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precious, taxpayer-funded taxpayer money from job creators is being "wasted"!

Radio research for the Deaf is pretty much the poster child of wasted money. Sort of like braille highway signs for blind drivers.

Nearly all deaf people carry smartphones. The ones that don't, certainly don't carry radios, or any other device capable of receiving radio texts.

There are scads of Apps in the Google market for the deaf. Most free. Deaf people can negotiate plans with zero minutes from almost all the carriers.

NPR is looking at every problem as if it were a nail, because the only tool they have is a hammer.
So, yeah. Pretty much a waste of money.

They can basically charge whatever they want at this point. The average consumer has no way to know how much bandwidth they're REALLY using. Verizon Homefusion is NOTORIOUS for overcharging people, and they get away with it because how do you as a consumer PROVE that you didn't use as much as they claim you did? If you're technically savvy you'd probably be bright enough to setup something like pfsense and log all of your traffic so you can prove it, but for the average mom and pop, you just have to eat it.

Case in point: https://community.verizonwireless.com/message/1035492

He's not using any "personal assessment". Your claim is simply ludicrous. Oh and you want a link? Try this one where Verizon talks about using fiber optic solutions from FiberTower to build out their LTE network. Verizon could not run an LTE network off a T1s to their towers. You're simply an idiot.

Exactly, anyone thinking that an tower is still served by only T1 is hopelessly behind the times.

FiberTower isn't a Verizon entity, it services the entire industry.

FiberTower Corporation is a provider of facilities-based backhaul services to wireless carriers. As of December 31, 2010, the Company provided services to 6,400 billing customer locations at 3,276 billing sites in 13 markets throughout the United States; had master service agreements with nine wireless carriers in the United States; had relationships with fiber service providers giving the Company access to over 1,000 mobile switching centers (MSCs) and 125,000 fiber-based aggregation points, and owned a national spectrum portfolio of 24 gigahertz (GHz) and 39 gigahertz wide-area spectrum licenses, including over 740 megahertz in the United States metropolitan areas and, in the aggregate, approximately 1.55 billion channel pops calculated as the number of channels in a given area multiplied by the population, as measured in the census, covered by these channels.

Crown Castle. As of December 31, 2012, it owned, leased, or managed approximately 31,500 towers, and they just bought 4 billion worth of towers (9,700) from AT&T. The US has 4 or 5 if these giant tower companies, and all of them are served by much larger than T1.

He's not using any "personal assessment". Your claim is simply ludicrous. Oh and you want a link? Try this one where Verizon talks about using fiber optic solutions from FiberTower to build out their LTE network. Verizon could not run an LTE network off a T1s to their towers. You're simply an idiot.

Re: Cell data used for traffic data:

http://news.verizonwireless.com/news/2009/07/pr2009-07-14.html

Keywords: Verizon AirSage

Verizon has introduced Sim cards with their LTE devices/network.
http://support.verizonwireless.com/information/4gsim.html

I thought I read that Sprint is doing the same but they may be going with embedded SIMs from some devices. (embedded= not swappable, making it harder or impossible to use the device with another carriers)
I wasn't able to find a SIM specific support page like Verizon, only general results for devices with SIMs.
http://search.sprint.com/srchapp/ui.jsp?question_box=sim+card

this and this are pretty similar. I see this most frequently in multi-person text messages from iPhone, and indeed, in the default txt message client, these often appear as attachments / multimedia instead of text.

Hilarious, a lot of the creepy Google privacy concerns are there because they've seen how far Facebook pushes the envelope and think they can too.

I don't think Google is a "We can too" operation, they've done pushed past the envelope many times.

Google already has their own "Android", the Motorola Xoom 3G/4G sold by Verizon. While it can be used as a phone,
I imagine that function used mostly for video chatting.

Another version of the Xoom is just a tablet no 3G/4G, which I have. Normally one would log into Google and stay logged in.
Those with security concerns like myself log in only when needed then log out when done.
Going one better I also disable the WiFi.

Never used the Xoom 3G phone but here's a simulator which shows it's very much like the Amazon Kindle
(just more expensive and very nice).
http://support.verizonwireless.com/simulator/Motorola/xoom/simulator.html
It's branded Google with no mention of Verizon, and one shops at the Google store https://play.google.com/store

As sold by Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Motorola-Android-Tablet-Verizon-Wireless/dp/B004NNVHUC

Motorola Xoom is at it's end life, It's last Android version was 4.1, but rooted I have 4.2.1.

