http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/17/verizon-to-offer-unlimited-voice-data-and-messaging-packages/ Engadget Comments for http://www.engadget.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.engadget.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/17/verizon-to-offer-unlimited-voice-data-and-messaging-packages/http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/17/verizon-to-offer-unlimited-voice-data-and-messaging-packages/
Well, we'll see. One can stay optimistic, right? ]]>Feb 17th 2008 8:35PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/02/17/verizon-to-offer-unlimited-voice-data-and-messaging-packages/http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/17/verizon-to-offer-unlimited-voice-data-and-messaging-packages/
Fingers ready to the cross position]]>Feb 17th 2008 9:34PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/02/17/verizon-to-offer-unlimited-voice-data-and-messaging-packages/http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/17/verizon-to-offer-unlimited-voice-data-and-messaging-packages/Feb 17th 2008 9:48PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/02/17/verizon-to-offer-unlimited-voice-data-and-messaging-packages/http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/17/verizon-to-offer-unlimited-voice-data-and-messaging-packages/Feb 17th 2008 10:03PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/02/17/verizon-to-offer-unlimited-voice-data-and-messaging-packages/http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/17/verizon-to-offer-unlimited-voice-data-and-messaging-packages/
They still do so many bad things.

yet i am still a customer. ugh... damn contracts]]>Feb 18th 2008 2:03AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/02/17/verizon-to-offer-unlimited-voice-data-and-messaging-packages/http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/17/verizon-to-offer-unlimited-voice-data-and-messaging-packages/Feb 18th 2008 1:46PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/02/17/verizon-to-offer-unlimited-voice-data-and-messaging-packages/http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/17/verizon-to-offer-unlimited-voice-data-and-messaging-packages/http://www.metropcs.com]]>Feb 18th 2008 5:59PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/02/17/verizon-to-offer-unlimited-voice-data-and-messaging-packages/http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/17/verizon-to-offer-unlimited-voice-data-and-messaging-packages/Feb 17th 2008 8:37PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/02/17/verizon-to-offer-unlimited-voice-data-and-messaging-packages/http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/17/verizon-to-offer-unlimited-voice-data-and-messaging-packages/
However, when will Verizon finally unlock the GPS on the 8830?!?!?!]]>Feb 17th 2008 8:40PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/02/17/verizon-to-offer-unlimited-voice-data-and-messaging-packages/http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/17/verizon-to-offer-unlimited-voice-data-and-messaging-packages/Feb 17th 2008 8:44PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/02/17/verizon-to-offer-unlimited-voice-data-and-messaging-packages/http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/17/verizon-to-offer-unlimited-voice-data-and-messaging-packages/Feb 17th 2008 8:52PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/02/17/verizon-to-offer-unlimited-voice-data-and-messaging-packages/http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/17/verizon-to-offer-unlimited-voice-data-and-messaging-packages/Feb 17th 2008 10:49PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/02/17/verizon-to-offer-unlimited-voice-data-and-messaging-packages/http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/17/verizon-to-offer-unlimited-voice-data-and-messaging-packages/Feb 17th 2008 8:45PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/02/17/verizon-to-offer-unlimited-voice-data-and-messaging-packages/http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/17/verizon-to-offer-unlimited-voice-data-and-messaging-packages/
I'm averaging 16,000Kbps downloads and 4000kbps uploads according to Speakeasy.

The only dissapointment I've had is FIOS TV won't be available till Summer this year.]]>Feb 17th 2008 8:45PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/02/17/verizon-to-offer-unlimited-voice-data-and-messaging-packages/http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/17/verizon-to-offer-unlimited-voice-data-and-messaging-packages/
You want horror stories? Talk to Sprint customers.]]>Feb 17th 2008 8:48PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/02/17/verizon-to-offer-unlimited-voice-data-and-messaging-packages/http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/17/verizon-to-offer-unlimited-voice-data-and-messaging-packages/
She switched to Sprint early, because it was worth the $200 ETF to get out from under Verizon's thumb. Cheaper, better customer service, and better coverage. That was 3 years ago.

Now we've both switched to MetroPCS. Cheaper yet, and the Samsung SCH-R410 is a nice enough phone. And customer service is decent.


