You may also want to hit Walmart. They have their own plans and they also offer Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T and Sprint (carrier options vary by store). Plus, right now, they are offering a special if you purchase a smartphone (minus the iphone), you can get a $100 Walmart gift card. This offer is valid through December 1st (tomorrow). I just went and bought myself a new smartphone there today. I see a bunch of Android phones going for .97 on up to $100+. Didn't pay too much attention to the rate plans, but Walmart's plans seems affordable. Harold Wong Chief Technical Evangelist - Private Cloud | US Developer & Platform Evangelism - West Region Office: (425) 706-3501 | Blog: blogs.technet.com/haroldwong MCITP Server Administrator | MCITP Enterprise Administrator | MCITP Enterprise Messaging Administrator 2007 / 2010 | VCP5 From: plug-discuss-bounces@lists.phxlinux.org [mailto:plug-discuss-bounces@lists.phxlinux.org] On Behalf Of Brian Weaver Sent: Friday, November 30, 2012 1:34 PM To: Main PLUG discussion list Subject: Re: OT: Smart phone options for a cheapest plan? This might interest you if you're cheap like me :) http://readwrite.com/2012/11/07/from-smartphone-to-mindphone-cheaper-smarter-not-always-on On Fri, Nov 30, 2012 at 1:29 PM, Eric Cope > wrote: Boost Mobile, Virgin, both have prepaid plans with smart phones that can tether, but you are still looking at $40-50 / month. Cricket has smart phones too, but I think its a bit more. Eric On Fri, Nov 30, 2012 at 1:24 PM, > wrote: So what are this esteemed group's top choices for smart phones ... and the cheapest data plan? My current cell phone plan is $40/year ($10 every 90-days), which actually gives me even more than I use it because I use the land line in my office for 99.9% of my phone use and I just carry my tiny cell phone in my car (and almost never in my pocket) because I prefer to enjoy life without being tethered to and ensnared by phone calls when I leave the house or office. My little bride has an iPhone with a blue-tooth more-or-less permanently attached to her ear with an unlimited plan that keeps her talking about 10-hours-a-day. No further comment on that ... except to say that I am thankful that when we go out together, she keeps that dang thing turned off (her own choice) because she also likes to enjoy life without phone-intrusion as we go places and do things. And yet, I must admit that there have been times that I have enjoyed using her iPhone to check on-line for dinner reservations and directions, etc. So, I am now willing to concede that there would no doubt be some benefits to upgrading my own cell phone situation, especially since I now see some ads showing the capability of hand-writing notes on the screen. I really like that idea. And, it would be nice to be able to tether my Xoom or my laptop to a phone for internet access without having to look for a wireless hot-spot. However, I do not want to pay $40-50/month for perhaps 4 or 5 hours a month of total phone time *and* internet access. Are there any plans available for this kind of very limited use? And which phones and/or mini-tablets would y'all recommend for this? --------------------------------------------------- PLUG-discuss mailing list - PLUG-discuss@lists.phxlinux.org To subscribe, unsubscribe, or to change your mail settings: http://lists.phxlinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug-discuss --------------------------------------------------- PLUG-discuss mailing list - PLUG-discuss@lists.phxlinux.org To subscribe, unsubscribe, or to change your mail settings: http://lists.phxlinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug-discuss