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Man I really hate T-Mobile's tech support. I called them to ask a simple question:
If I cancel my Total Internet Package which is just 20$ more on by phone bill that I don't really need to be spending, will I be charged for using the WIFI on my phone when I am at home?
I have Comcast cable internet at home and can pick up the router's signal with my MDA even with the sim card out and browse the internet.
They turned around and told me that I would be charged per Kb if I canceled my Total Internet Package and then used my WIFI to pick up my home internet service.
By the way this was T-Mobile's Windows Mobile Department that told me this...
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Ok now I have 2 questions for all of you.
Is what T-mobile told me true?
Is there a cheaper way to get unlimited GPRS internet than T-Mobile's $19.99 Total Internet package?
The only time I use my GPRS is to update WeatherPanel and when I am using the OZ Instant Messenger. All other time I spend on the internet is with WIFI turned on and GPRS turned off.
Please, all help will be greatly appreciated and well received.
Thanks in advance, your friendly neighborhood computer geek, Dan.
Well I hope I can help answer your question somewhat.
I do not pay for the GPRS service through Tmobile, I try not to use it at all. If I pull data through it then I am charged. But if i use a wifi hotspot then Tmobile will not charge me. In truth they should have no way of telling if and when I use a WiFi connection. The reason the rep told you this was really a twisting of the truth. He can probably get away with telling you this because it will cut your access to Tmobile HotSpots which you get access to with the data plan. Sneaky sneaky bastards, you should post this little tale on http://consumerist.com/ .
To answer the second if Tmobile is your carrier then NO I dont believe you can get GPRS data from another carrier. Unless your phone is sim unlocked and you choose to use another carrier to get your data through, but this will need you to switch sims out. Either way your gonna pay for it. I would hold out till 1-2 quarter of 2008 Tmobile will start its HSDPA role out, providing upwards of 3Mbps for data. Of course you will need a phone capable of HSDPA, but such is life.
If I am uninformed of another method maybe someone here will be so kind as to enlighten us.
ritalin said:
Well I hope I can help answer your question somewhat.
I do not pay for the GPRS service through Tmobile, I try not to use it at all. If I pull data through it then I am charged. But if i use a wifi hotspot then Tmobile will not charge me. In truth they should have no way of telling if and when I use a WiFi connection. The reason the rep told you this was really a twisting of the truth. He can probably get away with telling you this because it will cut your access to Tmobile HotSpots which you get access to with the data plan. Sneaky sneaky bastards, you should post this little tale on http://consumerist.com/ .
To answer the second if Tmobile is your carrier then NO I dont believe you can get GPRS data from another carrier. Unless your phone is sim unlocked and you choose to use another carrier to get your data through, but this will need you to switch sims out. Either way your gonna pay for it. I would hold out till 1-2 quarter of 2008 Tmobile will start its HSDPA role out, providing upwards of 3Mbps for data. Of course you will need a phone capable of HSDPA, but such is life.
If I am uninformed of another method maybe someone here will be so kind as to enlighten us.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I figured T-Mobile was full of S**T... I know I can access the internet via WIFI even without a sim card in the device. I only use it at home or in hospitals anyway. Like I said though, the GPRS for me, is just for WeatherPanel. That's why I am trying to find a cheaper way...
Thank you for your help though. Not the answer I was hoping for but very grateful non the less.
Dan.
You won't get charged for using wifi. If weather panel is all you really use GPRS for then go to the 5.99 plan. That's what I use and have no problem using weather panel or even browsing the web. The other day I even streamed video over it, although GPRS is way too slow to be any use for that but I wanted to see if it worked. The only apps that I know of that do have problems are mostly IM apps since they have most of the ports that those programs use blocked on the 5.99 plan.
Just realized that you said that you use OZ IM, I'm not sure if that will work or not, I can't seem to get it to work with WM6.
