[Dapper37]

Consider with BB10 I have,
BBM
BBM Voice
BBM Video with screen sharing
BlackBerry music
BlackBerry movies
BlackBerry World and all the Apps
BlackBerry Remote File Access
And more, for all that I don't need data. WiFi Is in so many places, a little planning and using my apps the right way and I'm personally 95% taken care of. Enough so my Z10 is a pay as you go, minutes only device. I use wifi for all other needs and it serves me fine.


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[howarmat]

for some people maybe but i dont think Wifi is that common yet. If im on the road which i am for several hours a day maybe, i need data

[alternator77]

The thing about wifi too is its not terribly secure for a lot of things whether it be banking, shopping etc...
Also the more people on a public wifi hot spot the slower the connection.

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[raino]

Data? No. SMS/MMS? Absolutely.

[scorpiodsu]

Many people have wifi at home and work but there's still plenty of places that don't. If I'm out and about in the city, there aren't many free public wifi in the area. Data is still necessary. Having said that, I would think that data usage by a lot of users has decreased because of growing wifi availability but data is still needed at some point for most.

[mark37724]

I actually see it going the other way, people are relying greater on mobile devices, less on home networks. In time, data should be far more economical and I believe people will be less reliant on home wifi networks. Believe this is one thing that TH had as his vision of mobile computing that I think is quite correct.

[Dapper37]

I'm thinking it's location based, for me anyway. In South East Asia free wifi is becoming prominent. Everywhere you go it's free. Then I come back to the US and see the airports and hotels charging for it. Sigh. Anyone that works and travels internationally I guess falls under my description better.


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[cgk]

Can't see it - in the UK, there are plenty of places where there is no wifi and mobile data here is so cheap why give up the plan?

[pantlesspenguin]

I'm thinking it's location based, for me anyway. In South East Asia free wifi is becoming prominent. Everywhere you go it's free. Then I come back to the US and see the airports and hotels charging for it. Sigh. Anyone that works and travels internationally I guess falls under my description better.


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But alternator77 brought up the very important point about security and unreliability if several people are connected to a certain wifi hotspot at the same time. If you're really wanting to get things done, transfer speeds are just as important, and I can always get higher speeds over the LTE network I have access to rather than a public wifi hotspot. Really the ONLY times I resort to public wifi is when I'm in a building that T-Mo's signal doesn't penetrate very well.

[rthonpm]

If you live in a major metropolitan area, wifi is very common but get outside of even a decent sized city (10,000+) and your wifi options start to drop very fast. WiFi is great when you're in one location, but if you're not in one place long enough to finish what you need to do then a carrier's data plan is nothing short of essential.

[amazinglygraceless]

Data? No. SMS/MMS? Absolutely.

Oddly, I am the polar opposite.
Data? Absolutely.
SMS/MMS? Absolutely not!

[raino]

Oddly, I am the polar opposite.
Data? Absolutely.
SMS/MMS? Absolutely not!

You may be right based on current usage, but trends show that SMS/MMS usage is declining. No longer the cash cow it once was for the carriers. People are realizing that when they've got BBM, Whatsapp, FB chat, Skype, etc. on their smartphones that do at least what SMS and MMS do, if not more, why would they pay for a redundant service?

Carriers are also likely taking note. T-Mobile is bundling unlimited texting into their base plans (data is the variable now,) and I believe--not 100% sure--that Verizon also does this now.

But I would like to hear from you. Why do you think that SMS/MMS are not redundant services?

[Deu2e]

I agree with howermat. I drive for two hours or more to different places (vacation mostly) and I need data. I stream many podcasts or use Skype in the car to chat. As I still have my unlimited data plan, I don't use wifi with my phone that often here at home, and I don't connect my phone to public wifi at all. I think it just depends on the person's demographic location (larger metropolitan vs smaller/rural area) and wireless data needs.

[amazinglygraceless]

But I would like to hear from you. Why do you think that SMS/MMS are not redundant services?

Actually I do think SMS is a redundant service specifically because of the options you listed. They all make more economical and practical sense.

That and SMS has ALWAYS annoyed me, so much so that the easiest way to get me to ignore you is send me a text message. I never read those. EVER.

[raino]

Actually I do think SMS is a redundant service specifically because of the options you listed. They all make more economical and practical sense.

That and SMS has ALWAYS annoyed me, so much so that the easiest way to get me to ignore you is send me a text message. I never read those. EVER.

Reading fail You meant Data is redundant (and SMS even more so.)

Why do you think data is redundant?

[m1a1mg]

You may be right based on current usage, but trends show that SMS/MMS usage is declining. No longer the cash cow it once was for the carriers. People are realizing that when they've got BBM, Whatsapp, FB chat, Skype, etc. on their smartphones that do at least what SMS and MMS do, if not more, why would they pay for a redundant service?

Carriers are also likely taking note. T-Mobile is bundling unlimited texting into their base plans (data is the variable now,) and I believe--not 100% sure--that Verizon also does this now.

But I would like to hear from you. Why do you think that SMS/MMS are not redundant services?

I've been getting unlimited text from Verizon for 4 years. Use it all the time since my kids won't answer calls.

[raino]

I've been getting unlimited text from Verizon for 4 years. Use it all the time since my kids won't answer calls.

Was it bundled into the cost of a plan (like "x number of minutes+unlimited text for $__) or did you pay extra for an unlimited text add-on?

[m1a1mg]

Was it bundled into the cost of a plan (like "x number of minutes+unlimited text for $__) or did you pay extra for an unlimited text add-on?

Part of my plan. Text is cheap for carriers

[RECOOL]

the next few years will be about unlocked phones and finding the best sim/data deals.Im starting to look now.The worlds becoming more and more connected.I walk into my friends houses wifi is already connected.I get on teh underground some places have wifi.Eventually buses.I dont think I have ever come close to using my 1gb plan.simple because im near wifi spots alot.

Data plan will still be relevant but wont be expensive for phone users. Data sharing and tehthering will be huge.Ironically that eventually it will get to BIS level x amount for x amount of months of datas.not a forced monthly fees.

Will be intresting who moves first between the network providers.

[m1a1mg]

RECOOL, you must live in a pretty big city. Where I live, I rarely get the 4G I'm paying for. Wifi in the wild is limited to some businesses.

[BlackBerry Guy]

I don't trust public hot spots for doing things like banking. Nor do they really have the bandwidth available for video chats and internet calling a lot of times (not to mention who really wants to make a video call in a public space?). I'd rather have too much data on my place than not enough. Besides, it's always nice being able to access the net on your phone when the router and modem don't work during a power outage.

[raino]

Where I live, I rarely get the 4G I'm paying for.

Wait...Verizon makes you pay extra over 3G for 4G?

[ajst222]

I use data a lot more than wifi. I rarely use wifi, even at home because LTE is just that fast and it's everywhere. Sure, wifi is nearly everywhere, but it isn't public everywhere.

[ajst222]

Wait...Verizon makes you pay extra over 3G for 4G?

No. I think he's just saying that he just isn't benefiting from 4G speeds.

[sjmartin007]

What they really need to do is implement wireless mesh networks into wireless devices. The technology is being used in small cities but not on smart phones. Data connectivity would drastically improve.

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