@Step666:

after 2 messages, apparently he does not.

drewheyman

@Step666: Pssst... the ATT rate seems "cheap" (and barrels of oil "expensive") because of the falling dollar. I don't know about you, but my salary hasn't increased to match the rate. Like I said, comparing what we pay to the Europeans is useless.

bobdobbs

Actually, I'll be keeping my 1400 min/month plan that I share with the wifey (started on Cingular - got over 5000 min rollover baby. yeah, we're wasting lots of minutes, so what??), and adding on 2 iPhones for 20 bucks x2.

@Keebler: I was wondering the same thing! How can they limit the wifi you get at your own house, off your own network?? That'd be brutal, and pretty lame too.

banmojo

Remember that it's not fair to compare minutes in the US with minutes elsewhere in the world. The US rounds up to the nearest minute (or used to - accept my apologies and ignore me if things have changed, but my T-Mobile US bill still rounds), whereas the UK at least (and I know parts of Europe do this also) rounds to the second (my O2 UK bills do - yes, I travel a lot and have too many cell phone numbers). So, three 20 second calls in the UK ("Hi, I'm here, where are you? In the back? Right - I see you!") is 1 minute in the UK and three minutes here in the US. In fact, three 5 second calls are three minutes here in the US. BOHICA.

nixta

Judging by Tivo - Canada will appear on such a list some time in 2024.

navvywavvy

Other than that chart being drawn in toothpaste and then colorized in photoshop, I believe whatever summary you come up with. Otherwise, I'd have to read it.

It's a shame, because obviously time and energy were expended getting the data.

lianna_g

@bobdobbs: 'Further, the ATT plans are shown in Euros, but most of their customers get paid in USD. That makes the comparison pretty useless.'

What?
Do you not get the concept of currency conversion?

Step666

@Vagabum:
Can't you get a Pay-As-You go plan instead or something?

hughjass

Limited Wi-Fi.... Hmmm, could this be limited Wi-Fi from Orange access points? If so, this is not a disadvantage in relation to ATT

Keebler

That is a horribly organized chart.

What about the consumer who does not need anywhere near 450 minutes? I use roughly 75 daytime minutes a month, so I end up getting stuck by the Evil Empire for lots of service costs that I never use.

Vagabum

The cheapest orange plan is 53 Euros per month, making it the most expensive carrie. The overall cost for that plan is for just 12 months; not a bargain.

Further, the ATT plans are shown in Euros, but most of their customers get paid in USD. That makes the comparison pretty useless.

bobdobbs

That chart is extremely confusing.

randotheking

Actually, the dollar did a slight recovery against the GBP this morning, but it's still down .001 over the last 5 days.

lafond66

hahahaha great post

dontforget

@Step666: You mean the weakness of the dollar, right?

Actually "why is it in Euros when ATT are American" pretty much sums it up. ATT gets paid in dollars, as do the majority of their customers. My point is comparing that to what Europeans, making Euros, paying European companies is pretty meaningless BECAUSE of currency fluctuation.

bobdobbs

Whoever designed that chart should be institutionalized. It is clearly the product of a deranged mind.

TickleMeElmo

@bobdobbs: ok, so you're saying that the ATT rate isn't as cheap as it seems given the current strength of the dollar.
That's very different from how your initial comment read, which seemed to be more of a 'why is it in Euros when ATT are American?' kind of sentiment.

Step666

@drewheyman: I'm open to your enlightened explanation, but it seems either of you is only capable of snarky comments.

bobdobbs

Agreed. Great idea. Strange execution. I'm tempted to spontaneously render my own, but... I'm working right now. No... right... now. Right... now.

Cleverboy

that chart is unreadable really and umm how do you limit wifi?

kllngtme

I've used performance charts for transport-category jet aircraft that are far more intuitive than that iPhone comparison chart.

GizMadone

@luckypictures: Actually, I was referring to the dollar's recent plunge versus the euro for calling plans (ATT) that were put in place before that plunge, but the cost of living argument for why this chart is stupid works for me too. Yes, I realize the two are closely related.
@thedan24: This is Gizmodo; it's TFSU.

bobdobbs

@luckypictures: You and bobdobbs are both thinking about this way too much. Basically this study doesnt provide as much detail as it should, it doesnt make it a useless study, nor does his comment shed any light on anything. DONE - Be gone, rejoice, STFU!

thedan24

@drewheyman: It's not about currency conversion.

He's talking about inflation, or, in the case of the dollar, the exact opposite. For example, $10 dollars here does not buy the same amount of groceries as 6.7 euros.

It's about the cost of living.

For example, $10 in Pittsburgh will buy you more groceries than $10 in Philadelphia. Why? Because the cost of living in Pittsburgh, is roughly 76% of the cost of living in Philadelphia. The same can be said abroad.

Whether or not the dollar is rapidly falling is actually a moot point in this comparison. The fact of the matter is that cost of living negates the entire argument. It's different and different cities, and certainly different from country to country. Yes, the US has an average cost of living, and I'm sure that the other comparative countries do as well, but the prices in the chart above are NOT adjusted for cost of living, thus, it is silly to even compare them to begin with.

It's not that bobdobbs doesn't understand currency conversion, it's that he has at least a basic understanding of economics.

luckypictures

@lianna_g: LMAOnade! You're the schnazz!

nixta: Good point.

Could whoever penned this post please explain what "limited Wi-Fi" means? Big difference between "Orange offering limited access to their own Wi-Fi access" and "Orange limiting how often you can connect to a WiFi network when you happen upon one on your own."

nk126

Your comment is not exactly right.
1- The Orange limit of 240min for calls is just for making calls. Receiving calls are unlimited (and free).
2- The 500MB Edge limit isn't really a limit. You can sometimes use more edge data, but if you're doing this too many times, they will limit you.
Forgive me for my bad english ;-)

denlarries

Just wait for the iPhone to hit us here in Canada. Our plans will probably be off the screen with that chart.

mweisman

I wasn't aware that AT&T has been adjusting their prices due to the falling dollar. Oh wait, they haven't. Or the fact that AT&T prices differ between states due to cost of living. Oh wait, they don't do that either. Or the fact that rising worldwide demand hasn't raised the price of oil but rather the falling dollar has. Oh wait, that's not true either.

And the dollar's plunge hasn't been recent. It's been steadily falling for several years.

drewheyman

Hi everyone,

The Orange offer for the data stream on EDGE is unlimited BUT in case of an over charge of their system, Orange mentions, that they will guarantee at least 500MB / month. Not limit to 500MB / month.

Teebo