Virgin ZTE Peel 3299 + 2nd or 3rd Generation iPod Touch
By: Dappered Tech Correspondent Paul Olson. Read his other work for Dappered here.
The lines are drawn. BlackBerrys are for prostitutes and their business-world clients. Android phones are for nerds and deal watchers. iPhones are for, well, let’s just agree that a lot of people buy iPhones for the same reason they buy BMWs – it sends a certain social status signal thanks to tremendous marketing. That’s fine. But it’s nearly impossible to get an iPhone on a plan that costs less than $80 a month. (Seriously, if you can do this, share it in the comments. If you can beat Virgin’s $60 per month unlimited plan, I’ll send you an iPhone replacement battery*.)
So what then? What if you’re not driven by social status indicators and you just want an Apple device because it syncs to your iTunes and can play Angry Birds and dammit, it does work pretty well with the touching and the pinching and the swiping and the app downloading? Well, thanks to Virgin Mobile, you have an option – the ZTE Peel 3200 and Virgin’s $20 / 500 MB plan … you just need a 2nd or 3rd generation iPod Touch.
An iPod Touch?
Yeah, so here’s how it works. This gadget from Virgin piggy-backs on your iPod Touch and gives it a 3G data connection. If you want to make calls, you’ll need an app like Skype. If you want to text, you’ll need an app like textPlus. Your calls and texts will be routed over the Sprint 3G network … which means you could eat up this 500 MB pretty quickly.
Who it’ll work for
If you have wireless internet at home that you’re already paying for, this may make some sense. It also makes sense if you just don’t talk a lot. I don’t – last month I used 52 minutes. And if your a young, male reader of this blog, I bet you don’t chat much either. If you have access to supplemental data, are an Apple fan that doesn’t want to spend money, and have an old iPod Touch kicking around, this may be perfect for you.
Drawbacks
Technologically, this device doesn’t work with the latest, best iPod Touch
Or you could just go Android. But seriously, watch out if she has a BlackBerry.
*This is a joke – nobody that owns an iPhone can be trusted to replace their own battery.
I actually only pay 68 plus or minus a few cents a month. I have a company plan which is awesome. Me and my wife both have iphone 4’s with unlimited text and data (i still have the same grandfathered package from like 2008)
and 400 mins a month that rollover, since i dont talk to people as Paul alluded to, we have over 1000 rollover…cant beat that
My iPhone costs less than $80 a month already. If you don’t have an iPhone, well, you don’t have an iPhone.
Nice — but I’m putting “sign up for a company plan in 2008” in the “nearly impossible” bucket.
What’s the secret? The 150MB data option?
I, sadly, am one of the iPhone Cult. I’ve had blackberries and other smartphones but none of them compare to the ease and flexibility I have with my iPhone. Jailbroken (for a variety of purposes), I’d put it up against any Android phone out there. My wife, too, loves her iPhone and so I’m left paying $130/mo for the two of us. I think back to when I was a kid and my family had the one phone line in the house and probably paid $20/mo for it (long distance was 10 cents a minute!) and my wallet cringes. That said, when we moved a couple of years ago, I was without a smartphone for a couple of months and being “disconnected” like that drove me up the wall. I love being able to whip out my phone and get directions to a restaurant or check the news on Twitter. I hate the cost, but I begrudgingly pay it because the alternative is unfathomable. Makes me wonder what my kid will consider “indispensable” twenty years from now.
BEWARE!!! I have an Ipod touch that I’d hoped to use as an iphone alternative when connected to wifi with apps like skype/fring/sipgate and my google voice number. It works….but the small lag renders it practically useless. It’s amazing what little lag is necessary to alter the flow of a conversation. Since you’re really just connecting the touch to another source of wifi here I’d imagine you’ll suffer the same fate.
Current best budget smartphone solution: Buy an old android phone off ebay/craigslist. Use wifi whenever possible, get a cheap prepaid account to cover you when away from it. I use a $30 t mobile plan with basically unlimited talk/text and minimal (50MB) data. Really only enough data to check a map, email or quick google search when you’re off wifi. BUT for $40 – $50 a month ($600 a year) savings from the alternative I can’t justify much more web usage than that anyway.
Do this if you really want an iphone for cheaper. in the grey area on legal/illegal because its really not either. Get your iphone unlocked and use T-Mobile (even though they’re in talks of being bought out by AT&T) A data plan should cost $20 a month if you get it over the phone…..i think its around 25-35 if you dont ask for a better rate. I used to have internet on my iphone, but cancelled it due to living at home now. The best thing about the t-mobile data plan is you can cancel it at any time w/ no fees (not the same for the overall contract, just the data plan), but the bad part is that its a bit slow, not horribly, but on the slow side. So basically my iphone is added to a family plan at a rate of $20 a month w/ unlimited text but would be $40 with a data plan.
Yeah the 200MB option with AT&T. I’m around a computer most of the time, and a surprising amount of free wifi is available most places I frequent. Including bars.
Virgin has new Android phone with unlimited everything for $30. But I’ll stick with my iPhone.
Virgin has horrible coverage unfortunately 🙁
Indeed. But man do I love my bill (or lack thereof). And I’m not a talker anyway. So I’m set.
I’ve been loving the $30 T Mobile bill as well but perhaps I’ll have to give Virgin another go. It would, admittedly, be nice to not have to be so cautious on the web browsing.
It’s not impossible at all. AT&T’s lowest minute plan is $40. The unlimited data plan is $30, but I’m grandfathered into that, as I understand it. But if I were to abandon that for one of the limited data plans, I’m sure I could pay less. With taxes, fees, and usage charges (8 text messages), this month’s bill is $77.70, which falls below your $80 threshold. (The discount from my employer brings it down to $63.)
How bad is Virgin’s coverage really? And are you just referring to voice coverage or also data? I have been contemplating signing up with them
When I got the first iPhone it was kitsch and exclusive, partly because it was $400+. Then the 3G came out and everyone could get one with a contract. After dealing with AT$T for more years than I wanted to, I switched to the Evo4G and found a device that was pretty much all round superior and I get a lot more envious comments and questions than I did with the iPhone 4, no where near the almost reverence I got with the original iPhone, but more question than the iPhone 3g or 4. As a developer, I have an iPhone, Android phones and Windows Phone 7 devices. If Microsoft ever got their act together the Win 7 phone would be the best, but right now I would have to give Android phones the edge. If Apple wants to win me back, besides cleaning up their dev kit and making development cheaper, they should make the iPhone 5 a purchase only deal again, with no contracts.
Virgin uses the Sprint network. My wife has the Optimus V and has loved it.
Eight text messages? Noted. I’ll talk to Joe about updating the $80 reference to $75. Now, what do you think of this iPod gadget? Odd, right?
Oh, the EVO … 4G is pretty amazing. Did a head-to-head with my buddy and he beat my Speed Test app stats by about 10x.