]]>Feb 17th 2008 8:57PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/02/17/verizon-to-offer-unlimited-voice-data-and-messaging-packages/http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/17/verizon-to-offer-unlimited-voice-data-and-messaging-packages/Wireless: Verizon Wireless.]]>Feb 17th 2008 9:04PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/02/17/verizon-to-offer-unlimited-voice-data-and-messaging-packages/http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/17/verizon-to-offer-unlimited-voice-data-and-messaging-packages/
That's why I never sign up for the auto-bill plans. They don't get paid until I SAY they get paid. If there's a dispute about a bill, I'd rather they try to get the money from me instead of me try to get my money back from them. And, curious enough, Verizon and I have had disputes in the past. I won.]]>Feb 17th 2008 9:07PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/02/17/verizon-to-offer-unlimited-voice-data-and-messaging-packages/http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/17/verizon-to-offer-unlimited-voice-data-and-messaging-packages/I guess those stories are universal for carriers because your Verizon hell is the same hell we went through with Cingular before moving to Verizon. They would overbill us every month, we would call and get a credit to reimburse us. Then one month they decided to take that credit back and cut off our phones for 3 days until they fixed the billing problem. We ended up paying the ETF to go to Verizon.

It's sad that you can always get so many horror stories about cell phone companies. The worst part is they all pull the same crap.]]>Feb 17th 2008 10:04PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/02/17/verizon-to-offer-unlimited-voice-data-and-messaging-packages/http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/17/verizon-to-offer-unlimited-voice-data-and-messaging-packages/
I had t-mo for a year with my SKII and only had to call them for activation (shame, no signal.. anywhere.)

Suncom (what att used to be in my area) screwed up my bill and never got my features correct.

verizon:
coming up on 2 years strong. 3 lines, tons of features (constantly being switched), on my 2 lines alone I've been through 6 phones trying to find a happy combination (finally settled on the voyager after a treo 700w and don't use my second line anymore). the only time I ever have to call them is to find out about a feature or order a phone. we've checked out features, reviews, phones, and prices.. and verizon (at least in my area) is bar-none the BEST option in the area. the fact that they seem to have the best CDMA (no gsm signal in my house or in certain areas near my parents) phones/signal and that my friends are all on vzw... is just a bonus.

verizon is going to do to cell phones what Dell first did with online ordering of custom computers... let's just hope vzw doesn't have a HUGE lull in their business like Dell did for a while... although I don't see that happening.]]>Feb 18th 2008 4:06AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/02/17/verizon-to-offer-unlimited-voice-data-and-messaging-packages/http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/17/verizon-to-offer-unlimited-voice-data-and-messaging-packages/Feb 17th 2008 8:48PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/02/17/verizon-to-offer-unlimited-voice-data-and-messaging-packages/http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/17/verizon-to-offer-unlimited-voice-data-and-messaging-packages/Feb 17th 2008 8:49PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/02/17/verizon-to-offer-unlimited-voice-data-and-messaging-packages/http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/17/verizon-to-offer-unlimited-voice-data-and-messaging-packages/Feb 17th 2008 8:50PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/02/17/verizon-to-offer-unlimited-voice-data-and-messaging-packages/http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/17/verizon-to-offer-unlimited-voice-data-and-messaging-packages/
For their "data only" plans, I'd suggest:

$30/mo for smartphones that can't tether (or for smartphones, without being allowed to tether), web/email/IM only

$40/mo for any phones that can tether, web/email/IM only

$50/mo for phones/data cards with tethering, all ports/protocols

That's essentially what they do now, except that the $30 plan is for sidekicks only (they can't tether), and the $40 plan is for winmo phones only (not non-smartphones that can tether). And the $50 plan is for data cards only. I wish they were more flexible about it, letting any device use any of the price points, based on what the device is capable of, not on arbitrary categorizations.

