for any smartphone plan. Under AT&T's old plans you could have perhaps averaged under $20/month if your minutes/SMS/data usage was insanely low, but that ship has sailed.

it was a typo, i meant $30. not sure if tmobile is worth an extra $5 over virgin to be able to use any gsm phone besides the iPhone though
 

smr00

Banned
I just use simply mobile or simple mobile or whatever, it's $35 a month for unlimited everything (i think it's around 40-50 now but i was on it before they raised the prices, droids are $55)

I would never pay $80+ a month for a phone, that is just fucking stupid and i can't believe people pay that much for a phone.
 

border

Member
it was a typo, i meant $30. not sure if tmobile is worth an extra $5 over virgin to be able to use any gsm phone besides the iPhone though

But with the CDMA prepaids your phone is stuck on the network forever, since changing carriers requires you to buy a new phone rather than just swapping out a SIM. I think that's easily worth an extra $5/month. Consider that GSM phones will have a much higher resale value since they aren't forever locked to a network -- iPhones and GSM Androids can always be unlcoked.
 

Safe Bet

Banned
I would never pay $80+ a month for a phone, that is just fucking stupid and i can't believe people pay that much for a phone.
Just got my monthly AT&T bill...

$70.00

Unlimited Texts

No Data

:(

Contract is finally up. Will be switching ASAP.
 

Lkr

Member
But with the CDMA prepaids your phone is stuck on the network forever, since changing carriers requires you to buy a new phone rather than just swapping out a SIM. I think that's easily worth an extra $5/month. Consider that GSM phones will have a much higher resale value since they aren't forever locked to a network -- iPhones and GSM Androids can always be unlcoked.

isn't the iPhone incompatible with T-Mobile anyway? Only phones I'm looking at right now(although I will be waiting a few months for my contract to expire unless Sprint drops the $10/mo premium data fee or Verizon's shared data prices are good) are the s2 on tmobile and the galaxy nexus since the iPhone is incompatible
 

vatstep

This poster pulses with an appeal so broad the typical restraints of our societies fall by the wayside.
I would never pay $80+ a month for a phone, that is just fucking stupid and i can't believe people pay that much for a phone.
I don't think a lot of people realize there are other options for smartphones; hell, I didn't until recently. I had an $80/month iPhone with AT&T for four years until two months ago. Now I'm on the TMobile $30 plan with an Android and am still endlessly in awe of how much better the service and value is. The cell reception that AT&T offers in a major city like Boston is fucking despicable when compared to TMobile's prepaid service.
 

DarkFlow

Banned
I don't think a lot of people realize there are other options for smartphones; hell, I didn't until recently. I had an $80/month iPhone with AT&T for four years until two months ago. Now I'm on the TMobile $30 plan with an Android and am still endlessly in awe of how much better the service and value is. The cell reception that AT&T offers in a major city like Boston is fucking despicable when compared to TMobile's prepaid service.
I agree, for $30 the service on t mobile is great. Fast data speeds in San Diego on my Galaxy Nexus. 100 mins talk time is kinda low but I've got around that by using a voip app called grooveIP that works over 4g. With 5gb of 4g data I can't complain.
 

DocX

Member
The main problem with using Cricket as a bring your own phone CDMA carrier is that it's not truly nationwide - Cricket runs an AWS network in many of its cities. A flashed phone is only going to be dual band. So if you've got your flashed phone in a Cricket city that has AWS, it won't roam on Sprint's network because it's a Cricket area, and you can't connect to Cricket either because you don't have the right radio. I believe you can mess with the PRL to make it roam on Sprint anyway, but that's getting over my head.

This is true. :( A reason I was a very sad little monkey until the Mercury came out.
 

border

Member
isn't the iPhone incompatible with T-Mobile anyway? Only phones I'm looking at right now(although I will be waiting a few months for my contract to expire unless Sprint drops the $10/mo premium data fee or Verizon's shared data prices are good) are the s2 on tmobile and the galaxy nexus since the iPhone is incompatible

You can use any iPhone on T-Mobile, but your data speeds will be limited to 2G only. That's still more than enough for streaming music or YouTube videos, but if you're a heavy web browser it might get annoying.
 

Wads

Banned
You can use any iPhone on T-Mobile, but your data speeds will be limited to 2G only. That's still more than enough for streaming music or YouTube videos, but if you're a heavy web browser it might get annoying.

Speaking from experience ... 2g is terrible on tmo.
 

tino

Banned
You can use any iPhone on T-Mobile, but your data speeds will be limited to 2G only. That's still more than enough for streaming music or YouTube videos, but if you're a heavy web browser it might get annoying.

My experience is that if you just browse website, edge speed make not much of a difference. But if you start downloading podcast, you will notice it. It took me a while to find out my ATT Galaxy Tab is edge speed only.
 

tino

Banned
I have been looking at the spec of the Huawei P1/P1 S. The more I look at it the more I think this is the best phone you can have on TMobile.

