One of my new year’s resolution is to better optimize the use of my time. I’ve been reading up on Cingular’s Blackjack, and it appears attractive relative to the other PDA/Smartphones on the market. I scoured forums and noticed that there were many happy Blackjack owners. It’s not a coincidence that I picked a phone that’s running the Windows-based operating system, arguably the most insecure mobile OS out there. Yes, I do plan on hacking, err .. researching and studying it.
After I’ve got my mind set on the gizmo, now it’s time to shop. Apparently, Cingular’s data plans varies depending on the type of phone you have. An unlimited data plan for a higher end phone would cost $40 but if you had a cheaper sucky phone, it would cost $20. Pssh. I already am a Cingular customer and my contract has expired, so I’m just going from month to month. I don’t exactly fancy the idea of paying more for the same thing, just cuz my phone is supposedly “higher-tech” than a cheaper phone.
So I looked around for the best deal. I compared how much it would ultimately cost me over 2 years from 3 places.
- Online reseller — These guys wanted me to upgrade my voice plan from $40 to $60. The data plan would be $40. Contract: 2 years
- Cingular’s official brick and mortar store — These guys didn’t require that I upgrade my voice plan, but the data plan would still be $40. The phone itself would cost $200. Contract: 2 years
- A Cingular reseller’s official brick and mortar store — If I were to go with these guys, the phone itself would cost $400, but I wouldn’t need to change anything on my voice plan, and I can get the cheap data plan for $20 a month. Contract: Whatever I have right now, which is none
Being a nerd, I’d like to calculate this expenditure in detail before committing.
Looks like the brick and mortar reseller cost the least over that period. The upfront cost is high, but it costs just as much or less in only 10 months. And unlike the other options, you don’t get stuck in some contract either.
Just to explore another cost-saving option: the contract to stay with Cingular is 2 years, but you can actually drop the data plan after 6 months. Just for laughs, let’s see which is the best option if I should drop the data plan after 6 months.
Well it looks like the official brick and mortar store is the winner here.
In conclusion, I think I will most probably want to stick with the data plan after 6 months, so I will go with the purchase from the brick and mortar reseller. Now I can tether my laptop and use the phone for internet connectivity. Sweet.