I also wish the current non-windows based sidekicks could do tethering. I expect that now that MS owns Danger, the next edition will do tethering, but they'll be running Windows Mobile, so I wont want to buy one anyway (don't want the current ones cuz they don't tether, wont want the new ones cuz they'll have WinMo).
]]>Feb 17th 2008 9:07PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/02/17/verizon-to-offer-unlimited-voice-data-and-messaging-packages/http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/17/verizon-to-offer-unlimited-voice-data-and-messaging-packages/Feb 17th 2008 9:22PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/02/17/verizon-to-offer-unlimited-voice-data-and-messaging-packages/http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/17/verizon-to-offer-unlimited-voice-data-and-messaging-packages/$30/mo for 500 mins, unlimited data, and unlimited texts.
you need an email address, try savings@sprintemi.com]]>Feb 17th 2008 9:24PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/02/17/verizon-to-offer-unlimited-voice-data-and-messaging-packages/http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/17/verizon-to-offer-unlimited-voice-data-and-messaging-packages/Last I checked, sprint sero doesn't have a 'phone as modem' option. So, that is a good comparison to the $30/mo unlimited text and data only plan for t-mobile (adds in a few minutes). But it doesn't give you a comparison for the $40/mo "unlimited text+data+tethering" plan.
]]>Feb 17th 2008 9:43PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/02/17/verizon-to-offer-unlimited-voice-data-and-messaging-packages/http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/17/verizon-to-offer-unlimited-voice-data-and-messaging-packages/
You can do the same over the phone except they want an IMEI if you do it that way.

It's how I got the $19.99 BlackBerry data plan with SmartAccess, only way to get data for my Wing.]]>Feb 18th 2008 12:51AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/02/17/verizon-to-offer-unlimited-voice-data-and-messaging-packages/http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/17/verizon-to-offer-unlimited-voice-data-and-messaging-packages/Feb 18th 2008 2:57AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/02/17/verizon-to-offer-unlimited-voice-data-and-messaging-packages/http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/17/verizon-to-offer-unlimited-voice-data-and-messaging-packages/Feb 18th 2008 3:04AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/02/17/verizon-to-offer-unlimited-voice-data-and-messaging-packages/http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/17/verizon-to-offer-unlimited-voice-data-and-messaging-packages/
Although you're right and the plan stipulations don't allow tethering, the hack required to make any WM/BB phone tether (undetectably, I might add) are so trivial your average toddler could do it in under 5 minutes flat. Then you're free to do whatever you want, Ev-wise.

Oh, and BTW, you can force-roam on Alltel, Verizon, e.t.c. and use their EvDo as well. I pick and choose whenever and wherever I want, and pay less.]]>Feb 18th 2008 5:52PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/02/17/verizon-to-offer-unlimited-voice-data-and-messaging-packages/http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/17/verizon-to-offer-unlimited-voice-data-and-messaging-packages/Feb 17th 2008 8:52PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/02/17/verizon-to-offer-unlimited-voice-data-and-messaging-packages/http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/17/verizon-to-offer-unlimited-voice-data-and-messaging-packages/Feb 17th 2008 11:29PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/02/17/verizon-to-offer-unlimited-voice-data-and-messaging-packages/http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/17/verizon-to-offer-unlimited-voice-data-and-messaging-packages/
The prices are a little high compared to what Sprint is offering (everything for $120; everything + tethering for $150)... but both are way too high. IMO: the attractive price point is at half that number ($75/mo for unlimited everything including tethering).]]>Feb 17th 2008 8:53PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/02/17/verizon-to-offer-unlimited-voice-data-and-messaging-packages/http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/17/verizon-to-offer-unlimited-voice-data-and-messaging-packages/Feb 17th 2008 8:58PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/02/17/verizon-to-offer-unlimited-voice-data-and-messaging-packages/http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/17/verizon-to-offer-unlimited-voice-data-and-messaging-packages/Feb 17th 2008 9:40PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/02/17/verizon-to-offer-unlimited-voice-data-and-messaging-packages/http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/17/verizon-to-offer-unlimited-voice-data-and-messaging-packages/Yup. IMO, both Sprint and Verizon need to cut their unlimited rates in half.

