Cell phones forum: Cell phones with Wi-Fi that don't require data plans?

Remember that unlocking generally refers to GSM technology phones (such as At&t and T-mobile branded devices in the US). Cannot use Verizon phones (except a few devices that have SIM slots after unlocking) on At&t.

Want the truth?

It is called making a profit for the stockholders who demand an ever higher return on their investment in At&t. Voice plans are no longer making large enough revenues anymore and data/text features are now the new cash cow. At&t is not a non-profit corporation and neither is any cellular company. Complaining about it or blaming At&t as corporation won't make a difference.

See no bull, you got the real answer.

You missed quite a few points. Why would prefer to pay hundreds more when she can get a perfectly adequate GSM PDA that does the same thing and also does not require either a contract extention, mandatory data feature or voice plan change(?) Nice try promoting your own site though <vbg>.

...may possibly trigger the mandatory message. At this point we keep going around and around discussing the same points. As I've said, you'd be better off buying a non-ATT branded phone to avoid headaches, including software updates and mandatory data plans. Sorry.

Sorry, the same strategy cannot be used with Verizon. They are more draconian about their policies unfortunately. You would have to switch providers and obtain new handsets to ATT to circumvent the data plans per se. There's definitely some advantage to going with a technology where you can switch phones as you see fit w/o having to register it first with the mother ship .

-P

Looking for a Telephone with good Organizer only...No Data Plan Necessary. Any suggestions?

I agree there is plenty of good information in this thread, and many potential questions about how the cell companies are getting their hands deeper into our pockets are addressed, but there are also some other issues that can be considered.

Since being a long term AT&T customer being part of the many companies that have existed previously and eventually morphed into this very large cellular provider I have seen the good, bad, and the absolutely ugly.

Like everyone else I have been reminded that these companies are corporate profit driven, and have seen countless changes designed specifically to increase revenue for the company.

One thing I have learned is that the true motivator for change here is the real potential for loss of customer accounts (read as income), but these changes come from competition (those companies that they actually accept as such lol) that will ultimately make them more competitive or create a lower cost for their customers, but changes related to lowering costs to the consumer come much slower than those that increase income for the company.

Knowing this it was no surprise when a few years ago ATT&T completely canceled my (and many others) grandfathered contracts that did not allow for AT&T to charge for texting. Yes they just sent a letter explaining that the agreement was being canceled and that I would need to sign up for a new contract in order to have service. Of course the new agreement included all kinds of requirements for text, and a $5 per month charge for texting plan (could have been pay per use, but I think back then 10 or 20 texts would have cost more).

So what happened with data in Sept. 09 was no surprise to me at all, and just another attempt to increase revenue, but here in lies the problem with the whole thing as other carriers like TMobile have more than one data plan, and are willing to negotiate with long term or new potential accounts.

AT&T being aware of this as well as their overall higher costs for talk plans began negotiating lower cost data and even text plans with those customers who had serious complaints or appeared to be looking to move their service to another competitor.

Actually AT&T has been the most flexible company in this industry that I have ever been a customer of, and has been able to offer something tangible in response to correcting a problem or situation many times in the past, but over the last so many years management has tied the hands of the CS reps more and more, and today pretty much anything beyond a small credit or adding 1,000 rollover mins is beyond their ability, and making long term adjustments to a plan for any reason is now pretty much impossible (previously they could adjust costs, offset costs w/monthly credits, add additional mins permanently etc).

The reason I bothered to post all of this is to make note that things have changed, and current upper management is bent on increasing revenue to the point of gambling the loss of their total customer count (losing customers) to more competitive companies.

This is plainly seen in the attempt to bump every potential data user up as high as possible, and this includes charging a typical smartphone data user a similar amount that a cable company would charge a customer receiving a full internet/multimedia experience. Consider that the typical PC or laptop properly connected to a cable modem can receive more data in a matter of minutes than most cell data users receive all month, and it just does not make sense.

AT&T has actually gone as far as to not honor their own recent agreements on data costs. I had a special negotiated $10 per month unlimited plan (seemed fair for what they are actually supplying) that was good for non AT&T smartphones, but just recently they sent a text stating that this is no longer available without a $30 per month unlimited text plan, and all previous lower cost agreements would expire after the first of the year, and be replaced with a $15 plan.

Sure they offered rollover mins and a decent credit to keep me, but the point is that they gambled losing me for $5-$20 a month, and that is pretty short sighted at min.

At that time I also had a very good talk with CSR about data charges for non AT&T branded (unlocked) phones/smartphones and the answers were pretty much standard as seen before (things may not work etc) but after requesting the CSR talk with his supervisor it became a little more clear what they will attempt to do.

My actual question was that since AT&T states that part of the reason or costs of the data plan fee is to cover the purchase costs of the much more expensive smartphones being offered today etc that I should be able to keep the less expensive data plans (not the $30 smartphone plan) if AT&T did not have the expense of purchasing the phone, and I paid retail myself etc.

Like was said earlier here the system will look for the IMEI#, and the towers are now set up to recognize what phone is being used, but what they would or could not answer was if the system would pick up a non AT&T IMEI# and then attempt to make changes in the billing system (what were really concerned with) which would automatically require or switch to the $30 data plan.

I have tested that the system can and will pick up AT&T branded phones and know exactly which phone your using, but have not proven this with non branded or unlocked phones, and also do not know the particulars of when it may hit the billing system and start all the problems.

