Google Voice

**Lirange** · 11-22-2010, 04:39 AM

So I guess google voice is an application that you can dl on your android or iphone and get free text msg. Has anyone ever done this? Is it good? I've been really wanting to get a smartphone but with minutes, texting, and a data plan, the monthly bill discouraged me from not getting it. If I take out the texting than that significantly lowers the monthly bill, enough for me to consider getting a smartphone. And since the Droid X is only a penny, now should be the time to get a phone.

**Ralath** · 11-22-2010, 04:58 AM

Originally Posted by Lirange

So I guess google voice is an application that you can dl on your android or iphone and get free text msg. Has anyone ever done this? Is it good? I've been really wanting to get a smartphone but with minutes, texting, and a data plan, the monthly bill discouraged me from not getting it. If I take out the texting than that significantly lowers the monthly bill, enough for me to consider getting a smartphone. And since the Droid X is only a penny, now should be the time to get a phone.

Is that true? I know when I was looking at smartphones, they made you get the data plan to go with it. And the data plan always included texting.

**Triumph** · 11-22-2010, 06:44 AM

I'm pretty sure all Android phones are smartphones, which will pretty much guarantee the need for a data plan. A conventional texting plan will probably be cheaper than upgrading to a data plan without texting.

**Sparkeh** · 11-22-2010, 07:07 AM

I pay 26$ each month for BlackBerry data plan. BlackBerry is pretty good for a smartphone.

**Lirange** · 11-22-2010, 11:22 AM

Data plan with texting? o.o I don't think those exist here. Verizon has minutes with texting. There's the 450 minute plan for $40

There's the 450minute+texting plan $60

Then the cheapest data plan is unlimited web browsing and email for $30

So $90 with included minutes, texting, and data plan, or $70 for minutes and a data plan and use the google voice app for free texting. Twenty dollars a month may not be a lot but that $70 alone is already a huge chunk of my pay check.

**Sparkeh** · 11-22-2010, 12:38 PM

They have many diffrent options. :/

We just got the unlimited web + text + OTA + MSN + E-mail = 26$

Good luck.

**Loveless** · 11-22-2010, 10:02 PM

While being able to browse the web when you're not near a computer is handy, if you cannot really afford to then don't bother.

You should still be able to connect to a WiFi network and browse that way. Shouldn't get charged for that, cause that's what my sister does. Just don't send e-mails and the like. Of course, keep it (WiFi detection or whatever) turned off if you're not using it.

Might as well just go for that second one where you get unlimited texting and such.

**Lirange** · 11-23-2010, 12:31 AM

That data plan is required though. So I have to get either just minutes+data or minutes+text+data. I think I'm going to go to the minutes+data and use google voice as my phone number so people can text and call me from that number.

**Loveless** · 11-23-2010, 01:15 AM

You have to? Lol... now that's lame.

**Lirange** · 11-23-2010, 01:18 AM

Yeah=/. If I could drop the data plan that would make things a lot easier.