Sprint's new "unlimited" data plan questions

DawnM

DIS Legend
Joined
Oct 4, 2005
Messages
16,635
Ok, right as I am looking at possibly getting an iPhone, this comes up.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-30686_3-20123848-266/sprint-shutters-unlimited-4g-mobile-broadband/

I have a few questions for those who understand this better than I do.

1. So the phone itself is still unlimited data, correct?
2. The hotspot feature will now be limited to 5GB for the $30 they charge extra to make your phone a hotspot?
3. Does the iPhone even have a hotspot feature?
4. Is this only for 4G (iPhone isn't 4g) or does it include 3G phones (like the iPhone?
5. How much does 5GB even get you? I was thinking the hotspot would be great for vacation, to stream shows on things like the iPad driving to Disney......my guess is that this would NOT work with 3 devices streaming ind. shows or playing games for over 6 hours each??????

GRRRR!!!!! Right when I am more seriously thinking of getting a smartphone.
 
My recommendation is to buy an unlocked iPhone 3Gs or 4 (not the 4s), jailbreak it, install MyWi or PDAnet (enables tethering on any carrier, I find MyWi the easiest to setup a mobile hotspot with). Then I would get either H2o wireless or Straight Talk (Make sure you can stil get a sim card only from them) and their unlimited everything plan, which runs around $50/month and the data is truly unlimited.

Note: Jailbreaking your phone is perfectly legal and the last time I checked, using tethering on either of these services was a violation of the TOS, but you should double check prior to doing so, I would go with whichever company doesn't mention it.

By the way, you will pay more for an unlocked phone, but there will be no contract and on average you will save about $30 per month (the prices for straight talk and H2O wireless include all taxes), this means over the course of a 2 year contract you will save about $720 on service costs and can switch carriers at any time, you will pay about $400 extra at most for an unlocked phone, so you come out at about $320 ahead.

H2O wireless uses AT&T's network and I forget who Straight Talk uses.
 
That is complete Greek to me.

BTW: The cell phone through Sprint is still unlimited, it is the HOTSPOT that I am questioning. I assume tethering means only one device at a time? I really want a hotspot for vacation to support multiple devices.

I am NOT techno savvy, so what you are saying seems a bit complicated to me.

Dawn
 















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