Smartphoners amongst you...

[caLLous]

How much data to you think you get through averagely with just emails and casual browsing and stuff? I'm about to make the step up from a 5 year old PAYG W950i (bought simfree) to a Galaxy S2 I think, and looking at tariffs 500mb/month doesn't seem like an awful lot? Or is it?

I live somewhere without any form of mobile reception anyway so it will be entirely wifi when at home but out and about with just casual stuffs is 500mb realistic? As I said, I'm coming up from a W950i which has hardly been used for data at all so I really have no concept of how much I would get through.

I know it's entirely subjective but ballpark figures please people.

 

[Lamp]

I have a 500MB limit every 30 days. Its more than enough for me, as I do all my heavy internet usage at home. But if you're the sort of person who downloads / streams movies online or DLs shit loads of music directly to your phone or will be heavily using the internet on your smartphone throughout the day, you might want to go for an unlimited package. But remember, the longer you're online / downloading, the quicker your battery will drain, and most smartphones generally have crap batteries. IMO casual use, 500 is enough

 

[Zenith.UK]

Yes, 500MB is more than enough for ordinary realistic everyday use.
If you just browse, email and download some apps then you won't touch the sides of your allowance.

Last month for instance I used 155.33MB.
I use Gmaps every day, email automatically polled every 15 minutes, general browsing, download some product manual PDFs, a Youtube video a day or so and still only get through that much. Most of my actual downloading for apps and stuff are done on wifi at home.

 

[Ch3tan]

However, if you get your smartphone and realise all the stuff it can do, regularly download large apps (games can be huge), and stream (because you can), then 500mb can go quickly.

What network is it, all of them have different policies if you reach your limit. Vodafone are draconian with theirs, avoid if you can.

 

[caLLous]

Cheers guys, 500mb just doesn't seem like that much because it's like an episode of 720p Weeds. But I understand that in the context of checking email and basic web browsing it will stretch a long way (coming recently from dialup I *know* how to surf the net efficiently).

And ch3t, I'm looking at Orange in France because fixed phone and internet is through them so it's a bundle. I don't think they do Dolphin and Camel and other animal-based tariffs over here, it's a bit of a headache trying to decipher it all. Other options are SFR or Bouygues Telecom. I think they are all much of a muchness tbh. One thing they do all have in common is wank coverage of my part of the world.

I *think* I'm looking at unlimited sms/mms, unlimited calls to 3 numbers and 500mb of data for 29 € pcm but I want to figure out what I'm paying for all the other phone calls.

 

[Syri]

If you just use google maps a bit, check emails and the odd website, you'll be fine. It's only really if you download or stream movies or music that you start to run up the bandwidth. Oh, and downloading apps and such, of course. Most average uses though won't eat into it that much, and there's plenty of wifi hotspots around that you can use. Lots of bars have free wifi access, that I've seen anyway, and quite a few other places.

 

[DaGaffer]

Music doesn't take up that much bandwidth (especially as you can cache it with Spotify etc.), and anyone with half a brain looks for a wifi connection for big downloads anyway (in fact with an iPhone the App store pretty much insists when its a large d/l). You can do more than 500Mb (I have, but it was for work reasons), but most people don't (like 95% don't - I saw the stats for the network in my last job). One thing I would say, try to get the deal with the best roaming data tariff, because that's where the telcos are raking it in at the moment. Half an hour of Google maps when you're lost in Paris can cost a fucking fortune.

 

[caLLous]

Yeah I'm thinking 500mb will be ample but it's chuffing expensive for the S2 in France, compared to England (seems to be the way for anything that requires electricity). Best tariff I can find with this phone (disregard what I said earlier) is 389€ up front and 26€ pcm for 24 mois (or 339€ and 24 x 36€). The most equally equipped tariff I can see in England is Vodafone Your Plan 600, which is 24 months x £35 plus just £49.99 up front. Stupid France.

Might well be cheaper in the long run to buy it simfree in England and just get a sim only contract over here.

 

[Tom]

What network is it, all of them have different policies if you reach your limit. Vodafone are draconian with theirs, avoid if you can.

Although when roaming in Europe, it costs £2 for 25MB. Which is very good.

 

[caLLous]

Still umming and ahhing about tariffs. I just can't find a PAYG deal over here that is anything like GiffGaff's offer in England. The best I can find (I think) is a "light" tariff for 23.90 € with unlimited sms/email/web BUT the speed is reduced "beyond 200mb" - what is the throttling like, is it unbearable?

I'm thinking of what Gaffer said where 95% of people don't go over their monthly quota and I really don't think I will even get close to it so this might be the option for me...

edit - looking at their slidey doodah, I won't even come close to 200 let alone 500.