The Wife and I went to a local Verizon dealer to get a better handle on smartphone purchases. The phones themselves are slick pieces of work. With just a few seconds of poking around, I was able to start operating the phone usefully- entering contact info, executing searches, browsing, launching apps.
Despite the off-the-charts “coolness” factor of a smartphone, current contracts make owning one prohibitively expensive and restrictive. Verizon basically “holds you up” by mandating “Thou shalt purchase a data plan” if you get one of their smartphones. That’s an extra $30 a month. What’s more, it’s a per phone charge. So for the Wife and I, double that number. And that’s just for data.
Considering that we already have landlines and internet service at home, that’s a hefty premium for the privilege of owning a smartphone.
The required purchase of a data plan is particularly irksome. All of these phones support WiFi. Maybe my intention is to use the phone with the WiFi network at work and at home, saving me the cost of the data plan. Or, maybe I just want to have it use minutes from my plan when I use it occasionally for Google Maps. I guess I’m out of luck in those cases.
Further, even if I purchase the phone elsewhere and bring it to Verizon I’ll be required to purchase the data plan. They protect their network viciously.
I’ve also checked out Sprint and they have similar pricing structures. The argument seems to be “Why would you purchase the phone and not want the data plan?” Like I said earlier, if WiFi is ubiquitous for me, then I have no need for a data plan except perhaps as an emergency backup.
It got me thinking that the next big wave in telecommunications will be unifying internet service. For instance, I’ve already got internet service through our cable company. Why would I want to pay such a hefty premium for internet access through my phone? For me, that’s strictly a luxury item at this stage. But if someone could offer me a service that gave me internet access from my home and my cell phone for a reasonable price, I’d jump at that opportunity.
So, for the now, smartphones will have to wait. They are compelling, but the cost associated with them is still too high for my tastes at this stage.