I wonder what happened to Verizon's "Any Apps, Any Device" policy back from 2008: http://news.verizonwireless.com/news/2007/11/pr2007-11-27.html

You try getting a Verizon signal from in hell. Then we'll see who's laughing.

I looked up the ZIP code for Hell, went to Verizon's coverage map, typed in ZIP code 48169, and I discovered that yes, Verizon has 3G coverage in Hell.

I know this isn't what you were looking for based on the summary, but you never know, sometimes there are options you've never thought about, so I'll posit it anyway:

Verizon Wireless offers HomeFusion Broadband for a professionally-installed, rooftop-mounted 4G home broadband service. It sounds like it's ideally suited to your parents, and for $6.99/mo, you get the peace of mind knowing that they will send a technician out to fix any issues that may arise.

I don't know if it's in your parents' price range (it starts higher than a Jetpack, but with a higher monthly bandwidth limit), but it's a fantastic option for those currently struggling with satellite or dial-up and have access to 4G LTE.

You accept this agreement by:
Agreeing in writing, by email, over the phone, or in person;
Opening a package that says you are accepting by opening it; or
Activating your Service.
...
By entering this Agreement, you consent to our data collection, use and sharing practices described in our Privacy Policy. We provide you with choices to limit, in certain circumstances, our use of the data we have about you.

Good question. I logged into my Verizon account and went to the privacy page. It offered a link to the privacy policy and a link to a page for Location-Based Services (LBS) Privacy Settings. I visited the settings page first, and it said there was nothing to set. What I skimmed said something about Verizon Navigator, which I don't use because it is a paid service, and Google Maps is so good. (Does this mean they take your money and spy on you at the same time? I know Google spies on me, but it doesn't cost me a nickel for the privilege.) Then I visited the privacy policy page and found this:

Information Shared Outside the Verizon Family of Companies:

Except as explained in this Privacy Policy, in privacy policies for specific services, or in agreements with our customers, Verizon does not sell, license or share information that individually identifies our customers, people using our networks, or website visitors with others outside the Verizon family of companies for non-Verizon purposes without the consent of the person whose information will be shared.

It sounds a little like breach of contract to me if they sell my information. But, of course, there is an arbitration clause, so the chances of a class action are pretty minimal.

OTOH, Declan McCullagh often cries wolf, and sometimes he stretches things out of proportion.

They have just as much "moral right" to discuss their customer's habits as their customers have to discuss their habits, as is happening in this very discussion on /. If you're paying for service, part of the cost of providing that service may be subsidized by selling info which has value.

They disclose what they do with the info and offer an "opt-out" (may need to be a customer to view that page) and if you don't trust that, no one is forcing you to use their services.

"Moral" doesn't mean what you think it means.

"They manage their supply chain quite well and know when a new model is about to be released to cut back production."

Mmmmm, this is why you can still buy an iPhone *4* over at the Verizon store, right?

http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/store/controller?item=phoneFirst&action=viewPhoneDetail&selectedPhoneId=5782

http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/store/accessory?action=accessoryDetails&accessoryId=47605

There you go son, 20 differ phone models to choose from.

My 4s has 64GB of internal disk.

My Atrix 2 ends up at 48GB.

Yes, it is just numbers, but 32GB is behind the times, especially after Apple has set the standard now at 64, which no Android phone can do.

The 32GB Galaxy S3 is available today and the MicroSD slot supports cards up to 64GB, giving it up to 96GB of storage space. The 64GB model is supposed to be out next month, providing up to 128GB of storage.

If that fails, you could try one of the complaint departments AT&T actually listens to.

http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/index.html
http://www.t-mobile.com/
http://shop.sprint.com/mysprint/shop/phone_wall.jsp?filterString=apple&isDeeplinked=true&INTNAV=ATG:HE:iPhones

Even the 'basic phones' in the US are more-or-less smartphones.

I mean, shit. You can get a Pantech Marauder with Android 4.0 from Verizon 'for free' with a 2 year contract. In these parts, the 'free phones' define the very bottom of what's available.Look at the specs on that thing - it's very similar in spec to something like an HTC Sensation or any other ~1 year old latest-greatest phone. Assuming getting root on the phone is possible (it is), there's really not any reason to get anything other than a smartphone (short of preference).

Get a femtocell and you can ditch the land line. Verizon calls it a NetworkExtender. It looks like a mini cell tower that your phone will use for data service and it creates a VPN tunnel back to Verizon and your cell phone calls go across the Internet. I had one for a year or so and it worked great. Only down side is if I got home while on a call (cell service outside was semi-ok) it would not switch to the femto cell. I had to be on the femto cell when I started the call to use it. But I could leave from my home and not drop a call as it would switch from the femtocell to the regular tower with no problem.

