Straight Talk Cell Phones

• GoChiefs

  

  Anyone use these? Thinking about switching from Verizon. Service any good?
• thavoice

  You can get them to work on ATT or Verizon. So if you have verizon now and get the verizon version of it then the service area size should be the same.
  
  All they do, and many of the other prepaid companies do, is rent bandwith from the regular carriers.
  
  At times the prepay will not get you the same data speeds as you would see if you were actually with verizon or ATT. Also the selection of phones can be much, much less.
  
  I dont use straight talk, but we have had experience with it. Other than having to deal with the retards at Walmart it isnt bad at all and can save you lots of money
• gorocks99

  

  From what I understand, you can't download, upload, or stream videos, music or games, or download anything not from one of the native apps (like if you were using it to download ebooks or something). I'm sure it works for a lot of people but if your primary use for a smartphone is going to be accessing features like that, it's probably not for you, because despite the data being "unlimited" they tend to get ornery if you are going above what they think you should.
• dlazz

  gorocks99;1345829 wrote:From what I understand, you can't download, upload, or stream videos, music or games, or download anything not from one of the native apps

  I dont think this is true. They're BYOD company...aka you buy a phone somewhere and pop their SIM card in it and you're ready to rock. There's virtually no way for them to enforce what you do with "your" data.
  
  I just bought a Nexus 4 and am basically doing the same thing except with T-Mobile. They have a $30/mo pre-paid plan. 100 minutes, unlimited everything else.
  
  T-Mobile service isn't very good, but I am in Columbus 98% of the time so I should be OK.
• gorocks99

  

  dlazz;1345917 wrote:I dont think this is true. They're BYOD company...aka you buy a phone somewhere and pop their SIM card in it and you're ready to rock. There's virtually no way for them to enforce what you do with "your" data.

  
  I guess there's not a way to enforce it other than warning you when you're using "too much" data (and maybe moving you off unlimited as a result), but it is in straight talk's TOS
• dlazz

  gorocks99;1345938 wrote:I guess there's not a way to enforce it other than warning you when you're using "too much" data (and maybe moving you off unlimited as a result), but it is in straight talk's TOS

  Straight Talk is one of those providers where their "unlimited" data is really "if we think you use too much".
  
  That vague mark makes me uneasy enough to stay away from them.
• Sonofanump

  A guy sold me two of them 3 years ago for collateral. No contact with him anymore. Not sure what to do with them now. The ATF told me to contact the local police, but them won't take them.
• GoChiefs

  

  gorocks99;1346121 wrote:wat

  
  He tried too hard to make a funny.
• thavoice

  Be careful of the throttling of the data speeds on the prepaid systems. Networks can, and do, enforce this. It may not be until you reach a certain data "limit" but you may find it happening.
  Customer SErvice is pretty crappy though as you always have to deal with a walmart employee, and if the phone breaks then it is much more difficult to get some resolutions.
  
  ALl in all though....it can be a G R E A T deal
• Pick6

  

  kirestananderson;1347018 wrote:You can get them to work on ATT or Verizon. So if you have verizon now and get the verizon version of it then the service area size should be the same.
  
  All they do, and many of the other prepaid companies do, is rent bandwith from the regular carriers.
  
  At times the prepay will not get you the same data speeds as you would see if you were actually with verizon or ATT. Also the selection of phones can be much, much less.

  someone ban this spamming bitch