The Dappered Guide to Inexpensive iPhone Alternatives
By Dappered Technology Correspondent Paul Olson
Read More of Paul’s work at pauldavidolson.com/blog. You’ll probably learn something. I always do.
Face it. There’s never been a better time to not own an iPhone. Touch the iPhone 4 in the wrong spot and it basically drops your call… but it looks cool, right? And goodbye unlimited data plan. AT&T needs your money – you’ll be paying per megabyte. What should you expect to pay for this call-dropping wonder? Well, $199-299 for the phone, then $15 (200 MB) to $45 (2 GB + tethering) for data, and $40 (450 minutes) to $70 (unlimited) for voice, and another $5 (200) to $20 (unlimited) for text messaging. That totals over $3,500 over two years for the expensive plan. Forget it. Here are the deals:
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Virgin Mobile
Virgin Mobile’s base BlackBerry plan starts at $35 a month. It includes unlimited data and text and 300 minutes of talk (but you need to buy the phone for $299). If you mostly use your phone for text messaging and email, it’s time to stop over-paying for voice service. This is the best smartphone deal in the US. And the commitment? Nada. No contract. The two-year all-in price? $1,139 (66% off the iPhone plan).
Want a touch-screen and an even better deal? Try LG’s Rumor Touch. For $149 you get a touch-screen phone, unlimited data and texts and 300 minutes of talk-time. And Virgin knocks $10 off your monthly bill because it’s not a BlackBerry. That’s right, $25 a month. That works out to $749 over two years (80% off the expensive iPhone plan).
Boost Mobile
Boost Mobile is better if you talk a lot. Their BlackBerry plan is $60 for unlimited data, text, and voice (plus $199 for the phone). Goddamn! That’s $1,639 for two years.
And their new i1 is the world’s first no-contract Google Android phone … with push-to-talk, of course. I’m not thrilled by this phone, but if you’re itching for Android, it’s worth a look. Pricing is still unknown, but expect $399 for the phone and at least $50 a month for the unlimited plan.
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3 million people were duped into the iPhone 4. While it may impress the ladies when you pull it out in a bar, all of these phones make it a lot easier to afford buying those ladies a few drinks. And if you do end up giving one a call, you just might get through. Saving money and functionality – that’s a lot better than a free case.
Reach out to Paul through his blog at: pauldavidolson.com/blog