Side note: another trick with VZN was using their 5 favorites to have one of them be my Google voice number. Then I could call in/out via Google voice all day long and never use a minute. I don't know if that's even worth it now (I've had 3 unlimited voice carrier since then, so I don't care). I still use Google voice so I never have to care about porting my cell number. Plus, I like having my calls ring at work and on my cell at the same time and pick up whatever is convenient (especially since the cell doesn't get great service in the data centers, but I have an extension on the phones in the data centers).

Yes unlike this chart, it is very hard to figure out the cost of your plan .. I know charts can be very confusing

http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/store/controller?item=prepayItem&action=viewPrepayOverview

Or this one from ATT

http://www.wireless.att.com/cell-phone-service/cell-phone-plans/pyg-cell-phone-plans.jsp?wtSlotClick=1-007FTV-0-2&_requestid=186952

Or this one from Team Mobile
http://prepaid-phones.t-mobile.com/pay-as-you-go-plans

You do not have to pay .20 per txt and it is very easy to figure out the plan that works best for you (well I guess since many in the USA by the time they get to HS can not balance a checkbook so basic addition and subtraction is elusive it really is not so easy) ... I can not find an actual study that has the number of people that take the very basic most expensive prepay option as you claim (ie 20c per txt or 25c/min) since an average phone call takes more then 3 min based at least on this article not just because I felt it was true (ie $1 on the perpay)
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_average_length_of_a_phone_call

With prepay you have to use up the funds you put on your phone it almost doesn't make sense to do the 100% pay as you go option unless you know that on any given day you will never make a call more then 3 min long and the phone is really just for emergencies (not 911 emergencies) and even then if you get the 100/year plan (that is less then 10/month for the not so math inclined) and the $2/day option the most you will pay on any given day you use the phone is $2 the least is 0 and each txt is .02 so you are better off sending a txt message then making a call if you can. Yes you do need some basic math and to pay attention to what you do.

F you dude. Why does the entire world send th students to our universities.? Because they are the best in the world. Why os ot tat America consistantly produces more Noble prize winners then the entire world combined. F- you dude.

Yes unlike this chart, it is very hard to figure out the cost of your plan .. I know charts can be very confusing http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/store/controller?item=prepayItem&action=viewPrepayOverview Or this one from ATT http://www.wireless.att.com/cell-phone-service/cell-phone-plans/pyg-cell-phone-plans.jsp?wtSlotClick=1-007FTV-0-2&_requestid=186952 Or this one from Team Mobile http://prepaid-phones.t-mobile.com/pay-as-you-go-plans You do not have to pay .20 per txt and it is very easy to figure out the plan that works best for you (well I guess since many in the USA by the time they get to HS can not balance a checkbook so basic addition and subtraction is elusive it really is not so easy) ... I can not find an actual study that has the number of people that take the very basic most expensive prepay option as you claim (ie 20c per txt or 25c/min) since an average phone call takes more then 3 min based at least on this article not just because I felt it was true (ie $1 on the perpay) http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_average_length_of_a_phone_call With prepay you have to use up the funds you put on your phone it almost doesn't make sense to do the 100% pay as you go option unless you know that on any given day you will never make a call more then 3 min long and the phone is really just for emergencies (not 911 emergencies) and even then if you get the 100/year plan (that is less then 10/month for the not so math inclined) and the $2/day option the most you will pay on any given day you use the phone is $2 the least is 0 and each txt is .02 so you are better off sending a txt message then making a call if you can. Yes you do need some basic math and to pay attention to what you do.

http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/estore/certifieddevice/cd

They claim they'll activate phones they didn't sell now.

But yes, the 4S is the first iPhone sold in any other way than as a VZW phone that can work on their network.

I believe there are a few regional GSM carriers, and some MVNOs that you can use an unlocked GSM iPhone on.

http://support.verizonwireless.com/information/4gsim.html

VZW uses SIM cards for 4G connectivity. Take it out and your phone stays on 3G.

http://support.verizonwireless.com/information/4gsim.html

Granted, Verizon probably has negotiated a better rate, but each transaction is probably costing not much less than $2.

According to their 2010 Q4 report (the first one I found, there may be a more recent one but it doesn't really matter) they have 102.2 million connections to 94.1 million total customers. If just half their customers pay their bill online (probably much higher percentage, but for the sake of argument) that's 47.05 million card not present transactions being run. Assuming that the average bill is just $50 (probably a low estimate, but again, sake of argument) you're looking at $10.351 million just to cover the initial .22 cent fee. Add the 2% transaction value to that $50 charge and you're looking at $1.22 per payment, or $57.401 million a month, or $688,812,000 a year.