You will not be charged per kilobyte, whoever told you that was either new or retarded. The only difference you will see is that your instant messaging will go thru text messages instead of wifi, charging you per message, to log in, to log out, etc. That's due to the way the OZ instant messaging is written. The 5.99 has been working for a lot of people, but it was a glitch in the system that is slowly being fixed market by market, so don't get upset if it doesn't work for you or if it suddenly stops working, as it was never meant to work. If you connect thru wifi, you won't pay anything as it's your connection thru wifi to your phone's wifi, and the T-Mobile network is nowhere in the mix. Again, the Instant Messaging will be billed as text messages.
johnny12times said:
You will not be charged per kilobyte, whoever told you that was either new or retarded. The only difference you will see is that your instant messaging will go thru text messages instead of wifi, charging you per message, to log in, to log out, etc. That's due to the way the OZ instant messaging is written. The 5.99 has been working for a lot of people, but it was a glitch in the system that is slowly being fixed market by market, so don't get upset if it doesn't work for you or if it suddenly stops working, as it was never meant to work. If you connect thru wifi, you won't pay anything as it's your connection thru wifi to your phone's wifi, and the T-Mobile network is nowhere in the mix. Again, the Instant Messaging will be billed as text messages.
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Click to collapse
That is really good to know. Can you tell me or direct me to a thread that explains the real difference between the 5.99 plan and the 19.99 Total Internet Package?
i don't know about the question you had, but I've had the other extreme as far as Tmo's customer support/tech support... always been great to me. Even after 2 refurbs.
Whoever told you that you'd be charged using Wi-Fi was either full of it or was ASSUMING you would then be accessing T-Mo services...why would you? Just use whatever service you use from home.
I use my MDA with Wi-Fi in my house ALL the time and it has NOTHING to do with T-Mobile. It's not EDGE/GPRS--it's a totally different technology, just like hooking your wireless laptop up to your home router.
Furthermore, you can use the Wi-Fi with T-Mobile Hot Spots if you have that subscription with ANY Wi-Fi computer you have--no reason to have more than one Hot Spot account--many hotels now have it, not just Starbucks.
T-Mobile NOW forces you to pay for Hot Spots with Internet Service as a bundle but they are different technologies.
The Internet Service is EDGE/GPRS and that is a CELLULAR service and is programmed into your SIM chip. I use that too. My MDA can hook into eMail and web sites without a Wi-Fi connection via the cell modem. But it's not nearly as fast.
I actually have 2 SIM chips with this service--I got one for my old IPAQ6315, but that's in the MDA. The one in the MDA is in my notebook computer--it has a Cingular Sony Ericsson cellular modem that I got the unlock code for, and put the chip from the MDA in there--I ALSO can use my notebook with EDGE/GPRS, or Wi-Fi (or even RJ45) connections.
I have the eMail for my regular eMail routed to my MDA--no messing with another address. So it's working a lot like a Blackberry as well.
Finally, you asked if there's a cheaper alternative: There is. It's called "T-Zones" and it's T-Mo's WAP service, for $6 or $7/month. It gives you the limited access you get on cell phones, and you already have it with the fancier internet access--click on T-Zones and you'll see it.
Generally, with T-Mo, service is a waste of time till you get to Level 2. But if you get to Level 3, then you get the techs that really know their business. The PDA support can be similar. But you got to jump through a lot of hoops to reach that level and that can take 30-45 minutes on the phone. Be persistent.
dharvey4651 said:
That is really good to know. Can you tell me or direct me to a thread that explains the real difference between the 5.99 plan and the 19.99 Total Internet Package?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the 19.99 plan gives you your actual connection to the GPRS/EDGE(and in 4 test markets 3G! T-Mobile bought a whole lot of 3g network up recently.) network (internet2.voicestream.com), by connecting thru this route you are given access to the ports required to get to full websites, as well as email servers, etc.
the 5.99 plan is your basic wap access, t-zones and other wap sites. It's what is used by motorola's, samsungs, basic phones. Gives you access to your account information from T-Mobile's wap sites (but not on an mda running less than wm6 and having had the tzones applett installed), accuweather's website, and other wap websites. By connecting thru the wap APN, you are directed thru a filter that doesn't allow you full access to normal websites.
Now, T-Mobile has a glitch in their system where every now and then you get 5.99 internet and your number isn't put into the filter, so the ports that were supposed to be closed off to you never were, and you can browse and email just as if you had the 19.99 feature. The only problem? They know of the glitch and are closing it market by market, which has been taking the better part of 7 months now, but it's not that far from being finished.
Almost all programs you have installed on the mda that are third party will default to what ever internet connection is available, however, the OZ instant messaging program from the MDA and almost all other T-Mobile PDA's is written specifically to use the SMS (short message system) as the next backup if you aren't connected thru the internet2.voicestream.com, or blackberry.net apn if you are using a blackberry, so if you are connected thru wifi, then you will be charged text for each message.
Hope this helps, if not, let me know.
