Having skipped the last rendition of the iPhone 3G, the underwhelming 3GS, I probably will adopt the 4G. I also may use this opportunity to end my contract with Rogers and start fresh with a new data plan, there's now a myriad of choices to be had. Why not at least consider starting fresh. My current bill is about $87 / month.
With that, I delved into each provider's website, wearing my "iPhone Newbie" hat, seeing what was out there. I'm only going to consider plans that suit my typical iPhone daily routine:
- 10 - 20 minutes a day talking and texting, usually to people in "My 5".
- A few minutes on Facebook every few days
- Daily use of Twitter through the Echofon app
- Email checking throughout the day through GMail on IMAP using Exchange settings
- Web surfing 10 - 30 minutes per day
- Radio listening over 3G through the "Tuned In" app (which I recommend, by the way)
- No tethering needed
- Non-3G games and iPod use does not factor in here since there's not data involved
Rogers
Price:
>> $50 / month = 200 minutes / 500 MB data
Includes:
>> A "My 5" option, unlimited voice and data to 5 numbers.
>> Call forwarding, call waiting, group calling
>> Unlimited access to social sites like Facebook, Twitter, PhotoBucket, LinkedIn, etc.
Comments:
Its an extra 8 bucks for Caller ID, which I have grown fond of. Rogers goes down quite a bit during bad weather. I also average 1 dropped call per month. Bars are sporadic. It wouldn't break my heart to leave Rogers.
Bell
Price: $50 / month = 100 minutes / 500 MB data
Includes:
>> Unlimited text and talk to 5 numbers
>> Not a whole lot else
Comments:
Bells coverage map is really nice. I like the blue they use on their web page. Aside from that, Bell seems to come up really short. My stomach got queezy looking through their offerings.
Telus
Price: $50 / month = 200 minutes / 500 MB data (seeing a trend yet?)
Includes:
>> an equivalent "My 5" deal - unlimited talk and text to 5 numbers.
>> voice mail, which no other carrier includes at this level.
>> call waiting, conference calling
>> PERKS plan, basically a bunch of coupons to places like Mr Sub, Shell, Shoe Company, etc.
Comments:
Caller ID is a whopping $15 / month under their "Package 15" option. By reputation, Telus is the most reliable network, not likely to get dropped calls through these guys. Their data speeds will probably be a smidge better. Really not liking the extra $15, not good, Telus.
Virgin Mobile
Price: $50 / month = 200 minutes / 500 MB data
Includes:
>> Choice of unlimited texting or caller id (damn! I like BOTH)
>> Unlimited received texts - outgoing is 15 cents per text
>> Members area with a lot of fluff you can buy, wrist bands, ring tones, whoop-de-freaking-do
Comments:
Network speeds and reliability make me nervous with Virgin. Although they were part of the 3G+ consortium that banded together against the evil empire (Rogers) to create this 3G+ network, my gut tells me that I'm not going to get a good experience for the price. Please correct me if I'm wrong, because the pricing seems decent.
Overall Summary:
Golly, not sure what to say. Rogers still looks good, but the uncertainty of Virgin has me wondering. If I could only come across some dude who has a Virgin iPhone and get his/her opinion. Not seeing too much info out there on raw 3G data speed comparison across networks. I guess if I were to choose right now, I would lean towards Rogers again. However, I would go at a much lower price. I'd like to see my $85 / month go down to $50 / month.
Of course, this could all change once the big iPhone 4G announcement happens. Some of these providers could get aggressive with some deals. At least, I hope they do.
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