I just can't believe that they would pay that just to take customer payments, even a company as large as Verizon, and even if they were, I can't believe that they wouldn't have inserted mechanisms to pass this fee along to consumers long before now.

Obviously I have no proof (I would be highly interested to hear what they really pay, as would many people I'm sure) but I just can't believe that this isn't opportunism being masqueraded about as necessity. I have seen nothing out of Verizon or any other company to lead me to believe that they would ever resist the urge to make a quick buck at customer expense, especially tens of millions of customers, the vast majority of which are locked into a contract with stiff penalties for early termination.

If someone from within Verizon can show me something that refutes my opinion, I will happily modify it. Like I said, I am really curious how much of these "costs" originate directly from external causes. We've been hearing a lot of the "don't blame $CORPORATION, blame regulations/fees/D.C.!!" meme over the last year or so every time they find a new way to increase their revenues and it's getting a little old at this point. Just my personal feelings on the issue...

As for the "imposing new fees on existing customers" thing, that's easy (emphasis mine):

You agree to pay all access, usage and other charges that you or the user of your wireless device incurred. For Postpay Service, our charges also include Federal Universal Service, Regulatory and Administrative Charges, and we may also include other charges related to our governmental costs. We set these charges; they aren't taxes, they aren't required by law, they are not necessarily related to anything the government does, they are kept by us in whole or in part, and the amounts and what they pay for may change. Source

As for the pennies (again, emphasis mine):

The pertinent portion of law that applies to your question is the Coinage Act of 1965, specifically Section 31 U.S.C. 5103, entitled "Legal tender," which states: "United States coins and currency (including Federal reserve notes and circulating notes of Federal reserve banks and national banks) are legal tender for all debts, public charges, taxes, and dues."

This statute means that all United States money as identified above are a valid and legal offer of payment for debts when tendered to a creditor. There is, however, no Federal statute mandating that a private business, a person or an organization must accept currency or coins as for payment for goods and/or services. Private businesses are free to develop their own policies on whether or not to accept cash unless there is a State law which says otherwise. For example, a bus line may prohibit payment of fares in pennies or dollar bills. In addition, movie theaters, convenience stores and gas stations may refuse to accept large denomination currency (usually notes above $20) as a matter of policy.

Source

No private entity has to accept any currency they do not wish to, and that is solely at the discretion of said business, unless the law states otherwise. I believe some states have laws dealing with this on the books, but Federally speaking, you can accept or not accept whatever you want.

This is the page showing the prices before taxes, fees, or discounts on VZW. 900 minutes/mo = $60, unlimited text= $20, unlimited data=$30 (grandfathered in). $110/mo, minus discount, plus fees.

As soon as someone releases an LTE chipset that doesn't kill battery life, and LTE becomes widely available, it'll be in the next iPhone. Right now, LTE would raise the cost of the phone, shorten the battery life, and only benefit a small percentage of the buyers.

LTE Deployment map, most of the world doesn't even have any LTE deployment. North America, parts of Europe, southeast Asia, Japan, Saudi Arabia, and Uzebekistan are the only current deployments, and most of those offer only spotty coverage.
AT&T is claiming "LTE planned for up to 15 cities by the end of 2011"
Verizon has wider LTE coverage, but it's nowhere near nationwide and won't be for several more years.
Sprint's LTE coverage is in a similar situation.

By the time that LTE is actually available to a sizable percentage of buyers, it'll be time to upgrade the phone anyway. And HSDPA+ @ 14.4Mbps is fast enough for most users in the meantime.

One thing Apple understands that most competitors (and critics) don't is that most users care about usability, not about specifications. Battery life is more important to most users than somewhat faster downloads (that are only available to a small percentage of users anyway). Only the small percentage of technically savvy users care about specs (and those users and critics are the same ones who would complain about the lack of 4G coverage if it did include LTE).

Get a network extender from sprint or verizon. connect it to the access point. connect everything via 3g to the extender. limit access to the phone numbers assigned to your devices. The extender ignores everyone else's device unless they're calling 911. Verizon - http://www.verizonwireless.com/verizon-network-extender.shtml Sprint - http://support.sprint.com/support/device/Sprint/AIRAVE_by_Sprint-dvc1230001prd

If you wanted to track your spouse's location, it would be easy enough to give him or her a cell phone that has some form of Family Locator service or install an app on an iPhone or Android. Really it's not that hard. You could give them the phone and call it a gift. If you're that paranoid, I must say, it's probably already time to get a divorce and hire a psychologist. Remember, distrust in a relationship is more often a sign of what you're willing to do than what they are.