Johnny
Hey everyone,
I last hard reset my phone a few months ago. For some reason, maybe 1 month ago or a little longer ago, my GPS function stopped working. I use Google Maps and Microsoft Live Search. Both of them have the same problem, they attempt to connect to satellites and then say GPS communication error (or something similar). When I use manual mode, it's 57,600bps and Com 7, same problem.
The GPS quick connection update thing will no longer update. I tried the Q-GPS thing yesterday and that updates just fine. When I check the system info, it shows the GPS and 2 dll files. But I can't activate the GPS.
I don't imagine this is related to installing an SD driver? I wasn't able to read my 2 gig micro-SD card (in a micro to mini adapter), after a while, so I searched for drivers, found one that worked, and then at some point when I tried the GPS, the GPS didn't work.
Any ideas? I could do a hard reset, but that's annoying as we all know, to reinstall everything, reconfigure the settings, etc.
Also, we just switched from T-Mobile to AT&T. I currently have the $10/mth plan, but it doesn't let me access my IMAP accounts. I imagine IM+ won't work either (I assume it only allows http connections?) . Is there another plan I could use or some hack, so I don't have to pay $30(!?)/month for unlimited data? I was paying $20 with T-Mobile for the Blackberry plan and that worked just fine with everything, even though T-Mobile themselves said it wouldn't work. Anything similar with AT&T?
Thanks in advance
Eric
Full data plan with AT&T for $10
shep2112 said:
Also, we just switched from T-Mobile to AT&T. I currently have the $10/mth plan, but it doesn't let me access my IMAP accounts. I imagine IM+ won't work either (I assume it only allows http connections?) . Is there another plan I could use or some hack, so I don't have to pay $30(!?)/month for unlimited data? I was paying $20 with T-Mobile for the Blackberry plan and that worked just fine with everything, even though T-Mobile themselves said it wouldn't work. Anything similar with AT&T?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just to update anyone interested. I found that when my phone reboots, for a seconds it was showing About and Menu (or something like that) for the softkeys before it was fully booted. Anyway, it turned out it was for the VPN settings. Apparently AT&T had set that up by default when I installed the AT&T SIM card. Anyway, it listed a proxy server, and for the heck of it, I unchecked the proxy server. Then I ran FlexMail and guess what? It worked! For $10/month, I have full data access, I just had to turn off the proxy server.
Hopefully this helps someone..
Eric
My sister really needs a new phone and is with T-mob USA. I was telling her to get the HD2 when it comes out, and she really likes the phone but she doesn't want to pay for the added internet plan. When I had my Shadow (1st gen) I was able to use the t-mobile lower internet plan (t-zones?) and using proxy server info I was able to use the internet almost 100% normal. There were only a few apps that were odd.
What are the chances that since this is still a WinMo phone it will have that ability? Is this something that can be figured out before the phone comes out? Also, if it did work, would it access 3g data?
Thanks for any help/info.
Nick
When the HD2 launches it will have a required data pack just like all other windows, blackberry's and android devices currently do. If a discount is recieved on the device then the data pack (minimum $25/month) is required, paying full retail price is the only way not to have it. T-zones is no longer offered by itself for $5.99/month unless your plan is a grandfathered plan that supports it but would only be able to be used if the phone was purchased at retail.
NickPDX said:
My sister really needs a new phone and is with T-mob USA. I was telling her to get the HD2 when it comes out, and she really likes the phone but she doesn't want to pay for the added internet plan. When I had my Shadow (1st gen) I was able to use the t-mobile lower internet plan (t-zones?) and using proxy server info I was able to use the internet almost 100% normal. There were only a few apps that were odd.
What are the chances that since this is still a WinMo phone it will have that ability? Is this something that can be figured out before the phone comes out? Also, if it did work, would it access 3g data?
Thanks for any help/info.
Nick
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i use tmobile in uk if the proxy box is ticked my mail dosent load.
T-Mobile USA now uses the device IMEI for data plans
The proxy trick does not work anymore on Tmobile USA, they now use the phone's IMEI number to verify that the phone is on the correct data package. It works for about 24 hours now then when you try and access the internet you are sent to a screen to add the correct data package.
Proxy internet for HD2 on T-Mobile
I have T-mobile with the $5.99 T-Zones. I used it on the DASH and am now using it on a Touch VIVA. If I buy the HD2 from T-Mobile with no contract are they still going to force me to get a data plan or will my T-Zones stop working. I want to keep my T-Zones and may have to get an ulocked phone.
