whats the catch for straight talk and services like it?

[MrProph]

my contract is running out in a few months i think i read somewhere that you cant watch videos on straight talk? like youtube and things? is that true? anything else?

thanks in advance

 

[Andrew Martonik]

Not true. The "catch" with Straight Talk (and most prepaid operators) is that their "unlimited" data services aren't actually full-out unlimited. They reserve the right to throttle or cut your service if they think that your usage is adversely affecting the network. That means that it depends on your location and the other users around your area -- some people report getting throttled at 2GB, others 8GB, it really depends. The good part is that you can try them for a month and if at any time they decide that you're costing them more than they want to put up with, you can leave without any further cost or commitment. That's the beauty of prepaid.

Over time I see prepaid carriers becoming more transparent about their practices as more people move to prepaid and start to demand clarity on the Terms of Service. But for right now, even with the gray areas of not knowing the actual cutoff points, prepaid is an amazing deal and I've been very happy with it.

 

[MrProph]

so just to be clear you are able to watch streaming videos over the network? because that would be a deal killer for me

 

[Andrew Martonik]

so just to be clear you are able to watch streaming videos over the network? because that would be a deal killer for me

Yes. I've watched plenty of YouTube, stream Pandora, watch sports on WatchESPN, tether, etc.. Everything.

 

[jpr]

so just to be clear you are able to watch streaming videos over the network? because that would be a deal killer for me

I don't know if they changed their terms of service in the last month but I know the last time I looked, which was just a month ago, it was explicitly against their TOS to use any streaming media and it had been that way for as long as I can remember. Some people may get away with it for a bit of course, but if it's something you care about as much as it sounds in your post, I would not sign up with one of the only carriers that explicitly forbids this.

 

[Andrew Martonik]

I don't know if they changed their terms of service in the last month but I know the last time I looked, which was just a month ago, it was explicitly against their TOS to use any streaming media and it had been that way for as long as I can remember. Some people may get away with it for a bit of course, but if it's something you care about as much as it sounds in your post, I would not sign up with one of the only carriers that explicitly forbids this.

As I tried to explain above, they write their ToS in a way that lets them kick you off or throttle when they want to, on their terms. This means writing a really broad set of Terms of Service so that no matter what, they'll find something you "violated" in the month that lets them cut you off.

Sucks, but all I can offer is my anecdotal evidence of not being cut off although I continue to do these things that they technically don't allow.

 

[ThePurpleAndroid]

I use Boost's Mobile, they say they throttle after so much data usage, I've yet to notice any difference and I do a lot of Netflix, YouTube and iHeart Radio. Technically it's still unlimited since they don't cut you off completely. They also offer 2 phones with Hotspot capabilities. Just make sure that with what ever provider you choose your check your up un coverage areas down to stresses of where you use your phone the most

~?~HTC Evo Design~?~

 

[indiane]

As I tried to explain above, they write their ToS in a way that lets them kick you off or throttle when they want to, on their terms. This means writing a really broad set of Terms of Service so that no matter what, they'll find something you "violated" in the month that lets them cut you off.

Sucks, but all I can offer is my anecdotal evidence of not being cut off although I continue to do these things that they technically don't allow.

Do you know if the data speeds on ST-att (HSPA?) are fast enough to run slingbox clearly?

 

[Andrew Martonik]

Do you know if the data speeds on ST-att (HSPA?) are fast enough to run slingbox clearly?

Like in every case when you're talking about speeds, it really depends on your location. Here in the Seattle metro area, I range 1-4mbps down / .5-2mbps up depending on the time of day and network saturation. Other locations may be better or worse.

 

[djben]

How are you able to use the WatchESPN app with straight talk?

 

[mcshaggin]

How are you able to use the WatchESPN app with straight talk?

Right? I'm pretty sure i used to ne able to use watchespn but now it doesn't work on my straight talk using at&t sim. Only works on wifi. A friend has verizon straight talk and the app works for him.