I don't know what Verizon site you are looking at but I didn't have any problem finding smaller data plans than unlimited...

http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/mobilebroadband/?page=plans

The phone plans are a bit more difficult to point to, but they have roughly the same data plan costs.

Though it seems much more difficult for me to even look at the data plans anymore, but when I bought my DroidX a few months ago, the option was definitely there to pay less for less data, but I just feel unlimited is the better way to go. I just can't wait for Netflix, though I imagine it will only work through wifi which kind of defeats the purpose.

They have your credit card and a contract that says you promised to pay, and the credit card company will simply pay it and bill you. You won't have a leg to stand on when you complain.

If you are a lawyer you would know that the agreed to right to modify, signed in advance, is enforceable the vast majority of the time. Only rarely do you find a judge who with tell them they can't do it. If they were getting bitch slapped by judges as often as you seem to think, they would stop putting that in their contracts in the first place. But its still in there. Know why? Cuz it works.

I promised to pay $199.99 plus tax for my Droid X, to extend my contract for 2 years, and to be subject to an early termination fee of $350 should I cancel my service before the contract time is up. That's what I promised to pay. They didn't loan me the extra $400 of MSRP and tell me that it will be paid off over time automatically as I continue my service. I paid $199.99, and that's it.

From Customer Agreement | Verizon Wireless:

If you cancel a line of Service, or if we cancel it for good cause, during its contract term, you'll have to pay an early termination fee. If your contract term results from your purchase of an Advanced Device after November 14, 2009, your early termination fee will be $350 minus $10 for each full month of your contract term that you complete. (For a complete list of Advanced Devices, check verizonwireless.com/advanceddevices.) Otherwise, your early termination fee will be $175 minus $5 for each full month of your contract term that you complete.

Can Verizon Wireless Change This Agreement or My Service?
We may change prices or any other term of your Service or this agreement at any time,but we'll provide notice first, including written notice if you have Postpay Service. If you use your Service after the change takes effect, that means you're accepting the change. If you're a Postpay customer and a change to your Plan or this agreement has a material adverse effect on you, you can cancel the line of Service that has been affected within 60 days of receiving the notice with no early termination fee.

What Are Verizon Wireless' Rights to Limit or End Service or End this Agreement?We can, without notice, limit, suspend or end your Service or any agreement with you for any good cause, including, but not limited to: (1) if you: (a) breach this agreement; (b) resell your Service; (c) use your Service for any illegal purpose, including use that violates trade and economic sanctions and prohibitions promulgated by any U.S. governmental agency; (d) install, deploy or use any regeneration equipment or similar mechanism (for example, a repeater) to originate, amplify, enhance, retransmit or regenerate an RF signal without our permission; (e) steal from or lie to us; or, if you're a Postpay customer, (f) pay late more than once in any 12 months; (g) incur charges larger than a required deposit or billing limit, or materially in excess of your monthly access charges (even if we haven't yet billed the charges); (h) provide credit information we can't verify; or (i) are unable to pay us or go bankrupt; or (2) if you, any user of your device or any account manager on your account: (a) threaten, harass, or use vulgar and/or inappropriate language toward our representatives; (b) interfere with our operations; (c) "spam," or engage in other abusive messaging or calling; (d) modify your device from its manufacturer's specifications; or (e) use your Service in a way that negatively affects our network or other customers. We can also temporarily limit your Service for any operational or governmental reason.

They WILL eat the device charges. They have to. Declining a change in your contract and causing Verizon to cancel it is NOT "good cause" to charge an ETF.

If YOU are a lawyer you would know that there's a reason Verizon's customer agreement goe

Are you worried that PCs (or notebooks or whatever) won't be available anymore, or are you worried that you will start being the weird one who still carries around a notebook after everyone else has moved on?

I'm worried that I won't be able to replace the one I have once it wears out.

Then you are insane. You will *always* be able to buy a computer that you can toss Linux on. ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS. The only way this will ever change is if technological civilization collapses.

I'm also worried that my skills will become irrelevant if none of my audience has a PC on which to use the PC software that I produce. As I understand it, developing for a video game console, iPad, or handheld device is noticeably more expensive than developing for a PC.

