So it's doing its darnedest to get rid of them. Good thing, I suppose, we both got new phones lately.
Mind you, we really don't push the data limits of the plans being discussed. We don't stream videos to our phones, etc. But I hate the idea of having to watch the data monitor like one watches the gas gauge, for fear of running out of data and having to pay for an expensive "fill-up" some month. That doesn't encourage people to buy and use smartphones (or tablets).
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Verizon is trying to stamp out unlimited data customers
Big Red wants you to go nuts on calls and texts, but keep your data use in check.
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"That doesn't encourage people to buy and use smartphones (or tablets)."
Sure it does. Some manager at Verizon must've bought stock in a company that does wifi chips, and then shorted VZ. Because what this does is more or less tell folks, "Dump us, and buy wifi-only."
True. And that's a serious consideration right now in my calculations over buying a tablet.
Problem is, WiFi is not as ubiquitous as I'd like it to be.
I have a rooted Nook Color, which is wifi-only. It's by far the device I use most often these days. About the only time I flip over to the phone is for very local stuff — maps, Yelp — or for when I just want to carry one thing. Is wifi ubiquitous? Nah. The Midland alum in me, though, goes, "Needs, not wants," and on that basis the Nook is great.
I personally use WiFi for 95% of what I do anyway. Much faster.
I used to think that the cellphone companies limiting data was the same evil as the cable companies doing it. Then I saw a show on Extra Credits that prompted me to research further. Turns out, there is actually a limited amount of bandwidth availability using modern cellular technologies. Moreover, barring some sudden new technology, we are going to hit that limit in less than two years.
So, as sad as this is for me to admit, right now it makes sense to start charging for it. In many ways, it's not unlike a carbon-tax: a cost for something that's mostly invisible to us but has very real consequences.
I can believe there's a limitation, +Gary Roth — though the carriers seem to be denying it left, right, and center, and in fact seem to be encouraging more usage (movies! video chat!) but only if it brings them in more money — thus the sense that data surcharges are more financially driven than constraint-driven.
Both you and +Hal O'Brien have given me pause to think, though, about just going WiFi with a prospective tablet. That would likely cover most of my needs (except when traveling away from hotspots, or on my train commuting, or when we're on our upcoming cruise).
What I wish is that there were an economical way for me to optionally extend that on those occasions when it was needed; I've looked at MiFi sort of setups, but the carrier costs (from Verizon, at least) are higher than simply getting a 4G-enabled tablet, for something I might not use all that often.