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Originally Posted by Dubdub
If you can't afford a data plan, don't get a device that uses data. Simple as that.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pshift
People need to remember that a BB requires "pay to play". They are not fashionable accessories or things to acquire because "your friend has one".  |
Quote:
Originally Posted by TBOLTRAM
The idea that it is cool to own a smartphone and show it off even though the smartphone features are mostly unusable due to no data service is rather absurd.
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No, what is absurd is the idea that a phone is something close to a fetish object people fantasise over and rush to display and show off to friends and acquaintances. For some i assure you is just a piece of plastic that blips annoyingly now and then.
Just because the device is network capable that doesn't mean that specific plan that covers the said feature should be forced upon you monetarily. Imagine if next time you bought a computer you also had to buy an internet plan because the computer is network-capable. What if you just wanted to play a game? Or write a letter and print it?
I have a close friend who's speech and mobility impaired. She takes care of herself and lives alone. She just has difficulties in speaking clearly and moving around. I got her a Bold. With a 3rd party 3800mah battery she needs to charge it maybe once a week (great if you're unhappy fighting your way through wiring, she's also frequently out and about with friends). She's got some 20 contacts she communicates frequently with and the size of the Bold makes it perfect for her weak grip. Anything smaller or lighter trembles and falls through her fingers. The voice recognition is assigned to the side button and surprisingly voice dialling works perfect for her on the Bold although she is partially speech impaired.
Why exactly would that person be FORCED to have a data plan just because the handset is data capable? And i can assure you she's not using it to "show off". Why people demonstrate that crazy obsession with data plans and anyone who does not subscribe to one gets flamed in thread upon thread upon thread like they broke the sacred sect protocol of a religious following?
ps: Things change dramatically though if the handset is subsidised through a carrier. Then they can legally force you to subscribe to anything they wish since they recover the subsidised cost over the period of your plan.
If you source the handset externally to the carrier though you should be able to use the device as you see fit. Not everyone buys a phone as a fashionable accessory or to make a statement. Someone said "get a job"..
Respectfully, i believe the op came here for technical advice, not career counselling.
just my 2c. Please don't anyone start an epic flame. Thanks.