I bet horse buggy makers felt the same way 100 years ago. Automobiles required different skills and were more expensive to build and work on. BFD. Technology moves on. If you want to remain in the horse buggy era, no one will stop you. You can still buy horse buggies today. Just don't expect the rest of us to not buy a car simply because you don't know how to work on them or don't want to pay to use one yourself.

Also, data plans are much less than $60/month.

It must have come down fairly recently, and it's still $50 per month according to Verizon's page. Or did you mean a data plan designed for phones that allows no tethering and is bundled with a $40/mo voice plan that comes with far more minutes than I'll use in the foreseeable future? I pay $5/mo for voice on my current dumbphone.

Yes, I was referring to non-third-world-poverty plans. If you can only afford $5/month, then I see a bright future in WiFi-only devices for you. WiFi works just fine. If you want connectivity on the go, you pay extra. Big deal.

And if you can't afford it, you can always forego the data plan and use wifi.

I could go with a tablet, an external keyboard, and Wi-Fi, but then I wouldn't be able to use remote desktop in order to work around the iPad's inability to run applications that Apple doesn't like.

Nobody's telling you to buy a tablet. But a PC! Buy a Xoom! Buy a Nook and root the motherfucker. I don't care. But quit crying about being left behind. You will never, ever, be unable to buy a Linux-capable (with all the implied freedoms) computer. NEVER.

Are you worried that PCs (or notebooks or whatever) won't be available anymore, or are you worried that you will start being the weird one who still carries around a notebook after everyone else has moved on?

I'm worried that I won't be able to replace the one I have once it wears out.

I'm also worried that my skills will become irrelevant if none of my audience has a PC on which to use the PC software that I produce. As I understand it, developing for a video game console, iPad, or handheld device is noticeably more expensive than developing for a PC.

Also, data plans are much less than $60/month.

It must have come down fairly recently, and it's still $50 per month according to Verizon's page. Or did you mean a data plan designed for phones that allows no tethering and is bundled with a $40/mo voice plan that comes with far more minutes than I'll use in the foreseeable future? I pay $5/mo for voice on my current dumbphone.

And if you can't afford it, you can always forego the data plan and use wifi.

I could go with a tablet, an external keyboard, and Wi-Fi, but then I wouldn't be able to use remote desktop in order to work around the iPad's inability to run applications that Apple doesn't like.

Verizon and Boost, among many, offer prepaid minutes that will not expire for 90+ days.

How long is the +? I checked Boost's web site, and just like Virgin, Boost's page says "Recharge at least once every 90 days to keep your account active (after 90 days any credit balance will expire)." Verizon doesn't even last that long. From its page: "Once activated, account balance will expire based on initial payment or in 60 days, whichever is longer."

But you *did* get a job eventually I'm sure.

In order to get the job I have now, I had to get the state to bring in a job placement service specializing in disabilities such as my (professionally diagnosed) mental disorder. Without the employment consultant explaining my disability to my employer, I likely would have been rejected for some of the mannerisms that my disability caused during interviews. But vocational rehabilitation is a social(ist) program, and its funding could be cut at any moment.

some unemployed will start their own businesses

To what extent can a minor seeking to pay for his own cell phone plan do this?

Undercut people

How does one undercut free?

The best shot so far has been the Xoom, which looks excellent, but is $799. As good as the iPad 2, but more expensive than the comparable model (by $70) and *a lot* more expensive than the non-3G ones (one of the few times Apple has lower-spec options and competitors don't if you really don't want the 3G).

While the iPad2 will probably win out, the Xoom isn't quite that expensive, if you want 3G (and many people do). You can get the Xoom for $600 wiith 2-year contract. Also, I'm not sure, but, if you're a Costco member, Costco appears to be selling the Xoom with a 1-year commitment for $640 (part of the page says "1-year", but another part says "2-year" -- I should walk into the nearby Costco and ask)..

Read the fine print. Like every other wireless TELCO, "unlimited" does not mean unlimited.

from : http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/footer/acceptableuse.jsp
Section L
l. .....This specifically but without limitation includes excessive consumption of network or system resources whether intentional or unintentional. ....

Then there's this little tidbit:
We further reserve the right to take measures to protect our network and other users from harm, compromised capacity or degradation in performance. These measures may impact your service, and we reserve the right to deny, modify or terminate service, with or without notice, to anyone we believe is using Data Plans or Features in a manner that adversely impacts our network.
-

I GUARANTEE, if you are actually sucking down as much data as you possibly can, Verizon will be in your grill with a cap. They have a cap for FIOS, DSL and every other internet service they provide. Their agreement basically says "We decide if you are using too much data, and we can arbitrarily decide how much is too much on a whim."