NickPDX said:
My sister really needs a new phone and is with T-mob USA. I was telling her to get the HD2 when it comes out, and she really likes the phone but she doesn't want to pay for the added internet plan. When I had my Shadow (1st gen) I was able to use the t-mobile lower internet plan (t-zones?) and using proxy server info I was able to use the internet almost 100% normal. There were only a few apps that were odd.
What are the chances that since this is still a WinMo phone it will have that ability? Is this something that can be figured out before the phone comes out? Also, if it did work, would it access 3g data?
Thanks for any help/info.
Nick
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm currently with AT&T and about to switch to T-mobile when the HD2 comes out. When I spoke to the T-mobile rep., (trying to get him to set me up on the cheap data plans instead) He told me T-mobile can tell what phone you are using and know if it is on the correct plan. He also stated that if the phone is unlocked then you can trick their systems into letting you keep your old plan. Now again, I dont know if this is true or not, I am about to switch...hopefully this month, I'll find out then.
With AT&T, I have an old data plan (unlimited internet, 1500 text, 200 MMS) and I pay $19.95/month. they have never made me change my data plan and I am using the Tilt2. If you go through the priemer business website to upgrade your phone, they dont give you the $50 discount and you get to keep your data plan unchanged....all other channels force the upgrade with an updated data plan. Again, the only way around that is to buy your phone from someone else, unlocked, or have warranty dept. swap out your phone for a different model. My nephew has the $10 data plan and is now using the Tilt2 on it via warranty swapping out his phone for a different model (the Tilt2).
I know on the AT&T service you do get the 3g speeds, so I assume it will be the same for T-Mobile (but then again assuming may not be the best way to go). Hope that helped
I am pretty certain that my sister has a grandfathered in 5.99 T-zones package too. I am hoping that she can get it and use this way. The email not loading problem that adamo mentioned though doesn't sound good. Do the other internet based things work ok?
NickPDX said:
I am pretty certain that my sister has a grandfathered in 5.99 T-zones package too. I am hoping that she can get it and use this way. The email not loading problem that adamo mentioned though doesn't sound good. Do the other internet based things work ok?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
from what I was told, everything should work correctly and at the correct speed, as long as the phone is unlocked. The cell phone service providers don't seem to really offer different speeds at different rate plans like the cable internet companies do.
I had not seen your message from earlier ... we posted at the exact same time. Thanks though for your input. I will let her know. It seems like it is worth a try. Worst case scenario, she has a great phone but she has to use Wifi to check her mail and such.
NickPDX said:
I am pretty certain that my sister has a grandfathered in 5.99 T-zones package too. I am hoping that she can get it and use this way. The email not loading problem that adamo mentioned though doesn't sound good. Do the other internet based things work ok?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
every other site works u can download email via direct site.then i noticed o2 network has its proxy unticked so when i was using tmobile i unticked it.now i can download email auto.
there was on promotional offer in uk.£10 top up u get unlimited txt and web.i used it on my htc shift as modem for a few months tmobile has no complained about going over fair usage policy on web unlike other networks.
Well My friend bought a My Touch and it had another email registered with it so he wanted if off, Before all of this I asked if he had data he said yea.. So I hard Reset and now The data (which it turns out to be not in his plan after all. HE assumed cause he had access you youtube (really)) So this is the Dilemma...
The Data Cost 30 plus Does Not want it.
On a flex plan.
I have WiFi.
I have ADB Shell but The Device is not found
I am trying to provision/activate (the Google activate screen is not connecting) Due to no Data.
IS there a way around this.. I found a possible way to do this over wifi but can't connect to adb.. any ideas.
So I got it done, I refused to have this post unanswered...lol
So here is the run down.
I didn't want to have to pay but It was the last resort.. Cant ADB or anything to reset and no keyboard to add commands.
Since its flex pay, you have to pay in advance so I called and payed by E-Check.
It cost me 60 Dollars 30x2 (Two Months are mandatory)
Did The activation... waited 3 hours...
Called and told them The Internet did not work and that I needed it for a special reason (GPS) and it did not work..
Then I asked for a refund. and boom in a few days I will get my money back..
only work round that works...lol
-Geremy.
or you could have just used a friend's sim (with data plan) activated it, pop in your google information, swap sim cards. thats what I did =|
Lol this is my friend with T-Mobile...lol we all have sprint..lol I (we) didn't have anyone else who could lend a sim and needed the phone ASAP
Let me get this straight...
if I get a mytouch for my son (no data on his line) and I use my sim card when it arrives (i do have a data plan)... I can setup the phone with his google info and then swap sim cards have he will have a fully functional phone (minus internet and GPS) right?
