Talk and Surf on 4S?

[megapopular]

I guess I don't understand where or why people need so much data then. Are you all trying to watch an entire season of a tv show whilst camping? I don't get it. Presumably, even if you're trying to watch movies at work, you could just tap into the onsite WiFi. What are people doing that requires so much data? Email doesn't take much...checking the reviews of a product at the grocery store don't use much, gps, etc. Why not just use WiFi and cuts costs and free up the lines? My needs may very well be totally different than those of most people, but when I'm at work my down time is so short that there's no time to watch anything more than 10 mins long at a time and they'd give me the password if I asked for it -- I do, primarily, outdoor sculpture and object age distressing on properties.

I, also, travel by car a lot and favor roads not on the map and can probably name and number on one hand the times I've been out of service with Sprint in the 13 years I've been using them; it's true, I'd rather have an adventure in these random places with people than watch tv shows on my phone, but really aside from some really isolated areas of Texas and, weirdly enough, very populated areas of MA, I've rarely been even in roaming. And most truckstops have free WiFi. So.....What is it that people are doing that prevents usage of WiFi for data so they don't have to run up these stupid data plan bills? Just curious, really.

Hi,

Well, there are a number of people that work in locations or offices where wifi isnt available for "personal" use... Some people stream podcasts or webcasts, some people may be listening to a talk show or watching a tv show or movie via slingbox or one of many available apps from the app store. Streaming music throughout the day via Pandora or Spotify will add up to quite a lot of data usage over the course of a month.

After reading your description of the type of work you do I can kind of see why watching tv may not be something that you'd be able to or want to spend your time doing but a lot of us do! Is it because we work for "The Man?" Maybe. You have people doing repetitive type work and many other scenarios, but everybody doesn't have access to wifi yet still want to watch lots of YouTube clips, listen to streaming music, etc. Having an unlimited data plan makes it easier for those of us who don't have wifi access at our jobs to be flexible in what we choose to do with our phones!

 

[cshearer]

That was wildly elucidating in so far as answering my question as to what the people who feel the need for 24/7 data usage are using it for. Thanks so much for all the relevant information. Kudos to you!!! YOU!!!

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Very strange that high data users are so damned defensive about their usage! You're attacking me because I asked what you're using it for! Hmm...Really, porn 24/7? Is that what you're telling me by not telling me anything? for you...some of us can get laid in person and, because we're not filled with shame, answer questions in a direct manner. Good luck, guys....

You speak like a five year old, and your reasoning is just as advanced. I do hope you're a troll, or something, anything, because if you really think this way, I feel sorry for you.

Immaturity is hard to mask, and you do a piss poor job of it. I live near my state's capital, and I even have a hard time finding wifi sometimes. People use WEP protection most often, so it's very hard to find an open network. I have an unlimited data plan, do you want to know exactly what I use data for? No worries, I'll delve personal information to you, because you're the almighty asshat of the forum for today.

My data use includes:

-Facebook
-Twitter
-iCloud (syncing Reminders, Pages documents, Photo stream when I go photo taking)
-General web browsing (not porn, imbecile)
-Stocks
-Weather
-Online banking
-Email (school, personal)
-iTunes Match

There's probably more, but that's off the top of my head.

Happy now? Will you shut up now? Not everyone is you; everyone's situation is different. You're a moron for thinking that the wifi availability in your area can be extrapolated to everywhere else.

 

[theDUB]

Reading comprehension, much?

You're the one that came into a thread about the ability to use voice and data at the same time then asked a bunch of asinine rhetorical questions about how other people use so much data on their phones.

I'm going to let you in on a secret: The largest consumers of data are usually tethering, whether they pay for the service or not, because they need/want to use the internet on a notebook when no WIFI is available.

You seem to think you are pretty smart, why can you not fathem a situation in which someone uses their device different from the way you use yours?

 

[terraphantm]

I only use simultaneous voice and data when I tether.

 

[mgkimsal]

2 years ago I would have probably had the same question - "what are you doing that needs so much data?". 2 years later, I know.

I had an iOS3 hack for 2 years that gave me unlimited tethering, and being able to use my laptop nearly anywhere I was was a godsend. I tried to jailbreak recently, and hosed it up, and now am stuck with 4.3.5 and no jailbreak and no tethering. Paying for tethering has been on my mind, but it feels extortionate, and I'd be having to give up my unlimited data at this point and be limited to 4gb/month, *plus* pay an extra $15+ for that privilege.

I'd be more inclined to get a mobile mifi system and forgo a phone altogether, but these are pricey in their own way. Was in Russia recently and my brother's portable wifi/mifi system is unlimited for $25/month. Relatively speaking, that's a decent chunk for most Russians, but certainly cheap from my standpoint. Plus he could choose monthly if he wants, and there was no long term contract or subsidized price for the unit.

Back to iphone data - the tethering was a big one for me, but I also go through periods where i travel a lot - getting up to date maps/directions while driving was/is useful, and I often take a lot of pictures. Sharing those pictures directly from the phone to picasa is great, or simply emailing them to friends/family "in the moment" rather than hours or days later is also great.

I don't stream movies or music (well, youtube clips now and then, but not much), yet manage to use a lot of data. I also need the talk/surf, so I'll probably have to stick with AT&T for the forseeable (or commit to adding mobile mifi to my life).