This means there is no actual unlimited plan, just "unlimited", which happens to be whatever Verizon says it is and can change without notice.

While I will never hit their cap, there are people that watch TV on their phones frequently (cbs.com, etc etc) and you'd better believe Verizon will be on them like stink on shit just as soon as the big surge of new iPhone customers is stuck in a 2 year contract.

Verizon=AT&T=T-Mobile=Virgin Mobile

They are ALL the same as far as legal, caps etc goes.

That's a rumor with nothing but wishful thinking to back it up.

Actually no, last year it was a rumor and I was saying it was false.

This year it's obviously true, as there are leaks from many sources including techs testing equipment for Verizon, new broadcom chips that make it work, and of course the Verizon iPad bundle which is already in stores and shows Apple to be working with Verizon already.

Now it's just plain obvious it will happen, the only question is timing.

Also, in what way is the iPad even sort of on Verizon?

Verizon markets and sells an iPad/MiFi bundle, a precursor to ones using the new combo Broadcom chips (that can do both GSM and CDMA).

Verizon is a CDMA network.

LTE is not.

Verizon hasn't published an uncapped data plan in at least two years. So if you have a $23 a month unlimited plan, you're grandfathered into it and it's impossible for anyone to take your advise, or you know some secret handshake that gives you access to a data plan.

http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/mobilebroadband/?page=plans

If you know of a plan that Verizon is still offering, could you tell me how to get it, please?

I'd defect to Verizon in a heartbeat if they offered an uncapped data plan at that price. I know of at least two people who would happily urinate on their iPhones in public if it meant going to an unlimited data plan on any half-decent handset. But Verizon's data plans are basically modeled after AT&T's and vice versa, so the prices and caps aren't very different.

that it's more expensive initially (the most expensive phone on the market)

The Nexus S sells for $199. That's the same price as an iPhone 4 16GB, which also sells for $199.

Here's a list of Android phones sold by Verizon. Do you see how many sell for $199.99? If my math is correct, that is basically the same price as an iPhone 4 16GB. Although it seems like they are actually 99 cents more expensive.

Also, the Droid Pro (which looks like a great phone by the way), sold by Motorola, retails for $280. But, those kind bastards give us a mail in rebate of $100.

I hope you now understand how the iPhone is not THE most expensive phone on the market. Is it -one- of the most expensive phones? Yes, yes it is. Although the iPhone 4 32GB might very well be the most expensive phone on the market.

even more expensive in the long run (you can't take your content and your apps and leave for a cheaper/better option when you need or want to upgrade in a few years

You do realize that if I buy a Blackberry, Windows, Android, or Nokia phone, and I purchase apps and content on those devices, and I want to switch to one of the other devices with a different OS, that the same problem exists?

Shoot, the same problem exists within the Android system from phone to phone, because not all apps are compatible with all phones. So if you start off with a top of the line Android phone that has better graphics hardware for games, and you buy games that are optimized for that phone, but you later want to downgrade to a cheaper Android model...you may end up being disappointed.

that it's more expensive initially (the most expensive phone on the market)

The Nexus S sells for $199. That's the same price as an iPhone 4 16GB, which also sells for $199.

Here's a list of Android phones sold by Verizon. Do you see how many sell for $199.99? If my math is correct, that is basically the same price as an iPhone 4 16GB. Although it seems like they are actually 99 cents more expensive.

Also, the Droid Pro (which looks like a great phone by the way), sold by Motorola, retails for $280. But, those kind bastards give us a mail in rebate of $100.

I hope you now understand how the iPhone is not THE most expensive phone on the market. Is it -one- of the most expensive phones? Yes, yes it is. Although the iPhone 4 32GB might very well be the most expensive phone on the market.

even more expensive in the long run (you can't take your content and your apps and leave for a cheaper/better option when you need or want to upgrade in a few years

You do realize that if I buy a Blackberry, Windows, Android, or Nokia phone, and I purchase apps and content on those devices, and I want to switch to one of the other devices with a different OS, that the same problem exists?

Shoot, the same problem exists within the Android system from phone to phone, because not all apps are compatible with all phones. So if you start off with a top of the line Android phone that has better graphics hardware for games, and you buy games that are optimized for that phone, but you later want to downgrade to a cheaper Android model...you may end up being disappointed.

Counterexample: McComb, OH (population: about 1.6k) is far from being in the middle of nowhere.

