Let's be friends?
I have a bit of a problem.
You see, as a busy second-year CreComm student, juggling an IPP with homework assignments, a blog, and squeezing in a personal life (which scant free time mostly consists of chores and a distracted "bye, honey!" as I tear out the door in the morning), I've found I really do need a smartphone. I could update my blog from the bus, do homework almost anywhere (but never in class!) and respond to the many emails I now receive as interim News Director for 92.9 KICK FM.
My small problem becomes a bigger one when I consider that I have an existing, regular phone contract. There's a year and 4 months remaining on said contract, meaning I will owe to my wireless provider either the monthly cost of the phone, or $200. I owe whichever is the smaller amount, but that's shaping up to be a tidy sum for a student trying to cover books, living expenses, and transportation.
Then there's entering into a new contract. I have my eye on Rogers and an iPhone, but that won't be cheap either. Data plans start at $25/mo and go as high as $60/mo, and that's without factoring in the cost of a phone. The 3GS is $99.99 and that's not even the latest model. The iPhone 4 with 16GB is $159.00, and the 32GB version is $269.00. There must be student plans, I'm sure, but if all goes well, I will graduate in 2011 and be a student no longer.
If I can find someone to take over my existing plan, that will cover some of the cost of the phone, but not the data plan. How much data will I use? Once I'm locked into a contract, can I pay for less if I don't use the full capacity I'm paying for? Can I upgrade? Will I even know what to do with an iPhone if/when I have one?
iHope I can!
One thing to watch out for with Rogers; if you decide to terminate a data plan before the contract term is up, it's a $100 early cancellation fee.
ReplyDeleteSince you mention doing homework on the bus, you may be more happy with a netbook that has mobile data capability or with a data adapter for your existing laptop. An iPhone is pretty slick, but for getting work done it's not quite as good as a more powerful device with a physical keyboard.
However, this ignores the fact that CreComm seems to have decided that it wants its students to have devices that can run "apps." Without knowing exactly HOW they plan on integrating that functionality into the course, it's hard to make a concrete recommendation on what device you need to purchase (if any).
Who is this Bryan who says that CreComm doesn't know HOW it plans on integrating app functionality? And why, when you click on Bryan's link, we can't find out who he is?
ReplyDeleteContact me at kentonlarsen.com, Bryan, and I'd be happy to clarify it for you!
I meant that I didn't know how CreComm plans on integrating app functionality into its coursework, and that hampered my ability to make a recommendation. Curse the imprecision of the English language! I didn't think for one second that the program would implement a required piece of equipment without having an idea of how it would be used, since from what I've heard your program seems to make pretty reasonable decisions. :)
ReplyDeleteAs for who I am... I'm just a physics grad student who doesn't do enough interesting writing to warrant having a blog, so I never bothered to tie a profile to my Google Account. Nothing sinister about me that I know of!
Oh, Kenton. Bryan is a long-time friend of mine, and used to be my brother's roommate. And he meant that HE doesn't know what CreComm needs the apps for. He didn't mean that CRECOMM doesn't know!
ReplyDeleteAbout the student plans, I'd suggest checking further into those: you may be able to find one that outlives your "student" status.
ReplyDeleteAt CPRS, for example (not a cellphone provider, I know, but an organization with a preferred rate for students), you get to stay on at the student rate for up to a year after graduation.