Going to NYC really made me want a new phone. Primarily just to have Google Maps telling me where stuff is. So I’ve been looking at prices (theoretically for my wife and myself) more closely. Despite both devices being different, I’m treating them essentially the same:
| iPhone | Blackberry (AT&T) | Blackberry (T-Mobile) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost of two | $800 | Free＊ | $600 |
| Ammortized over 24 months | $34 | $25 | |
| Monthly rate | $109 | $60 | $70 |
| Data plan | Included | $60 | $40 ($30＊＊) |
| Total Monthly cost over 2 years | $143 | $120 | $135 ($125＊＊) |
＊ If you go through Amazon.com
＊＊ My wife is likely to use this mostly for email and less-so for web surfing, and Blackberry has a plan for just that.
The way I see it, I’m likely to have a smart phone last me two years — at least. It’s a stretch since most of my phones go about a year (til I get bored of them), but I’m hoping for better results with a smart phone. So initial costs can be spread out over time.
So I get a few things out of this chart:
- Amazon/AT&T’s free Blackberry is a white elephant
- The iPhone doesn’t cost much more than a Blackberry.
- I will jump at a refurb iPhone since that will be cheaper in the end or a free Blackberry for T-mobile. Unfortunately I am currently with T-mobile so I don’t get a lot of the awesome discounts that you’d find on Amazon.