It has, on a good day, extraordinarily poor cell phone coverage. If I want to talk on my Droid in the town of McComb, I must leave whatever house building I am in, head outside, and stand far away from any structures.

It has been this way for at least 12 years that I am personally aware of. Before that, even my digital pager would have severe issues working reliably there -- and it otherwise had always worked absolutely everywhere else that I tried, even inside of factories and steel buildings.

And it behaves this way for everyone who lives or travels there, even though various maps proclaim that it is just fine.

I suspect that if you step out into the real world and give it a shot, instead of postulating with Google Maps and the misinformation provided by the our corporate overlords, you'll find that cell phone coverage is far lousier than you think, and that "highways" are often little more than a 2-lane road with a stripe down the center.

That LG device is awesome! It has a fixed USB connector (was it broken?), and status LED and and internal antenna! How feature rich! http://network4g.verizonwireless.com/#/devices

You missed out the expensive bit -- the chipset (I can't remember whether you folks use GSM over there these days).

That LG device is awesome! It has a fixed USB connector (was it broken?), and status LED and and internal antenna! How feature rich!
http://network4g.verizonwireless.com/#/devices

They want people who are smart enough to understand the multi-page small-print legalese

This is not "legalese":

Wireless devices use radio transmissions, so unfortunately you can't get Service if your device isn't in range of a transmission signal. And please be aware that even within your Coverage Area, many things can affect the availability and quality of your Service, including network capacity, your device, terrain, buildings, foliage and weather.

I lifted that straight out of Verizon's customer agreement. If you need a lawyer to decipher what that paragraph says then your teachers failed you and you should request a refund of the monies that were spent on your education.

Well, Sprint says "Nationwide" (Yes, it's coast-to-coast), but their* 3G map looks smaller than Verizon's, based on this map:
http://www.virginmobileusa.com/check-cell-phone-coverage

compared to this one for Verizon's claimed broadband coverage area (you might need to click the radio button / refresh: http://www.verizonwireless.com/wireless-coverage-area-map.shtml)

On the other hand, maybe you're right: This article has high praise for Sprint's network; the Kindle connection really is pretty convincing -- http://www.mobile-broadband-reviews.com/sprint-coverage.html

I've seen (surprising to me!) good connection in PA, NY, WA, and MD, including on Maryland's Eastern Shore, and while in a moving train in PA.

Cheers,

Tim

* I might be wrong to call it "Sprint's" network; this comparison has rough edges, because Virgin might for some reason not have the same footprint, even though they're *using* "the Sprint network."

If you have Verizon Wireless, logon to your account, then go to https://ebillpay.verizonwireless.com/vzw/accountholder/uc/UCServiceBlocks.action and check all the boxes for services you don't want.

This is absolutely correct. Verizon has a very small number of phones, called Feature Phones. You can find the models on their website, here. If you purchase a Feature Phone (and that is all I purchase, as I don't want the data capability), then they won't charge you the extra 19.99/month for the data plan. If you purchase any non-Feature Phone, as most of them are, then you will automatically be charged 19.99/month. You cannot get out of it. So if you are not into texting or browsing the web on your phone, and just want to use it for voice mail and calls, as I do, then you MUST get a Feature Phone. Further, unless you ask, the Verizon policy requires their representatives to sell you a non-Feature Phone set. They are forbidden to advise you, "unless asked", about the existence of Feature Phones. This is Verizon veering very close to being evil, certainly completely interested in their customer's money and not at all in their customer's best interests.

Verizon doesn't have an "unlimited" (as in uncapped) data plan, at least not here in GA. You get to chose 250MB/month (!!!) or 5GB/month. I believe they do use the word "unlimited", but it's a lie -- the caps have been in place for at least the 30 months I've been with them.

Not true.

Been discussed before. Etc.

Blah, blah, blah.

Verizon is Verizon is Verizon is Verizon, whether in GA, MN, TN, VA, or FU.

Verizon currently does offer an unlimited data plan, but only for smartphones. There are no specified limits, at all, thus making their unlimited smartphone completely unlimited (on paper, at least).

A MiFi or a netbook or an aircard or a whatever other non-smartphone device is limited to, at most, 5GB/month.

So: I can, currently, absorb as much bandwidth as I want with my Droid. But if I had a MiFi tied to a laptop, the plan would cap out at 5GB.

It's been this way at least since I got the Droid not long after launch last year. Previous to that, I didn't care enough to pay any attention.

Their telephone data plans are toward the right side of this page. Their dedicated data plans are described separately, however, over here, with very clearly stated limits. And, in neither case do I see any particular mention about excluding Peaches.