Smartphone to "dumb" phone

[Swan]

Wait...you know WiFi isn't a service, it's a device. It simply eliminates the need to plug into a wired modem for an internet connection. It's a wireless router, not actual internet service. We have cable internet and a wireless "wifi" router that transmits the signal from our cable modem through our house...so we can access the internet wirelessly using any device in our home (my desktop, DH's laptop, our cells, our iPad).

Wifi is a device that smartphones are equipped to use, but more and more commercial buildings (doctors, restaurants, cafes, libraries, shops, malls) are providing free wifi service for customers. So while people may complain about their data plan, when more and more stores start carrying wifi, smartphones will rarely need to use data -- just the wifi. It's what I do! I went from using 6-whatever to 1-whatever in data measurements when wifi became more widely available for free, and that cut my bill drastically. I went from $300/mo to $80/mo even with pricey Verizon. As for security, there are services and firewalls that can be used for smartphones depending on the carrier.

I haven't experienced slow or maxed out free wifi yet. Maybe because our town is so small that it isn't a concern just yet.

[zoom-zoom]

I haven't experienced slow or maxed out free wifi yet. Maybe because our town is so small that it isn't a concern just yet.

I think it depends upon the establishment. At McDonald's I've always had a good connection. Panera...bad. I was at Target the other day and it kept making me re-login every 10 minutes or so. I was comparison shopping and got so annoyed by it that I reverted to using my 3G, instead.

[Dogmama]

Picked up this thread because my 1.5 year old Droid's battery died and they (Verizon) no longer sells them - so I have to find an aftermarket battery. But wait! I signed a two year contract! When I reminded Verizon, they said they would pay for a battery so I could continue until I can upgrade (early upgrade is in June.) I thought that was reasonable.

But nothing is as good as my extended life battery. My current battery was recently drained by Google Play (I don't play music, videos, etc. and really hate that I have to have these useless things). It dies after being out of the charger for 8 hours and I'm barely using it for phone calls - like maybe 15 minutes tops. Huh?

So - for my trip I'm taking along my 4 year old basic Samsung flip phone that I carry on my bike. It holds a charge forever. And it's bulletproof.

[Irulan]

I've been running on the minimum data plan for years and have never once maxed it out. Sure, if I streamed Pandora or something, I would but I don't.

[Catrin]

I've been running on the minimum data plan for years and have never once maxed it out. Sure, if I streamed Pandora or something, I would but I don't.

I stream Google Play fairly often...but I only do that when I've wifi access. I've WiFi access at both home and work, so the only time I have to use the cell network is when I am in my car...and I certainly am not playing with my phone there. This month I will go over my data limit because that was cheaper than paying my conference hotel last week for WiFi (no free access at all) and my smartphone basically became a small notebook for the week (Samsung Note 2) - but I've never even come close to maxing out my small limited data plan during normal months. I must admit that I am impressed with the battery life...