email/internet confusion

[wallofbeans]

so im just thinking of upgrading to a phone with decent email, internet and wifi capabilities but am confused by the cost of this stuff nowadays...

do i pay for sending emails or browsing the internet or does it just work like my laptop in that i just use my home wifi connection or hook into somebody elses or a connection in a cafe or office etc. ?

if so, what happens when there is no wifi signal? does it send emails via the mobile like the phone i have now does, taking ages to send and costing a fortune! and if someone hasnt got wifi can i plug into a router through a wired connection?

i dont know how any of this stuff works and ive met a few folks who have iphones or blackberry's and until recently i was assuming it costs a fortune but maybe im wrong... can anyone explain how it all works?

thanks!

[nigel_williams]

It really depends on the network and tariff, for me, T-Mobile offers good value for money with the web and walk. I recently bought the G1 which uses Web N Walk, basically "unlimited" data so you can get e-mail, browse the net, Google Maps etc for an all inclusive price.

I don't tend to use much talk time, so I pay £20 a month for 100min/100text and "unlimited" data. So the only additional charges are for voicemail retrieval or if I go over my allowance. Therefore, there are no additional charges for data.

I'm sure the other networks offer something similar for their smart phones like the iPhone, Touch HD, Blackberry etc, but I don't know the details.

Hope that helps.

[wallofbeans]

It really depends on the network and tariff, for me, T-Mobile offers good value for money with the web and walk. I recently bought the G1 which uses Web N Walk, basically "unlimited" data so you can get e-mail, browse the net, Google Maps etc for an all inclusive price.

I don't tend to use much talk time, so I pay £20 a month for 100min/100text and "unlimited" data. So the only additional charges are for voicemail retrieval or if I go over my allowance. Therefore, there are no additional charges for data.

I'm sure the other networks offer something similar for their smart phones like the iPhone, Touch HD, Blackberry etc, but I don't know the details.

Hope that helps.

that's really helpful, thanks.

its quite a good price then... but how are you getting the internet and email access? im asuming its not via wifi but through the mobile phone line... what is the speed like? and can you also connect to wifi signals? could i have a tariff without 'unlimited data' and just connect to wifi whenever i can to get emails etc for free?

cheers!

[nigel_williams]

The G1 is constantly in sync with your GMail account for e-mail, calendar, contacts etc. So while it's possible to have the phone without the web and walk, you don't really gain the full benefit. You can use WIFi to connect if you want. Speed is good on 3G which is fine in London (where I live).

I believe Web and Walk is only about £5 a month on top of the tariff, so it's excellent value. Handset cost varies depending on the tariff you take out, so £30 a month, the handset is free. But as I tend to use more data, I went for the cheaper £20 tariff and paid about £50 for the handset on 18 months.