HTC One questions from Smartphone noob

[maldor]

Hey there guys,

I have never owned a smartphone before. Last three phones I had was a 25$ feature phone bought purely for voice communication, in fact the last two years I got by without having any phone at all. With summer coming up I actually want to start documenting my life, taking photos, pictures and actually call people to do something fun. So here are my questions, some might sound really stupid but bear with me :

1. Can I simply buy the HTC :
- From T-Mobile without any plan ? I saw that they have it for 100 bucks + 20$ /mo for 2 years
- How bout paying the full 580 but without committing to a plan ?
- Anywhere else for decent price (600 or below) without a plan ?

2. Failing that, what is the cheapest data plan I can get ? I assume I will mostly need data.

3. If a data only plan is available, can I use something like google voice to call people for free ?

4. I am planning to go to Central Europe and Southeast Asia next year, I assume it will work there without problem ? (I can live without LTE )

5. If Wifi is available, can I set up so that HTC One will always use wifi first ? I will spend the majority of time in areas with wifi

Thanks a lot !

 

[zkSharks]

Hey there guys,

I have never owned a smartphone before. Last three phones I had was a 25$ feature phone bought purely for voice communication, in fact the last two years I got by without having any phone at all. With summer coming up I actually want to start documenting my life, taking photos, pictures and actually call people to do something fun. So here are my questions, some might sound really stupid but bear with me :

1. Can I simply buy the HTC :
- From T-Mobile without any plan ? I saw that they have it for 100 bucks + 20$ /mo for 2 years
- How bout paying the full 580 but without committing to a plan ?
- Anywhere else for decent price (600 or below) without a plan ?

2. Failing that, what is the cheapest data plan I can get ? I assume I will mostly need data.

Well in that case, welcome to Android and Android Central!

The One is a great device, I think you'll be very happy with it. You should be able to purchase devices from T-Mobile at the retail price, but I would suggest picking up a plan with them at the same time if you do not already have one. I'll let someone else jump in with more detail about T-Mobile's plans and what you can do, I'm only half-awake right now.

3. If a data only plan is available, can I use something like google voice to call people for free ?

Data-only plans aren't really available, because the basic 'line' includes a voice plan that cannot be removed. I suppose if you could manage a package intended for a tablet with no voice plan, but I'm not sure how feasible that would be. As for the technical side, yes, you can use a VoIP service like Google Voice in order to make calls via a data connection, but you will also need to use an SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) client such as GrooVe IP or Sipdroid in order to do so.

4. I am planning to go to Central Europe and Southeast Asia next year, I assume it will work there without problem ? (I can live without LTE )

The unlocked One is compatible with all of the standard bands, which are 850, 900, 1800, and 1900, and Europe and Asia both use 900 and 1800. You'd need service or a service arrangement while you're travelling, but other than that it shouldn't be an issue.

5. If Wifi is available, can I set up so that HTC One will always use wifi first ? I will spend the majority of time in areas with wifi

For data usage, yes. The phone will (should) automatically prefer WiFi networks (well, ones that are unrestricted and which it can connect to, of course) over cellular connections.

Thanks a lot !

No problem, hope I've been of help. Again, welcome to AC!

 

[yuiness]

If you're in an area where Tmobile has refarmed their HSPA+ to the 1900Mhz band (check Sightings of T-Mobile 3G/4G/HSPA+ coverage on 1900MHz (PCS/UMTS band II) to see), I would recommend buying an unlocked or dev edition One straight from HTC (Buy the New HTC One) and then signing up for Tmobile's $30/month prepaid plan with 100min/5gb 4G data (Prepaid Cell Phone Plans, No Annual Contract | Monthly 4G | T-Mobile). The unlocked 32gb version is $575, and you won't have to pay tax unless you live in CA or TX. That's probably the cheapest way to rock this phone if you don't need a lot of voice minutes (or are willing to experiment with VOIP services).

Alternatively, you can buy the phone from Tmobile with a postpaid plan, pay for it outright, and then cancel the plan. After that, you should be able to buy a prepaid SIM and sign up for the $30 plan I mentioned above. The phone will cost you a little more than the unlocked version (since you will probably have to pay tax), but it will have 1700Mhz HSPA+ radios for areas that have not been refarmed to 1900Mhz. As far as I know, it's not possible to get the phone with $99 down and $20 monthly payments without also subscribing to one of their postpaid plans.

 

[maldor]

Thanks for all the answers !

Yeah, the reason I was thinking about going with T-Mobile is because HTC is already out of stock for the One til May 23rd.
Thank you for the info on T-mobile's 30 dollar plan. That is exactly the kind of plan I need.