Also, do MMS messages still come in fine?
izzzy12k said:
Let me get this straight...
if I get a mytouch for my son (no data on his line) and I use my sim card when it arrives (i do have a data plan)... I can setup the phone with his google info and then swap sim cards have he will have a fully functional phone (minus internet and GPS) right?
Also, do MMS messages still come in fine?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep, you can. I don't know how Tmo works or the US carriers there, but just in case, I would disable background data usage and even change the apn. For example, if it's internet.com , I would change it to internet.comm. That way, internet access is completely blocked off unless using wifi.
I think MMS messages should come in fine. Correct me if I'm wrong!
Anyone know if Tmo will sell you the phone without a data plan?
Tmo will not sell without data plan. But I don't understand, I have a G1 and did the adb workaround to activate via Wifi, this does not work for MT3G at all?
if I remember right, you can click on skip...
Then connect to your WiFi, and setup everything after that
Thats how I did mine
Markolise said:
if I remember right, you can click on skip...
Then connect to your WiFi, and setup everything after that
Thats how I did mine
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LOL for which rom? donut or cupcake?
and MMS messages DOES NOT work. along with text messages exceeding 160 characters. (you would have to send a longer message in parts) only way to fix this is if you get a custom rom (hero or cyanogen) and then configure it with the mms info (just like you would do a iphone or a unlocked phone) it does not work because the official android roms released from tmobile uses 3g to send mms + longer texts (this way its faster) and not the older temporary edge network.
and I use my mytouch with tmobile I do not have data plan(3g), but I changed the apn to data.voicestream.com or something like that. thats the url for the regular $9.99 data line (edge) I changed it to that because sometimes I get free weather+ free browsing for a week xD. and no tmo does not sell smartphones without a plan, get one from craigslist.
U can use your sim(data plan) for the initial activation and when the phone is fully set up, u can power down and switch sim cards then u will have to reenter the google password that u used to setup the phone, but that can be done over wifi......
T-Mobile DOES sell smartphones without a data plan attached. The catch is you have to pay the full handset price. Most of them run from $350 to $450 full price. The G1, Mytouch, and the cliq and cliqxt need data on the initial startup straight out of the box. The best workaround is borrow a sim with data, root, and pick a new rom.
donepate said:
T-Mobile DOES sell smartphones without a data plan attached. The catch is you have to pay the full handset price. Most of them run from $350 to $450 full price. The G1, Mytouch, and the cliq and cliqxt need data on the initial startup straight out of the box. The best workaround is borrow a sim with data, root, and pick a new rom.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you know this for certain? I went on T-mobile's website and tried to buy a HD2 off contract and it told me it required a data plan and would not let me purchase it without adding it to my cart.
You'll have to go to a direct dealer's location. Online runs defferently.
My wife fone does not subscribe to data plan. But sometimes, she got 3G/E signal display on the phone. Will Tmobile automatically add data plan to her phone? is she getting charged to browse the internet? Is there a way to disable this? Thanks.
nguyenmd said:
My wife fone does not subscribe to data plan. But sometimes, she got 3G/E signal display on the phone. Will Tmobile automatically add data plan to her phone? is she getting charged to browse the internet? Is there a way to disable this? Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How did she get a plan without data? Its a requirement for the android devices.
I'm sure tmobile will automatically add it.
Yes they will charge. Either 30 bucks a month for per meg. I had someone that tried to do this with Verizon and he got a bill for 300 bucks.
You can turn sync off which will prevent it from going online to get info. (sometimes)
Those 3G/E are normal even if you dont have data plan
Disable with "APNdroid" from the market. After you disable 3G/Edge/Gprs data connection make sure you reboot so it actually disables it...you will no longer see 3G/E BTW Expect even better battery life after doing so.
laristech said:
You can turn sync off which will prevent it from going online to get info. (sometimes)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wouldn't touch sync its still very useful even if just using Wifi
Not sure what you will get charged but a data plan is NOT required on this phone. On other android devices it has been but for some reason this one can be used as a "dumb" phone. Store employees may tell you otherwise so they can get the commission.