$50/mo for unlimited everything* minus tethering
$75/mo for unlimited everything* plus tethering

(* everything in this context means local voice, domestic long distance voice, SMS, MMS, and generic internet data (email, IM, web, random protocols); things like specialty services like mobile TV and such would be ala carte on top of those numbers)
]]>Feb 17th 2008 10:02PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/02/17/verizon-to-offer-unlimited-voice-data-and-messaging-packages/http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/17/verizon-to-offer-unlimited-voice-data-and-messaging-packages/
Hell, Helio has a deal right now for $99 Unlimited Voice/Data/Text, etc. I couldn't see paying more for less - at least with the prices VZW are offering above.]]>Feb 18th 2008 2:07PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/02/17/verizon-to-offer-unlimited-voice-data-and-messaging-packages/http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/17/verizon-to-offer-unlimited-voice-data-and-messaging-packages/
As for the family plan, if it just includes voice, then what's the point? It's $100 per line regardless...]]>Feb 17th 2008 8:58PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/02/17/verizon-to-offer-unlimited-voice-data-and-messaging-packages/http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/17/verizon-to-offer-unlimited-voice-data-and-messaging-packages/Feb 17th 2008 9:02PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/02/17/verizon-to-offer-unlimited-voice-data-and-messaging-packages/http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/17/verizon-to-offer-unlimited-voice-data-and-messaging-packages/
ebay can be a fun place.. and verizon users (most don't know this) can change their phones just as fast as GSM with no card to lose or have the metal contacts go bad on. ;)]]>Feb 18th 2008 4:13AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/02/17/verizon-to-offer-unlimited-voice-data-and-messaging-packages/http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/17/verizon-to-offer-unlimited-voice-data-and-messaging-packages/being able to make calls? umm...ok, i dont know if thats a swipe at other carries. if so, doesn't bother me @ all. all i know is i have better service than any of my friends who has verizon, t-mobile, or sprint. i'm not sure if thats a fair representation of all coverages throughout the country...but in the greater LA metropolitan area, when i travel up to SF or SD...AT&T has proved to be more than enough for me. as far as people losing sim cards...you'd have to be either really careless, or really stupid to do so. and metal contacts going bad...haven't heard of that either. ]]>Feb 18th 2008 4:34AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/02/17/verizon-to-offer-unlimited-voice-data-and-messaging-packages/http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/17/verizon-to-offer-unlimited-voice-data-and-messaging-packages/
"T-Mobile Total Internet Add-On" ... tell t-mobile.com your phone is the aircard and you'll see the add-on option - I use it for my iPhone =]

And, since it's for a data card, tethering is obviously allowed..]]>Feb 18th 2008 1:22PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/02/17/verizon-to-offer-unlimited-voice-data-and-messaging-packages/http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/17/verizon-to-offer-unlimited-voice-data-and-messaging-packages/Feb 17th 2008 9:11PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/02/17/verizon-to-offer-unlimited-voice-data-and-messaging-packages/http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/17/verizon-to-offer-unlimited-voice-data-and-messaging-packages/
Are you INSANE?


Sprint's about to go the direction of HDDVD.]]>Feb 17th 2008 9:14PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/02/17/verizon-to-offer-unlimited-voice-data-and-messaging-packages/http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/17/verizon-to-offer-unlimited-voice-data-and-messaging-packages/
As for unlimited, the only thing I need unlimited is data. I use the $19.99 unlimited data plan, though it's only supposed to be used on dumbphones (I have a Blackjack), AT&T doesn't know a thing about it and I refuse to pay $40 a month for data.]]>Feb 17th 2008 11:25PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/02/17/verizon-to-offer-unlimited-voice-data-and-messaging-packages/http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/17/verizon-to-offer-unlimited-voice-data-and-messaging-packages/Feb 18th 2008 1:08PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/02/17/verizon-to-offer-unlimited-voice-data-and-messaging-packages/http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/17/verizon-to-offer-unlimited-voice-data-and-messaging-packages/Feb 17th 2008 9:27PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/02/17/verizon-to-offer-unlimited-voice-data-and-messaging-packages/http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/17/verizon-to-offer-unlimited-voice-data-and-messaging-packages/Feb 17th 2008 9:29PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/02/17/verizon-to-offer-unlimited-voice-data-and-messaging-packages/http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/17/verizon-to-offer-unlimited-voice-data-and-messaging-packages/Dorkin's the dude.]]>Feb 18th 2008 6:49AM