What I do know is that thousands if not millions of subscribers are not happy and complaining all the time, and I hope eventually they will get the point that not everyone needs, wants, can afford, or is willing to pay $30 for something that is a convenience or extra, and that being trapped into a fee for something they do not want that is not a requirement of the use of the phone they choose to use is going to backfire and cost them countless millions of subscribers in the long run.

I know I am at my breaking point, and one more increase would most likely send me off to TMobile or someone else who would love to steal an AT&T account.

Thanks, I will check that out as well.

Actually a little change here as my POS old Razr that I was using until I made a decision on which new phone to buy was stolen last night. Guess someone needed the $5 they sell for on eBay really bad lol.

So my friends at AT&T after figuring I was not interested in a new contract etc at least offered to waive the fee ($25) on a new sim card. Though I can not understand they they could not just activate one of the very many unused ones I have already.

Anyhow back on track here. Are you saying that AT&T is actually somehow competitive with the other companies plans? I know the service is still better in some areas (not as much in others), but do you believe that overall it is worth staying rather than leaving?

I did request an credit for the retail value of one of their phones due to the fact that I have been on a plan but out of contract and without a subsidized phone for a while, and that what they have been charging me includes the costs of giving away free phones, but did not get any positive results yet LMAO

Thanks again for the link.

I understand your point, but if you do not ask there is no chance you will get it at all.

Also I think some would be very surprised at some of the things and amounts that do get credited.

I know I have been.

I follow you postings and recently I have a need to upgrade my phone to the one with wifi capability. I am interested with Samsung Jack.
I am not sure if any other provider carry Samsung Jack. Basically, I am interested with windows phone.
Is your strategy to avoid the data plan charges work for windows phone?

I posted this in the wrong place (I'm new to this), so I'll repost. This thread has been very helpful, and answered most of my questions. I too wish for a quality phone with QWERTY keypad and WI-FI (for occasional use), and no wish (or need) for a data plan. AT&T infuriated me along with everyone else it seems by requiring data plans (even if I pay full price for the phone AND extend my contract for two more years), considering there are no "non-smart" phones with wifi that I am aware of! My one question is does the unlocked phone I purchase from Amazon or Ebay need to be a model AT&T has never carried in order for them to be unable to identify the IMEI? For example, would an unlocked Samsung Jack or a Nokia E71 (which are both carried by AT&T) from an independent seller be identifiable by AT&T? It would be even more infuriating to purchase an unlocked phone and then get slapped by AT&T with a data plan anyway!

...or you mistunderstood what was being discussed technically. If anything, they are moving towards charging *more* for data on non-smartphones in addition to the mandatory $30 for smartphones after Sept.5, 2009. They won't bend the rules any more for data packages- all devices have to have to appropriate data plan.

The easiest way to avoid accidental data charges is to simply put in false configuration info. That way, even if a 'rogue' application tries to use 3G data, there's no way it can connect to ATT since the data settings have been entered incorrectly. Another potential way to block data is to make sure a non-smartphones is listed as the primary phone on the account. Once that's set, you call in and request a data block on the line. At that point you are free to place the SIM inside your smartphone where 3G data will be blocked on the same line. Much of this is easier if you got it done prior to the Nov.1, 2009 data block grandfather date. YMMV.

What I don't understand is, why not grab an unlocked/unbranded smartphone and be done with it? You won't be forced to pay $30 any more.

I think the major reason for the offer of not requiring a data plan may be two fold.

One is that I can not find a phone of reasonable quality that meets my needs and is not locked into the $30 data plan. After several calls and trips to a company store they are well aware of this, and do not have anything to offer.

It seems that anything with quality build, qwerty, decent organizer/planner, wifi, and some other basic features is considered a smart phone.

Two is after agreeing to this and discussing the much lower cost alternative plans out there, and even the unlocked non subsidized option, and an unwillingness or inability to make adjustments to the data plan, or even text plan costs it seems this was their option to attempt to keep me on as a customer.

Now I have been around some of the related forums and have seen how so many would love to have this offer and only use wifi etc (thanks for the info on how to avoid data use BTW), but I do need a limited amount of non wifi access. I have been chasing around free wifi through my laptop (previous employer was too tight to allow a connect plan etc) long enough, but the limited amount of data use just does not justify such a costly plan. Plus I am already paying more than the comparable unlimited plans out there.

I can not say if this will become standard practice, or if it will only be part of a half effort last ditch attempt at a save, but it is what they had offered.

Thanks again for your input

If you bring in enough revenue each month they are more willing to throw a bone in your direction so you won't abandon ship. They won't however, reduce data or plan prices with the exception of bonus minutes/text messages or, in my case, small discounts on personal cellular service due to large employer agreements.

You also haven't factored in that the E71x has been a relatively issue prone handset and has already been replaced by the E72. That's why they can give you one at a 'reduced' {ahem} price. It's a shell game and we aren't always the ones who know what's under the shells .

My suggestion is to not wait too long on the E71 or E75, since Nokia is quick to replace such smartphones. Waiting for the E71 to go down from $249-299 to $199 may never happen when you are looking at a particular web seller. YMMV. Symbian has plenty of decent apps IME and O. The biggest drawback on the E series for me is the lack of touch screen.

What I don't understand is why you need to call them up so frequenty when you can make all the necessary changes to your account/plan/lines online via the OLAM(?) It's very straightforward if you know what you need.

The phone in the link you posted is unbranded. What the term essentially means if that the device has neither the At&t label or firmware (essentially the operating system) that shows the At&t logo when the device is powered on. (not responding to Pepe7's post)