joshthewaster said:
Not sure what you will get charged but a data plan is NOT required on this phone. On other android devices it has been but for some reason this one can be used as a "dumb" phone. Store employees may tell you otherwise so they can get the commission.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've seen people INSIST up and down that you can't run smartphones without a data plan or the carrier will add them. They told me the same thing about AT&T and guess what? My wife runs her iphone 2g without one (edge disabled) and nary a problem.
mk262 said:
I've seen people INSIST up and down that you can't run smartphones without a data plan or the carrier will add them. They told me the same thing about AT&T and guess what? My wife runs her iphone 2g without one (edge disabled) and nary a problem.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I used my nexus and then my vibrant as prepaid with no problems...I went into the store and paid full price for vibrant and told them i had a tmobile prepaid sim card i was going to use...they dont care.
But now i have a $60 month plan so i can use my smart phone for what its intended for
yep, no problem with my even more + plan sans data. been using it that way since i got my g1, and they have not said anything.
laristech said:
How did she get a plan without data? Its a requirement for the android devices.
I'm sure tmobile will automatically add it.
Yes they will charge. Either 30 bucks a month for per meg. I had someone that tried to do this with Verizon and he got a bill for 300 bucks.
You can turn sync off which will prevent it from going online to get info. (sometimes)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thats not true. its not required to have a data plan with an android phone. I talked to a tmobile rep and he said if you buy the android from them by either upgrading or starting a service then you do. but if you bring a tmobile android to them to start up service you dont have to have a data plan. although its really pointless to have an android phone without a data plan.
thanks for the replies guys. I download APN Droid and that took care of the concern. Thanks.
nguyenmd said:
thanks for the replies guys. I download APN Droid and that took care of the concern. Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you dont need to download any apps. just go to mobile network, select APN setting and change the epc.tmobile.com to some arbitrary characters like "24532lk34j23l45ju204213" and hit the "menu" button and save. then turn off background sync at all time (unless you turn on wifi for android market donwload apps and gmail or apps that requires internet) and then reboot the phone.
the phone will will still shows 3G/E but u wont be able to get on internet as the APN setting has changed. T-mobile wont charge you data plan for this even though they got the IMEI detected. Ciao!
njfpolyr6 said:
you dont need to download any apps. just go to mobile network, select APN setting and change the epc.tmobile.com to some arbitrary characters like "24532lk34j23l45ju204213" and hit the "menu" button and save. then turn off background sync at all time (unless you turn on wifi for android market donwload apps and gmail or apps that requires internet) and then reboot the phone.
the phone will will still shows 3G/E but u wont be able to get on internet as the APN setting has changed. T-mobile wont charge you data plan for this even though they got the IMEI detected. Ciao!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea remove epc.tmobile.com and for some reason you want it back but you forgot what it was so you go searching online because your forgot to write it down...you get the point
You really think that's easier than just getting APNdroid click to disable, click to enable. And why would he want to and disable background sync im sure he will use wifi.
BTW when you use your "method" and still see 3G/E your phone might not be able to connect to tmobile but it is still searching for those signals ultimately wasting battery
I don't have a data plan and I haven't disabled the APN settings. Whenever I go onto the browser without WiFi it shows me a T-Mobile page that just says that I need a data plan use the internet. It has never charged me. But I do have an unlimited text message plan and I can send picture messages just fine. Just an FYI.
I have used several android phones with out a data plan. We have a family plan, and so all I needed to do was use the sim card for a line that did not have a plan. It actually works well, and were I not waiting for the ota for froyo, I would be tempted to drop my data plan and I use my phone extensively.
If I recall correctly, the only applications that I could not use when out and about were the browser based apps. Initially, the thought of not being able to user google maps would have been enough of a reason not to drop the data plan, but with my trip to canada, that was cured with a $20 download of Co pilot. I am generally using my phone where I have wifi access. Nonetheless, I still was able to get email updates with out a data plan.
In essence, with out a data plan you can still access email, messaging, and use many if not most of your downloaded applications. If you need constant access to FB, you tube, twitter and the likes, you will not easily be able to drop you data line.
Note that I was able to get my wife's phone upgraded to a my touch slide on t-mobile and was not required to add a data plan. I did, but it was weeks after I already had it up and running which was possible because it provided an option to configure wifi before having to have the google account configured (unlike the G1).
Just fyi those those interested.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
T-Mobile will NEVER add a data plan to your line, especially without your knowledge.
I've been using a smartphone with my plan without data for years now.