How much surfing is 25MB?

[smokey982]

I'm considering leaving AT&T for Verizon, so I've been checking out the rate plans online. I noticed I can get a data package from Verizon for $9.99/month, but it only allows 25MB per month. I just have no idea how much that actually allows. How much surfing would add up to 25MB? I've asked a customer service rep for Verizon and she really had no idea.

 

[StevenD]

Not much at all. I can use more than that in one day just syncing my email.

 

[meStevo]

i think smartphones require a $29 data plan



Sent from my Droid using Tapatalk

 

[Hall]

That "data package" is their stripped down "Mobile Web" option. I believe it restricts or limits where you can go on the 'net and may actually keep you inside their "portal".

What phone are you considering, by the way ?

I do have a monitor on my phone and today I used 11mb. Can't say that's more or less than normal... For the week (don't know if it's the previous 7 days or if it's "so far"), I'm at 60mb. For the month (I do think this is a running total), I'm at 807mb.

 

[smokey982]

Don't really have anything specific in mind. I still have a couple months on my current AT&T contract. I'm just looking at my options so far. It probably won't be a full blown smart phone.

 

[vodad]

I hate that AT&T started requiring this 30 dollar plan for smartphones, I had a smart phone and was able to get the 10 plan when I first got it, I had no problems with it at all for about a year, then someone at AT&T shut off all of my family messaging and data plans for all my phones. It has taken 4 months of phone calls to hopefully get it straightened out.

Now they are saying I am grandfathered into the 10 dollar plan for my smartphone. (guess they did not want to lose a 10 year 250 dollar a month customer)

I think I used a total of 15 meg on my phone last month, I have wifi at home and work that I use with my phone when I am there.

 

[digiblur]

No doubt...I'd blow out 25 meg in a day, but I have two email accounts checking, and use quite a bit of data. To be honest I use I only make a few phone calls a day on my smartphone but use the hell out of the data.

 

[Hall]

It probably won't be a full blown smart phone.

There is no half-smartphone at Verizon. If it's a smartphone, it REQUIRES the $30/mo data plan.

 

[smokey982]

There is no half-smartphone at Verizon. If it's a smartphone, it REQUIRES the $30/mo data plan.

That's not really what I meant.

It will probably be a "3G multimedia phone". They offer a $10 data package with them.

 

[meStevo]

Yeah, they probably have plans like that for the relatively archaic phones like the enV and the other kinds of phones you can get probably for free when you open your account. Blackberries, Androids, and WinMo phones won't be eligible for that plan.

 

[Hall]

That's not really what I meant.

It will probably be a "3G multimedia phone". They offer a $10 data package with them.

Sorry, I don't know what you really meant, only what you posted But yes, they have phones such as you refer to and you get the "Mobile Web" plan added for that price. What you get though, I don't know. They seem to call that the "email plan" too, as in, use it to check/read email. And as I mentioned earlier, I seem to recall that they lock you into their version of the internet, i.e. can only access sites they've listed in their portal. Your browser won't have an address bar, for instance. A way around that is to use someone else's proxy server. I did that for a while but they kept "breaking" (like overnight, every night) my config file that allowed that.

 

[Toddwsu2005]

I have a Samsung Rogue. One of those media phones. It's fantastic as a touch phone with slide out keyboard. It can do videos and functions smooth. Only drawback is the battery goes out about a day too soon.

I have the 25MB a month data plan and use it wisely. I limit the number of websites I logon to the net by using the MyVerizon app. which is free data time. Then I go to my faves and log onto mobile versions of the web sites. All in all I log onto maybe 2-3 mobile websites a day.

Hope this helps.

 

[mike123abc]

I just got my iPhone bill for last month. I used 473 MB of data. I was traveling a week where I used it a lot. My normal usage is 250 MB/Month. I have wifi at home and work. It definitely gobbles up data.

 

[TheForce]

mike- you are a long way from the 5Gb limit. I average 4.5 - 6 Gb a month but then I tether now to my laptop and I have RSS podcasts downloaded on an auto basis. Plus, sling player too. I should switch it to wifi while here at the house but I pay for the 3G service so I use what I pay for.

I think if you were very careful and didn't get many e-mails you could get by with 25 Mb/month plan.

 

[gdarwin]

Just got my ATT bill. I used 43meg.

That is just checking email and checking news headlines daily.

 

[mike123abc]

mike- you are a long way from the 5Gb limit. I average 4.5 - 6 Gb a month but then I tether now to my laptop and I have RSS podcasts downloaded on an auto basis. Plus, sling player too. I should switch it to wifi while here at the house but I pay for the 3G service so I use what I pay for.

WiFi is so much faster than 3G unless you have a slow internet connection at home. My home broadband is 10x what I see on 3G.

I think if you were very careful and didn't get many e-mails you could get by with 25 Mb/month plan.

I think it is just a plan they can force on people that would not use the internet anyways as increased profits for phones. 25MB is very limited. I think email only would work as long as you never opened attachments.

 

[TheForce]

WiFi is so much faster than 3G unless you have a slow internet connection at home. My home broadband is 10x what I see on 3G.

If I kept it on and just allowed it to auto switch as I came within range, the downside would be battery life. So, I keep it off except when I do need speed. My cable internet is now at 30Mbs and 3.5 Mbs up. So I do know how much faster it is. But, my 3G is typical 1Mbs here so it is adequate doing downloads of RSS feeds and running sling player throughout the day, plus grabbing my e-mail. I'm now using the new Ameritrade app too and it works fine. The only time I switch to wifi is if I need to print a document from the phone ( connect to my network laser printer) or I have a large file I want to get in a hurry. The other downside of auto connect wifi is if I leave the house it just doesn't switch to 3G, as I drive around town, I get constant requests to enter passwords as I pass through various wifi signals. Best to just leave wifi off until I specifically need it.

 

[rockymtnhigh]

WiFi is so much faster than 3G unless you have a slow internet connection at home. My home broadband is 10x what I see on 3G.



I think it is just a plan they can force on people that would not use the internet anyways as increased profits for phones. 25MB is very limited. I think email only would work as long as you never opened attachments.

I guess for me, the wi-fi/3G issue is really a non-issue. If I am at home (where I have wireless-N), of course I use it -- FOR MY LAPTOP and DESKTIOP. But if I am at home, I do not browse the web on my smartphone.

The purpose of the smart-phone for me is portable internet for when I am NOT at home. And then, 3G is awesome, because it is always there, and you do not have to hunt for a free wi-fi connection.

But back to the original question, I think those 25MB plans are kind of a joke; as you will almost always go over the limit in a month, if you use the web browser at all. I remember having that in the first month I had my old Treo 700p. And within 10 days I switched to the unlimited plan.

 

[truckracer]

i use around 400 megs per month data on my blackberry..that's listening to pandora or slacker and check facebook sending pics and emails too.