[pimpinmcd53]

�Verizon offers three data plans for Droid customers: $30 month on top of your voice plan�s rate for non-Exchange usage, $45 per month on top of your voice plan�s rate for Exchange usage, and $50 per month total cost for a data-only plan (whether or not you use it to access Exchange).


Ok so if you want jus data pay 50 a month.......if you want exchange 45 a month.....if you want what most consumers like all of us really need you pay 30 a month. no different from a blackberry. is it reallly that hard to figure this out just read people. its when a phone site says droid users will have to pay an extra 15 dollars for exchange ppl freak out but thats not the case they just worded making it seem like you have to do that but you dont.

[Gawain]

When I read it, it's more of a disappointment.

As a business user, I don't have BES. It takes two to tangle with BES. The $15 on the phone side and the $$$$$$$ on the BES server side plus adminstrators. We don't have that kind of money.

We were so looking forward to Android 2.0 and "open platform". What's a disappointment.

If you don't use BES now, but have an on-site Microsoft Exchange Server (you manage your own email) for your business, I believe you can still set up an IMAP manually. In the "BlackBerry" world, you can do this (right?).

If you don't have your own Exchange server, then you simply set up a POP/SMTP and you're good to go. You're not using the MS Exch Srvr ($15) premium equivalent to BES.

^^^^^I'm sure to be clarified on this. I have a business partner whose other business has a couple NEXTEL 8350i's which are set up with BIS, but access their own MS Exchange for email. There is no BES anywhere that I can see.

Open standards and platforms have nothing to do with billing by the way. Open platform does not equal "free". Open means that VZW isn't locking down the apps that can/cannot be run on the device, and that developers can view the source code of the OS.

[anon(1365634)]

The question is not how much for each tier pricing.

The question is "Active Sync" treated the same as BB BES service, which required the additonal $15. BES has to be activated by BB per subscription. It's very cleared and you cannot accidentally use it. Active Sync is native to Android 2.0. and cannot be locked. So if you can start using it without knowing there will be additonal charges to follow, either through over-usage or $15 add to account.

Another reply article suggested Win Mobile phones, which also has native Active Sync, do not have the $15 additional charge. I don't have a Win Mobile phone so I cannot speak for this claim.

This is bordering on the discussion of "net neutrality". If you use Skype service on your cell, then you pay Skype for the service. Should Verizon charge you more or limit your access to Skype via their nework. AT&T/Apple has lost that battle with Google Voice app. Should Verizon regulate the use of YouTube (higher bandwith), Active Sync, etc.

If the debate is bandwidth, not contents or services, then priced based on bandwith. In reality, an occasional Active Sync user uses far less data than a heavy email and browser user.

[anon(1365634)]

If you don't use BES now, but have an on-site Microsoft Exchange Server (you manage your own email) for your business, I believe you can still set up an IMAP manually. In the "BlackBerry" world, you can do this (right?).
.

Yes, you can access your Exchange Server email using POP3 or IMAP, but you are limiting the capability of your Exchange features. If money is no object, of course, you want the best.

[JRSCCivic98]

If you don't use BES now, but have an on-site Microsoft Exchange Server (you manage your own email) for your business, I believe you can still set up an IMAP manually. In the "BlackBerry" world, you can do this (right?).

If you don't have your own Exchange server, then you simply set up a POP/SMTP and you're good to go. You're not using the MS Exch Srvr ($15) premium equivalent to BES.

^^^^^I'm sure to be clarified on this. I have a business partner whose other business has a couple NEXTEL 8350i's which are set up with BIS, but access their own MS Exchange for email. There is no BES anywhere that I can see.

Open standards and platforms have nothing to do with billing by the way. Open platform does not equal "free". Open means that VZW isn't locking down the apps that can/cannot be run on the device, and that developers can view the source code of the OS.

A BIS only plan support the Exchange OWA portal (Outlook Web Access). This wasn't always the case, but a couple of years ago, RIM changed it where OWA was supported just under BIS without the more expensive plan as it used to be years ago. So, people got in the habit of just buying the lesser of two data plans to save some money if their organization didn't have a BES. So, no, you don't need to have POP or IMAP support on the Exchange server to give your users BIS email availability to their Blackberry. Unfortunately, this isn't the same case with phones that only have ActiveSync and Pull email capabilities because the Pull is POP or IMAP based, which some organizations may not want to open up on the firewall for security or preference reasons.

The question is not how much for each tier pricing.

The question is "Active Sync" treated the same as BB BES service, which required the additonal $15. BES has to activated by BB per subscription. It's very cleared and you cannot accidentally use it. Active Sync is native to Android 2.0. and cannot be locked. So if you can start using it without knowing there will be additonal charges to follow, either through over-usage or $15 add to account.

Another reply article suggested Win Mobile phones, which also has native Active Sync, do not have the $15 additional charge. I don't have a Win Mobile phone so I cannot speak for this claim.

About a year or so ago, people started making a big fuss with Verizon about why PDA users had to pay the higher prices $45 for data plans when Blackberry users had a choice of paying $30 or $45. So, Verizon came up with the idea of dropping the price for PDA users to two plans as well. the $30 plan would allow you access to personal email accounts (or technically speaking POP/IMAP accounts) and $45 would get you corporate email (or technically speaking ActiveSync accounts). They handle this most likely by a TCP port blocking access rule.

So, be it any kind of PDA (WinMo, Palm, or Android), the pricing plan is now similar to the Blackberry plans... you just have to deal with it. Keep in mind that ANYONE who uses the voice/data bundled plans are actually (when you devide it out) paying the lesser price for data when you consider the voice minute they get in the bundled plans, so for them, it pretty much won't matter. As I said before, the only people this will effect are people that have always "added" data on top of their base voice minutes. In most cases, you might find out that you can pay less by switching to a voice/data PDA bundle plan then you would pay for keeping your existing voice and adding data and in some cases you even get more minutes. Not only that, but in a case like this, you get the higher data plan capability and you end up paying the same as you would if you were only adding the less data plan ($30) to your existing voice plan.

Bottom line is, there will still be people out there with grandfathered voice plans from yesteryears and those are the ones running into the pricing issues, but hey... maybe you should complain to Verizon that even under BIS, corporate email is still avilable... of course, that'll just backfire and cause VZW to hound RIM about going back to the old plan capabilities and only allowing OWA integration if on the BES plans.

[rockstar323]

On Verizon if you have a standard 450 ($39.99) or 900 ($59.99) min plan it is actually $10 cheaper to go with a standard voice plan and add on data $29.99, if you're not using enterprise that is. Instead of using the bundled plans 450 ($79.99) and 900 ($99.99).

[anon(1365634)]

Verizon clarified the data pricing plan on Android using Exchange.

Personal Account: $30, including Active Sync Exchange
Business Account: $45, including Active Sync Exchange.

The pricing different will be based on your account type, not data usage. See article below

Verizon HQ: Extra $15 For Exchange? – Let Us Clarify | Android Phone Fans

[shimojunk]

Good to hear that it's not an extra $15 to use Active Sync. All these bozos on this forum that were getting on your case for complaining make me laugh. Some people just have a hard time putting themselves in someone else shoes and looking at the complaint from a different point of view. Most of these bozos probably don't even use Active Sync, let alone know the capabilites of it and why it's important to some people.

One reason why I might switch to the Droid is for ActiveSync capabilities (I handle Exchange email at my work). If I had to pay $15 more for this, the Droid would be a lot less attractive.