If you want the iPhone, but don’t think you afford it, think again. You can become a fully-functional iPhone user without any additional cost to your current cell phone bill.
Assuming you’re already a budget-brand Fido customer, the first step is using your Fido dollars towards the purchase of the iPhone. The phone itself could be cost-free, depending on how much credit you’ve accumulated.
(The 8GB model is currently priced at $199, while the 16GB is $299. To qualify for these prices, you need to sign up for a 3-year agreement. This doesn’t mean you have to cancel or change your current plan – you just have to promise you’ll stick with it for another three years. If you don’t make this 3-year commitment, the price of the iPhone will jump to the $600 range.)
Your second step is to not make any changes to your existing service. If you say no to a data plan and ask Fido to disable the 3G service, your monthly fees will remain exactly the same as your pre-iPhone days.
Fido doesn’t promote the no-data-plan option, so you may experience resistance from the customer service rep when you order the iPhone without committing to a data package.
The rep will likely warn you that without a data plan, you will be subject to outrageous fees if and when your iPhone transmits data on the 3G network.
There is truth to this statement. Unless you request that Fido disables the 3G access, which will remove the possibility of any Internet-based activity on the 3G network, your next bill could very well hurt.
With a cluster of Web-based apps on the iPhone’s main menu, it’s nearly impossible to avoid accidentally launching one every now and then – especially considering you’re working with a touch screen.
And even if you do manage to successfully avoid this hurdle multiple times a day, some iPhone apps are designed to automatically retrieve or update data without you even realizing it.
(It’s possible to disable the auto updates within certain application settings on the iPhone itself, but the only way to guarantee that a slight oversight won’t cost you a small fortune is to have Fido completely block the access from their end.)
The rep may also warn you that by disabling 3G, you will limit the iPhone’s capabilities.
It’s true that your iPhone will lose some smartphone qualities like being able to access the Internet anywhere, anytime. And without Internet access, certain Web-based apps obviously won’t work.
But traditional cell phone activities – like making calls, checking the time and sending text messages – won’t be affected. (There is one catch. You won’t be able to send and receive text messages with photos.)
Disabling 3G won’t permanently prevent from you from using the latest iPhone apps. The iPhone operates on two networks (3G and Wi-Fi), so blocking 3G simply ensures that any and all Web-based activity occurs through Wi-Fi instead.
Your iPhone will get all of it its smartphone superpowers back the moment you connect to a wireless Internet network instead. (With the exception of those texts with photo attachments.)
And then you can treat your iPhone like you would your laptop. Because Wi-Fi connects the iPhone to an Internet service provider – rather than your cellular service provider – you can surf as much as you want, for as long as you want, without worrying about data usage and fees.
Compared to 3G, Wi-Fi access is limited. But you can tap into wireless networks at home or work for free. Wi-Fi access is also standard in most hotel rooms and pay-as-you-go services are available when you find you absolutely need to get online outside your usual Wi-Fi networks.
And if the City of Toronto ever decides to provide free Wi-Fi service across the GTA, you won’t be grumbling about having to pay off a monthly data package contract.