[timmy t]

How much data would someone need for using their phone and Playbook occasionally in restaurants etc? I'm not going to watch movies or anything, just check emails and browse some articles, I would think. Maybe the odd video on youtube.
Thing is, the cost of 10 GB is only $15/month more than 500 MB if I get it now so I want to know if I will be using more than 500 MB.

100 MB $20/month
500 MB $35/month
2 GB $50/month
5 GB $70/month
10 GB $50/month

Also, are these rates any good for (LTE maximum)?

[Salsberry]

I can't speak for the Playbook but I do a fair bit of emailing/BBM'ing as well as roughly 45 min to 1 hr of web browsing per day and the most I use per month is about 200 mb.

[brianjr88]

always go with higher cause sometime if you go over the charges alone kill u, like im on a 6gig data plan to make sure lol cause i use slacker radio an watch yt vids alot an use apps crazy so.. ya its about the data an money 500 is good but having more then that will keep u safe

Sent from my BlackBerry 9900 using Tapatalk

[PedroBorgas]

I also asked the same question before, but i want to bridge to the PB to use a GPS.

I'm always in these forums, facebook,browsing, mailing etc and i only have a 300mb plan! I never paid more!

You should be ok with the 500 mb plan

Sent from a old but beautiful BB 8520 or a new and shinny PB 2.0

[Ben1232]

I use about 250Mb per month with it bridged to my PB with the odd you tube video.

I'm mainly around wifi wherever I go though.

[ALToronto]

I have a 6 GB/month plan because it costs me $5 more than the 500 MB plan, but I've never even reached 500. I bridge to my phone at work, and I participate in 3 forums, watch the odd CB video, listen to podcasts or archived radio shows, upload and download photos and drawings. It's amazing how efficient BlackBerry is at using bandwidth. With an android or iPhone, I'd be into the GB territory for sure. Not sure how much LTE will use compared to PB1.

[_StephenBB81]

Care to break out your usage a little bit more?

The problem with the PlayBook LTE is we do not yet know how it connects and works with the BIS, IF the PlayBook runs the LTE data through the BIS then your usage will be probably 10MB per hour assuming the occasional youtube video here and there, to average it out,

so if you're going to use it 1 hour a day every day 500MB will be enough.

IF the device DOESN'T go through the BIS, then I'll assume it will be used like my Samsung Galaxy 3 which used 780MB of data in 14 days, and it was my 3rd device my 9790 being #1, iPhone being #2, so it wasn't heavily used, but when I did use it boy did it suck data down fast

[timmy t]

Why does non BIS use so much more bandwidth? Any videos should already be compressed so it would only be webpages and other relatively small files like email.

[_StephenBB81]

Why does non BIS use so much more bandwidth? Any videos should already be compressed so it would only be webpages and other relatively small files like email.

Today emails are not "relatively small" with HTML emails I see many 2-3MB emails hit my inbox, those emails on BlackBerry fall in the 100KB when they hit my inbox and I have to request the additional information which still runs in the 600-800KB, so knowing I'm on a limited bandwidth requirement means I don't request the extra data,
Also even compressed images get compressed further, video, and Audio are the 2 things that don't really see much compression, but the rest of the website does, and have you paid attention to how BIG some sites actually are when they load? hanging out ON CB when I'm in the US can cost me $3-4/day because of data usage no video's or music.

[southlander]

2GB should do it.

Sent from my BlackBerry Runtime for Android Apps using Tapatalk 2

[CDLacey]

I find I don't exceed 400mb a month on average.

I'm able to tap into Wi-Fi at work (and home) for both the PlayBook and Bold. Some restaurants have free Wi-Fi too.

500mb/ month should be okay, but if you're not going to miss the extra $180 (the extra $15/month, for 12 months) to bump up to 10GB then go for it.


Sent from my BlackBerry 9900

[PedroBorgas]

So, i just contacted my carrier to know how much data i have spent so far this month:

With almost 24/7 usage of this forum(yeah, addicted; and i prefer to use the forum via mobile), Facebook, App World downloads, Web browsing, mails and bridging i have spent 92mb of my 300mb/month since 25th July.