The superior S model has a dualcore 1.5hgz TI4660 chip with a 1800mAh battery, Pentaband radio. It's basically a Nexus galaxy with 0.2" smaller screen but a SD card slot. The best feature (besides the SD slot) is that it's getting official MIUIv4 port very soon. MIUI is rapidly becoming my preferred rom of choice.

If my wife is willing to let go of her iPhone I would get this for her. (I am getting a European Galaxy Note).
 

Blackhead

Redarse
I have been looking at the spec of the Huawei P1/P1 S. The more I look at it the more I think this is the best phone you can have on TMobile.

The superior S model has a dualcore 1.5hgz TI4660 chip with a 1800mAh battery, Pentaband radio. It's basically a Nexus galaxy with 0.2" smaller screen but a SD card slot. The best feature (besides the SD slot) is that it's getting official MIUIv4 port very soon. MIUI is rapidly becoming my preferred rom of choice.

If my wife is willing to let go of her iPhone I would get this for her. (I am getting a European Galaxy Note).

Isn't the T-mobile version of the Galaxy Note coming out soon?
 

quaere

Member
Page Plus announced their $55 unlimited talk text plan is going to 2gb of data in July.

Now this might not sound that special compared to other providers but consider that 1) it's CDMA bring your own phone, 2) Verizon phones do not require any flashing, and 3) it's on the Verizon network.
 

quaere

Member
forgive my question if it's already (probably) been asked countless times:

i have a iphone 4s (not unlocked, or jailbroken) and i just cancelled my contract with at&t for many reasons i won't get into. what are my options for prepaid, while still being able to use my iphone?

i know of simple mobile, but they seem iffy...
Straight Talk
 

Lkr

Member
so i have a sprint upgrade tomorrow, but it seems that they aren't going to budge on the $10 premium data charge. it is basically between straight talk and t-mobile prepaid now. are there any of those bullshit taxes other than sales tax on either of their prepaid? one thing turning me off from T-Mobile's $30 plan is that it is only 100 minutes. I am a bit hesitant with only 100 minutes to be honest. Not sure if it warrants another $15 though to get unlimited from straighttalk
 

njean777

Member
Because my mom had Virgin and I had ATT and even ATT got better signal everywhere compared to Virgin. Now that I am on Verizon I have 3-5 bars everywhere, so I go with what works in my area.
 

tino

Banned
so i have a sprint upgrade tomorrow, but it seems that they aren't going to budge on the $10 premium data charge. it is basically between straight talk and t-mobile prepaid now. are there any of those bullshit taxes other than sales tax on either of their prepaid? one thing turning me off from T-Mobile's $30 plan is that it is only 100 minutes. I am a bit hesitant with only 100 minutes to be honest. Not sure if it warrants another $15 though to get unlimited from straighttalk

No tax if you buy refill card online, callingmart.
There is also Simple Mobile, which is a TMo NVMO.
 

Lkr

Member
No tax if you buy refill card online, callingmart.
There is also Simple Mobile, which is a TMo NVMO.
Can I get a refill card for TMobile? Their website makes it seem like the monthly4G is something they'll just bill me for every month(which I have no problem with).
I might be able to get my friend's Samsung Captivate(at&t variant of galaxy s that he unlocked) at a cheap price, but I believe it is only 3G. Does TMobile's monthly4G give me 3G speeds or will it just automatically go to 2G like when they throttle?
 

tino

Banned
Can I get a refill card for TMobile? Their website makes it seem like the monthly4G is something they'll just bill me for every month(which I have no problem with).
I might be able to get my friend's Samsung Captivate(at&t variant of galaxy s that he unlocked) at a cheap price, but I believe it is only 3G. Does TMobile's monthly4G give me 3G speeds or will it just automatically go to 2G like when they throttle?

Are you talking about the walmart plan? Yeah you can. As long as it's prepaid, you can use callingmart refill card. Just buy the $30 refill card.

They give out promotion discount before every holiday. I usually go here to check discount code. For example, they have 5% discount right now until June 5th.

All non-tmobile phone will only run on 2G speed (for now). You should either buy the unlocked Galaxy Nexus or buy a cheap TMobile MyTouch 4G or Sidekick 4G on ebay. It's a hardware limitation.
 

LuffyZoro

Member
I've still got the $25 Virgin Mobile plan, but the LG Rumor Touch I'm using is garbage. Hopefully I'll be able to switch over to Republic Wireless for $19/month once they get to my beta wave.
 
Cricket to offer prepaid iPhone 4 and 4S starting June 22nd

Cricket has just become the first prepaid carrier to offer the iPhone — as of June 22nd, customers will be able to purchase the iPhone 4S and iPhone 4 along with a no-contract prepaid plan that offers unlimited voice, text, and data for $55 per month. The 16GB iPhone 4S will sell for $499.99, while the 8GB iPhone 4 will cost $399.99 — while expensive, that's still significantly less than the $649 and $549 Apple charges for unlocked devices on its site.

This might be worth of a new thread...
 
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