I've been thinking of getting a smart phone primarily so that I can have mobile access to SF. There are a few other things that I'd like to do with it, like occasionally use ride sharing services, take pics, and make phone calls, but I'm anticipating that 99% of my usage would be for SF. I really don't care about watching video.
I don't know very much about smart phones. It's all still pretty new to me. I don't have any cell phone at the moment. Cell phones tend to give me headaches, and until recently all of the plans I've seen seem really expensive. I might be able to deal with the headache issue by getting ear buds and a microphone for calls.
I'd like to avoid a pricey plan if I can. I'm expecting to access SF via phone maybe 8-30 hours a month initially, but possibly ramping up to 80-100. There are some cheap plans out there that offer unlimited 2G, which might be good given my anticipated usage.
There are a couple of problems. One is that even the unlimited 2G plans are not truly unlimited. There's a clause about it being "within reason". So I'm not sure how much data usage there would be for that much time on the phone.
Another issue is the connection speed. "2G" speeds seem to vary pretty widely between plans. I'm not sure what results you would get with the differing connection speeds. The unlimited 2G of the plan I'm considering may only be 64kbps. I can get 1G of 4G data for $10 per month. Not sure how fast I would use up the 4G data.
I'm anticipating being able to use the phone in an area where I'll have desk space and a wall outlet. With the plan I'm considering, I think I'd be able to tether to a laptop for the 4G data, but tethering is disabled for 2G. I might be able to manage ok using the phone for 2G if I could plug in a full keyboard to the phone, and put it on a stand. I don't think it would work though if I was trying to type full posts with my thumbs.
I'm not sure how hardware would effect performance. I'm guessing if the phone has a lot of ram, that might allow for greater page caching. A larger screen might make reading threads easier.
If anyone has any suggestions about what US plan, or what phone to get, I would welcome them.
I don't know very much about smart phones. It's all still pretty new to me. I don't have any cell phone at the moment. Cell phones tend to give me headaches, and until recently all of the plans I've seen seem really expensive. I might be able to deal with the headache issue by getting ear buds and a microphone for calls.
I'd like to avoid a pricey plan if I can. I'm expecting to access SF via phone maybe 8-30 hours a month initially, but possibly ramping up to 80-100. There are some cheap plans out there that offer unlimited 2G, which might be good given my anticipated usage.
There are a couple of problems. One is that even the unlimited 2G plans are not truly unlimited. There's a clause about it being "within reason". So I'm not sure how much data usage there would be for that much time on the phone.
Another issue is the connection speed. "2G" speeds seem to vary pretty widely between plans. I'm not sure what results you would get with the differing connection speeds. The unlimited 2G of the plan I'm considering may only be 64kbps. I can get 1G of 4G data for $10 per month. Not sure how fast I would use up the 4G data.
I'm anticipating being able to use the phone in an area where I'll have desk space and a wall outlet. With the plan I'm considering, I think I'd be able to tether to a laptop for the 4G data, but tethering is disabled for 2G. I might be able to manage ok using the phone for 2G if I could plug in a full keyboard to the phone, and put it on a stand. I don't think it would work though if I was trying to type full posts with my thumbs.
I'm not sure how hardware would effect performance. I'm guessing if the phone has a lot of ram, that might allow for greater page caching. A larger screen might make reading threads easier.
If anyone has any suggestions about what US plan, or what phone to get, I would welcome them.