Not bad

Sent from a old but beautiful BB 8520 or a new and shinny PB 2.0

[TheScionicMan]

I've got unlimited since it's a BES account, and even with upgrading to a 9900 for 4G and bridging and using my PlayBook all the time, my heaviest month is .0393 Gb

[Jake90087]

I have never used more than 500MB of data in a month. Compression rules.
But the majority of my data used is from using my phone as a Wi-Fi hotspot. You'd be able to get away with 100, but I'd say you'd be happy with 500MB. Out of the house on 3G I BBM a lot 5-600 per day, receive plenty of e-mails and browse the web and check Twitter. I save YouTube for home but when I'm abroad I use it and it doesn't dent it too bad. Okay I got blabbering there. But now you know. I have a 500MB plan and don't top 450MB. And that's a really heavy month like this one. Last month I use about 100 MB. I'm frugal with my data though, always have been...

[Taxi2base]

I would start with the 500mb. If you see you need more, then go for the 2gb.

Sent from my BlackBerry 9900 using Tapatalk

[ajst222]

How much data would someone need for using their phone and Playbook occasionally in restaurants etc? I'm not going to watch movies or anything, just check emails and browse some articles, I would think. Maybe the odd video on youtube.
Thing is, the cost of 10 GB is only $15/month more than 500 MB if I get it now so I want to know if I will be using more than 500 MB.

100 MB $20/month
500 MB $35/month
2 GB $50/month
5 GB $70/month
10 GB $50/month

Also, are these rates any good for (LTE maximum)?

I am a heavy internet browser on my BlackBerry and I have never gone over 1GB because of the data compression. With my Droid Razr I would be at about 2 GB each month (I am still grandfathered in on Verizon's unlimited). I think 500MB should be fine for you.

[BigBadWulf]

I'm not about to describe my data usage, but for the typical consumer, 2Gb should be more than enough. The price difference from 500Mb makes taking a chance having over-charges a foolish consideration.

[_StephenBB81]

I'm not about to describe my data usage, but for the typical consumer, 2Gb should be more than enough. The price difference from 500Mb makes taking a chance having over-charges a foolish consideration.

I'm sorry but that is the most foolish statement I've read!

It would be foolish to pay for 2GB if 11 months of the year you use sub 500MB, and 1 month a year you go over a bit. at an additional $180 a year it would be foolish to over pay.

Carriers expect people to be foolish and not know their usage and over pay, unlimited data plans trained people to want a safety cushion.
We don't know what a persons financial situation is, $15+tax of after tax income could be 3 full hours of work each month,

[BigBadWulf]

I'm sorry but that is the most foolish statement I've read!

It would be foolish to pay for 2GB if 11 months of the year you use sub 500MB, and 1 month a year you go over a bit. at an additional $180 a year it would be foolish to over pay.

Carriers expect people to be foolish and not know their usage and over pay, unlimited data plans trained people to want a safety cushion.
We don't know what a persons financial situation is, $15+tax of after tax income could be 3 full hours of work each month,

How much is the per-Mb overage charge? Sorry, but I'd cross the 00Mb threshold with both hands in casts. If the OP finds they never exceed 500Mb, they can always reduce their plan after a few months.

[jrohland]

I have a unique opportunity this billing cycle to get a clean measure of data usage because the one non-BB phone is out of the country and not using my data. In addition, I was traveling by car for 2 days right at the start of the current billing cycle. Since I didn't do any driving, I was on my PlayBook using my Torch as a HotSpot for about 20 hours over 3 days, in the car and restaurants. I also used Facebook on the Torch for about 8 checkins to let my family know where we were.

The PlayBook usage was a lot of Magellan Compass (I had pre-cached much of the trip so very little data usage) a lot of Web browsing and about 1.5 hours in Citrix using Outlook and some proprietary apps. There was a little email and BBM on the Torch. Plus a few short YouTube videos.

I just checked my data usage: 0.269GB.

This would be considered a worst case scenario for me alone.

By the way, Citrix worked perfectly over my 3G HotSpot connection. Though you really need to use the Mini Keyboard (as I did) or some other Bluetooth input devices with Citrix. It is not Citrix so much as the Windows apps running on Citrix that need the right input systems.

I wish I could have used VidChat but none of my VidChat contacts were available. It would have been interesting to try it from a moving vehicle.