I've got my monthly smart phone expenses down to about the $20 range. It was a little difficult because I really wanted to be using Windows Phone 8*, which is still a bit of a niche platform, and doesn't really have as much going for it in the way of community support as some others, though the Superguide here was a great starting point (thanks for that, I.P. Daley!) Anyway, I'm writing up all the particulars for posterity. Here's how I did it:
- Phone - Nokia Lumia 810, purchased used for $250. This is the only WP8 phone I could find that definitely works on PTel's slice of T-Mobile's network. It's not being sold new anymore, so I needed to turn to the secondary market.
- Phone configuration - go into settings and change: cellular -> Don't use cellular for limited wifi connectivity. Backup -> Photos -> Set both photos and videos to best quality (requires WiFi). Speech -> Uncheck "Enable Speech Recognition Service." (I think that forces speech to happen locally.) Wifi -> Keep on when screen times out.
- Skype - Get a year-long subscription to unlimited nationwide calling, and a phone number through Skype. *In that order!* You get a 50% discount on the phone number if you get the subscription first. It's big up-front cost, but it gets you unlimited voice nationwide for ~$5/mo.
- Google Voice - Set it up to forward to the Skype number, and transfer your existing cellular number there. (Costs $20.) You can't port cell numbers to Skype, but with Google Voice, you don't need to. This also will let you experiment with other MVNOs going forward, without worrying about losing your number if they collapse.
- Behaviors - Never use the "people" app off WiFi, if it grabs images -even preview images- it can get pricey fast. Be careful about what apps are used off WiFi. Try to find apps that aren't ad-supported. Avoid using data off WiFi, in general. The Nokia Here+ GPS apps seem pretty good about keeping data down if you've downloaded the maps locally. Minimize calls 4G, and keep it short when necessary.
I should be up-front and say that Skype has some quirks that need accommodating if you're going to go this route. (And I think they're the only VOIP-with-number game on the platform right now.) The worst is that it seems like Skype can have issues choosing which network to reach you on when you're fading in and out of cellular or wifi range. If it picks wrong, then you'll be unable to connect when you pick up, and the app will seem to hang while loading. My office has terrible cellular service, so I turn cellular off when I get to work. That has helped a lot, but when it happens otherwise, I just have to call back. Also, it couldn't handle my contact list phone numbers, so I needed to re-enter a lot of them. Having numbers of the form 1-555-555-5555 confuses it, I think because it's expecting a '+' in front of the 1. Really irritating.
Otherwise, it's pretty nice. The phone rings normally, and generally works like a phone. I can use mapping when I need it without worrying about breaking the bank, and I'm not missing profligate mobile web browsing and data-heavy app usage as much as I thought I might. And I cut my cellular bill deep enough to make it worthwhile to suck up an early termination fee with my old provider. Here's how I think the costs break down:
- $10/mo - Handset budget allowance.
- $5/mo - Skype number + unlimited plan amortized over a year.
- $5/mo - Data usage. About $2 of this is what I'd pay if I were only letting the phone check e-mail on 4G. The rest is an allowance for having some light data usage beyond that.
Obviously, this only really works if your inelastic mobile data/voice needs are modest. Mine were at about 300 minutes/mo for voice and 150MB/mo for data, and I had no trouble slimming down to what is apparently about 50 MB/mo covering both.
* Disclosure: I work for Microsoft. Not in Skype or WP, I just really like WP. This is a purely personal post, but it's company policy that I identify myself as an employee when posting about company products online.