Inexpensive wireless web
 

I know there are threads about finding cheap 3G data only plans. I've tried looking through them to find something useful for me, (very low talk usage, mostly need email access and occasional google search). Right now my wife's phone is a Treo 650 with cricket unlimited talk and text for $35/month, and I'm using Virgin Mobile (USA) for $.18/min talk and no text.

I'm looking at Boost Mobile to replace my Virgin Mobile service, and as well as being only $.10/minute, there is unlimited web access for $.35/day of usage. Has anyone else looked at or used this plan?

I'm sure the data speeds are slow for streaming media, but I'm interested if it's usable with the n810 for web browsing. Even better if I can get some Skype/Gizmo use out of it.

http://plans.boostmobile.com/paygo.aspx

Re: Inexpensive wireless web
 

You can get unlimited data added to your phone, for 20$ per month from t-mobile. (on top of talk and text costs) But 3g is only in major cities. If you do not live in the coverage area, its not that great of a deal

Re: Inexpensive wireless web
 

Yes. Several of us use Boost Mobile, and it has been discussed numerous times in the fora, mostly by YouDude, the resident expert. See the thread, "iDEN dial up networking with the N800 via Bluetooth", for example.

At 19.2k, streaming is out, but email and IM can work. Web browsing, particularly with Flash and images disabled, is also possible, though not overly enjoyable.

Skweezer has been suggested as a way to make the best of the limited available bandwidth.

Oh, and you won't need that $0.35/day web access plan for tethering.

Re: Inexpensive wireless web
 

Thanks for the info, both of you.
I didn't realize the data speeds were that slow, so I can't say I'm excited about the prospect. However, if I don't need to pay for data access if I tether then $0.00 is as good as it gets. Plus, with $.10/min talk time it sounds like the best deal out there.

What's the cheapest phone I could do this with? Any ideas, or another thread about it? Sorry I missed YoDude's. There was so much to sort through.

Re: Inexpensive wireless web
 

The cheapest current phone is probably the Motorola i776. If you're happy to buy used, you may be able to find a Motorola i335 on eBay or the like for less.

Re: Inexpensive wireless web
 

I see. I expected prices closer to Virgin's phones. I'm not a fan of buying used electronics unseen, so I'll have to see if one pops up on Craigslist for cheap.

Re: Inexpensive wireless web
 

Then whatever you do, don't look into the Motorola i9 Stature, which should also tether nicely with the tablets.

Re: Inexpensive wireless web
 

The ATT Go Phone allows for 100mb for $20. A fair price for light chatting and email. And if the next tablet does have HSDPA built in, this would be very handy.

Re: Inexpensive wireless web
 

The cheapest BT Boost phone is now only >> $59.00... I tether to Nextel all day, almost every day. You would be surprised what you can do @ 19.2 :) I can almost stream a local news radio station with only a less than a second stutter every 6 or 10 seconds or so.

I have put together a list of sites that I have modified via CSS or actual Web sites that I designed and store locally that cut out all the ad crap and get right down to the useful stuff.
Here is an example >> Weather Radar

That thread got buried during one of the recent changes but I have quite a few more if anybody is interested.

http://my.opera.com/yodude/blog/

Useful stuff like traffic cam images take about 3.5 seconds to load... slow by some standards but a whole lot better than no image. :)

Gmail is excellent using apopelo's excellent technique >> Gmail for iPhone on the tablet

I also tweaked the Internet search applet so it shows only mobile results with no ads. And local results with a mobile sized map. >> Tweaks

Mine rocks BTW. :)

Wow I just found this on Cnet. Scroll down to Boost Connection
I'm almost famous :D

Re: Inexpensive wireless web
 

Thanks.
As much as I like the Gmail interface I find the built-in Modest imapped with Gmail to work just fine, and it's probably lighter than running the browser. I think I might have to spring for a phone and get the $0/month plan.

Re: Inexpensive wireless web
 

Are there other phones that are compatible with Boost Mobile, or will the cost of flashing to Boost (or data cable and time to do it myself), and activation nullify any savings?

Re: Inexpensive wireless web
 

i'm a yodude follower and boost solution lover. used the connection for the past 11 days on vaca in california. using it now. i set modest to auto dl email from gmail and it works great. i'm also a skweezer lover. use it with tear browser for best results.

i have the i605 phone (from ebay) and it works perfectly. never used boost voice, and it's just $10 every three months to keep acct active. read my posts from yodude's howto thread to see how to get it working.

Re: Inexpensive wireless web
 

Nextel iDEN phones will work with Boost, no modifications necessary. You just insert the Boost SIM and go.

Boost iDEN phones, on the other hand, will not work with Nextel unless unlocked.

Please note that only the Motorola pure-iDEN phones--Boost or Nextel--will do the free data tethering trick. That means you're looking for Motorola phones with i### names. iDEN Blackberries and even non-i### Motorola phones will not give free tethering.

Re: Inexpensive wireless web
 

Cell data is way overpriced particularly when you're also paying for broadband on cabel or DSL. With my tablet I decided on a compromise and got a Boingo WiFi account for $7.95 per month. That gives me Starbucks, McDonalds, many hotels and major airports. Not anywhere but still always close by for me. There was some mention of gmail. I find using the internal mail client, modest, and IMAP access to gmail provides a more responsive mail experience.

Re: Inexpensive wireless web
 

Great info.
The cheapest thing I'm seeing with bluetooth is the i335 for about $40-$50. I'll keep an eye out for others.