Am interested in which plan to get with purchase of HTC incredible.
You can buy it for full retail price and not have to worry about being locked into contract. But, I don't know if you can only have data.
I'm using google voice and it's proving to be pretty good. I like using it so you'll probably enjoy it as well.
However there is not a data only plan we do offer a messagin & data only plan for a low monthly price. It does not include voice minutes but if you need to make a call you can. You can pay full retail price for a phone to avoid the contract. Below I have listed the link for the messaging & data only plan.
http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/splash/messagingplans.jsp
Hope this helps.
Hi Zachary, So would it be possible to buy an Incredible and use this data plan?
Yes it is possible to do this with the Incredible, or any other smartphone you choose. The length of the contract will determine the price of the phone that you will have to pay. Hope this helps.
Google Voice does not offer Voice over IP yet. Fring does and skype does and it might be worth it to get a Skype out account and make calls through Fring to you. It would be about 2 cents a minute that way. If you happen to have a SIP account you should be able to use that. I haven't seen any SIP accounts available so if you don't have one you may just have to wait for GV to incorperate the company they bought that did that. (off the top of my head I forget the name and just don't feel like looking it up right this minute). The Skype app won't let you use WiFi so you have to be within a 3G area to make your calls. The Fring app will allow you to at least receive Skype calls and possibly make them as well and it will allow WiFi. A few things to keep in mind. If you plan to go that route.
When GV rolls out VOIP capabilities I will imagine initially it will be 3G only as well. I am not sure why that is the trend since that just ends up putting more strain on the systems but I suppose it keeps people from disconnecting their phone and just using it where they have WiFi which I guess would be fine for some people but I kind of need it to work in my car. Just a thought. So it seems like a nice idea to get data only services if you have a good VOIP option that will make use of the 3G signal.
I have been considering using my Google Voice number for my primary and making my cell number the one I put on business forms and things. GV is pretty nice for a lot of things. The ability to read voice mails has proven to be less cool than I thought though. Most of mine are pretty badly wrong.
Little math for you. If you get the Data only package it is 54.99 then use skype out to make your calls at $0.02 then you get unlimited data, texting, etc and 1249 minutes for the same price as the 450 minute individual plan with unlimited data and you still have to pay for messaging so add another 250 minutes you could afford. Wow that is actually not a bad deal. I guess depending on how much you talk. See for me that would mean losing my IN calling so calls to my wife are no longer free unless she had Skype too which she would being on a Verizon Blackberry. So we could talk for free still. Her family all has iPhones which has several Skype interfaces I am sure so she could even talk to her mom on her phone or her computer about anytime too. You know this isn't sounding like a bad idea now.
Little more info on this. SKYPE out calling plans are unlimited to the US for $2.99 a month and then you can add other countries or call the whole world unlimited for 13.99 a month. SKYPEin requires you buy an online number $18 for 3 months or $60 a year but is half price if you have a subscription to Skypeout. The SKYPE app is worthless though. For Android phones this is fine because we have FRING. Fring allows for Skype out calls, SkypeIn calls and the use of WiFi in places where 3G reception is an issue. However, I cannot do this since my wife has a Blackberry and it would require both of us do this or her to get a far more expensive individual plan. There is no Fring for Blackberry yet so no SKYPE as a phone.
The Verizon agreement with Skype basically makes the Skype app not able to use WIFI, not able to make SKYPEout calls to the US, and no SKYPEin number. You can only do SKYPEout calls to international numbers and make skype to skype calls. in otherwords the agreement for exclusive SKype app means that Verizon exclusively limits the usage of Skype on their network. The iPhone SKYPE app allows for SKYPEOUT calling but only on WiFi. This is actually the first advantage I personally would get from an iPhone over my Android phone.
You can make calls with GV on wi-fi or 3G now. I've tried and done both of them sucessfully. And, anywhere calling in the USA is free.
If you use WiFi to make a call on GV it switches to the phone network. Google Voice is not a VOIP provider it is merely a phone routing service. There appears to be plans in the future to make VOIP calling available over Google Voice with the purchase of Gizmo5. Currently the way Google Voice works whether it be the app or the website or whatever is that if you tell the app or website to initiate a call it will ring your phone. When you answer it is connecting to the other number (you hear ringing tones). The app on Android is a bit more seamless. It doesn't ring your phone it just routes the call through your phone over the voice lines. It does use your Cell phone minutes so if you use it on a data only plan you will be paying $0.25 a minute.
Skype on Android works as a voice chat between Skype accounts only or for calls internationally. The app is not allowed to opperate over WiFi on Verizon. Interestingly enough the closed off AT&T and iPhone do allow SkYPEout calls on WiFi. Go figure.
So the data only idea will work on Android (through Fring) but not for my wife's blackberry for which no alternative Skype/SIP/ETC dialer exists.
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