vB Easy Archive - How functional is a Moto Q sans data plan

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How functional is a Moto Q sans data plan
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Posted by: ed_in_nj

OK, I'm making the jump to a smartphone. To date I have been using two devices a Dell Axim for PDA functions and a Motorola 815 for plain old voice. I have no need for mobile internet/email, but I'm looking to carry only one device. My "needs" are: contacts/calendar/office docs (Word, Excel)/ and a couple of 3rd party WM apps that I use. The integrated GPS is a nice to have feature also if I can get a third party app to run instead of the AT&T navigation pkg, which appears to be doable.

Based on the above I believe the Moto Q is just about the right solution for me - AT&T is the best carrier in my area. So...I went to the AT&T store to get setup and they tell me that I MUST purchase the data plan if I want this phone. The salesman stated the the phone will not run any apps without the data package. I find this hard to believe. So here's the question for this forum:

If I get an unlocked Moto Q and separately initiate a voice only plan with AT&T will the phone effectively function as a PDA?

Thanks for any feedback.

-Ed

Posted by: CeluGeek

Yes, the phone runs without a data plan. The only apps that won't run are those that are data intensive by design like Google Maps, IM programs or browsers like Opera Mobile.

As for alternatives to the AT&T Navigator, you'd have to use one of these programs that store maps on a storage card. I don't think any of those are free. Free alternatives such as Google Maps and Windows Live Search are designed to gather maps from the data connection.

You should be able to buy the phone from AT&T without a data plan. You just got yourself a jerk for a rep. You may not qualify for the rebate though, and even so, some rebates state you qualify if you have an unlimited messaging plan, so you may still be covered.

I bought my Q9h five weeks before the carrier began offering Internet service and for those 5 weeks, I was still able to use it for phone calls and text messages, and all the PDA stuff worked: Calendar, Contacts, Tasks and Office documents. I could also install programs from my PC via ActiveSync.

Posted by: ed_in_nj

Thanks for the reply...that's exactly what I expected would be the answer.

As far as GPS, I realize that the sol'n won't be free - but there are lots of good PDA apps for that. I've used TOMTOM on my Axim, although I have read that it is a little hard to navigate without a touch screen. I have not yet looked into all the alternatives, but CoPilot seems like it might be a good package for the Q.

However, back to the original question - you've confirmed my suspicions, thanks for the feedback.

-Ed

Posted by: efparri

Make sure that the GPS software will share storage space with your PDA applications. If you have to use a dedicated microSD card for the GPS program, there would be nowhere to store your other data except internal memory.

Posted by: rabbivj

I use garmin XT for my GPS package, works pretty sweet.