Cellular Data Services Consumption

[mkrishnan]

Since there's been so much discussion about 2.5G/3G data services, the iPhone, Santa Rosa, and the like, I thought I would start this poll.

For purposes of clarification:

2.xG category -- to simplify, this category includes GPRS, EDGE, and any other data service that provides <1 mbps theoretical speeds. EDIT: Please do not include SMS as a cellular data service; if you use WAP, Sidekick functionality, Blackberry functionality, or other on-demand e-mail services, and you don't know what the back-end of the service is, just vote for 2.xG.

3G category -- this includes UMTS/HSDPA, EV-DO (both Rev. 0 and Rev. 1), and any other cellular or PCS-based data service that provides >1 mbps

For the purposes of this poll, please do not count WiMAX of any kind as a "cellular data service."

If you wish to reply, possible information of interest would include...

- Your nation of residence
- How long you have been using cellular data services
- Who pays for your service (you, company, etc)
- Whether you use it for leisure or business
- Whether it is your prime or sole source of internet connectivity
- Etc.

 

[CanadaRAM]

My neighbor is getting rid of his Treo. It was repeatedly downloading (something, don't know what) all on its own overnight between 1 AM and 4 AM, and consumed $1,300 in access fees in one month.

 

[mkrishnan]

Wow! Just wow.

As for me, I embarrassingly used to use them but don't anymore. When I got my second Sprint PCS phone, circa 1999-2002, I used WAP on it extensively. When I initially got T-Mobile, I found the WAP on my Nokia 3650 very difficult to use (like it would ask me to type in my Yahoo user name and password, on the phone, every time I wanted to check e-mail, and T-Mo couldn't help me solve this!) and stopped using WAP pretty much completely. I did pay for T-Zones for several years back when they permitted port 80 access without any hacks, and used it quite a bit as a cellular modem (GPRS) with bluetooth (this was around 2003-2005). When they stopped permitting this, or at least made it overly difficult, I gave up and have not used data services since that time.

 

[yg17]

I pay 20 bucks for the BlackBerry plan on T-Mobile....

 

[shecky]

same, i have the $20 BB tmobile plan; and once in a blue moon i tether it to my laptop, but very rarely.

 

[mkrishnan]

Do you surf any sort of web with your BB plans, or do you predominantly use the push e-mail? It seems like BB is the most killer of the killer apps for data services to date, in the US. It seems it's not quite so true elsewhere.... Still, so far, only about 50% use some kind of data services in the handful that have voted so far, and only one of those people is paying for 3G (so apparently more UK voters have to vote! ).

 

[shecky]

90% email and 10% google maps/internet surfing

 

[JShock]

It was cheap. I got grandfathered in at $8.99 a month and I use it all the time. works great on my pc but suck on my mini because it does not sync! My phone does not deal weal with OS X very well.

 

[apfhex]

I'm in the US and I have a W810i (class 10 GRPS/EDGE). I used to be with T-Mobile and one month I tried their cheap data service ($5.99/mo or something) and used apps like Google Maps and Opera Mobile on my phone but found (a) that input was way too cumbersom and (b) even with EDGE service available everywhere, it was just tooooooooo sloooooooow to be worthwhile. Checking my email was also tiring enough that I'd rater just wait until I was somewhere with real internet access.

If I had an iPhone with 3G service in the areas that I frequent and could afford the likely high monthly fees, that would be choice. But, unless I move, 3G isn't coming here for a long time (assuming Apple does give the US a 3G iPhone in the not too distant future).